Standard Disclaimer: due South and it's characters belong to Alliance. I just use them for fun. Hopefully they will return to their world unharmed and ready for other people to play with them.

WARNINGS: AU Snapshot

PAIRING: FraserFemale VecchioFemale

TEASER: Fraser leaves Chicago and Ray wants some answers. :)

Originally posted to RedSuitsYou@onelist.com


Answers

Icecat62



Ray sat at the counter drinking a cup of coffee, mulling over his decision to leave them alone. It had taken him well over two years to find them. Two years of searching. Two years of endless questions. And he finally found his answers.


When Fraser had left Chicago, the only thing Ray had for a reason was a simple letter. A letter that stunned him. Fraser had resigned from the R.C.M.P. and thanked him for his friendship. That was it. No forwarding address, no indication that he would ever see him again. When he questioned Thatcher, she was at a loss as well.

The two of them had teamed up so to speak. They both wanted to know why Fraser had left. Why he had gone without even saying goodbye. Between the two of them, they found small wisps and trails of where Fraser had gone, but they could never get any concrete answers. Everyone they questioned always clammed up. Ray had almost given up. Almost, until Buck Frobisher finally spilled the beans.

It had taken some time, but with Buck's help and an Inuit guide that made Ray swear that he would never say a word, he found him. More precisely, he found them. Hidden from view, Ray watched them as they walked together. Smiling and chatting affectionately. Fraser looked like a different man to Ray. He whole demeanor was alive. He smiled. He laughed. And he had good reason to.

Walking between them was a small boy. He looked to be about four. Ray squinted. The boy looked exactly like Fraser and was the right age. *No wonder he left.* The couple sat on a rock by a stream, both admiring the child. Smiling happily they all took their boots off and began to wade through the stream, looking at stones. The boy laughed and splashed around them. Ray motioned to his guide and they left.


Thatcher set her purse on the counter and sat next to Ray. "So...what did you find?" Ray swirled the coffee in his cup and smiled slightly. "He's happy." "And?" "He's with Victoria." "What?!" Ray laughed as he saw the shocked look on Thatcher's face. "My thoughts exactly. When I first saw who it was, I almost pulled my gun out and shot her." She huffed. "What stopped you?"

Ray turned to look at her. "It appears that our favorite Mountie has a little boy and she's the mother." "Really?" "Yup. Seems like Benny wasn't too careful when she and he...you know." Thatcher bit her lip and nodded her head. "You aren't going to tell the authorities are you?" "This isn't my jurisdiction. It's your call."

Ray watched Thatcher expectantly. She shook her head slightly no. "I don't think the authorities need to know. They haven't harmed anyone. She served her time and as for the other matters...the case was closed over a year ago. I think we should let them be." "My thoughts exactly."

They sat in a comfortable silence, drinking their coffee. "You said he was happy?" "Very. Never saw him look like that before. The kid is a spitting image of him too." Thatcher smiled at the thought of Fraser with a little boy just like himself. "Then we have all that we need." "Yes, we do." "Are you ready to go home?" "Yeah...I kinda miss the smog. All this fresh air is too good for me." Standing, Ray pulled his coat on and helped Thatcher with hers. Taking her hand, they walked out of the diner and back to their life together in Chicago.