Final Episode
With Showtime airing 513, I thought it would be nice to bring this little fic out of mothballs while FanSee and I are busy working on something new.
Episode 514 - "It’s no big deal as long as they love you."
The setting is Babylon and the place looks fabulous once again. It must be daytime because it's not open, but a few employees are scurrying around restocking the bar and generally getting things ready for another evening of fun and frolic. The camera focuses in on one table and an elegantly handsome young man strides up to it and takes a seat. He gestures with a jerk of his head to someone off screen and almost immediately we see an adorable girl, about sixteen years old, grab a chair and sit down next to him. I guess it will be easier to just give you the dialog, so here goes...
Young Man: (He appears to be speaking to the person holding the camera), "Are you ready? Oh, OK...it's on?! Jeez, you could have told me! Well, anyway, Hi...I'm Gus Kinney and this is my sister Jenny Novotny. Our parents said you knew us way back when we had a bunch of last names. It got kind of confusing so after gay marriage was made legal in the U.S. they decided to just go with our dads’ names. I guess things have changed a lot around here since you saw them last. They thought it would be "cute" if we were the ones to tell you about it."
JR: Yeah, they wanted you to know because they said you cared so much about them and our weird extended family, so I guess I'll start. (Looks at her brother) OK?
Gus: Sure, then I won't have to talk much because once you get going you never shut up. I wonder where you get that from?” (tongue goes to cheek and eyebrows raise)
JR: (punches Gus) So ANYWAY…this is Babylon. Daddy Bri and Uncle Justin still own it but they’re usually way too busy to spend much time here. They always stop by for the big contests though. Mom said the last time you saw us, she and Mama Lindz were packing us off to Canada. That seems so odd. I don’t even remember it, (looks at Gus) do you?
Gus: Yeah, kind of. I remember saying goodbye to my dad but thinking we were just going on vacation or something. And I remember going to kindergarten and first grade there. And I remember Sara Jenson from next door, she was hot.
JR: She was also five. You’re pathetic!
Gus: Well she was, we used to play doctor. I wonder if she’s still there…(as he pulls his lips in and looks quizzically off into space.)
JR: Snap out of it, we’re here to bring the folks up to speed on what’s happened to our family over the last 15 years, not rehash your sex life.
Gus: Hey, my sex life is a lot more interesting. But I digress. Our moms, Melanie and Lindsay, are still together. We lived in Canada for a couple of years but, like I mentioned before, when gay marriage became legal in the states they moved back to Pittsburgh. That was right about the time Uncle Justin came back too. Mom Mel is a partner in a law firm here and Mama Lindz runs Justin’s galleries. They seem pretty happy when dipshit here isn’t giving them a hard time.
JR: (Rolls those big brown eyes) Like you were such a perfect child. I guess it’s a really good thing the laws changed because from what I hear, Grandma Deb was about ready to come up to Toronto and kidnap us. She and Grandpa Carl are really enjoying their retirement. They still live in the house my dad grew up in but they are traveling a lot. When they do, I get to stay over there to take care of things. I love going up in the attic and looking through all the junk she has. Everything except that ceramic cat, that thing gives me the creeps. You know, I heard she actually gave it to Uncle Justin once! What the heck was he going to do with it? I wonder how he managed to give it back. She’s still got all of my dad’s high school stuff too and he looked like such a dork! But Daddy Bri…he was hot even back then.
Gus: Oh gross! I actually think your dad is pretty cool. Michael still owns the comic book store and I spent a lot of fun summer days there as a teenager. (He looks to his sister) Remember the time when he and Ben took a Saturday off and left Hunter and I in charge of the store? (J.R. nods) We got into so much trouble. Who would have thought that canned silly string gunk could have done that much damage to comic books? Hunter was a god to me when I was thirteen. He had finished college by then and was acting in community theatre that summer. If our parents only knew all the places he took me to! Hunter’s so awesome. He’s out in California now, working in the movie business but he always manages to make it back for the holidays.
JR: He better or Grandma would have his butt. Even though my dad wanted him to be a doctor, you can tell how proud he and Uncle Ben are of him. Oh, I guess you didn’t know about Ben either, did you? He got really sick when I was still pretty young. Dad said he nearly died a couple of times. But that was before they were able to completely control HIV. He’s so much better now. I guess he still has some health problems because he’s lived with the virus for so long but he’s doing really well. He’s not teaching full time anymore, but he is still associated with the University. He’d like it if my dad would sell Red Cape and so they could travel full time but I can’t imagine dad without that place. They did go to Tibet last year for six weeks. My dad brought back tons of movies that we were all forced to sit and watch. It was nice, I guess, but got a bit boring, if you know what I mean. Em and Drew livened things up though with their play-by-play commentary.
Gus: THAT was hilarious! I think it kinda pissed your dad off, though, which made it even funnier. How cool is it that Drew Boyd, a winning Superbowl quarterback, is a friend of ours? He and Em share the most awesome house. It’s got an indoor swimming pool and they’ve even let me throw parties over there. Well, I should say Em throws the parties, I just invite my friends. Em runs his business out of the place and Drew does what ever the heck he wants. Nice life.
JR: So who have we forgotten? Oh yeah, Ted and Blake! Those two are workaholics. Ted is Daddy Bri’s accountant over at Kinnetik, and Blake is a physician’s assistant. They live down the street from my dad and Uncle Ben. The four of them get together a lot. We were joking just the other day that they should have bought houses next to each other and built a connecting hall over the fence.
Gus: So that’s our family, all except for dad and Uncle Justin. God, where do I begin with them? I’ve heard more stories than I care to repeat about my dad before and for a while after I came along. That’s not the guy I know though. The man I know has just always been a dad, my dad. And for as long as I can remember, he and Justin have been a couple. I vaguely recall the place he lived before we moved to Canada but even then Justin was always around so it’s weird for me to hear people talk about what a playboy Brian Kinney was. I can’t imagine him with anybody else. Nobody really thinks of their parents in that way, right? Anyway, about the time we moved back here, he and Justin bought a bigger place in the city. Two floors and a sun deck on the roof. Dad has a home office there, and Uncle Justin has a studio. Jenny and I still have rooms there too whenever we want to use them.
JR: Be sure and tell them who has the bigger one.
Gus: Jesus, Jenny, that is so third grade of you.
JR: I don’t care, tell them or I will.
Gus: Fine, she does.
JR: And why is that?
Gus: Because you have raised whining to an art form, and it results in you always getting your way?
JR: No, I don’t think so. Tell them or your dad's gonna find out the real reason why his…
Gus: Okay, okay, okay. She got the bigger room because as far as Uncle Justin is concerned, Jenny gets anything she wants.
JR: (Smiling broadly) And as far as Daddy Bri is concerned, Uncle Justin gets anything HE wants.
Gus: So basically, when we’re over there together, I’m screwed. Dad has their place set up so he can run Kinnetik from home or his regular office and that was really handy when I was little and stayed with them. I took it for granted, thinking all parents had that kind of freedom but now I know how lucky I was. I guess Uncle Justin did well in New York, but he and dad missed each other so he took the money and knowledge he gained and opened up his own gallery back in Pittsburgh. It must be doing well because now he has one in New York too, and like I said before, my mom runs them. Dad and Justin have it really nice but they worked hard and they deserve it. That’s about it, isn’t it?
JR: I think so. It’s weird for us to think that people would be so interested in our family. I guess it’s a pretty unconventional one, but honestly, whose isn’t?
Gus: Yeah, we have friends that were raised by single parents, hetero parents, grandparents, foster parents, you name it. I’ve come to realize, it’s no big deal as long as they love you, and that’s something Jenny and I have never had any doubt about.
So thanks for watching us and thanks for caring. You will always be a part of our family.
Episode 514 - "It’s no big deal as long as they love you."
The setting is Babylon and the place looks fabulous once again. It must be daytime because it's not open, but a few employees are scurrying around restocking the bar and generally getting things ready for another evening of fun and frolic. The camera focuses in on one table and an elegantly handsome young man strides up to it and takes a seat. He gestures with a jerk of his head to someone off screen and almost immediately we see an adorable girl, about sixteen years old, grab a chair and sit down next to him. I guess it will be easier to just give you the dialog, so here goes...
Young Man: (He appears to be speaking to the person holding the camera), "Are you ready? Oh, OK...it's on?! Jeez, you could have told me! Well, anyway, Hi...I'm Gus Kinney and this is my sister Jenny Novotny. Our parents said you knew us way back when we had a bunch of last names. It got kind of confusing so after gay marriage was made legal in the U.S. they decided to just go with our dads’ names. I guess things have changed a lot around here since you saw them last. They thought it would be "cute" if we were the ones to tell you about it."
JR: Yeah, they wanted you to know because they said you cared so much about them and our weird extended family, so I guess I'll start. (Looks at her brother) OK?
Gus: Sure, then I won't have to talk much because once you get going you never shut up. I wonder where you get that from?” (tongue goes to cheek and eyebrows raise)
JR: (punches Gus) So ANYWAY…this is Babylon. Daddy Bri and Uncle Justin still own it but they’re usually way too busy to spend much time here. They always stop by for the big contests though. Mom said the last time you saw us, she and Mama Lindz were packing us off to Canada. That seems so odd. I don’t even remember it, (looks at Gus) do you?
Gus: Yeah, kind of. I remember saying goodbye to my dad but thinking we were just going on vacation or something. And I remember going to kindergarten and first grade there. And I remember Sara Jenson from next door, she was hot.
JR: She was also five. You’re pathetic!
Gus: Well she was, we used to play doctor. I wonder if she’s still there…(as he pulls his lips in and looks quizzically off into space.)
JR: Snap out of it, we’re here to bring the folks up to speed on what’s happened to our family over the last 15 years, not rehash your sex life.
Gus: Hey, my sex life is a lot more interesting. But I digress. Our moms, Melanie and Lindsay, are still together. We lived in Canada for a couple of years but, like I mentioned before, when gay marriage became legal in the states they moved back to Pittsburgh. That was right about the time Uncle Justin came back too. Mom Mel is a partner in a law firm here and Mama Lindz runs Justin’s galleries. They seem pretty happy when dipshit here isn’t giving them a hard time.
JR: (Rolls those big brown eyes) Like you were such a perfect child. I guess it’s a really good thing the laws changed because from what I hear, Grandma Deb was about ready to come up to Toronto and kidnap us. She and Grandpa Carl are really enjoying their retirement. They still live in the house my dad grew up in but they are traveling a lot. When they do, I get to stay over there to take care of things. I love going up in the attic and looking through all the junk she has. Everything except that ceramic cat, that thing gives me the creeps. You know, I heard she actually gave it to Uncle Justin once! What the heck was he going to do with it? I wonder how he managed to give it back. She’s still got all of my dad’s high school stuff too and he looked like such a dork! But Daddy Bri…he was hot even back then.
Gus: Oh gross! I actually think your dad is pretty cool. Michael still owns the comic book store and I spent a lot of fun summer days there as a teenager. (He looks to his sister) Remember the time when he and Ben took a Saturday off and left Hunter and I in charge of the store? (J.R. nods) We got into so much trouble. Who would have thought that canned silly string gunk could have done that much damage to comic books? Hunter was a god to me when I was thirteen. He had finished college by then and was acting in community theatre that summer. If our parents only knew all the places he took me to! Hunter’s so awesome. He’s out in California now, working in the movie business but he always manages to make it back for the holidays.
JR: He better or Grandma would have his butt. Even though my dad wanted him to be a doctor, you can tell how proud he and Uncle Ben are of him. Oh, I guess you didn’t know about Ben either, did you? He got really sick when I was still pretty young. Dad said he nearly died a couple of times. But that was before they were able to completely control HIV. He’s so much better now. I guess he still has some health problems because he’s lived with the virus for so long but he’s doing really well. He’s not teaching full time anymore, but he is still associated with the University. He’d like it if my dad would sell Red Cape and so they could travel full time but I can’t imagine dad without that place. They did go to Tibet last year for six weeks. My dad brought back tons of movies that we were all forced to sit and watch. It was nice, I guess, but got a bit boring, if you know what I mean. Em and Drew livened things up though with their play-by-play commentary.
Gus: THAT was hilarious! I think it kinda pissed your dad off, though, which made it even funnier. How cool is it that Drew Boyd, a winning Superbowl quarterback, is a friend of ours? He and Em share the most awesome house. It’s got an indoor swimming pool and they’ve even let me throw parties over there. Well, I should say Em throws the parties, I just invite my friends. Em runs his business out of the place and Drew does what ever the heck he wants. Nice life.
JR: So who have we forgotten? Oh yeah, Ted and Blake! Those two are workaholics. Ted is Daddy Bri’s accountant over at Kinnetik, and Blake is a physician’s assistant. They live down the street from my dad and Uncle Ben. The four of them get together a lot. We were joking just the other day that they should have bought houses next to each other and built a connecting hall over the fence.
Gus: So that’s our family, all except for dad and Uncle Justin. God, where do I begin with them? I’ve heard more stories than I care to repeat about my dad before and for a while after I came along. That’s not the guy I know though. The man I know has just always been a dad, my dad. And for as long as I can remember, he and Justin have been a couple. I vaguely recall the place he lived before we moved to Canada but even then Justin was always around so it’s weird for me to hear people talk about what a playboy Brian Kinney was. I can’t imagine him with anybody else. Nobody really thinks of their parents in that way, right? Anyway, about the time we moved back here, he and Justin bought a bigger place in the city. Two floors and a sun deck on the roof. Dad has a home office there, and Uncle Justin has a studio. Jenny and I still have rooms there too whenever we want to use them.
JR: Be sure and tell them who has the bigger one.
Gus: Jesus, Jenny, that is so third grade of you.
JR: I don’t care, tell them or I will.
Gus: Fine, she does.
JR: And why is that?
Gus: Because you have raised whining to an art form, and it results in you always getting your way?
JR: No, I don’t think so. Tell them or your dad's gonna find out the real reason why his…
Gus: Okay, okay, okay. She got the bigger room because as far as Uncle Justin is concerned, Jenny gets anything she wants.
JR: (Smiling broadly) And as far as Daddy Bri is concerned, Uncle Justin gets anything HE wants.
Gus: So basically, when we’re over there together, I’m screwed. Dad has their place set up so he can run Kinnetik from home or his regular office and that was really handy when I was little and stayed with them. I took it for granted, thinking all parents had that kind of freedom but now I know how lucky I was. I guess Uncle Justin did well in New York, but he and dad missed each other so he took the money and knowledge he gained and opened up his own gallery back in Pittsburgh. It must be doing well because now he has one in New York too, and like I said before, my mom runs them. Dad and Justin have it really nice but they worked hard and they deserve it. That’s about it, isn’t it?
JR: I think so. It’s weird for us to think that people would be so interested in our family. I guess it’s a pretty unconventional one, but honestly, whose isn’t?
Gus: Yeah, we have friends that were raised by single parents, hetero parents, grandparents, foster parents, you name it. I’ve come to realize, it’s no big deal as long as they love you, and that’s something Jenny and I have never had any doubt about.
So thanks for watching us and thanks for caring. You will always be a part of our family.