Tricky's daughter learns a new trick. Justin is dismayed, and Brian is horrified.

Later that afternoon...backyard

Emmett clapped his hands to get everyone's attention as he stood near the back of the tent; employees of the party planning company had finished with their preparations for now, allowing him to do a dry run rehearsal of the actual ceremony. At least the logistical part of it; Brian had steadfastly refused to practice reciting the actual vows, even though the minister was present at the moment, saying he was not going to utter any 'romantic babbling' in front of everyone (making Justin wonder just what he WAS going to say at the actual wedding, but having faith that whatever it was, he wouldn't do something TOO embarassing). But he DID agree, at least, to participate in a general rehearsal of walking down the aisle, and finding out where he and Justin would stand during the ceremony.

"Okay, places, everyone! Let's try one go-round, and see what happens! Sweetie, remember, I need you and Brian to hang back until your mom, Debbie, JR, and Gus walk down the aisle - in that order." Justin nodded, his heart hammering in anticipation now. This was as close to the real thing as it would get until they actually said their "I do's," and in a way it was still had to believe - but extremely exciting nonetheless. He looked over at Brian, who shook his head and rolled his eyes at the display of hetero pomp and circumstance, making Justin grin.

"Okay...Jennifer, you walk down first with Tucker," Em instructed her as Jennifer nodded, taking her place at the back of the tent between the last row of chairs, waiting for the pianist sitting at a rented Baby Grand nearby to strike up the music that had been chosen for the walk down the aisle. It wasn't the traditional Wedding March, but at least it wasn't the one that Brian had suggested, either: Somehow he didn't think Your Body is a Wonderland would be acceptable. Justin had finally managed to convince him that his particular ditty wouldn't be too appropriate with Gus and JR around, to his relief, and the song - an instrumental version of Never Say Never - had been a compromise between them.

Just as the pianist was about to lift her fingers and play, Justin cried out, "Wait!" He noticed Gus was swinging his ring bearer pillow up and down like it was some sort of soft, plush yo-yo. "Gus, where're the rings? I thought you were going to go upstairs and get them."

Gus's eyes grew wide and his mouth contorted into an 'O' shape. "I forgot, Papa! I'll go get them right now!" Justin nodded as the small group hung back for a few more minutes, waiting for him to return. The few minutes, however, slowly turned into several minutes, however, making both Brian and Justin concerned.

"He should have been back by now," Brian spoke aloud, echoing Justin's thoughts. "Maybe I'd better go check on him," he decided, as Justin nodded. He was just about to head into the house when his son appeared at the sliding glass door, slowly pushing it open as he walked back outside, still clutching the pillow but upright this time. One, shiny ring was nestled on top.

Brian frowned as he exchanged a confused look with his fiancé. "Gus, why do you only have one of the rings? We need both of them, Sonny Boy."

Gus shrugged nonchalantly. "I didn't see two of them," he revealed. "Just this one. Can't you both use the same one?"

He walked closer to the two men, who noticed by the size of the ring that it must be Justin's. "No, Gus, there were two of them, right by our bed," Brian told him. "You must have overlooked it."

But Gus shook his head. "No, Daddy. I looked and looked. I even looked under the bed. There was a box under there," he told his father. "But it was too heavy for me to move."

Justin blushed, silently grateful that he and Brian kept their 'toy box' securely locked, and that it had been too heavy for Gus to move. After Tricky had made off with his partner's brand new glass dildo that one time, they had been extremely cautious about keeping their sex toys locked and kept stashed under the bed. Leave it to Gus, however, to find it anyway, he thought ruefully, before refocusing his attention on the problem at hand. "Gus, are you sure you looked everywhere, Buddy? The other ring has to be up there."

But Gus adamantly shook his head, growing a little tired of playing ring bearer now as the excitement quickly began to wear off, and his short attention span came into play. "No, papa. I looked real good. It's not up there. Can I go play with Tricky and Xena now?"

"Uh...yeah, sure," Brian told him, as he looked over at his worried fiancé. "It's got to be up there," he assured him quietly, anticipating a major queen out soon. "It probably got pushed under the clock radio, or fell behind the nightstand."

"Of course it did, Sunshine," Deb spoke up from her place a few feet away as Jennifer nodded. "I'm sure it'll turn up; you'll see. Want us to go up and help you look?"

Justin shook his head, for some reason preferring only he and Brian do the honors. "No, thanks. I'm sure Brian and I can find it." Everyone nodded as, without another word, Justin turned and briskly headed toward the backdoor with one purpose in mind: finding Brian's ring. He wasn't coming back outside without it.

Brian nodded by way of excuse before quickly rushing after him, unconcerned. Rings just didn't get up and walk out of a room by themselves; there had to be a logical explanation for it being missing.

Several minutes later, however, Brian peered over at a tearful-looking Justin who was anxiously gnawing on his thumbnail again. Despite practically turning the room upside down and looking in nooks and crannies that the ring couldn't possibly have traveled to, the piece of jewelry was nowhere to be found. Gus was right; it was gone.

"Where can it be?" Justin fretted. "This can't be happening!" He stared over at his partner, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Brian Kinney, if this is your idea of some sick joke, I'm not laughing. Just tell me where the fuck you put it."

Brian sighed. "Hell, I almost wish I could tell you I'm guilty. But I've been with you all day, remember? Except for when you went downstairs this morning to fix Gus breakfast. And when I left, the rings were both there, I swear. I wouldn't do that to you," he added softly, and Justin realized that he meant it.

"Then where is it?" he asked him. "It didn't just roll off the nightstand, down the hallway, and out the door!" Justin began to pace back and forth, the tension rolling off him in waves and almost making Brian dizzy.

Brian sighed. "Justin...calm down. You're getting worked up over nothing..." Oops. Wrong thing to say...

"Nothing? NOTHING?" Justin squeaked. "Your wedding ring is missing, and it's NOTHING? You really don't want to get married, do you?" he accused him, his eyes flashing. He knew he wasn't thinking rationally, but right now he didn't care. He was desperate.

Brian silently counted to ten. "You know that's not true, Justin," he told him quietly as he tried to keep the indignation out of his voice. Did his partner not believe how much he loved him by now, and how much he wanted to be with him? "You're upset, and you don't really mean that," he chided him.

Justin eyes glistened, his face a picture of sadness. "No," he whispered to him after a few moments. "I'm sorry, Brian. It's just that without that ring...I don't want to get married without it. It means too much to me."

"Justin...Sunshine, it's just metal," Brian replied, one hand on his hip as he tried to reason with his stubborn partner. "I'm sure the jeweler can loan us a temporary substitute until we find it."

But Justin shook his head. "It wouldn't be the same," he murmured. "I want to put your ring on your finger tomorrow that you've been wearing...not some insignificant piece of jewelry that holds no meaning for us."

Brian held his hands out to either side of his body. "I don't know what else to do, then," he told him sympathetically.

Justin's eyes grew wide with apprehension. "What about all the workers out back?" he asked. "The only one we really know is Emmett. What if one of them sneaked into the house somehow, found your ring, and took off with it? If they did, it could already be pawned somewhere, and we'd never find it!"

"Justin...why would they only take ONE ring, then? That doesn't make sense."

Justin plopped down dejectedly onto their bed. "NONE of this makes sense!" he cried out, brushing his right hand through his hair, and feeling the loss of his own ring on his hand acutely. He wouldn't put his ring on, either, he decided. Not without Brian doing the same. "We'll have to postpone the wedding," he abruptly decreed.

"Oh, no, we aren't!" Brian growled as he walked over to sit down beside his worried lover. "We are getting married, with or without rings," he told him. "I'm marrying you, Justin Taylor. Not a ring. I don't give a fuck if I have a ring to get married to you or not." He reached over to grasp Justin's hand, only to have his partner spring up from the bed and whirl around to face him, his eyes flashing.

"Well, I do! I...I can't...Aaargh!" he cried out in frustration, rushing into the master bedroom and slamming the door behind him.

"Justin, be reasonable!" Brian beseeched him. But he knew it would do no good. When his fiancé got into one of his moods, there was no reasoning with him. And he knew deep down, also, that his sentimental sap of a partner would not get married, no matter how much he wanted it, without that ring; the ring that seemed to have disappeared into thin air. Sighing in resignation, he finally rose from the bed and went in search of the others, hoping that perhaps more eyes and another search might prove to be successful in solving their mystery.

Fifteen minutes later, however, everyone had to admit defeat. They had scoured every inch of the bedroom, and there was no ring anywhere.

"Sweetheart, come out of the bathroom," Jennifer called through the door, hearing objects being slammed down onto the marble vanity, and something crashing onto the floor. "Justin, what are you doing in there? You're making me worried."

"I'm venting my frustration," he told her, his voice slightly muffled through the door.

"Well, surely you're running out of objects to throw by now," she told him. "Come on."

After about a minute, all of them heard the sound of the deadbolt unlatching, and a splotchy-faced Justin appeared, his hair wet from a shower he had apparently taken. When that hadn't helped, however, he had tried the latest approach to assuage his anger, but that, too, hadn't worked. He sighed as he peered over at his mother, surrounded by Debbie, Emmett, Brian, and now Daphne, who had shown up a short time ago. She smiled at him sympathetically, which only made him feel worse. "Daph," he murmured. "It's gone. Why?"

"Oh, Justin," she whispered, her heart breaking. She knew it was just a ring, but she also knew how much it symbolized to him. "I'm sorry," she told him, not willing to issue a platitude that they would find it. They had looked in every conceivable place they could, and it just wasn't here.

Justin nodded silently as he walked over and once more sat down on the bed, feeling everyone's eyes on him. He peered over at his fiancé, who was leaning against the wall nearby with his shoulders hunched in defeat, feeling utterly ashamed at his conduct earlier toward him. "Brian..."

Brian lifted his head to stare back at him. "Hmmm?"

"Come over here," he asked softly. Brian shuffled over as Justin held his hand out to him; clasping it, Brian sat down beside him. He let out a deep breath. "You were right earlier," he told him. "I mean, I hate that your ring is missing," he explained. "But I'm marrying YOU. I would marry you anytime and anyplace, with or without the ring. So...whether it shows up or not, we're still getting married."

Brian half-smiled at him; relieved but feeling like it was almost a hollow victory. He certainly didn't feel like being smug about it. "I'm glad you changed your mind," he told him, slowly stroking Justin's hand as his fiancé nodded. "Everything's set up outside now, and Em and the minister are still here," he informed him. "You ready for the run through now? We can use one of my other rings in the meantime."

Justin sighed, but nodded as Brian pulled him to his feet. "Okay," he told him. "But you pick the ring out; I can't do it." Brian nodded in understanding, walking over to the walk-in closet to open up a wooden box and retrieve one of the few rings he owned. He normally didn't care for wearing rings, but he had one from his college days that would do. Grasping it in his palm, he close his fist and turned to join the others - just as his son came running into the room. "Daddy! Papa! Come quick! Something's wrong with Xena! Hurry!"

The words were barely out of Gus's mouth before both men raced out of the room on Gus's heels.

They found the puppy outside on the ground, Xena's head hung low as she vomited up part of the dog food she had eaten earlier. Brian groaned at the sight; what else could go wrong today?

Forgetting his other worries, Justin rushed over and stooped down next to Xena, lightly stroking her on the neck. "What's wrong, girl?" he asked her softly. "You feeling sick?" he glanced over at Gus. "Was she doing anything else before we came out?" he asked him.

Gus shook his head. "Just making this awful sound and gagging a little, like when Mommy makes me eat Brussel sprouts, or I won't get any dessert," he told him.

Justin couldn't help grinning over that before he turned serious again, studying the puppy with concern. "You didn't see her eating grass, did you? She does that sometimes, and then throws it up afterward."

Gus shook his head. "No, papa. She was fine until a few minutes ago, and then she made this snorting noise like a horse and started to throw up. Is she going to die?" Gus asked fearfully, thinking back to when Tricky had almost perished after protecting him from a rattlesnake.

"No, Buddy," Justin hastily assured him. "I'm sure she just ate something that didn't agree with her. She's always picking up things that she shouldn't." He frowned, trying to come up with the cause...until a preposterous thought entered his mind with startling clarity. His eyes grew round as saucers, and his heart began to thump in his chest. He didn't know whether to dread what the answer would be, feel relieved...or both. "Uh...Gus..."

"Huh?"

"Has Xena been with you all day today?"

"Uhh...Well...most of the day." Gus bit his lip; a sure sign of anxiety.

"Most of the day? It's okay; I won't get mad," he assured him, noting his hesitation. "Did you keep an eye on her all day, like we asked you to?"

"Well...almost," the little boy responded, shifting back and forth a little in discomfort. "I had to go to the bathroom after I ate lunch, so I brought them into the house with me. I left her and Tricky right outside the door. I told them to stay where they were! But when I came out, she wasn't there, only Tricky. I called for her, though, and she came right back to me."

Brian frowned; what was Justin getting at? After a few seconds, however, his mouth hung open in realization. Fuck, no...

"This is important, Gus. Where did Xena come FROM when you called her? The kitchen?"

Gus shook his head. "No, papa. She came down the steps."

Justin peered up at his fiancé, both of them thinking the same thing. "Oh, shit," they both said at once.

"You don't think..." Brian couldn't finish the sentence; just the thought made him queasy. His wedding ring...inside that dog's gut? He wasn't even going to think about it. "No, no way," he muttered by way of denial, unable to even consider it.

"Brian, we know she's tall enough now to reach the nightstand if she stands up on her back paws," Justin told him. "Did you close the bedroom door earlier when you came down this morning?"

"Well..." he hesitated as he thought back. "No, I guess I didn't," he had to admit. "But I didn't see the need. Everybody was outside by then."

"Yeah...then," Justin pointed out as he gently stroked the puppy's head. Xena wagged her tail in response to his petting her, seemingly none the worse for wear now that she had vomited. "Well, the only way we're going to know for sure is if we take her to the vet and have her x-rayed."

"Oh, fu..." Brian left off the final word, trying to avoid such language in front of Gus. But if he ever felt like swearing, now would be the time. He let out a ragged breath. "I'll get the car," he told him as Justin nodded.

Thirty Minutes Later...Vet's Office

"Yep, there it is," Doc Thompson informed the two men as they stared, open-mouthed, at the x-ray in front of them. There was no doubt now where Brian's wedding band was: there, in Xena's lower intestine, was the clear outline of a ring. Brian's ring.

"That fucker," Brian growled in dismay. "She swallowed my wedding band!" He peered down in disapproval at their topic of conversation, who was reclining on her stomach in the middle of the examination room on a foam dog bed. She thumped her tail as Brian glared at her. "Don't try to make up with me now, you...you klepto dog!" He shook his head in disbelief. "I don't believe this," he mumbled. "She couldn't swallow a key or a spoon or even a watch! She has to make a beeline for the most expensive piece of jewelry in the house!" He looked over at his fiancé. "She's taking revenge on me for not letting her have the run of the house," he decided. "That's why she bypassed YOUR ring and took only mine."

Justin chuckled. "Come on, Brian! She's not THAT intelligent."

Brian pursed his lips together in irritation. "You're right; I mean, look who her father is." He shook his head again, still trying to absorb what the doc was telling them. "I almost hate to ask this; no, strike that, I DO hate to ask this," he corrected himself. "But just how do we get that out of her? I'm not letting her swallow a $5,000 ring and have it stay there to mingle with her puppy chow forever."

Justin giggled, covering his mouth and pasting on a serious expression as Brian scowled over at him, clearly not amused. He was feeling much better now that they knew what had happened to the ring. But Brian had a point; how would they retrieve it? "Are you going to have to do surgery?" he asked, quickly sobering at the thought. She was so young still, even though she seemed to be growing by leaps and bounds each day; at the pace she was going, she would rival her father in no time.

"Of course," Brian interjected. "He just knocks her out, does a little slicing and dicing, and voila! We take the ring back to the jewelers and trade it in for the exact, same kind, and Xena is a pound lighter and none the wiser." He stole a glance over at Justin, whose face was contorted in horror. "No?" Brian meekly added. He sighed as Justin shook his head. Turning his attention back to the vet, he noticed the man seemed to appear hesitant, as if he wanted to say something else.

"What?" he probed sharply.

"Actually, surgery shouldn't be needed," the vet informed them quietly.

Brian narrowed his eyes warily. "What do you mean? I'm not leaving it in there!""

"Of course not," the doc hastened to assure him with a small smile. He exchanged a look with Justin, who was biting his lower lip; why, Brian wasn't sure. But it made him nervous for some reason.

"Then how do you propose we get it out of there? She's not going to just cough it up."

Justin opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it, deciding the vet was better prepared to explain what he suspected was about to cause a substantial queen out on the part of his fiancé. "Doc, maybe you'd better explain," he suggested, sensing a major eruption about to occur.

Thompson nodded; he had gotten to know both men fairly well during the course of his treatment for Tricky, the man's son's dog who had nearly died due to a rattlesnake bite. And while Kinney had unexpectedly agreed to stay with the dog for his son's sake during his night of observation while the dog recovered, he also knew from the man's normal appearance that he was quite fastidious. He had an inkling, then, that once his client caught onto exactly what sort of 'passive treatment' he was prescribing, he was not going to be happy about it. "Uh...let's just say that in this case with most dogs - and cats - it's best to just let nature take its course."

"But what about her vomiting earlier?" Justin pointed out, refusing to look at Brian while he digested - no pun intended - what the doctor was telling them. "Doesn't that mean that the ring is still lodged somewhere in her throat or stomach?"

"That is not unexpected as it travels through her alimentary canal," the doctor explained. "But now that it's in a non-invasive location - and she does not seem to be suffering any ill-effects - I wouldn't be concerned. I would say your problem should be resolved within, say, 24 hours or less. You'll just need to keep a close eye on her bowel movements until then."

Justin nodded in understanding, covering his mouth with his hand while he waited for the eruption he suspected was about to occur. Brian was a very intelligent man, so the fact that it hadn't happened yet had to be due to his refusal to accept what the doctor's suggested plan of treatment entailed. He knew it wouldn't be long, however, and he was quickly proven right. He held his breath while the ticking of the nondescript clock on the wall seemed inordinately loud to his ears. 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1...

"What the fuck!" Brian exploded right on time, making both Justin and the doc wince at the sound; even Xena appeared momentarily startled as she peered up at Brian curiously, As soon as he whirled around and glared at her, however, she thumped her tail at him again as if she were providing some welcome entertainment, completely oblivious to the murderous thoughts swirling through Brian's mind.

"Tell me you are NOT suggesting we...she...you mean...? Shit."

Justin giggled. "You got THAT right."

Brian's mouth hung open in disgust, his nose wrinkling as if he could smell it now. "Well, let me make this perfectly clear, Sunshine...I am NOT wearing any ring that has been covered in dog shit; no way, no how."

"Mr. Kinney, dogs swallowing a shiny object are not uncommon," the doctor interjected. "I've had dogs swallow keys, spoons, pennies, you name it. And rings are certainly not unusual. Any reputable jeweler can completely sanitize the ring, so..."

"Doc, you're not listening to what I'm saying! No. 1, I am NOT following that mutt around, waiting for her to take a crap so I can sift through it for my ring. And No. 2, I am certainly not going to wear a wedding ring that has had shit all over it!" He peered over at his fiancé, who wasn't smiling any longer. Quite the opposite, in fact. He knew that look, and it wasn't good.

Justin's mouth drew into a tight line as he crossed his hands over his chest. "Fine," he gritted out. "Then I guess we're not getting married."

Brian's mouth hung open in shock. "But didn't you just tell me earlier that you were marrying ME, and not a piece of jewelry?" he pointed out. "What changed between now and then?"

"Well, now we know what happened to it. Yes, if we hadn't found it, I would have married you with a different ring. But know that we DO know...I told you before. I want to put your wedding ring on your finger; the wedding ring that matches the one that you gave ME. The one that's been on your finger for months now. I want THAT ring, Brian; not an imitation of it."

"Even though you know it has been covered in dog shit and who knows what else?" He shuddered at the thought.

"I would wear it if it were my ring," was the gruff retort. "I wouldn't have it any other way. Because it's the ring that YOU gave me, not some substitution."

Brian snorted. "I've told you time and time again, Sunshine, how I feel about all that romantic bullshit," he replied, emphasizing Justin's pet name with the appropriate amount of sarcasm. "Why did I get talked into all this hetero crap to begin with?"

"Uhh..." Doc Thompson spoke up then, attempting to extricate himself from what was becoming a tense situation. "I'll be right outside if you need me." The two men didn't seem to notice when he quietly slipped out of the examination room and shut the door behind him breathing an immense sigh of relief now that he was not in the middle of what could possibly turn into World War III.

"Everything okay, Doc?" his long-time receptionist, Myrna, asked him as she noticed the odd look on his face. "I thought the puppy was going to be all right."

"Oh, she's fine," he assured her as he sat down next to her and wiped the sweat from his brow. "It's her owners I'm more concerned about." He sighed. "How about some coffee? I think it's going to be a long afternoon."