Work Text:
A different wrapping.
by Adalisa Zárate.
It was not a very unusual sight, a tall, red haired woman walking inside the 27th Precinct. What was unusual was the attention she received. Elaine watched her as she was observed by every male in the place. Of course, the blue skirt, with the opening in her right side, and the scarf covering her neck were just her right color, but still, she couldn’t help but feel a little jealous of the attention she was receiving. Even Lt. Welsh, who was in some sort of tight relationship with Dr. Peterson, left his office to greet the mysterious arrival.
Of course… she had to go right to Ray Vecchio’s desk.
What was with that man that caught all the gorgeous persons in the world?
* * *
“Ray… It’s me.” Fraser was starting to feel a little embarrassed for the fact that his best friend didn’t recognized him, wondering if he had used too much make-up or perhaps the wig covered his features too much… And there was something in the way that Ray was looking at him that wasn’t exactly right.
Something that he had only seen on those green eyes when Ray was checking up girls… **Oh. Dear.** Not only that, but the detective was expecting something more elaborate for an answer. A name. Something. And if Fraser revealed who he was… Without really thinking about it, he offered
his hand as gracefully as he could. “Caroline. Carloline Pinsent. We meet a few weeks ago… At the supermarket?”
Ray looked at him frowning, as if he was trying to remember. “Caroline…Caroline… From the meat section?”
“Yes… I was… ah… looking for some meat.” Fraser felt himself blush, especially because it was the first big lie he told Ray even since Victoria, and he still felt guilt about that. Worse, he knew that his friend was pretty careful about Supermarkets and the potential meetings there, but he couldn’t remember if meat section was good or bad. At the moment he had been too entranced looking at Ray to properly hear his words. Trying to keep his most feminine tone, he continued. “I heard that you needed a teacher… and… this most sound silly, but I used to teach and perhaps…”
“Great! Sister Anne will be delighted!” Ray smiled, apparently forgetting that he hadn’t meet any girl in quite a long time in the Supermarket, and offered him his arm. “Come on. I’ll show you where is the school, and explain everything on the way…”
“Thank you kindly.” The phrase left Fraser’s lips before he could do anything to stop it, and he blushed immediately. He was sure that now Ray would recognize him. But the Italian detective just chuckled a little.
“Let me guess. You’re Canadian.” Fraser just nodded, not trusting himself to say anything else, and Ray’s smile broadened. “Great. Canada is one of my favorite countries. My best friend is Canadian….In the way there, would you like a cup of coffee?”
As they walked outside the Precinct, Ray stopped to open the door, holding it for Fraser. He mumbled his thanks, amazed at his friend politeness, while he thought Fraser was a woman.
* * *
As Fraser was walking to his next class, worrying about not twisting his ankle, he was still debating over telling Ray or not the truth.
“Caroline!… Miss Pinsent!” His friend voice interrupted his thoughts, and Fraser stopped to let the other man get nearer.
“Ray! What are you doing here?” He managed to say, not letting his tone drop.
“Well… I was working, and passed around here so I thought that maybe I could come in, say hi, ask how everything was going and… well, maybe offer to come and pick you up when the classes are over. I’m supposed to pick a friend later in the Canadian Consulate but.. after that I have the afternoon free and I thought you would like to go and have dinner?”
Fraser blanched. He had forgot his job in the Consulate and if Ray picked him up there, and realized that Caroline was him… well, after two invitations to dinner he was sure that his friend would never forgive him.
“So…sorry. I cannot tonight. I have to… grade some papers. Maybe… tomorrow?”
“O.K. I’ll pick you tomorrow as soon as the classes are over. See you later, Caroline… Just one think… has Sister Anne told you anything about me?”
“No. We have been talking about Celine…. Why?”
“Nothing. See you tomorrow.”
Ray left, and Fraser hurried up the stairs. He had been attracted to Ray ever since meeting the man, and felt very embarrassed from the fact that the only way he could at least hint it was dressed as a woman. Now he knew that he needed to be very careful not to let his friend learn who ‘Caroline’
really was and hope, against all his heart desires, that he meet another girl soon.
* * *
The St. Fortunata dance was better than he expected, although Fraser hadn’t really know what could happen there. He just stood watching Melissa dance, with his eyes open for any trouble. Still, it was a shock when a teacher from the male guest school invited him to dance.
Obviously he had underestimated his abilities, since no one seemed to recognize him.
But of course that had it’s disadvantages… Like having to dance with another man… that wasn’t the man he wanted to dance with.
Until Ray came. He appeared, dressed in his gray armani suit, moving over the shorter man with incredible ease, winking at Fraser while he did it, picking up the song almost nonchalantly.
“Who still does Disco?” He asked, as he kept the rhythm. As the music changed to a slower song, the Italian detective leaned on and took Fraser’s hands. “I almost wish the case was longer. That way I would have an excuse to see you everyday” He whispered in Fraser’s ear, and the taller man felt himself blush again. Especially because he also thought so. As soon as the case was over, ‘Caroline’ would disappear from Ray’s life, and he really didn’t want that. In the past two days, his attraction and friendship to Ray had evolved into a something more.
The truth was that he loved his best friend and now he didn’t know what to do. While he pondered, he caught Melissa leaving the room, and tell him so.
“Great.” Ray stopped dancing, and gently kissed Fraser’s cheek. “You stay here Caroline. I’ll be back in a minute.”
“No… Ray… I’ll go with you.” Fraser wanted to grab his friend’s hand, but didn’t do it, afraid that his shaking would show. It wasn’t like him, to be so nervous after a gentle kiss.
“No, Caroline. It could be dangerous…” As Ray seemed ready to ramble on, and by doing so, missing Melissa, Fraser did the only thing he could think of.
He kissed the detective’s mouth, recoiling almost immediately from the shock of his own actions.
“My father was in the RCMP. I can help you. Really.”
Ray smiled, a green spark full of happiness and understanding in his eyes that Fraser was starting to love.
“You know, Caroline… You’re just my type of woman.”
* * *
Two months later.
Fraser was very nervous, and he fixed his wig for what seemed to be the hundredth time. After the St. Fortunata case he had kept the Miss. Pinsent’s guise because he couldn’t make himself stop seeing Ray as his date. After the ball, he had tried to let it go, but that had only lasted two days, when he accepted to have another dinner with the Italian detective. And after a date for dinner came another, and then going to dance, and having lunch together…In the whole, he was spending all his time with Ray. Most of it in a dress.He was wearing a new suit, long skirt and jacket, in the same red shade as his Mountie serge, and he straightened it again as he waited for the Detective. In one of his brief man to man talks with him, he had known that Ray was very attached to Miss Pinsent, and that he was sure that he had seen the sign.
That worried Fraser and… as much as he hated to do it, he felt he had to tell his friend the truth.
And not to think about the only brief kiss he had initiated. The only kiss of his relationship so far.
“Caroline!” Ray was walking towards him. He looked unusually handsome, wearing his gray armani suit **Probably the only one I haven’t managed to ruin…** Fraser thought, and chucked. His smile disappeared when he saw the big white roses bouquet that the detective was carrying. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“Ray…” Fraser took the bouquet politely, wondering how to start his confession now. “I.. thank you kindly…”
“Don’t mention it… Look Caroline… i have been thinking… and I know this is rushed but… well… this two months have been the most perfect in my whole life… You are… you are the most incredible woman I have ever met and…”
Ray stopped for a while, and pulled out a small case from his pocket, opening it carefully.
Fraser gasped. In the case, carefully put over a velvet ring, he could see a small golden ring, with a perfect maple leaf shaped diamond on it.
“I guess what I’m trying to say is… Caroline… Would you marry me?”
Before Fraser could answer, Ray took the ring and carefully put it in his middle finger.
“Oh dear… Ray… I…” Imitating what he had done, two months ago, Ray placed a small kiss on the Mountie lips.
“Take your time to decide, darling. I can wait.”
And then he was gone again.
Fraser let his head bent down, and, although he considered it an unmanly thing to do, he cried. Because his heart had been filled with joy after hearing Ray’s words. And because now, he knew that Ray would hate him, forever.
* * *
He was packing hurriedly, trying not to think. He had decided to spend the next days at the Consulate, and then, if his request for a transfer hadn’t been accepted, return to Canada anyway. He couldn’t face Ray. Not anymore.
As tears filled his eyes, he recalled the scene that had gone that day at the Precinct, when he had tell Ray the truth.
* * *
Ray was talking to Elaine when he entered the Precinct. The Civilian Aide waved to him, and Ray’s face lightened too.
“Here’s the man I wanted to see. Benny, I want you to be my best man!”
Ray said, and Fraser felt a pang of pain in his heart.
“Ray… I’m sorry.” Under Elaine’s curious gaze, he put the ring in Ray’s hand, fighting the urge to cry. Ray looked at the ring for a second, not really understanding. Then, he turned to see Fraser again… And his face shadowed as he finally recognized what his friend tried to tell him months ago.
”Oh… G-d!” Ray fell to his chair, head bent down, and Fraser couldn’t stay anymore. Without even seeing Elaine, who was still very shocked about it, he left the room.
* * *
He was almost finished, when he heard the door of his apartment open.
“You really need to get a lock on that door, Benny.”
“Ray… I… “
“We need to talk. A lot. But first… I want you to have this… If you want…” Ray stopped talking, and handled Fraser a new small box. The Mountie took it, almost scared of what it could have. Inside, there was a golden ring, without a stone.
“I thought it was more your style…”As he talked, Ray showed up his hand.
He was wearing an identical ring. “If you don’t think it’s rushed…”
Fraser didn’t let him go on. He grabbed Ray and kissed him, as he had wanted to do ever since they had meet.
When they parted, Ray smiled. Both were a little flushed, their breath rushed.
“You know, Benny… You should have told me earlier… “
The End