Three Years Later – Britin

Brian stood in the doorway of the guest room with a bemused smile on his face. "Butterflies again?"

Justin turned to look back at him with a sheepish look on his face and shrugged. "Well, Issy liked it, so I figured like mother...like daughter." He wiped his itchy nose with the back of his hand as he stood there with a paintbrush curled around his fingers, surveying his freshly-completed, latest work of art: a nursery for their new grandchild.

"This is awfully prissy, Justin. You don't even know that it's going to be a girl yet; what if it's a boy instead? Are you trying to create a baby Honeycutt man cave in here?" he teased.

Justin smiled. "That wouldn't be so bad," he decided. "I wouldn't mind a grandchild with Emmett's good qualities."

"Who said any of them are good?" he quipped, his lips curling under into a smile to indicate he was being facetious. He walked further into the newly-remodeled bedroom to get the full effect – Justin had repainted the walls a sky blue and had replaced the previous antique furniture with a white wicker nursery motif, complete with a matching crib, changing table, dresser, and side table. He had even managed to locate a nursery lamp with a squat, white base and a butterfly-decorated lampshade to go on the small, square-shaped table next to the crib.

On every side of the room the winged, multi-colored insects were flying everywhere – around flowers, in puffy, white clouds, over a rainbow, and around mountains and streams. Justin had virtually locked himself inside the room for the past week, ever since he had heard Issy and her husband, Derek, wanted to visit them shortly after their daughter gave birth, so he could decorate one of their guest rooms in preparation for their arrival as a surprise for the new mother. Her due date was only a few days away, and both fathers were anxiously awaiting the big event.

Their daughter and son-in-law, expecting their first child, had decided to buck the trend and wait until their child was born to find out if it was a boy or girl. It certainly provided for a certain amount of suspense, but to the curious, first-time grandfathers, it also caused a moderate degree of trepidation as they waited for their only daughter to give birth. It hadn't helped Justin's design ideas for the visiting nursery, either, not knowing the baby's sex, but he had been so excited about the idea of providing their new grandchild with a special room that he had decided to go ahead and create a neutral environment anyway. That didn't mean he still couldn't decorate it with one of their daughter's favorite things growing up, though.

"I'm not sure the baby will be able to sleep with all this going on," Brian quipped as Justin smacked him on the arm with his free hand. Brian, however, wasn't deterred as he added, "Wouldn't it be easier to just set up a crib inside the Pittsburgh Arboretum?" Justin didn't respond, but as Brian looked at him he noticed his husband's paint-spattered hand being raised in retaliation as he slowly stepped backward. "Justin…..Keep that weapon away from me," he warned as he brought one long index finger up to waggle it in front of the other man's face.

Justin merely smiled innocently as he continued to advance on his husband while he gripped the paintbrush drenched with blue paint, a twinkle in his eyes. "It's just a little paint – don't worry, it's latex."

"We don't use 'latex' anymore, remember?" Brian bantered warily as Justin's smile broadened. Even now, even in his rather precarious predicament, Brian's heart did a flip flop in reaction to that smile; he supposed it would always be that way where Justin was concerned.

"Only if it's still needed," the blond whispered as he continued to back Brian up against the opposite wall.

Fortunately for his husband, the wall had been painted first and was dry. As he felt the hard surface at his back, Brian realized he was pinned in and had no place to go. He held his hands up in front of him before saying, "Justin…..this is my brand new suit. If you get paint all over it….." He left the consequences unsaid; somehow he had a feeling no matter what he threatened, he would wind up the loser anyway.

Justin licked his lips playfully, realizing he had Brian right where he wanted him. Of course, he thought silently with just a hint of smugness, he always did have Brian right where he wanted him; Brian would just not admit it out loud. He didn't have to, though – Justin could always tell by the looks he gave him and by his touch. Brian's touch was the most wonderful thing in the world and as the recipient of Brian Kinney's heart, he considered himself the luckiest man on Earth. Brian eyed him warily as he finally reached over to gingerly dab a spot of sky blue on the chiseled, bronze nose with his brush before using his mouth to work on the real masterpiece – his husband's luscious-tasting, cranberry-colored lips he knew so well.

Brian reached up to grab Justin's wrist to hold the paintbrush away from his jacket before responding to the overture; he wrapped his other hand around his husband's neck to angle his face for a deeper kiss as Justin willingly opened his mouth in response. He heard a sigh of contentment as their mouths continued to ravage each other for several seconds before he reluctantly pulled back to stare into the soft blue eyes that always captivated him, even now.

"Smart man, Taylor," he murmured as Justin grinned back at him. "I knew there was a reason why I married you."

The blond smirked as he leaned up to nuzzle Brian's neck; Brian accommodatingly turned it to the side in response as he heard Justin declare, "And here I always thought it was my incredible body."

Brian chuckled as Justin raised his head to peer mischievously into the hazel eyes. "Well, that's sort of tolerable, too," he declared solemnly, curling his lips under as he gazed at Justin and waggled his eyebrows.

Justin snorted. "Well, if it's only tolerable, then, it might just take me the rest of the night to finish up this project." He promptly released Brian's hands and began to walk away, only to be grabbed from behind by a pair of long, muscled arms. He squealed as Brian pinned him to the sides and jabbed him, right where he was the most sensitive. "I'm armed!" he warned feebly, unable to stop laughing as Brian began to tickle him then. "Stop it!" he giggled back.

Brian wrestled the paintbrush away from his husband long enough to drop it onto a nearby plastic tarp before continuing his tickling tirade in earnest.

Justin doubled over in laughter over Brian's ministrations. "Br…Brian!" he could barely sputter. "I have to finish the room!" he insisted, unable to keep from wriggling as Brian's talented fingers worked their magic. "The drapes still need to be hung."

Brian finally quit tickling him to slide his arms tightly around Justin's chest as he huskily whispered, "Well, something that's already hung needs taking care of first."

Justin laughed as he placed his hands on top of Brian's and leaned back into his embrace. "That's the cheesiest thing I've ever heard, Brian."

"Don't care," Brian mumbled as he began to rain butterfly kisses all over Justin's pale neck; Justin gasped as he felt a hickey being planted on the tender flesh near his collarbone as Brian bestowed a quick love bite before soothing it with his hot, wet tongue. "Brian….." he began, his conviction quickly disappearing the longer Brian kept nipping and licking at his skin. "I…I need to finish this."

Brian finally lifted his head to whisper in Justin's ear, "Finish it later - she's not due for another week, Grandpa." He nipped at the lower fleshy part of Justin's earlobe as he heard a groan in return. "I think we have enough time for a little diversion first, don't you?"

Justin's breath was coming out in little, anticipatory pants now as he finally uttered, "Maybe that would be best; the paint needs to dry anyway."

Brian laughed softly as he turned Justin around and smashed his lips against his; Justin's hands snaked around Brian's waist as the two men kissed passionately for several seconds. Taking Justin's hand in his to walk away from the new nursery soon afterward, the painting project was temporarily forgotten on behalf of more urgent, pleasurable matters.

One Week Later – 6:00 a.m.

"Brian?" Silence prevailed.

"Brian?" spoke the louder, more urgent voice as the brunet felt someone poking his side.

"Wha….?" Brian jerked awake to turn and face his husband in their bed. "What is it?"

"Your phone!" Justin proclaimed, pointing over to the night table. "Your cell's ringing!"

Brian reached over to pick his phone up and flip it open as he sat up against the headboard. "Yeah?"

Justin watched his husband's face intently as Brian listened to the caller. "When?" he heard him ask as the brunet looked at him and nodded. Justin's heartbeat began to race as he waited anxiously for Brian to say something.

"Really? That's great, Derek! We'll be right there!" He looked over at Justin with a grin on his face. "And tell the new mom we love her, will you?" he added as he snapped his phone shut. As he put the phone down, Justin could hardly wait for his response.

"Well?" he asked anxiously.

"7 lbs., 2 oz.," Brian reported with a smile.

Justin's eyes lit up. "What is it?" he asked eagerly.

"Human, I guess," was the sarcastic reply as Justin reached over and smacked him in the stomach.

"Asshole!" he muttered. "Is it a boy or a girl?"

Brian smiled. "Oh, that….Mother and baby girl are doing just fine, according to our son-in-law."

Justin's eyes lit up as he smiled in relief. "A girl for our girl," he said wistfully. "It's still hard to believe," he admitted, his eyes tearing up suddenly at the sentimental thought. He would have been happy whether it had been a girl or a boy, but he had to admit – he had been secretly hoping for a little granddaughter to spoil, just like they had spoiled their own little girl, and now he had his wish.

Brian rolled his eyes. "Now don't you start that," he warned the blond as he lay back down on the mattress and stared over into Justin's face. "You promised." He couldn't help smiling gently at his tenderhearted mate, though. Truth be told, he was feeling a little melancholy himself over the fact that their little girl was now a mother. Where did all the time go? he wondered. He pulled Justin into his arms for a few seconds as they gave each other a tight congratulatory hug before releasing him and rising from the bed. Standing up, he reached down his hand to his husband and said, "Time to go meet our granddaughter, Mr. Taylor."

Lucas General Hospital – New York City - Two Hours Later

As they hurried down the carpeted hallway of the hospital, Justin couldn't help admiring the muted, tasteful walls of the neonatal unit. Original paintings depicting babies and mothers holding their newborns greeted them at regular intervals; built-in track lighting hung subtly along each wall. It was an understated yet elegant design that no doubt was meant to sooth new mothers' nerves. As he and Brian rushed down the hall toward their daughter's room, however, he realized it had little effect on his own nerves because his heart was beating a mile a minute in anticipation.

Slowly the room numbers ticked by until they noticed the one they were eagerly searching for: 56. As they came to a stop in front of their daughter's private suite, which Brian had insisted on paying for, they looked in the room and spied Derek sitting next to their daughter's bed, his hand holding onto hers through the bedrail. They walked into the room quietly as Derek heard their soft footsteps and turned to smile at them and nod.

"Hey, Dad," Justin whispered softly, beaming like he was the proud father instead as he shook Derek's hand; Brian followed suit as he walked up behind him. They then turned to walk over to the other side of Issy's bed. Their daughter was asleep, her long blond hair jutting out behind the pillow like wisps of gold. A thin, white hospital blanket was pulled up to her waist; she was wearing ivory-colored, silk pajamas with muted pinstripes of sky blue, lime green, and pink – still her favorite colors. In her long, slender hands was a bundle swathed in pink and firmly held in her grasp – her newborn daughter who was currently sleeping peacefully.

Justin's breath caught in his throat as he received his first glimpse of his granddaughter. Until then, he had forgotten just how tiny Issy had been right after she had been born; but now as he examined the almost impossibly little fingernails on his granddaughter's hand that was sticking out of the blanket, and the perfectly-rounded, small pink lips and minuscule button nose, it all came rushing back to him. He could see little wisps of blonde hair peeking out of the pink, knitted cap resting on top of the baby's head, and one tiny, socked foot had sneaked out of the bottom of the blanket as the child lay there, softly taking short, quick puffs of breath as she slept soundly, unaware of the avid attention she was receiving from both grandfathers. He could feel Brian's hand on his upper back as he peered around Justin to lean in and take a look at the newborn.

"She's beautiful, Derek," Justin said to his son-in-law, who beamed back at him proudly and nodded. "Everyone okay?" he asked.

Derek nodded. "Issy and the baby fell asleep about 30 minutes ago," he told them with a whisper, trying not to disturb his wife; he stifled a yawn that abruptly rose to the surface. "She was in labor for about 15 hours before that, though – she's pretty exhausted, but they're doing fine," he assured them.

Brian gazed down at the perfectly-proportioned baby lying in his daughter's arms and was amazed. Amazed that a baby could be so beautiful – okay, maybe he was a little prejudiced here – but also amazed that their own daughter was old enough to have one of her own now. Once more he wondered where all the time had gone; it just seemed like yesterday that he and Justin were getting married and now, as hard as it was to believe, he was a fucking grandfather. A sexy grandfather, he readily admitted, but still a grandfather nonetheless. An unbidden thought came to his mind as he whispered in Justin's ear, "I bet she's got a perfect little bubble butt underneath that blanket, just like someone else I know."

Justin laughed softly. "Only you would think about that, Gramps," he kidded his husband, who pinched him lightly in his own bubble butt in response. "Maybe you'll find out when she needs her diaper changed soon." Brian scrunched up his nose at that distasteful thought as Justin smiled.

As they gazed into the angelic face of their new granddaughter, Issy began to move almost imperceptibly in the bed as her golden-kissed eyelids fluttered open and she focused on her fathers standing by her bedside. As she realized they were there, and remembered the precious, tiny bundle lying in her arms, she smiled softly back at them and whispered, "When did you get here?"

"Just a few minutes ago," Justin told her, reaching over to tenderly brush some rebellious strands of hair back from her face; even though she was now a young woman – a young mother – Issy's hair was still as long and stubborn as ever. Presently she had it tied back into a loose ponytail, her thick blond mane barely restrained by the elastic band holding it.

"She's beautiful, Princess," Brian told her fondly, smiling as Issy beamed.

"Do you want to hold her?" she asked Justin softly; she watched her biological father's eyes light up in response as she gently lifted the newborn toward him.

Justin reached out to accept his granddaughter as he cradled the small child in his arms and rocked her back and forth slightly as he swayed his body to a silent tune only he could hear. He couldn't keep his eyes off the cherubic, slightly chubby, pale face. "She looks like you, Honey," he decided, noting the baby had Issy's ears and facial shape, along with the same type lips.

"She looks like someone else I know," he heard Brian whisper by his neck as he stared down in captivation at this latest addition to their expanding family. "I wonder what color eyes she has?"

"Blue," Derek confirmed, nodding with a smile. "Same exact shade as mother and grandfather."

Issy laughed softly. "Yeah, Derek asked me if he had anything to do with the birth or not – he claims he can't see any of him in her."

"Well, unless I've missed some sort of latest medical advance, I would say it's a safe bet that you did," Brian quipped as the other three grinned. He watched amused as Justin continued to stare at the baby as if he were in a trance; or, more likely, reliving the day they had brought their own daughter home from the hospital. Justin hadn't been able to take his eyes off Issy then, too; of course, neither had he, either.

He couldn't resist reaching into his jacket to take a small, rectangular digital camera out of his pocket and stand far enough away so he could take a photo of grandfather and granddaughter. Justin's look of joy on his face as he stared down at the newborn he held in his hands was just too incredible to pass up.

Justin glanced up as he saw the flash and he beamed back at Brian. "Isn't she just amazing, Brian?" he asked reverently as he peered down at the miracle lying in his arms.

Brian nodded with a gentle smile. "She sure is," he couldn't help agreeing. You both are, he couldn't help thinking silently as he continued to study the sight of his husband holding their new granddaughter in his arms, just like he had done with their own daughter.

"Do you want to hold him, too, Daddy?" he heard Issy ask from her bed; Brian looked over at her, suddenly a little hesitant to be entrusted with such a priceless treasure.

Issy, however, knew her father was itching to do just that even though he wouldn't admit it out loud. She had seen enough photos of her father holding her brother Gus and herself when they were young to realize that he had secretly treasured those moments. As she looked at him now, she could see the same look of eagerness in his eyes as Justin smiled tenderly at him and walked over to gently place the baby in his outstretched arms.

As he nestled the warm, sleeping child in his arms and marveled at the familiar baby-powder smell, Brian's mind instantly wandered back to when Gus was born and Lindsey has asked him the same thing; he remembered the mixture of both fear and excitement he had felt at the time as she placed the fragile bundle in his arms, and the wondrous feeling he had experienced when Gus had gazed up at him with eyes the same color as his own. And when Issy had been born, he had felt the same feeling, perhaps even more so, because Justin was the father. Every time he looked at her, he also saw the man he loved so deeply peering back at him and it filled him with an almost indescribable feeling of contentment and fulfillment.

A tender smile broke out on his face as he peered down into the latest edition to their family. He watched, fascinated, as the baby emitted soft, barely-discernible whimpering sounds as her impossibly-tiny golden eyelashes fluttered and he at last got a peek at the sapphire-blue eyes that were struggling to open. His smile widened in pleasure as he looked over at Justin and whispered, "Derek's right – she's got eyes just like yours and Issy's." That fact made him inordinately pleased for some reason as Justin smiled back at him radiantly.

Justin walked over to grab Brian's camera that he had placed down on the rolling, portable hospital table and snapped a photo of his husband holding their granddaughter as Brian continued to stare in captivation at the child.

A few seconds later, the baby's whimper began to slowly rise in crescendo now that she was fully awake, eventually turning into a dainty little cry as Brian looked up somewhat helplessly. "Uh….," he began, not quite sure what to do. It wasn't that he hadn't had plenty of experience taking care of Issy when she had been born, but it always seemed like Justin was much better at handling these types of moments.

"Here's your chance, grandpa," Justin teased back at him. "Maybe she needs changing."

The look on Brian's face was priceless as he held the baby in front of his outstretched arms toward Justin like she was some sort of dead rat. "I can wait," he decided abruptly as Justin laughed and took the newborn from him. Feeling her bottom to determine she was actually dry, he began to make soft, clucking sounds at the child in hopes of quieting her while he rocked softly from side to side. When that didn't work, he began to hum and then eventually quietly sing the same song he had sung so long ago to Issy when she was young – the horse lullaby. To everyone's amazement, after several seconds, the child stopped crying and gazed up into Justin's eyes as if mesmerized by the sound.

Issy smiled, tears coming to her eyes as she recognized the song; her father had sung it to her so many times when she was a little girl – anytime she was afraid or sad for some reason. It had always soothed her, and it seems it had the same effect on her newborn daughter as well. Once more, she realized how lucky she was to have these two loving, courageous, and strong yet gentle men as her fathers.

"Poppa? Daddy? You haven't asked me what her name is yet," she reminded them, as she looked over at Derek, who smiled at her. Issy had given a lot of thought to the issue and after discussing it with her husband, she had been thrilled to find out that he was in agreement with her choice.

Both men turned to look at her as Justin continued to hold the child in his arms. "What did you two decide on, Honey?" Justin asked her curiously as he held up one of the baby's hands to playfully nip at the fingers there; he was astounded by how tiny they were – he couldn't remember Issy's fingers ever being so small, or so perfect, but he knew they must have been. Everything about their daughter had been perfect – and still was.

Issy smiled tenderly at both men as she advised them, "Well, Derek and I talked it over – and we decided to name her Taylor Brianna Halstead…if that's okay with you."

Brian looked over at Justin and rolled his eyes good-naturedly as he saw the predictable tears began to well up in his husband's eyes. He didn't dare admit that his own heart was welling up with pride as he smiled back at their daughter and confirmed, "Princess, that is just fine with us."

Justin pursed his lips to try and keep the tears from falling as he whispered, "We're honored, Honey. Thank you – both of you," he added, looking over at Derek and nodding his gratitude for agreeing to her wishes.

"You're welcome, Justin," Derek told him. "We're the ones who are honored." In the three years that he and Issy had been married, he had come to admire and respect these two men who had raised his wife to be such an incredible woman. He felt this was a small way to repay them for the wonderful soulmate he had married, and it had made her happy – that was the most important thing of all.

The two men spent several more minutes with the newly-created family before they realized their daughter was getting tired. When the nurse came in to place the baby back into the nearby bassinet, they reluctantly realized it was time to leave.

"We're going to go, Issy, and give you some time to rest," Brian told her as he walked over to lean down and give her a kiss on the cheek. "You're still coming over to visit us soon, though, right?" he said, referring to the previous promise she had made to come down and spend some time with them at Britin.

"We sure are, Daddy," she assured him. "You don't think I'd turn down some help with the baby, do you?" she teased with a smile as she looked over at her husband. "I'm sure Derek wouldn't mind that, either," she added as he nodded with a grin.

"Good," Brian said, nodding. "We'll be ready for you whenever you decide to come," he said, glancing over at Justin with a conspiratorial look; neither Issy nor Derek had any inkling about Justin's secret nursery project, and he knew in spite of how much he had teased his husband about it, their daughter would be delighted with the butterfly motif.

She nodded as Justin walked over to repeat the same motion, bending down to gently grab Issy's neck and bestow a soft kiss on her cheek. "I'll call you when we get ready to come," she told her father, who smiled and nodded.

"We'll be looking forward to it, Honey," he whispered as he stood up and walked over to Brian, who placed a hand on his waist companionably. The two men walked over to Derek to shake his hand in departure and congratulate the new father once more before they finally left.

As the two disappeared out of sight, Issy turned to her husband with tears in her eyes. "I'm very lucky, Sweetheart," she whispered, reaching out her hand to clasp his. And she was lucky – she had a wonderful, caring husband, a brand-new, beautiful baby girl, a big brother she adored, and two incredible fathers who had provided her with everything she could ever need, material as well as emotional. As Derek smiled at her, she felt like the luckiest woman in the world.

Two Hours Later

Brian glanced over at his husband, who was being unusually quiet on the plane as it wended its way back toward their home. They were seated in their customary, favorite first-class seats – two located in the last row before the business-class section. It normally provided them with more privacy than the other premium seats, having a wall behind them and situated at a slight angle from the other seats.

Brian used that advantage at the moment to reach over and clasp Justin's hand in his. At the first moment of contact, Justin turned his head to look into Brian's intense, hazel eyes and gave him a tender, wistful smile – a smile that told Brian he was well aware his husband knew that he could see right through him. He sighed first before whispering, "It doesn't seem like it's been over 25 years now."

Brian smiled back at him and gave his hand a squeeze. "I know," he had to admit. "So…..has it been good for you, Taylor?" he quipped.

Justin chuckled softly before his face morphed into more of a tender look as he replied sincerely, "Yes…it's been very good, Mr. Kinney." He gazed into Brian's eyes before adding, "It's been damn wonderful, in fact. I wouldn't have traded any of it for a second – not even the bad times. I think that's made the good times all the more sweeter."

Brian huffed good-naturedly. "Well, let's not make it sound like our wake or something….I think I might have a few good years left yet."

Justin laughed as he leaned his head on Brian's shoulder and looked down at their clasped hands; his wedding band gleamed in the overhead cabin light as he whispered, "I know you do. And I'm looking forward to each one of them. I just hope I can keep up with you," he teased.

He heard Brian harrumph softly. "Something tells me that won't be a problem," he whispered back as he turned his head enough to give Justin a quick buss on the cheek. "I'll be looking forward to it, too."

"Brian?"

"Hmm?" he murmured back as he tilted his head and laid it on top of the soft, blond hair.

"I'm glad I got a picture of you with our new granddaughter. When we get home, I have a new painting to do….and I know just where to hang it."

A/N: The End! Thank you so much for reading - your parting thoughts would be greatly appreciated.:)