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Fraser had gotten held up with so many Consular duties that he didn't make it to the precinct until nearly 5pm. He might not have made it at all, except that Inspector Thatcher had gotten caught up with a new interior designer, giving Fraser time to slip out. he walked into the precinct just as Ray was standing up and putting on his leather jacket.
He liked Ray in his leather jacket. The stark contrast of the black leather against Ray's pale skin and blond hair did something to Fraser. He'd once commented on it, and that night started with them spilling their secrets, and ended with Fraser staying the night. It was definitely a good night.
"Fraser!" Ray called across the bullpen. He smiled, then reached behind him and grabbed a tin which he held out in front of Fraser as he approached. "What took you so long, buddy?"
Fraser looked into the tin and found triangular shaped cookies with a small bit of what looked like cherry preserves in the middle. "Hamentaschen?" Fraser asked as he took a cookie. "Thank you, kindly." He bit into it and savored the orange flavor of the cookie as well as the sweet cherry filling. "It's a good thing I didn't bring Diefenbaker, or he would have wanted some of these. Not that he won't smell it on me and interrogate me relentlessly when I return to the consulate."
"Who says you're sleepin' at home tonight, Fraser?" Ray asked.
Fraser smiled as he felt his face flush, then tugged at his collar.
"Oh Ray," one of the sergeants called as they walked out. "Thanks for the donation. The youth center's gonna get a lot of mileage outta that."
Ray smiled as he nodded. "Sure thing, Rinaldo," he said with a smile, though Fraser was close enough to see the hint of a blush in his partner's cheeks.
"Donation?" Fraser asked as they walked into the crisp afternoon air, the sun already setting.
"Yeah. You know that poster in the break room? Youth center in this town's always looking for donations, and I had a few extra scraps so I sent it their way."
Fraser smiled and nodded. "That's very noble of you," he said. Especially since he knew Ray was saving up to buy a new television. As they got into the GTO, Fraser asked, "So where would you like to get dinner tonight?" He took his hat off and pulled a few bills from where they were hidden under the rim. "It's on me."
"Nuh uh," Ray said as he adjusted his mirror. "I'm cookin' you dinner tonight. Big feast." He pulled out into traffic, and added, "And you're having a glass of wine with dinner. No excuses."
Ray often cooked, so that wasn't unusual. But the wine was. It piqued Fraser's curiosity, though he kept his thoughts private and made other small talk through much of the rest of the evening. It wasn't until after dinner, a meal that should have been called a feast based on everything Ray had prepared, that all the pieces slid into place.
"What? What's that look?" Ray asked. He took another sip of wine, his third glass that night, then set his glass down.
Fraser couldn't help but smile as he figured it out, his tongue gliding over the back of his teeth and catching on the crooked one. The donation to charity. The triangular-shaped cookies. The meal. And the two bottles of wine Ray had opened before the meal. "I"m so sorry, Ray," he said. "I hadn't realized what day it was."
Ray shrugged, then took another sip of his wine. "'s okay. Most people don't know. Hell, most people don't even know I'm Jewish, so there's that."
"If I'm not mistaken, tonight is Purim?" he asked, and Ray nodded his head. "Tell me about it."
"Can do," he said. "But first," he added as he grabbed a tattered, black covered book from the bottom shelf of his coffee table, large golden letters that read, "The Torah" on the front, "I have to uh..." He gestured to the book.
Fraser sat there, listening to Ray read from the Book of Esther, and realized for all that he knew about his partner, there was always something new to learn.