SequelTo: Slut #1: Prices

Disclaimer: Due South characters belong to Alliance Television, no copyright infringement is intended. Original characters are the sole property of the author YS McCool.

Pairing : Vecchio/Fraser Warnings: Angst Rating : Mature audience Only Summary : Fraser can't leave his sweet detective alone.

Slut #2 Flowers By YS McCool

Herschel had been delivering flowers for over nine years, but these were the most detailed delivery instructions he'd ever received.

'Pull up to the house but not in front of the drive. Pause long enough for at least two neighbors to look out of their windows to see the Fraser Florists sign on the side of the van.' Herschel used the time to do his paperwork and call in his location.

'When approaching the house with the flowers, make it apparent that not only is the arrangement tall, it is heavy.' That wasn't much of a stretch. The lead crystal vase was much heavier than it looked and there were close to forty flowers inside, complete with water and foam.

Herschel rang the doorbell and waited. An older woman, wearing a dab of flour on her cheek and a yellow apron answered.

"Yes?" she inquired looking at the arrangement in a mixture of shock and awe.

"Mrs. Sophia Vecchio?" Herschel asked formally.

"Yes," she answered, barely able to bring her eyes up from the arrangement.

"These are for you," Herschel explained. "Where would you like me to place them?"

"Oh, ah, let's see." The woman paused. "The dining room table would be perfect, then everyone could enjoy it."

Herschel strode inside and followed the woman to the indicated room. This was obviously a family place. One wall was completely choked with family photos, one corner had a highchair, and someone's knitting was sitting on one end of the table. "Here you go, Mrs. Vecchio." He handed her a card. "This will let you know how to care for the vase once the flowers are past their prime."

"These are gorgeous," she declared.

Herschel nodded. "I've never seen a better one and Mister Fraser has been doing this for years."

Mrs. Vecchio reached into her apron pocket, probably searching for money. He couldn't let her do that. Not if he wanted to stay on the good side of Mister Fraser.

"My tip has already been taken care of, Mrs. Vecchio," he insisted. "Please have a nice day." Herschel skipped out and headed back to the van where he hesitated a little longer, using the time to call in his order completion and confirm directions for his next stop, then moved on. By now all of the near neighbors who were home knew that Sophia Vecchio had gotten flowers.

----(V)----(V)----(V)----

Ray Vecchio was glad to see his home after the day he'd had. With Frank Zuko cooling his heels in jail awaiting his trial because he'd been denied bail, various elements had slipped their leashes and were now trying to stake their claim to his city.

What they hadn't planned on was the citizens' reaction to the plight of one Jerome Davis, family man, closet pain freak, and business owner. He'd been one of them and Zuko and his men had beaten him so badly that an open casket was out of the question. Some sicko at the mortuary had published photos of the dead man with the caption "what the Mafia wants to do to the honest hard-working man". The photos were now all over the place and being debated at the highest levels.

Vecchio did not like his cases being debated anywhere outside the courtroom.

"Welcome home, Raymond," his mother said brightly. She was dressed as if she were going to church, but it was a Thursday night before Ray's much needed three-day weekend. Vecchio had planned on making himself a sandwich, skipping dinner with the family, going into his room, and locking away the world.

"You look very nice, Ma. Have you got a hot date?" he asked, trying to sound serious. In a very real way, he'd love to see his mother get out there and find herself a companion, but he knew he'd end up supporting yet another person.

She grinned. "No, but I did invite Benton over for dinner." His mother tugged him into the dining room where the good dishes, purchased with coupons one setting at a time, were out and ready. In the center of them was a gigantic display of flowers that looked like they'd been lifted from some fancy downtown hotel.

"Good grief," he said, looking at the vase. "Where did you get this?"

"Benton sent them to me," his mother answered. She lifted the fancy card from where it had leaned against the vase. "My dear Sophia, once again I wanted to thank you and your lovely family for embracing a lost soul who had no idea that his simple act of good citizenship would gain him an evening in the bosom of your home. Thank you kindly from the very depths of my soul. Yours, Benton Fraser."

Ray sighed. "Ma, this arrangement must have cost a fortune. Maybe we should send it back," he suggested. How could he tell his mother that now that he'd put Fraser on his back, the man was finished with them? The flowers, sent to his mother, could have been Benton Fraser's way of dropping twenty bucks on Ray's stomach for a good lay.

"That would be insulting, Ray," Sophia admonished. She cast her "all-knowing mother" look at him. "You don't think he belongs here because he used to sell himself."

Ray blinked, but the woman before him remained his mother. "How did you know that?"

His mother scowled. "I'm not a fool, Raymond Vecchio. Orphaned at 8, left with two hard people until they died when he was 15, and nothing to call his own but a small cold cabin that needed constant repairs and a library of books. So he sells the books the first year, but what is he going to eat the year after that or the next one? Hmmm? He's going to sell the only other thing he owns to stay alive." Her mouth tightened as if she were blaming herself for not being able to save a boy who would have been thousands of miles away. "In a town with only one industry, Ben would have been too young to work the oil field, but he's very pretty. Too pretty. In a place with few women, he would have been too much temptation."

Sophia touched her son's arm and shook it until Ray would look her in the eyes. "I don't blame Benton for surviving, Ray. I blame the men who used him and the authorities who allowed it to happen. You're going to have to look past that and see the man he's become."

Vecchio could see the man Benton became. He was sprawled over white leather, half naked, and licking his lips at Ray. His mother had only seen the polite, expensively dressed, and humble man who had come to their door and eaten their food. She didn't see the man who wielded instruments of suffering over paying clients and who had successfully seduced the son of the house. "It's not like we were going to see the man again, Ma. He lives in Canada and that's where his work and friends are too."

She gave him her polite little snort. It was the one you got when you told her you didn't have any homework. "He has no one keeping his heart in Canada."

"But that's where he is, Ma. Living like a king," Ray said softly. "He's come a long way since his days beside the pipeline."

"I invited him to dinner and he accepted," his mother announced. "I even talked him into telling me some of his favorite Italian dishes and we're having them this evening." She kissed Ray's cheek. "I know you're tired and this Zuko thing has everyone on edge, but I also know I raised you to be polite to our guests."

Ray nodded. He didn't dare tell her anything or raise another objection. He went upstairs and lingered in the shower until Francesca began to threaten him. No doubt she would be applying the war paint with gusto and painting on a dress as well in hopes of catching Benton's attention. She would probably get it now that Benton had finished with Ray.

Vecchio came back downstairs just as Fraser pulled into the driveway. He was driving a low-slung Porsche Carrera GT. The car cost as much as Ray's house. Benton stepped out of his vehicle with two baskets and a backpack. The kids rushed out and helped him in as if he were a much-loved and missed relative. Ray hoped the kids enjoyed what was sure to be the last visit Fraser would ever make to the house.

"Hello, Ray," Ben said, his eyes soft and intent.

"Hiya, Ben," Ray responded. "You really have great taste in flowers, cars, and in clothes."

"Thank you, Ray. Armani really does suit me," Ben responded. "I bought a few things for the family." He placed the baskets on the coffee table. "Tony Jr., could you take my backpack up to Ray's room?"

"Sure thing," TJ agreed before bounding up the stairs.

Ray watched his nephew go up and then turned back to look at Ben. "Backpack?"

"Sophia insisted I spend the night again," Ben explained. "I brought a few things. Including looser pants for tomorrow as I'll never fit in these after dinner." The kids laughed as Ben made the puffin face.

Ray smiled. He couldn't stop himself.

"Do you really have a wolf?" Rose inquired. For only being eight, his niece had a very serious expression. "They're protected, you know."

"He's my friend, Rose," Ben said gently. "I found him when he was a young cub. It was a very harsh winter and he'd been abandoned by his pack." Fraser paused. "Maybe it was the lack of food or maybe it was because he was half-Husky, but they'd left him. I brought him home, nursed him, and took him out into the woods to teach him to hunt. When he was old enough, I tried to get him to leave me, but he wouldn't go."

"Why didn't you bring him with you?" Rose asked with her hands on her hips, looking so much like her mother that Ray had to cover his mouth to not interrupt the interchange with laughter.

"Diefenbaker would strip the house bare of pasta while I was taking off my coat," Ben explained. "He's gone soft and become a complete glutton. I've sworn to take him into the deep woods where I have a little cabin and get him back into shape."

"Dinner is ready, everyone," Sophia announced. "Wash those hands."

Ray helped the two smallest kids wash their hands while Benton inspected the older two's efforts. They were joined at the table by Francesca, who must have spent the entire time since she'd heard Ben was coming working on her look.

"You look quite beautiful, Frannie," Benton said, making the younger woman all but melt into her seat. "It's so obvious where you get your beauty." Fraser leaned to the side and kissed Sophia's cheek. "Sophia, your daughters are the fruit of your tree."

Ray was going to have to scrape his women off their chairs if Fraser didn't turn it back a notch or two. He kept quiet. A virtually unknown condition in their household, but no one noticed. Who would notice Ray when Fraser was tossing out the charm by the bucketful?

After dessert, it was gift time. Francesca got a pair of Ferragamo boots that were worth about three weeks' salary. Maria got a lined leather coat to replace the one her two sons had cut up for their Halloween costume. She'd never let them see her do it, but Maria had cried over the coat she'd had on layaway for three months and had only gotten to wear twice.

Ray had planned to get her a new one for Christmas, but then the heater had gone out and he had to keep his family from freezing. Maria had happily settled for a scarf, not expecting even that when she and her husband brought no money into the household.

Since all of the kids attended parochial schools, they weren't allowed to wear much in the form of jewelry, but they could wear crosses. Ben gave them each a gold cross that could be worn under their clothes and over their hearts.

Tony got a new tool chest, which he nearly went spastic over, though Ray couldn't remember the man ever using a tool. Certainly he'd never seen his brother-in-law do anything for home repair but to call a professional and make sure Ray got the bill.

Uncle Pauli woke up just in time to get a walking cane. His current one didn't seem to have much life left in it. The old man showed some genuine gratitude. Ray hadn't been aware the man knew what gratitude was. He certainly never expressed any of it toward Ray. He just slept and ate for free while blowing most of his Social Security and pension checks at the racetrack.

Though his mother seemed to think the flowers had been her gift, Ben still presented her with a pair of opal earrings. They were silver filigree and very delicate looking. Ray had taken a course in jewelry evaluation while he was studying for his detective's exam. Those earrings were antiques and at least one thousand dollars retail. Fraser probably didn't pay retail. Rich people rarely did.

Ray was about to stand up and tell the kids it was time for them to go to bed when Ben handed him an envelope. Vecchio stood dumb for a second before accepting it. "You didn't have to get me anything, Ben. Helping me with the case was all I would ever ask from you."

"I know," Ben replied, "that's why I wanted you to have this."

Ray opened the envelope carefully. Inside was a letter inviting Ray to Giorgio Armani's to be fitted with a new wardrobe. Attached was a post-it note. "Tell your family it's for one suit or they'll know." It was signed with an elegant BF. "A suit. Wow, thank you, Ben," Ray said warmly.

His insides were all jittery. He loved Armani. Worshiped it may have been closer. He got his pieces two or three seasons out, second hand, and had them altered to fit his slender frame. He couldn't imagine getting new. Vecchio tucked the envelope away and was ready to defend it to the death.

"We could go tomorrow, Ray," Ben said, breaking into Ray's thoughts. "Sophia said you have the day off."

Ray looked at Ben. "Isn't Friday one of your busy days?" he asked, delicately. Fraser's clients would have paychecks in hand and asses in the air for whatever the white-clad master had in mind.

"I have a staff, Ray," Fraser reminded him. "Besides, I'd love to take you shopping, maybe get some lunch, and just... talk like two adult males while the rest of the world takes care of itself for once. I promise it will be a very relaxing time for you. You certainly can't turn that down."

"I'll go shopping with you if Ray doesn't want to go," Francesca offered.

"How are you going to do that, Frannie?" Ray asked, trying not to let his voice reveal all of his inner thoughts. "This is your first week on a new job. You can't take a day off."

Frannie glared at him as if he'd just broken the head off her dolly. "Maybe over lunch?" she suggested. "I could take a long lunch."

"It's a good job, Frannie, and I called in a lot of favors to get you that interview," Ray told his sister softly. He wanted to remind her how she had begged, cried, and swore she'd never do it again if he'd just make the payments on her credit card until she got a job. How could a credit card company issue a card with that high a limit to a woman who hadn't worked in five years?

"It's just one day, Ray," Frannie whined. "I want to go shopping."

"With what?" Ray asked softly. He held her eyes; the end of his rope plain to see for anyone who dared look.

"You'll spot me a couple of hundred from my paycheck," Frannie answered confidently while literally tossing on the straw that had broken Camel Ray's back. Was she insane?

"No, I won't," Ray assured her.

Silence fell on the living room. It was a rare resident of the space.

Maria shooed her kids out of the room and up the stairs. Tony followed, looking quite sheepish. Uncle Pauli decided to turn in for the night also. Sophia went into the kitchen and asked Ben to help her, leaving the two siblings alone.

"Ray, I'm trying to get Fraser and I'll never have to work again," Frannie explained. "It's an investment."

"Like the baseball player, the banker, that basketball player, or the plumber?" Ray asked. "The ones you ran your credit card up trying to get? The credit card you expected me to pay off while you sat at home?"

"That's not fair, Ray," Frannie replied, going to her best weapon -- tears. "I thought I had a chance."

"If we're going to talk fair, Frannie. Let's talk about fair. Is it fair for me to pay off your credit card? Is it fair for me to pay all the bills here? Is it right that I'm supporting four kids, none of them mine? Is it close to being righteous that no other adult in this house, and there are five other adults here, earns a salary or contributes to paying the bills they make? Is that fair?" Ray inquired.

Frannie looked away, but Ray wouldn't let her. He turned her head back to face him. "Fair would be for me to walk out that door, not look back, and let you all see what it takes to keep this place going."

Frannie gasped, shocked. "Ray, you wouldn't --"

"Why not?" Ray asked. "When you can sit there, idly talking about throwing away the first job you've had in this century as if it means nothing. Now I know exactly what all the sacrifices I've made for my family means to you."

Ray ran his hand through his thinning hair. "I drive a car only a few years younger than myself. I wear second-hand clothes. I clip coupons because no one else in the house can seem to lower themselves to do it. I have no life of my own; I only have your lives and my work. And when I die in the wrong alley, you'll fight over my life insurance because I'll have nothing else you'll want. The life I should have had, the one I should be building, will be just cold dead ashes on my face and the coroner will think it's blowback."

Frannie ran up the stairs as if Ray had struck her. Vecchio went outside and drew in the cool sharp air. His home didn't seem the warm haven it had earlier in the day but a prison he willingly returned to night after night. It was enough to crush his soul to see, so plainly, exactly what Frannie thought of him.

And if Frannie, then was it also Maria? Ray had taken a bullet for his sister, insisted she and her new husband return to the house until they got on their feet. That was how long ago? TJ was 14, so it had been 15 years.

No wonder Sheila had left him. She'd said that as long as they lived there, Ray would never allow her to start a family of her own. Now Sheila had a new husband and three children. They could have been Ray's beautiful children but now it was too late for him.

Too fucking late. He was forty years old. Damn it all. Forty. What woman would have him? What woman would take on his burdens? There was literally no room for another child within those walls. How could he support two households on his salary?

The front door opened and closed. Ray turned to see Ben standing there with his backpack slung over his shoulders and his coat tucked around him. Of course he was going. What in hell could Ray Vecchio offer the man once the chase was over? Ben had gotten his straight man sex.

"I told your mother that I was going to take you somewhere so you could calm down," Ben explained. He handed Ray his coat and his cell phone. "I put your wallet and keys in the pocket."

Ray slipped the coat on gratefully. "You don't have to do this, Ben. I'll be all right."

Ben shook his head and looked stubborn. "You forget that I've learned to read people, Ray. You're very upset and if you go back inside, words will be said that will echo off those walls until everyone who ever heard them is dead."

Fraser gently but firmly led Ray to the passenger side of his car. He had one of those fancy remotes that not only unlocked your doors, it also started your car.

Ray sat down, closed the door, and the seat warmed his ass. "Whoa."

Fraser climbed in, put on his seatbelt, and pulled out of the driveway. He stayed exactly at the speed limit until they left Ray's neighborhood and then quickly made his way to the freeway.

Ray sat and stared out of the window in stony silence. He didn't speak because he didn't trust himself to speak. They missed the downtown area and headed right toward the bridge. They crossed into Canada and made their way to Fraser's mansion.

In the daylight it had been intimidating. In the dark, the place seemed almost magical with all the lights. Ray was not introduced nor was anyone introduced to him.

They went to the second floor and down a hall guarded by two guys dressed like serious military types. It must have been Fraser's private hall and the man really valued his privacy.

Ray wasn't surprised by the big, almost aggressive bed. What did surprise him were the bookshelves that took up one section of the room. Bookshelves that went all the way to the ceiling of a very tall room.

Fraser undressed Ray, kissing him when each clothing item was removed. Ray should have told the man that a pity fuck wasn't needed, but he was hurting so much. The touch of someone else's hands in affection, even if that affection was temporary, felt too good.

Ben stripped and led Ray into the bathroom. It was huge, with a circular shower of frosted glass in the center. That was their goal. The water pounded into their flesh as Ben soaped them both.

Ray would have rather taken a bullet than cry in front of another man but that was exactly what he was doing. The sobs began and didn't seem to want to stop. Ben held him close until he cried himself out. The water never ran cold.

Fraser led them outside the shower and wiped them down with towels so toasty it felt as if they'd come fresh out of the dryer. "Go lie face down on the bed while I heat up some oil. I'm going to give you a massage."

Ray hadn't had a massage in so long that he could just barely remember what one felt like. Then the memory flash came. It was his third and last anniversary. He and Sheila had massages and then made love on the chaise lounge on the hotel balcony. Even in that time of utter bliss, Ray had known he was losing his wife. He'd known it for sure when the light and laughter in her eyes had totally died once they were back in the house. Gawd, he'd fucked that one up. It was years before just hearing her name didn't pull his guts out.

Fraser returned to the bed and his large oiled hands descended on Vecchio's shoulders. "Just relax, Ray," he whispered.

Ray turned his head to the side and watched the flames dance in the big fireplace. He let his mind drift away from his inner ache to touch on the physical joy he was feeling. Fraser's hands were magical -- firm, strong, assured -- like the man who controlled them.

"I get compliments on my body all the time. So often that I've come to ignore them for the most part," Ben said softly as his big hands firmly massaged Ray's ass. "Your best assets are hidden by your clothes, Ray. Especially this ass. I could nibble this ass like it was pastry."

Ray would have laughed but he was too puddled out. He was so relaxed that it was only as the finger was coming out that he realized Ben had breached his ass. Vecchio would let the other man fuck him now if it meant someone would be touching him in affection who wasn't just telling him they loved him while sucking him dry. And to know that was too much for him to bear.

Fraser turned Ray over and began rubbing his chest. "Francesca should be in my black room for her thoughtlessness," he said, sounding like a gravely offended headmaster. "I could make it last for hours and have very little damage show."

Ray shook his head. "I gave her the rope and now I'm swinging by it. They all have the rope, Ben. And knives too. They've scraped me down to the bone, leaving me nothing for myself or for anyone else who might come into my life." He took a ragged breath. "I'm nothing but bone, Benny."

Ben picked up Ray's right hand and sucked on the pad of his forefinger. "I feel the meat of you, Ray, and I'm not talking about your cock." He lowered Ray's hand and slid across Vecchio's body until his head was tucked under Ray's chin. "You're a wonderful man who gives of himself. Even to an old whore who isn't worth his time."

Vecchio wrapped the larger man in his arms. "You're not an old whore, Benny. Don't call yourself that."

"Oh, Ray," Fraser moaned. He rolled his body a little to let Vecchio feel his erection. "You need to get out of that house, even if it's just for a few days at a time."

"It's a long commute from here to the station," Ray reminded the other man. "This place is not very practical."

"I was thinking of a nice apartment in Chicago where I could go to unwind and be Ben Fraser and not Master Fraser from time to time." He nuzzled Ray's neck. "A place where I could take care of you instead of you taking care of everyone else."

"Ah, the pipedream," Ray sighed. "I was going to get myself a little place like that. I'd even put down the deposit and was packing up my stuff. Then Maria came crying to me to tell me she was pregnant again, Tony had just lost another job, and the little money they'd saved was going to have to pay for the baby."

"What did you do?" Fraser asked, his voice rumbling against Ray's chest.

"What could I do? I hugged her, told her everything would be all right, and went to the apartment building and got my deposit back. I stayed in a hotel for three days because I needed a break so badly." Ray sighed. "Rose is a sweetie though, isn't she?"

"Yes, she is," Fraser agreed. "They're all great kids, Ray."

"Yeah," Ray agreed, the pain easing a bit.

"That's four good kids, raised in a loving home, and not being shuffled from one pest-infested hovel to the next just one step ahead of the landlord and the bill collectors. They've never had to hear their parents fight over money or be left alone while both of them work. They never had to shuffle into a back room while one or both of their parents sold themselves to strangers to keep food on the table. They've never been sold to strangers." Ben wiped his face. It was wet. "They may not carry your name, Ray, but just think how different their lives would have been without you."

Ray didn't want to think about anything for the rest of the night. His heartbeat had settled down and the ache that seemed to squeeze his entire chest had eased. He stroked Fraser's hair, let his fingers play with the curls, and whispered the other man's name. "Benny."

Fraser's erection was all but burning a hole in Ray's thigh. "No one has ever called me Benny before. I like it."

"Benny?" Ray inquired.

"Yes, Ray," Benny answered.

"Did you want to do me this time?" Ray asked, or more likely offered. He could do it. Men had been doing it for centuries and an expert like Fraser would make sure he wasn't hurt.

"This time and every time," Benny answered before licking Ray's nipple. "But I'd like to save that wonderful occasion for breaking in our new bed in our new place." He rolled onto his back, taking Ray with him. "For now, I just want you to mount me, my Ray."

Vecchio didn't need prodding. Not with Benny laid out underneath him with his legs spread, his chest flushed, and his cock leaking.

"The Canadian wants to be mounted?" Ray teased as he accepted the lube and condom. He slipped on the condom, then kissed his way down Benny's torso. He placed a teasing lick on the larger man's cock, but wanted to save his full attention for the other man's ass.

He should have been intimidated, being with a sex expert and all, but Ray just did to Benny what he knew felt good to him. He used his thumbs to separate the puckered flesh and alternated forefingers to press in the lube.

"Very nice, Ray," Benny said, his voice soft, almost musical. "There you go, taking care of people again. What am I going to do with you?"

"You already turned down that opportunity," Ray reminded his lover as he used both forefingers at once. Benny's hole rippled around them and he wondered if that was natural or experience. It was a little awkward, but he tried using both of his middle fingers next.

"Oh, Ray!" Benny shouted. "Yes, yes, yes," he moaned. "Get me ready for your cock."

Okay, this was going well. Ray had heard more faked cries of sexual enjoyment than a man should, both on the job and off. This was the real thing. Benny was losing it.

"Damn it, man, don't make me beg," Benny whined.

"Why not?" Ray asked innocently.

There was a pause when the only sounds in the room were the crackling and popping of the fire and the harsh breathing of two men. Then it came, a soft begging sound from Benny that Ray found irresistible. "Please, Ray."

Vecchio removed his fingers, kissed the base of Ben's cock, and moved up into position. Benny was so flexible that Ray could bend the man's knees over his shoulders and plow inside him.

Benny's back arched as they came together, again and again. Ray's pleasure was Benny's pleasure. Every move he made was the right one.

"Too good, too good," Benny swore as he beat his head back onto the mattress. His perfectly cool persona was gone and there was only the man left behind. Ray found this man, the true Benny, almost impossibly beautiful.

Benny came. "Sorry, wanted to last longer," he panted.

Ray lowered Benny's legs and lay down on the man so they could kiss while he was still buried in the larger man. "It's okay," he promised. Ray gripped Benny's hands and raised them over his head, pinning the man down as he gently rocked his hips into his lover. "Sometimes soft is what we need." He kissed Benny hard.

"Yes, Ray," Benny agreed when Ray allowed him to catch his breath. His clear blue eyes, lively and sharp, locked onto Ray's eyes.

It all faded away at that moment for Ray Vecchio. The house that devoured, the family that drained, and the job that chewed him into little bits. Inside Benny, Ray was whole.

He came, lowered Benny's arms and released them, but he stayed inside the other man until he was totally limp and pushed out. Ray placed his head on Benny's shoulder. For now, he didn't want to be anywhere else.

The End or More?