MY GIRL
CANADA, OH CANADA!

Many many thanks to Kim. Your baby advice was incredibly helpful.
To my lovely betas - Mandi, Connie, Lois - thank you, thank you, thank you.
Special thanks to Jewel for the suggestions. :)

"Do you have everything?" Justin asked Brian for the fifth time that day as they made their way through the sliding doors of the Pittsburgh International Airport.

Brian sighed, obviously exasperated and replied, "Why don't you let me handle checking in? You take Gus and James for a snack."

"I don't want anything, Dad," Gus said when he heard his name. He was dragging a suitcase behind him, trying to keep it on course.

"Neither does Bella," Justin assured him. "She ate enough this morning for three!"

Upon reaching the counter, Brian handed over the necessary documents and helped Justin load their suitcases onto the scale to be weighed and tagged.

Justin gave him a mean look when he saw how much Brian's suitcase weighed, which Brian interpreted to mean he had gone and overdone it yet again. But hell if he was leaving home without a full wardobe! Justin could live in the same clothes for days, but not Brian. He needed variety. He needed his Prada, Gucci and Armani!

"You're all set, Sir," The check-in girl smiled brightly. "Being a first class member, you're given access to our lounge, which is supplied with complimentary food and beverages. Have a nice flight!"

Brian glanced at his watch... an hour until they had to board. Justin insisted they get there early because he wanted to give Bella the grand tour. Unfortunately, Bella could care less. Already, she was asking when they were going back home.

It was six months since Lindsay and Melanie passed away. Brian had to admit, in the short space of time, he and Justin had somehow managed to keep things together. Gus was still not the easiest kid to deal with. He had mood swings and a rotten attitude at times. Justin would let him get away with it, but Brian refused to anymore, knowing Mel and Lindsay would never tolerate it either.

And Bella, well, she was in her own world. She was spoiled rotten and had everyone wrapped around her little finger. Everyone but her own father, that is. Brian knew when he was being scammed but he couldn't NOT allow it! She was like a little angel. At 2+, she was in her most difficult year, the terrible twos!

As soon as Gus' private school ended for summer vacation, Brian decided to surprise them with a trip to Canada. Gus wanted to go to Canada's Wonderland; Justin wanted to see Niagara Falls; Brian wanted to shop and Bella, well, she didn't have much of a choice. So here they were, in the airport awaiting their flight.

"Oh God," Justin groaned.

Brian looked up and saw Eddie hurrying toward them, her wide brimmed hat on the verge of falling off her head.

"Looks like I caught you just in time!" she said breathlessly. "Hi angel." She took Bella from Justin, kissed her cheek.

Bella attempted to take the hat and ended up throwing it on the floor. Gus picked it up and helped put it on her.

"You look silly," he advised but she grinned in return, loving her new hat. She did look silly, the hat being too big for her blonde head.

"Mine," she told Eddie, hand on the brim firmly, just in case someone tried to take it away.

"What are you doing here, Eddie?" Justin asked incredulously.

"My grand-daughter's leaving for an entire month, I had to come and see her off!" Eddie defended.

"A month?" Brian repeated, confused.
"Justin told me you were going for a month?"

Justin's cheeks brightened. At Brian's amused look, he blurted out, "Change of plans! We cut it down to two weeks."

Eddie didn't look like she believed him but she said nothing.

"Hi, sweetheart," she said as she rumpled Gus' newly spiked hair. He gave her a terrified look and tried not to pull away from her touch. "I come bearing gifts!" she exclaimed.

Handing Bella back to Justin, who had to keep her at arm's length in case her hat scraped his cheek, Eddie reached into her purse to pull out mobile devices.

"I got these for you and James," she said as she handed one to Gus. "It's basically a portable computer but you can make calls and everything." Gus seemed fascinated with his. "Amazing little things aren't they?"

Gus nodded. "Thanks, Eddie!"

Brian gave her a disapproving look but she just shrugged. "Have money, will spoil grandkids! Besides, Bella's is a fake."

Bella nudged Eddie to get hers. "Daddy will show you how to use yours, ok, Sunshine?"

Bella pouted. "Gimme!"

"Not now, James," Justin told her.

Bella stuck her bottom lip at him but, he was oblivious to her manipulative methods.

"We'd better get going," Brian said. "Justin wants to show James all that the Pittsburgh airport has to offer for those dumb enough to want to come here!"

Eddie grinned. "All right." She kissed Gus and Bella before hugging Brian. "Take care of them," she told him. "I'll miss you so much."

Brian smiled. "Want me to bring you back anything?"

"Tall, dark, handsome... well hung?" Eddie whispered.

They laughed. She turned to Justin and smiled. "Have a good trip."

He smiled. "I'll try."

Things were still not rosy between Justin and Eddie. There were some things Justin just couldn't forget... like Eddie attempting to take his daughter. And some things he could... like Brian's infidelity.

The plane ride wasn't bad. Bella was glued to the window most of the trip while Gus played with his new *toy*. Brian checked his email, oblivious to everyone else while Justin attempted to read a magazine.

Suitcases offloaded, Brian and Justin with kids in tow, made their way through the gates of the YYZ. The thick, warm air hit them the moment they exited the air-conditioned interior. Bella gurgled and held on to her hat. Brian hailed a cab and they climbed in.

"Where to, sir?" the cabbie asked.

"Radisson Hotel, Queens Quay?" Brian responded after looking at the information he'd written down after booking everything.

"Daddy?" Bella whispered into Justin's air.

"You want something to drink, piglet?" Justin whispered back.

She shook her head and pointed at the cab driver. "Funny."

Justin rolled his eyes heavenward. "What's so funny about him?"

"Fuzzy."

"It's called a beard," he told her. "Brian has one sometimes. You don't mind it, remember?" She loved scruffy, early morning Brian. Justin did too.

She leaned in closer to ask, "What that?"

He laughed. "It's a turban, sweetie. He's a seikh."

"A what?" Gus wanted to know.

Justin grinned. "He's from India. You know where India is, don't you Bella?" She nodded, although she had no clue. "Well, he likes to wear that on his head... like you like to wear your hat."

She patted her head. "Hat."

Gus nodded and went back to his toy. Justin caught Brian's eyes and they shared a smile.

As soon as they were in their hotel room, Justin collapsed on the bed. Gus and Bella were already running around the room, investigating, captivated by the lake outside their window. Brian plopped down onto a chair and put his feet up on the bed, eyes on his blonde partner.

"Isn't is wonderful?" Justin gushed.

Brian grinned. "We've only just arrived."

Justin sat up and stuck his tongue out. "I love it! Thank you, thank you, thank you, Brian!"

"You can thank me later," Brian said seductively. "When you know who and her brother are asleep."

Justin couldn't resist going over to Brian and getting comfy on his lap. Lips brushed against another pair before tongues were duelling, desperate to taste each other.

"I want to thank you now," Justin whimpered. "I want to take off all your clothes and kiss every inch of your body..."

Brian fingered Justin's head. "Don't start something you can't finish."

"Who says I can't finish it?" Justin pouted.

As if on cue, Bella strolled in, dragging her stuffed pig Hugo behind her.

"Gus no play," she said grumpily.

Justin rolled his eyes and got off Brian's lap. "Leave him alone then," he told her and lifted her into his arms. "Are you hungry?"

She shook her head.

"Want some juice?"

She declined and said, "I wanna play."

Justin looked at Brian who had a huge grin plastered on his face. "Do you want Brian to play with you?"

Brian shot him a dirty look but, quickly lost it when Bella squealed. She put her arms out for Brian to come and get her.

Justin patted his lover's butt. "Play nice."

They decided to have dinner in their hotel that night since neither Brian nor Justin had any idea where was a good place to eat. The hotel Concierge promised to recommend a few restaurants after the four had finished their meal. Although Justin was hyped to start being the typical tourist, he changed his plan when he noticed his daughter struggling to keep her eyes open. Brian noticed too and motioned for them to start making their way back to their room.

Gus yawned. "Boy, am I tired," he mumbled. "I think I ate too much."

Brian smoothed his son's hair. "I think we all did."

Appetizers, entrees and dessert. Brian was horrified at the amount of calories he'd consumed.

Once Bella was tucked in, Justin made sure Gus brushed his teeth and then kissed him goodnight. In their bedroom, Brian was sitting on the edge of the bed, magazine in hand, towel slung around his shoulder.

Justin got behind him on his knees. Nibbling on Brian's shoulder, he said, "Do I get a chance to play with you now?"

Brian laughed. He tossed the magazine on the floor and in one swift movement, he had Justin pinned beneath him. Kissing his lover squarely on the mouth, he replied, "You can always play with me... Stud."

An hour and several fucks later, Justin allowed Brian to have his shower. He had one before dinner so now he curled up in the unfamiliar but comfortable king sized bed and waited. Brian returned shortly in his birthday suit.

"What are we doing tomorrow?" Brian asked as he got under the duvet.

Justin climbed halfway on top of him and said, "I thought we could just laze by the pool. I need a tan."

Brian stroked Justin's pale arm. "Sounds fine," he said. "Unless Gus wants to do something. Then I can show him around."

Justin stifled a yawn and nodded. He lifted his head, smacked Brian's lips with his own and murmured, "Night... **Stud**." Seconds later he was out cold.

"Hot," Bella stared up at Justin, her tiny hands trying to shield the sun from her eyes. She was decked in a little red bikini, a present from none other than Grandma Jen.

Justin handed her his bottle of water. "You want to go inside?"

She shook her head as she was drinking the water, spilling it all over her pale skin. She giggled and attempted to pour the water over her blonde head. Justin managed to grab it just in time.

"James," he warned.

She pouted and got up again. "Fishie," she said. 'Fishie' meant water so Justin picked her up and took her back inside the kiddie pool. He sat in it with her and watched her fill her little bucket with a shovel.
Luckily, there were no other kids present. Justin didn't think he could stand too many kids today. His head hurt from what he suspected was too much sun exposure, but Bella just refused to leave the water.

Brian and Gus returned from their outing at the mall an hour later. By that time, Bella had decided she was hungry so she and Justin returned to their room for sandwiches. She wanted grilled cheese but when she saw Justin's bar-b-qued steak, she put hers back on her plate and opened her mouth for Justin's.

"Hey, Piglet," Brian lifted her up to kiss her rosy cheeks. "Had a fun day with your dad?"

She nodded. "Jusin." She had gotten into the habit of sometimes calling Brian 'Bean' and Justin 'Jusin.'

Brian set her down on the floor and she ran to dig into the bags he had walked in with. Brian kissed Justin briefly. "Had a good day?"

Justin left the table and collapsed on the sofa. "No more sun. Please."

Brian laughed and got himself a beer. "Want one?" he offered his partner.

Justin shook his head and pulled his shirt off. "I need to chill in this cool air for a while."

Brian gulped down his beer. He noticed Justin peeking at him through narrow eyelids. "What?"

Justin stifled a yawn. "Just wondering if there's anything in those bags for me."

Brian got comfortable on a single chair, facing Justin. "Actually..."

Justin waited.

"No," Brian grinned. "With Gus wanting to explore every single interactive techie shop, I didn't get around to it." Eyes lowered guiltily before he admitted, "All I got for myself were a couple pairs of pants from Jones... and a shirt ... and maybe a tie... from Hugo. I couldn't NOT buy something from Hugo."

Justin rolled his eyes heavenward and turned away from Brian. "Wake me when you think I'll get over this, k?"

He closed his eyes and in seconds, he was dead to the world.

For the next week, Justin thought he was going mad. He no longer had one baby on his hands but three - Bella, Gus AND Brian, the biggest baby of them all.

Justin refused to let him set foot in ANY designer store without him. It wasn't that Justin minded his partner buying MORE stuff. Oh no! It had more to do with the fact that Brian was simply **cash-happy**. He was pulling out the green men way too fast for Justin's liking.
Brian's agency was by no means a multi-million dollar organization. And Justin's art... well, ever since Bella came along, his art had sort of taken a back seat. He barely made enough to cover his rent as it was. The trip was Brian's idea but no way in hell was Justin going back to the Pitts as a pauper!

Gus was slightly better than Brian. He didn't beg Justin to buy him anything. He just wanted to spend all of his day in Techie World with his fellow cyber geeks, discussing the new virtual reality games and test running a game or two. It was the most annoying thing for Justin, especially when HE got stuck with Gus. He'd have to stand around looking as clueless as he felt!

And Bella... surprisingly, was well behaved. She couldn't care less what Justin bought for her. She preferred lounging around in her birthday suit anyway. All she was concerned about was her tummy. She couldn't miss a meal or a snack. She'd pack away popcorn, pop, gummy snacks AND an apple and still have room for dinner. Justin had finally met his match... his own mini-me!

With the shopping out of the way, they were able to do more exploring. A stone's throw away from their hotel was a rental booth for kayaks and canoes. They made a day of it, contemplating if they should take the ferry to Toronto Island or not.

Gus wanted to try his hand at rollerblading and Justin was volunteered to accompany him as no way in hell was Brian attempting that sport. Gus did well, picked up on the technique quickly. Justin, on the other hand, returned to the hotel room with a sore butt. He wasn't too upset, especially when Brian offered to massage it later that night.

Their hotel was also walking distance from the Sky Dome and the CN Tower. Bella thought the Dome was an alien ship (thanks to Gus) and absolutely refused to go up the Tower, so Brian and Justin had to take turns going up to enjoy the view.

For the remaining days, Brian rented a car. They drove to Niagara to see the Falls with Brian complaining every step of the way. It was too far and too hot and too loud and too many people... They took photos like mad, even as Bella bawled. Gus had told her there were sea-monsters waiting for her at the bottom of the Falls and again, she chose to listen to him.

They spent the night in a room overlooking the Falls, the colourful lights adding to its beauty. However, Brian and Justin didn't get any sleep, the thundering noise keeping them up all night. They didn't let the alone time go to waste though and fucked 'til Bella woke up and demanded 'yum yum' which translated to food.

And food did they have! They had it all, visited each specialty town - Chinatown, Little Thailand, Little Greece, Little Italy, Little Portugal... everything imaginable. Brian, for one, didn't care if he never saw food for the rest of his life! He was sick of eating. And he'd gained five whole pounds!

Two days later, the family found themselves at Canada's Wonderland. Brian dreaded this most of all, knowing he'd get stuck teaming up with Gus for the rides. Bella couldn't go on anything but she was quite content to put on a float and stay in a shallow kiddie pool all day. Justin, of course, had to sit there with her. He was overjoyed when he met a woman and her baby boy. They kept each other company all day.

Brian, on the other hand, was going through a rough time. He hated rides. They made him sick and he swore he now had a permanent headache. Gus was unstoppable, wanting to tackle each and every ride. When 7 o'clock hit, Brian was so relieved, he wanted to cry. He met up with Justin on the bridge before going in search of dinner.

For dessert, they shared a couple of funnel cakes, topped with vanilla ice-cream and strawberries and waited for the finale of fire-works. Finally, it was time to get back to the hotel and SLEEP. Yes, sleep. Something both men seemed to be missing a lot of lately.

Although Justin loved Canada, he couldn't wait to get back to the Pitts... his Pitts. He found himself packing two days in advance. Gus cried to stay longer but there was no changing Brian's mind. He wanted to go home dammit.

Finally, they were back on a plane to Pittsburgh. And who else was there at the airport to greet them but Eddie. Not wanting to be outdone, Jen showed up as well, bearing a present for the kids - a Jack Russell puppy.

Justin frowned immediately and Brian growled harshly into his ear, "That dog is NOT coming home with us!"

Justin pushed his face away and leaned down to play with the puppy who was happily yapping as he attempted to lick Bella's face. The baby gurgled. "Puppy," she sing-songed. She looked up at Brian and smiled. "Bean," she said. "Play with puppy."

Brian rolled his eyes and stooped to pet the dog. However, the terrier let out a howl causing Bella to burst into tears and Gus to start laughing hysterically. Justin couldn't help but grin. The dog was adorable with his spot brown ears and sleek white body. Brian knew there was no turning back. They now had a dog.

"We'll call him 'Pugs'," Brian said teasingly to Justin. "He's got your pug-nose after all."

05/02/03

Banner courtesy super-cool Andrea

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