Fyodor was doing his math homework like the good little boy he was. Vlad found it adorable as he counted with his hands to add or subtract the numbers. If only his dad were the one who watched over him like this, he would have had the urge to call him.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" The kid looked up from his work.

Vlad blushed lightly for being caught then smiled and said, "No reason. I like watching you work."

"But you look sad?" His brows knitted up in worry and he licked his lips before continuing, "Did other daddy do something and hurt you?"

Vlad cocked his head at the kid, surprised he could come to such a statement. "No. I was zinking of something. Why would you zink daddy will hurt me?"

Fyodor looked away to his book and sighed softly. "Mrs. Freya thinks the both of you fight a lot but I don't believe her. You love daddy a lot."

Now that confused Vlad. Who was Freya and why was she talking about his fake relationship? What exactly did she know? Now that this was brought to him, it was fine to say the people in the town were weird.

     He had gone out on a coffee break to the Tim Horton beside the hospital and he had hated the way everyone had stared at him. Well, not stare but the short weird glances were enough for Vladimir to know something was up.

Even if a couple of the guys talked to him like he had been their friend since the crib, there were still some that looked at him like he was some new kid. And that was when he noticed the flaw in The Gay Project's plan.

Not everyone was informed about them. Maybe the people he talked to but not everyone in the town.

     The part that baffled Vlad was the fact that they got this little kid before him to act like he was his dad. And the way he called him 'dad' so movingly reminded him of himself when his dad used to come for the Christmas holiday and stay a couple days.

     Vlad had cherished those days. It had been wonderful because his dad would bring him lots of presents and tell him stories of the places he had travelled to throughout the year. Vlad had looked up to Christmas because of those stories.

"You're sad again?" Fyodor spoke up, bringing Vlad out of his thoughts.

He shook his head and smiled even though it didn't reach his eyes. "No darling. I am good."

"No. You're sad." He said as he jumped down from his seat and walked over to him, his little feet beating the floor so lightly. When he got to him, the kid smiled up at him and said, "Tell me what is making you sad. I will listen."

Vlad's heart throbbed from how cute he was just walking over to him like that and saying such words. Fuck what he said about not wanting a family. He bloody wanted this kid.

"Aww. I remembered what my dad used to do to me."

"What did he do?"

"He did not live with me much but when he came, he told me many stories of when he went to different places. Zat is why I like Christmas very much."

"That means you miss your daddy then?"

Vlad nodded weakly and chuckled when the kid climbed up on his laps with his help then said, "It's fine. You are just feeling lonely. Hug me. You'll feel better."

Smiling, Vlad couldn't find any reason to say no. He pulled the kid closer and held him tightly against him but not tight enough to choke him.

"Do you feel better?"

"Better." He muttered quietly, inhaling the kid's boyish scent. Lord, he was adorable.

Vlad didn't know how long they stayed like that, but he had a feeling he would have stayed longer if Gala hadn't startled them. Pulling away, they stared at the girl who rose an amused brow at them.

"What's this?" She asked from where she stood at the opening to the dining room.

"Daddy was sad."

"Well, I'm sad. Come and hug me." She stretched out her arms and Vlad had almost thought the kid would tell her no but sadly, he didn't and tried to get down from him.

Rolling his eyes, he helped the kid down and watched him run up to his sister to put his little arms around the girl. Vlad didn't know why he felt betrayed but he swallowed down the feeling and said, "Okay, zat's enough. Fyodor come back. Finish your homework."

"Okay." Fyodor swiftly left her and went back to the table to finish what was left of his math homework.

"I'll be right back, okay?"

"Okay." He smiled up at him before looking back at his book to finish it.

     Turning to the smirking teen before him, he was so close to picking her puckered lips and using it to take her to her room. Instead, he blatantly rolled his eyes at her. "Go to your room and take a shower. Your dad will be back soon."

Vlad was even surprise he wasn't the one bringing her back home since she was a bit of a 'trouble maker.'

Gala crossed her arms as she huffed in annoyance. "He even called as I entered to be sure I made it home. What is with you both biting up my ass?"

"Language, Girl." He warned her.

Cursing under her breath, she walked past him to the stairs and stomped all the way up to her room. Vlad only chuckled and called to her, "Take it easy on floor board."

"Leave me alone!"

Smirking at that, Vlad went back into the dining to supervise Fyodor as he did his assignment but never made it because the front door opened again to reveal Andres who was on the phone.

He was frowning deeply at whatever the person on the other end was saying then sighed wearily and ended the call. Looking up at Vlad, Vlad could just see the exhaustion seeping out off him.

"Hard day at work?" He asked with a subtle smile.

"You have no idea." He sighed again as he walked up to him.

"Gala made it home early."

"She's surprisingly not the reason why my day was so stressed." He huffed and turned, silently letting Vlad help him take off his jacket.

Taking it to the coat rack that was by the door, Vlad listened to him as he complained about his day. Even if it had just been five days acting, he had already gotten used to it. "Honestly, I thought The Gay Project would control the crime rate or make it fake but no, it's actually all real. It's like being back in my town just that I have a husband and kids. I actually have a family." He added.

"You mean fake family." Vlad corrected in a quiet tune, glancing at the dining to be sure he wasn't heard by Fyodor. When he saw that the kid was still writing, he looked at his fake husband after hanging the coat. "I understand what zey doing. Zey trying to recreate our old life with zese damn good actors. Other zan fact I don't not know zem –people at my work– zey have same characteristics as my friends at hospital I worked at before I came –forgive me– kidnapped here. Men and women will laugh at my accent because it was too zick zen make me feel terrible because I do not speak English very well."

"Then fuck them. The fact that you get the point across is the important part. Okay Vladimir?"

Vlad only nodded and glanced at the empty tree beside them. They had gotten it and a lot more Christmas decorations with the kids after school last night. It had only taken them that long to get the money because Vlad was having issues letting Andres kiss him again.

     Looking at the Colombian with his side view, he could still remember the way his arms had wrapped itself around him. His strong callous hands had held him so tightly that Vlad could actually feel his heart beating against his and it drummed so fast as if he too felt something about the both of them.

And his lips fell on his. He could still feel it. The rough sensation. His lips had been chapped but when he kissed Vlad, it honestly didn't matter. He had tasted amazing. He had pushed Vlad against the dinning wall and kissed him like he was desperate for it.

Vlad didn't know if he was reading too much into that kiss of yesterday but it sure did something to him.

     Rubbing his hands over his face, hoping to get the blush away, he cleared his throat and said, "We should start decorating."

"I'm already on it!" Gala yelled as she skipped down the stairs in a denim playsuit which she wore with a Christmas sweater. She had her short dark brown hair in a messy bun and a pencil tucked behind her ear.

She crossed her arms over her chest and smirked at the men. "What are we waiting for? Let's do this quick so I can go out-"

"You are grounded missy." Andres smirked back as he walked past the kid to the dining where they had dropped the Christmas decors.

Vlad had to bite back a laugh at the eye roll she gave him then mouthed; He's annoying.

He didn't reply until he was in front of her. "And he is your dad, little respect."

"He's my dad and yet he leaves me in a cell for the rest of the day. Longer than the time I should be there."

He rose a brow at her, baffled. "You should not be zere at all. You were shoplifting."

She pouted and looked away. "I was getting something for a friend. It's not like you guys have given me allowance for the month."

"You should have asked." Andres said sternly, coming out of the dining with the bags they had bought yesterday.

Fyodor followed behind with a small bag where they had kept the Christmas stockings.

"What did she steal?" Vlad had to ask. The curiosity was killing him.

"Condom." Andres blurted then grinned widely at Gala's embarrassed face.

    With her face so red, She looked quickly between the men, stuttering before her gaze finally fell on Andres and hardened. "You promised you won't. God, dad!"

"Wait you are dating someone?" Vlad was beyond surprise. She was only seventeen and yet wanted to have sex?

Reaching down to pick up Fyodor, he turned back at her and asked, "What did you need the condom for?"

"I'll leave it to her to explain. Trust me, I couldn't stop laughing." He reached for the kid and Vlad quietly gave it to him so they could start decorating.

Vlad wiggled his brows at the kid before him who seemed to be getting redder by the second. Throwing his arm around her shoulders, he pulled her along with him as he said, "Come on, you can tell me anything. I'm your dad."

Vlad could just remember when his grand dad had told him that. He had blushed the rest of the day because he couldn't get the image of the old man talking about sex. Just thinking about it got him blushing again.

Clearing his throat, he pushed her to a corner where they were out of view from Andres and Fyodor. "Come on, tell daddy. I promise not to tell Andres."

She blew her cheeks as she watched him suspiciously. "That's what he said."

"I am not Andres."

Gala stared at him as if wondering if she could trust him then she looked away and said, "I wanted to do the condom challenge."

"Condom what?"

"It's when you fill a condom with water then drop it on your friend's head. It was why I got it. I was kinda broke so I stole. I'm so sorry. I promise, I wouldn't do that again."

Vlad was about to repeat himself again because he couldn't believe this kid stole to do that? He was sure there was a packet in the bathroom and since he knew he never was going to use it, he wouldn't have mind if she stole that one.

"I cannot believe you did zat."

"It looked like a freaking great idea. I am so sorry."

Running a hand through his hair, he managed a smile at her and said, "Just do not do it again. Do you have visa card?"

Gala's mouth opened as her eyes widened and that was enough answer for Vlad. He gave her a tight lipped smile and told her to go help set up the decoration.

"Thanks so much." She squealed and hugged him before skipping to the sitting room.

     Shaking his head after her, he thought of something to do other than decorating since he had apparently no sense of that. Since nothing important came to mind, he decided to make dinner unless they would be forced to order Chinese.

"So, I am making dinner."

"Rice!" Fyodor said, jumping with the Christmas ball in his hand.

"Yes. The beef Stroganoff." He glanced away from the tree at him and added, "I love it."

Vlad smiled then went into the kitchen.

     Honestly, he had no idea when Andres' compliments stopped making him feel weird. Maybe it was the fact that he kept appreciating everything he did as if if he didn't, the day wouldn't feel right to him. Vlad could only shrug it off as he went into preparing the beef.

     As he worked on the rice cooker, he didn't hear when Andres entered until he had fixed the damn thing and turned just when the Colombian screamed 'boo', startling him.

"Fuck! Do not do zat!" He frowned at the man.

"Startle you, didn't I?"

"You zink?" He hissed then walked past him to check on the beef. Turning it with his spatula, he asked, "What do you want?"

"You."

Pressing his lips together, he tried to look a little enthusiastic to match his fake husband's happy aura. "What do you want Andres?"

Andres leaned against the counter with his arms crossed and said, "New cool story I heard from Stuart."

"What?"

"We aren't in California's San Francisco but some US territory owned by some dude called San Francisco. We are on an island in the same longitude with Hawaii."

"What?!" With his mind on that, Vlad had almost placed his hand on the pan where he was frying the beef, if not for Andres' quick reflex.

Wrapping his an arm around Vlad, he pulled him away from the electric stove then let go of him to pick up the hand that had almost been burnt. "Puta! You almost got yourself burnt."

"Puta?" Thanks to his accent, it had sounded very off.

Andres sighed as he stroked his hand with his thumb. "Puta. It means stupid."

Vlad became offended immediately and tried to pry his hand away from him. "Let go of me."

"Relax." Andres said sternly, gripping on the hand firmly that Vlad knew it was impossible to pull from. "Relax. I didn't mean to insult you."

"But you did."

"And I am sorry if it offended you." He licked his lip and placed his forehead on his. "Come on, I'm sorry."

And Vlad's heart raced.

For one, they were too close and secondly, this was how their kiss last night had started. Andres had pissed him off about something he couldn't remember then from apologizing about it, he had kissed him. And again, it was amazing.

"Are you going to kiss me?" He didn't know why he asked but he couldn't handle the silence and the way Andres stared at him.

Andres' dark brown eyes seemed to dilate the second he uttered those words. They fell on his lips and he bit his before looking back at him. "Why don't you kiss me?"

     To Vlad, he was having that moment when everything in the background fades and it was just the both of them. Feeling the Detective slide his hands up his arms, he felt a shiver and exhaled before saying, "I don't see any reason for any of us to be kissing?"

"You need money to put in Gala's new account right? Yup, I heard that part."

"Fuck you." He wanted to be mad that he had eavesdropped on them but Andres had started nuzzling him and it was slowly turning him on.

Pulling away to look at him, Andres asked again, "Kiss me?"

As much as Vlad wanted to resist, he couldn't. They were too close and the need to feel Andres' lips on his was too strong.

     Leaning forward, he captured them in a hot scorching kiss. Vlad thought he had been given the opportunity to dominate him since Andres let him slip his tongue in to taste him but it didn't last long because in just a matter of minute, Andres had taken control of the kiss, turning them both and pushing him against the counter.

That had always meant to happen. Vlad knew it. Competing with Andres to prove who the man of the house was, was almost impossible. Physically, he was more built than him. His firm chiseled chest, toned skin and the sexy masculine look was an A+ compared to him. Mentally, he only did what the father contributed to the family. He had the dangerous job, left the housework for him and stayed away from the kitchen. It was oddly stereotypically.

Vlad bit back a moan when Andres pulled away to nibble on his skin, making Vlad gasp in shock at the thought of the man he had only known a few days leaving a hickey on him.

"No. No hickey."

"Why?" He mumbled against his skin then kissed his neck, sucking on it and making Vlad exhale sharply.

"I don't want one. People would zink we are-"

"Aren't we?" He pulled away to ask.

If Vlad wasn't in his right mind, he would have pulled him down for another kiss but all that came from him was, "Andres..."

     Andres rose a brow as if waiting for him to continue but when he didn't, he pulled away from him completely and that was when Vlad remembered the beef still in the fire.

Cursing in Russian, he rushed to the stove and turned it off, happy to see it hadn't burnt. He exhaled again to calm himself then turned to Andres. "If you not going to help me, you need to leave."

Sticking his tongue out to lick his lips, he reached into his back pocket and brought out a black envelope. "You don't have to be so grumpy." Handing the envelope to him, he said, "The Gay Project give us a new task."

"Oh great." He huffed and he snatched it from him.