Tom should have known it would come to this. It wasn't as if there hadn't been warning signs prior to the big meltdown. Plus he knew Michael -- and Michael's competitive streak. His lover didn't like to lose. In the past five months since Jared and Jensen had been outed as a couple on You Tube, thanks to Jared's former high school friend Derek, Michael had been plotting their own coming out. And no matter how much Tom cajoled, begged or bribed his boyfriend to just forget about outing them to the world, Michael was determined to outshine the Supernatural boys. He said his masculine pride demanded it. (Personally, Tom thought he just wanted all the free publicity.)
Sighing, Tom sat down on the couch in his trailer and dialed Michael's number on his cell phone. Michael was in Los Angeles doing voice-over work this week, so the two men hadn't seen each other since New Year's Eve when Tom had flown down to L.A. to visit him. He braced himself as he waited for Michael to pick up. This wasn't going to be a pleasant conversation.
On the third ring Michael's voice rang out loud and clear, "Mike's Pool Hall. You rack them, we stack them. What can I get ya?"
"Michael."
"Hey, Tommy. I thought you were filming today. Didn't expect to hear from you until later tonight. You on a break?"
Tom answered in a tense, clipped voice that forbade any smart-mouth Rosenbaum questions. "I suppose you could call it a break. Can you take a guess where I was a minute ago, Michael?"
Before Michael could respond, Tom continued. "I was called off the set, during the middle of filming an important sequence with Justin and asked to come to the production offices. And do you want to know why I was asked there?"
Tom paused to take a breath. "Wait, of course you do. It seems that while I've been up here in Vancouver slaving away on the last season of Smallville, my boyfriend has turned into quite the little independent filmmaker. Now you know what I'm talking about, Mike?"
There was absolute quiet on the other end of the line. Figures now Michael would go mute, Tom thought.
"I'll take your silence as a yes then," his voice was stern with no vestige of sympathy in its hardness.
"Shit, Michael, what were you thinking?" More silence.
Tom moaned, as if in physical pain and continued. "Videotaping us having sex, then selling the tape to Vivid Entertainment. Without my consent I might add! Then letting me find out when the CW brass shows up on my door asking me if I planned on doing anymore "adult" films in the future? And if I did, could I wait until after April, when Smallville is over. Seems the gay porn industry and its customers weren't the demographic they were marketing this last season for!"
Tom could hear his voice rise to a fever pitch as the words came tumbling out, hurt and betrayal laced inside them.
A long moment later, his lover’s voice whispered, "I'm sorry, Tom. I just-"
"You just what, Michael? I thought we had discussed this and had decided together not to announce we were a couple until after Smallville was finally over. That way I could try and establish some contacts in the business without a scandal following us around prior to the show folding."
On a rampage, Tom let out all the emotions he'd held in check during the meeting with the CW bigwigs. "Michael, I'm not you. I didn't study theater in college, nor do I have your acting range. What I am is a former model turned actor, who got lucky with Smallville. And when this job is over...who knows what projects I will get next, if any? And now with the sex tape, I'll be lucky to be cast in Cheaper by the Dozen - The College Years."
Michael replied quickly, in a tone laced with compassion and remorse, "You're selling yourself short, Tom. I've been telling you for years how much you've grown as an actor since season one. You'll work again, I promise, babe. Plus, I thought you wanted to give full-time directing a shot and get away from the acting part of the business."
"Well directing is what I really want to get into over the next five years, you know that, but...Oh no, don't change the subject. You cannot distract me with that tactic, Michael. I know all your moves by now."
"No distracting, swear. I'm sorry for not telling you about the sex tape. I just couldn't let it go. That bitch Kristin called me a liar. A liar, Tom! Well, look who's the fucking liar now, uh?" Michael's voice held a challenge.
Yeah, Tom had thought that might be the reason behind the sudden release of 'Tom and Mike's Great Bedroom Adventure.' After four and half years as a couple, Tom had finally figured out Michael's confused labyrinth of a mind. On most days, his lover was the Energizer Bunny on crack, but ever since November and that fateful interview with Kristin Dos Santos of E!Entertainment News, Michael had been obsessed. His only thought was revenge against the woman who had "besmirched his gay manhood!"
Ever since Jared and Jensen's outing it seemed like Michael had been trying to compete with their friends on who could be the bigger, happier, gayer couple. So far the J's were winning. Point in case, if the foursome went out to dinner, Michael would act like a romantic fool in front of the entire restaurant, holding Tom's hand, kissing his fingers, playing with his hair. As if daring Jared and Jensen to 'top that.' And since both Tom and Michael knew that Jensen was the more reserved of that twosome -- at least in public, if you excluded their back alley YouTube romp -- then normally Michael and Tom won in their random displays of public affection in the relatively paparazzi-free zone of Vancouver. But while they might have been winning in their private battle of who was a better gay couple, Jared and Jensen were slaughtering them in the media.
For example, after their forced coming out Jared and Jensen had become the darlings of the liberal press. They had been on the cover of People. Michael had bitched for days about their four-page color spread inside complete with adorable pictures of their house and dogs. After that incident Michael had demanded that they get a dog. When Tom had reminded him that he already had a dog, his pug Cook, Michael complained that Cook wasn't butch enough and dragged him to an animal shelter where they'd adopted a Rottweiler mix they'd named Chewbecca. That had seemed to satisfy his manic lover for awhile.
Then The Advocate cover and article had been published in October, and Michael had sunk into a deep, whiney depression, bemoaning the fact that Jared and Jensen were now the "pretty poster boys for gay America!" He'd pouted for a week as news report after news report ran pictures of the two men hugging and holding hands on the Supernatural set. As with any scandal, this caused Supernatural's ratings to go through the roof. However if Tom remembered correctly the last straw had been when Anderson Cooper had invited the boys onto CNN 360 for an interview and then proceeded to tell the world how he was gay himself. He announced that life was too short to live a lie, and that the example of their love had made him want to be out and proud like they were.
Michael had crawled into Tom's bed for a week after that disaster, only getting up to occasionally eat a pint of Ben and Jerry's or order pizza from Dominos. Tom had finally convinced him to shower and get out of bed with a couple of carefully orchestrated blowjobs and constant reassurances that all was not lost in their gay war with Jared and Jensen.
Regaining his strength and his resolve, Michael closed up his LA digs, convinced Tom to sell his apartment in Vancouver, and they bought a four-bedroomed house down the street from the Padalecki-Ackles residence the following week. To cheer his lover up even more, Tom had bought home some brochures about adopting a baby girl from China, because a baby was something that Jared and Jensen did not have. Michael had smiled for the entire day and hadn't mentioned the J's or making a sex tape that would "blow Jared and Jensen's out of the water" for weeks. So Tom figured the crisis had been adverted. He'd been so wrong.
As Michael's strident voice continued on in his ear about Kristin this and Kristin that, Tom remembered back to the event that had lead them to this disaster. He also wondered if it wasn't too late to become heterosexual again. Maybe his ex-wife would take him back?
* * *
Flashback,
Los Angeles
Red Carpet, CW Network November Sweeps Party
Tom moved down the red carpet from reporter to reporter, his eyes darting around as he looked for his co-star. Michael and he were here to promote Lex Luthor's one episode return to Smallville during sweeps. And while he was extremely happy that his boyfriend had agreed to guest star on the show again, he was a little nervous about how Michael would act in public.
Glancing around he could see Jared and Jensen a little further down on the red carpet talking to Billy Bush from Access Hollywood, explaining to the reporter the new direction Supernatural would be taking in the next month. Ever since the news had leaked that Sam and Dean weren't really blood brothers -- Dean had been adopted -- the CW Network was promising to "push the envelope" in regards to their storyline. Jensen had told Tom during their last golf game that he figured Jared and he would be filming full-on sex scenes with each other by Christmas. His voice had sounded rather resigned, like it would be a hardship to make out with his boyfriend on-screen. Tom had just groaned and made Jensen promise not to tell Michael, because God only knew how his crazy lover would react to the news that the CW Network was now actively promoting Jared and Jensen's relationship on and off-screen.
As he neared Kristin Dos Santos, Tom braced himself for her questions. He really hated these events, they had always been Michael's forte, not his. Plastering a fake smile on his face, he greeted her. "Hi, Kristin."
"Tom Welling, Clark Kent of the CW's Smallville. How are you tonight?"
"I'm good. You?"
"Great. So I hear that later this month, Michael Rosenbaum is back as your arch nemesis, Lex Luthor. What was it like to work with Michael again?" she inquired.
Standard questions. Tom could deal with this. "Wonderful. Working with Michael has always been easy. We clicked from the first time we met, and that hasn't changed while he's been off the show. He's such a professional, he really..." Tom's thought process was interrupted as he felt a presence behind him. He turned and saw Michael grinning at him. Finally Michael was here to help him out.
Kristin motioned to her cameraman to widen the shot to capture the two men and asked, "Michael, I was just asking Tom what it was like to work together again after being apart for six months?"
Tom heard Michael's reply, "Great. Absolutely great, Kristin. I love working with Tommy."
Moving closer, Kristin mock-whispered, "So guys, can you give us any gossip about what might happen next on Smallville? I mean Supernatural is going to have Sam and Dean become lovers, do you have anything planned that could top that?"
Tom's stomach clenched and he watched Michael's expression go from fun-loving to hurricane force pissed off in about two seconds. As Tom prepared to respond for the both of them, Michael instead answered in a silky tone, "Sure, I can give you some gossip, Kristin. How about this?"
One minute Tom was upright, the next he was swept back and into Michael's arms, and as he saw Michael's mouth coming toward his, his last coherent thought was, 'please don't let Dawn Ostroff -- or his grandmother -- be watching E!News Daily.'
As Michael proceeded to play tonsil-hockey with him, Tom knew Michael was hoping his little stunt would out them to the world and push the J's out of the media spotlight. But, Kristin hadn't seen it that way. She did not believe a word of Michael's carefully worded (Tom knew his lover had rehearsed it) coming out speech. In fact she had laughed in Michael's face when he tried to tell her that they'd been lovers longer than Jared and Jensen.
Her voice had been tinged with scorn as she exclaimed, "Really, Rosenbaum, will you ever grow up? You? Gay? Please! Welling, definitely. But you? All I have to do is drive up to the Playboy Mansion, find the first five Bunnies I see and ask them if they've ever slept with you. When I get five positive responses, then tell me again you're gay!"
Michael countered. "No, really I'm gay. I fell in love with Tom the minute I met him, but he was married for the first three seasons, so I had to deny my feelings. I was in denial. Deep, deep denial, so I banged a lot of Playboy Playmates to repress my forbidden love for Tom. Maybe I slept with a bunch of women, but my heart belonged to Tom!"
Tom saw Michael gaze at him longingly. Tom just rolled his eyes, Emmy-winning performance this was not. He saw Kristin's eyes narrow in suspicion.
"Sure." Her tone expressed total disgust at Michael's explanation.
Michael must have realized he was losing the battle, because he threw out his ace. "Just ask anyone we're friends with, and they'll tell you Tom and I are gay for each other. The whole cast of Smallville knows. Glover has pictures! In fact, why don't you ask Jared and Jensen, I'm sure they'll tell you that we were gay long before they were!" Tom could see the delight on Michael's face as he finally believed he had out-maneuvered Jared and Jensen in the press.
Kristin leaned in closer, going nose-to-nose with Michael and Tom held his breath and waited for the explosion. "I don't have to ask Jared and Jensen anything. I know you, Rosenbaum. You're a mediawhore who doesn't understand when to stop a practical joke. Pretending to be gay to garner publicity isn't funny. Look at what poor Jared and Jensen had to endure after they came out. The taunts, the hatred, people threatening to boycott their show. Your lame attempt at a prank just isn't PC anymore."
Michael's voice rose to a shrill. "Hatred? Jesus, woman, they were on the cover of People, USWeekly, The Advocate and the freaking National Enquirer for months. My own grandmother thinks they are the cutest thing since baby kittens. Please, tell me one person in America who hates them!"
However, Kristin wasn't deterred. "I know how we can settle this." Her eyes darted to Tom. He started to back up slowly, not wanting to be dragged into their battle, but Michael grabbed his arm, stopping his impending flight.
Kristin stared at him, eyes fierce. "Tom, I've always known you to be a quiet, but honest person. A man who shuns the spotlight, unlike some other people I know," Kristin glared at Michael. "Can you verify Mr. Rosenbaum's claims that you are in fact a couple?"
This was it. The moment Tom had been dreading for the last four years. If he said yes, his life would never be the same again. His career gone. The press would hound Michael and him, their families and friends, just as they had Jared and Jensen. For an intensely private person like him, that seemed liked a nightmare. So he did the only thing he could...he lied.
Shrugging his large shoulders and sighing, he stated in a very put-on tone, "You know, Michael. Always the practical joker. John Schneider didn't name him RosenClown for nothing."
The expression on Michael's face was not something he would ever forget. Hurt, disbelief, but most of all fury. In his not too distant future, Tom was sure that he would be re-watching this moment over and over again on videotape in order for Michael to remind him of his treason, but for now Tom was going to deny, deny, deny their relationship.
Tom watched as Michael sputtered, trying to compose himself to say something, but his usual non-stop flow of words was gone. A few very long seconds later, when Tom did not know if Michael was going to punch him or throw a temper tantrum and roll on the ground like his two year-old nephew. But Michael finally moved.
He pulled Tom close and in his ear whispered, "Et tu, Brutus?"
Then flipping Tom and Kristin the finger, he stomped down the red carpet ignoring all their calls to come back. Wondering if his house would be left standing when he got back to Vancouver, Tom quickly finished with Kristin and ran off to find Michael.
He was in such deep shit with his
boyfriend.
* * *
Present Day
Tom realized his denial of their relationship had hurt Michael deeply, but in his own defense he hadn't been ready to come out then. It had taken weeks for Michael to calm down after what he termed 'The Red Carpet Betrayal.' And in those three weeks, Tom had been banished to the guestroom with Cook. Michael had denied him any boyfriend bedroom activities, telling him to get used to "making do with his right-hand, because, until you admit to our epic Brokeback Mountain-style love, you're so not getting any of this!"
The withholding of sex had only lasted a week. Michael had finally caved after Tom had repeatedly walked around the house wearing only a pair of socks and a come-hither smile. But they'd still been in the closet.
That was until the release of the tape, which had been Michael's ultimate fuck-you to Kristin Dos Santos. He really hated that woman sometimes.
Finally he'd heard enough of Michael and his explanations. "Michael, I've heard all your excuses that isn't going to change what you did was wrong. You betrayed my trust in you, in us. How are we supposed to get beyond that?”
Again, silence from the other end. Tom sighed. He loved Michael, he really did, but this latest stunt was almost unforgivable. "Listen, I have to get back to the set. They're waiting for me. I'll talk to you later. You still flying in tomorrow night?"
"Yeah. My flight lands at 9pm."
"I'll see you at the airport then. We'll talk about this more when you get home. And in the meantime, see what you can do to contain the fallout from the tape. I'd really like to have a career once the show is over."
"I really am sorry, Tommy. You know I love you-" Michael's tone was tinged with pain and fear.
Tom's voice was tired. "I know you love me, Michael, but sometimes..." He paused. "We'll talk tomorrow. Have to go. Bye."
"Bye."
4 hours later
They'd just finished filming less than ten minutes ago, and Tom was in his trailer cleaning the make-up off his face when his cell phone rang. Looking at the Caller ID, he saw it was Jensen.
"Hey, Jen. What's up?"
"So how's the film star? Or should I say porn star?" The words were playful, mocking.
"Yeah, yeah. I've been hearing that all day. So get the jokes out now, dickhead. Because after I finish punishing Michael tomorrow for his latest surprise, we are never discussing this again!" Tom warned half seriously.
Tom didn't even have to explain further, Jensen got his meaning immediately. "Shit! You mean he released the tape, and you didn't know about it?"
"I found out at a meeting with the CW Brass. In town just to talk to yours truly. You know Mike -- he doesn't think about the consequences of his actions. Just jumps in feet first." Tom sighed in exasperation.
He heard Jensen laugh in reply. "Well, Mike is Mike. You know what? I say this occasion deserves a beer. No, make that many beers. Meet me at The Libra Room on Commercial in, like, thirty minutes?" The Libra Room as a quaint jazz cafe that Tom, Jensen and Mike had discovered a few years ago when they'd all worked on Smallville. They had the best martinis in town. Michael loved them, but Jensen and Tom usually drank their beer.
"I can do that. Is your better half going to be there too?"
"No. Jared is still filming. It'll be just me." Jensen declared. "That okay?"
"Fine with me, Ackles. See you in thirty and bring your wallet. You're buying." Tom said with a challenge.
He heard Jensen's voice, chuckling and hearty, "Not a problem. I need the alcohol to get the image of you screwing Mike out of my head. That's something I hope to never, ever see again!"
"Fuck you. After seeing the Sasquatch jerk you off on YouTube over and over again, I'll have you know I'm still in therapy. So, see you soon?"
"Yeah, leaving now. Bye."
* * *
The Libra Room,
Vancouver
Tom met Jensen out front of the cafe. They went inside and asked the hostess for a booth in the back. Five minutes later, they were seated, and each had a cold beer in their hands.
"So...Mike." Jensen started, not sure how to broach the topic. Shaking his head in utter frustration.
Tom replied, "Yeah, Mike." He looked at Jensen and in mock severity raised his glass, "To Michael. Crazy, lovable, pain-in-my-ass Michael Rosenbaum."
Jensen raised his glass too while muttering under his breath, "After seeing that tape, it's more like you're a pain in his ass-"
Tom ignored the commentary. They both drank and sat in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the sounds of the band playing in the background. Jensen broke the quiet. "What are you going to do, Tom? The last time we talked I thought you guys had decided to wait until Smallville was over before you made your big announcement. Now that you're out, what next?"
Finishing his beer, Tom signaled the waitress for another round. As she brought them by, he answered with a sardonic smile. "I have no idea what I'm going to do next. The CW Brass were not happy campers, man. Not all of us can be Jared and Jensen."
Jensen blushed, stains of scarlet appearing on his cheeks. But when he spoke his voice was calm, his gaze steady. "Screw the network. When Jared and I were outed, they were assholes at first. But when they realized the publicity was more positive than negative, they changed their tune real fast. That will happen for you too." He paused, his voice probed further, "What do you want to do, Tom?"
"Besides beat the shit out of him and take away every electronic device we have in the house?" His words were loaded with extreme sarcasm.
"Yeah, besides that," Jensen retorted.
"Shit if I know, Jensen. He knew this would hurt me, and he did it anyway. We had an agreement. No announcement until after the show was over. But you know Mike. He couldn't let that Kristin thing go. So now there's a tape out there for the whole world to see one of our most private moments, and he doesn't seem to understand what he's done." Tom looked at Jensen, pain in his eyes, pleading for help. "What do you think I should do?"
Jensen's voice was firm, but his green eyes gentle and understanding. "Forget about the tape. You can't change that. I learned that the hard way. It exists. Bottom line, do you love him? I know he's a dipshit, but do you love him or not?"
Tom bit his lip, his mind floundering.
Jensen pushed on, "More important question: Do you love him enough to forgive him?"
Thinking of all the years, the love and laughter he'd shared with Michael, it was then that all of Tom's defenses began to crumble, and he saw with absolute clarity what his answer should be.
* * *
Epilogue,
9 years later
Tom watched as his lover and daughter practiced swinging a hockey stick on a grassy part of the park, away from the hectic screaming and yelling of the other children on the playground. Michael had been teaching Danielle to play hockey since she could stand on the ice and not fall down. Now she was the star goalie of the New Westminster Aces hockey team. Michael couldn't have been prouder, while Tom was worried about her safety. So in order to placate him, Michael would bring Dani to the park every weekend, rain, shine or snowy weather and give her a lesson on how to protect her face -- and teeth.
Looking over to the other children on the playground, Tom noticed that Jared and Jensen were having a problem with their twin boys, Ryan and Redmond. The seven year-old twins were ignoring their fathers' rather loud requests not to climb the monkey bars, stand on top of them, and then pretend they were going to jump off the top like Superman.
Jared and Jensen had adopted the boys from an unwed teenager in the States, who hadn't been ready to be a mother. Up until the birth, Jared and Jensen had believed they were only getting one baby, because Ryan had been hiding behind Redmond in the womb. The identical twin boys truly had been a surprise for the men, and they had dealt with it fairly well -- until the twins started walking, then all hell had broken loose. Tom kind of felt sorry for the men, as they always looked worn-out and tired, but then chasing two children around instead of just one was probably stressful.
Suddenly a tall form blocked his afternoon sunlight and Tom looked up from where he was seated on his park bench to see that Michael was done with Dani's tutorial. He smiled at his lover. "You guys done with the lesson for today?" Tom inquired.
"Yeah, Dani wanted to play on the monkey bars with Ryan and Redmond. So I figured I'd come over here and spend some time with my favorite person in the world." And Tom watched as Michael flopped down on the bench next to him and picked up his hand to caress it. This again.
"No, Michael," Tom said, shaking his head.
"What? I didn't even ask you for anything-"
"Please, after thirteen years together, you think I don't know how you try and maneuver me by now? No, we are not adopting another child. We've been through this before. Dani is more than enough for right now. Maybe when she's older. When you're not working full-time writing for a television series, and I'm not off directing every other week, we'll talk about it again. But not now."
Michael pleaded, "Ah, Tommy, come on. Dani needs a sibling. We could take some time off and go back to China and get her a playmate. All the books say that only-children can become selfish and bossy."
"And since when did you become Dr. Spock?"
"Tom-"
"Michael," Tom whined right back. Unexpectedly both of the men heard a loud piercing scream, and every parental instinct made them stop talking and look over to see what was happening and make sure Dani was okay.
Hanging his head in shame, Tom saw that Dani had Ryan in headlock and was pounding the crap out of him, while Redmond was holding his swelling eye and running over to where Jared and Jensen were sitting.
Michael sighed, slowly getting up. He went over to pull his daughter off the Padalecki-Ackles boy. It was his turn to chastise their daughter about beating up on the twins. At least this time, she hadn't used her hockey stick to deliver the beat down. That had not been a fun conversation, as Tom recalled. Their daughter was a bit of a bully, and her favorite targets were Ryan and Redmond. It has caused some tension between the four men, because Dani seem to win every fight, even when it was two-on-one. Tom secretly thought Michael was pleased with Dani for kicking Ryan and Redmond's asses, but every time Michael looked too smug, Tom reminded him that Jared and Jensen had been voted the TV's 'most popular couple' in a 2011 People magazine poll, and that let the wind out of Michael's sails for a bit. Tom did not want his daughter to get a reputation as a brawler.
As Tom watched his lover sternly explain to their daughter that, "fighting wasn't lady-like -- unless it was on the ice," Tom looked over to where Jared and Jensen were comforting their sons. Jared was extremely red-faced and looked ready for a scrap himself, while Jensen was showing the boys some fighting moves he had probably learned on set. Both children were glaring daggers at Dani.
Tom shrugged his shoulders, threw his hands up in the air, as if to say to the other family, "What can I do?" and mouthed the words, "Sorry," to them. He then got up and joined his lover and his daughter.
"Remember, aim for the crotch and-"
Tom heard Michael explain to their child as he got closer.
Tom cleared his throat. Michael looked guilty and backtracked, "Forget that. We don't hit our friends there, especially Ryan and Redmond." Tom cleared his throat again. "And we always apologize when we're wrong. So go say you're sorry to the boys."
"Dad!" Dani had Michael's whine down perfectly, and Tom saw Michael start to cave.
"Dani," Tom interrupted, "we've had this discussion before. You don't hit Ryan and Redmond. So go and apologize."
"But, Dad, they said I was a stinky girl and had cooties!" she then used her big brown eyes on him and the pout. However Tom was not persuaded, Michael had been doing the same pouty thing years before Dani came along, so he was immune -- mostly.
"Nice try. Now, go and apologize -- and attempt to sound sincere."
At the same time as he watched his daughter stomp off to deliver her apology, Tom felt Michael move closer. As an arm moved around his waist, Michael leaned in close and said, "You're the one who wanted a little girl. Said they were easier to raise than boys."
They both stared at Dani as she apologized to Ryan and Redmond and shook both their hands in a peaceful gesture, looking extremely put-upon during the entire encounter. "Apparently I was wrong. Maybe we should get a boy next time to see if my theory is correct," he murmured, hoping Michael would get the not too-subtle hint.
He did.
"Tom, are you saying what I think you're saying?" Michael's voice was tinged with hope.
"Well, you are the one who said that children do better socially when they have a sibling...to push around. Maybe we should consider it."
Michael pulled Tom into an embrace and kissed him, only breaking apart to mutter, "I love you."
Tom smiled and replied, "Yeah, I know."
From behind them a voice interrupted, "Dad, Daddy. Can we go home now? I said I was sorry."
Pulling apart, the two men turned and Michael said, "Sure, honey."
Holding hands as they followed their daughter back to their car, Tom waved good-bye to Jared, Jensen and the twins, knowing they'd see them again the following weekend for Dani's eighth birthday party.
What a difference time could make. As Tom thought back to nine years ago, and his anger when Michael had outed them with the sex tape, he realized that, in the end, all the resentment and humiliation had been worth it to get to this moment. Michael had been right all along about not being afraid to show their true selves to the world, because if Tom had remained in the closet, he would have missed all this.
But Tom wasn't going to tell Michael he was glad his lover had outed them, because occasionally he still needed some ammunition when they fought. Deep down, Tom knew that Michael had no reason to be jealous of Jensen and Jared anymore. In the end, all of them had found love. Really, what more could any of them ask for?
