--- js/ui/background.js
+++ js/ui/background.js
@@ -142,33 +142,40 @@
                                         cancellable: null,
                                         onFinished: null });
 
-        for (let i = 0; i &lt; this._pendingFileLoads.length; i++) {
-            if (this._pendingFileLoads[i].filename == params.filename &amp;&amp;
-                this._pendingFileLoads[i].style == params.style) {
-                this._pendingFileLoads[i].callers.push({ shouldCopy: true,
-                                                         monitorIndex: params.monitorIndex,
-                                                         effects: params.effects,
-                                                         onFinished: params.onFinished });
-                return;
-            }
+        let fileLoad = { filename: params.filename,
+                         style: params.style,
+                         shouldCopy: false,
+                         monitorIndex: params.monitorIndex,
+                         effects: params.effects,
+                         onFinished: params.onFinished,
+                         cancellable: new Gio.Cancellable(), };
+        this._pendingFileLoads.push(fileLoad);
+
+        if (params.cancellable) {
+            params.cancellable.connect(Lang.bind(this, function(c) {
+               fileLoad.cancellable.cancel();
+            }));
         }
 
-        this._pendingFileLoads.push({ filename: params.filename,
-                                      style: params.style,
-                                      callers: [{ shouldCopy: false,
-                                                  monitorIndex: params.monitorIndex,
-                                                  effects: params.effects,
-                                                  onFinished: params.onFinished }] });
-
         let content = new Meta.Background({ meta_screen: global.screen,
                                             monitor: params.monitorIndex,
                                             effects: params.effects });
 
         content.load_file_async(params.filename,
                                 params.style,
-                                params.cancellable,
+                                fileLoad.cancellable,
                                 Lang.bind(this,
                                           function(object, result) {
+                                              if (fileLoad.cancellable.is_cancelled()) {
+                                                  if (params.cancellable &amp;&amp; params.cancellable.is_cancelled()) {
+                                                      if (params.onFinished)
+                                                          params.onFinished(null);
+                                                      this._removePendingFileLoad(fileLoad);
+                                                      return;
+                                                  }
+                                                  return;
+                                              }
+
                                               try {
                                                   content.load_file_finish(result);
 
@@ -178,22 +185,25 @@
                                                   content = null;
                                               }
 
+                                              let needsCopy = false;
                                               for (let i = 0; i &lt; this._pendingFileLoads.length; i++) {
                                                   let pendingLoad = this._pendingFileLoads[i];
                                                   if (pendingLoad.filename != params.filename ||
                                                       pendingLoad.style != params.style)
                                                       continue;
 
-                                                  for (let j = 0; j &lt; pendingLoad.callers.length; j++) {
-                                                      if (pendingLoad.callers[j].onFinished) {
-                                                          if (content &amp;&amp; pendingLoad.callers[j].shouldCopy) {
-                                                              content = object.copy(pendingLoad.callers[j].monitorIndex,
-                                                                                    pendingLoad.callers[j].effects);
-
-                                                          }
+                                                  if (pendingLoad.cancellable.is_cancelled())
+                                                      continue;
 
-                                                          pendingLoad.callers[j].onFinished(content);
+                                                  pendingLoad.cancellable.cancel();
+                                                  if (pendingLoad.onFinished) {
+                                                      if (content &amp;&amp; needsCopy) {
+                                                          content = object.copy(pendingLoad.monitorIndex,
+                                                                                pendingLoad.effects);
                                                       }
+
+                                                      needsCopy = true;
+                                                      pendingLoad.onFinished(content);
                                                   }
 
                                                   this._pendingFileLoads.splice(i, 1);
