Author's disclaimer: Standard

OUT OF THE DARKNESS, INTO THE LIGHT

Rated-NC-17 in some spots. PG in most
Pairing-Ray K. & Frannie
Warnings-Alternate Universe
Sequel to-The Sapphire Bicuspidor
Disclaimers-The Usual. I don't own them. No profit made here. Feedback-Please. Constructive criticism is always welcome.

The sensation of something nudging her gently in the back caused Francesa to awaken quite suddenly. Though her eyes popped open instantly, her brain refused to function properly. Nothing around her seemed familiar and she had no idea where she was. Cotton jersey fabric brushed against her skin and she looked at the Chicago Blackhawks T-shirt that encased her body. Thoroughly confused, she cast her mind back to the last thing she could remember, sitting on Kowalski's couch drinking coffee.

"Ray?" she shrieked sitting straight up.

"What?!?" answered the blonde detective, startled out of a sound sleep.

"What am I doing here? And what is this?" she asked holding the T-shirt away from her body.

"Yer spendin' the night and that's the closest thing I had to a nightshirt."

"Spending the night? With you? You mean we...?"

Frannie looked at the man who was pretending to be her brother and was shocked at what she saw. He wore no shirt and from what she could tell by the way the sheets were partially covering his narrow hips, he probably didn't have any pants on either.

"Ya don't remember?" Ray asked with a wicked cocky grin.

"Remember? Remember what? The last thing I remember is sitting on your sofa drinking a cup of incredibly bad coffee. No wonder you put candy in yours. It's the only way to make it palatable."

Ray sat up behind her, his legs straddling her slender hips. He looped his arms around her in a loose embrace, kissing her neck and nibbling on her delicate earlobe. "You mean, you don't remember doin' any of this?" he asked.

Despite herself, Francesca felt her body responding to his caresses. Her breath became shallow and rapid and her skin tightened under his skillful touch. When his hands gently cupped her well formed breasts and his thumbs ran teasingly over her nipples, she groaned in pleasure, feeling her most intimate spot become moist and ready to receive him.

"Oh God, Ray, you gotta stop."

"How come? Don't you like it?"

She moaned her response and felt his hands travel down her body. He reached under the Blackhawks shirt and gently stroked her bare skin. One hand continued to fondle her breasts. The other hand slid down under the waistband of her satin panties.

"Frannie."

"Hmmm."

"Frannie."

"Yes," she said softly.

"Frannie, wake up. Yer havin' a nightmare or sumthin'."

Francesca felt someone shaking her shoulder roughly. When she opened her eyes, Ray was kneeling on the floor beside the bed. She noted that he wore a snug navy blue Chicago PD T-shirt and a pair of running shorts.

"Are you okay? I heard you moaning when I was walkin' down the hall to the bathroom. I thought you might have gotten sick or something."

"Sick?"

"Yeah, you didn't look too good when I put you to bed last night. And I heard you get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, so I thought maybe dinner had given you an upset stomach."

"Put me to bed?" she asked.

"Frannie, are you sure yer okay? I think I'd better get you to the hospital."

"No, Ray, I'm fine. Really. I'm just a little disoriented when I first wake up. And I think that wine really messed me up last night."

"Yeah, it can do that if yer not used to it."

"So why don't you tell me exactly what did happen last night."

"Okay, that does it. I'm takin' you to da hospital. That bump on your head musta caused yer memory to go haywire."

"Bump on my head? Ray, what are you talking about?" she asked struggling to sit up.

Francesca was truly vexed but Ray was not about to be dissuaded. He dug through his dresser and pulled out the smallest pair of shorts he could find. He knew they'd still be too big for the petite Italian but there was no way she'd let him take her to the hospital wearing just a T-shirt.

"Here, put these on," he said handing the garment to her.

"Why?"

"So yer covered when you get to the ER."

"I am not going to the hospital Ray."

"Okay, Frannie. On one condition. You tell me what happened after we left the restaurant last night. If you can do that, I'll leave you alone."

Francesca thought for a few moments. Why was her brain so fuzzy about the details of the previous night? She remembered having dinner with Ray. It was after that when things got hazy. They'd gone somewhere. And then they'd come back here. But the details remained incredibly unclear. Well, there was no way she was going to let him win this one without a fight.

"Okay, we left the restaurant and that rude guy knocked you down and I fell into the wall of the restaurant. Then we went out dancing. And we came back here for coffee. Good enough for ya?"

"Damn, I knew I shoulda taken ya to the hospital when you fell. C'mon Frannie. Get the shorts on and let's go. Cuz it's either that or I call for an ambulance."

Francesca looked at Ray's face and saw something she'd never seen before; fear. Suddenly her head began to hurt in a way that she'd never felt before and her stomach was doing cartwheels. The room spun around her like a roulette wheel but Ray had watched her closely and caught her when she fell over unconscious. Gently he guided her body back to the bed. Her pulse and breathing seemed to be okay so he grabbed the shorts and slid them up over her shapely legs and slender hips. The brief glimpse he'd gotten of her satin and lace panties made his own shorts suddenly feel snug but he quickly shifted his attention to getting her ready to go to the hospital.

'Boy, if somethin' happens to her, I'm a dead man. I don't know who'll kill me first, her brother or Fraser but I might just as well kiss my ass goodbye,' he thought as he carried her down to his car.

Fifteen minutes later, he was carrying Francesca's limp body into the Emergency Room at University Hospital. Doctors and nurses surrounded him asking him numerous questions. Once he had deposited her onto a waiting gurney he focused on one doctor and told her the story. Listening carefully to Ray's description of Frannie's symptoms, she ordered a battery of tests as well as some interim treatments.

Frannie regained consciousness soon after arriving at the hospital. She was able to answer all the doctor's questions except for one.

"Do you know why you're here, Miss Vecchio?"

"No, I don't. I'm perfectly all right. I have no idea why he brought me here."

The doctor that took the information from Ray looked at him quizzically. "Is she always this cranky?"

"Most of da time, yeah."

"Well, that's reassuring. We'll know more once we send her to radiology. But my guess is that she's suffering from a concussion. Short term memory loss is not uncommon in a head injury of this type."

"Really? That's not just like TV stuff?"

"Nope, it happens in real life too. I'll come back as soon as radiology lets me know they're ready for her."

"Can I stay in here with her?"

The doctor took a quick look around. "Yeah, sure. She'll probably feel better if she has someone with her."

The doctor left the room and the detective was soon alone with his 'sister'. He walked over to the table where she was resting and gently took her hand.

"I'm sorry Frannie. I shoulda done this hours ago. I could tell somethin' wasn't right after you banged your head on that wall. I just never connected the dots, ya know."

"Ray what are you talking about?"

"You really don't remember what happened last night do you?"

"Of course I do. I've already told you what happened."

"Frannie, we didn't go dancin' last night. And we didn't drink coffee. After that guy ran into me, I turned around and saw you flattened up against the wall. You looked pretty stunned but you said you were okay. Then when we started walkin' to the club, I could tell that you weren't. You were wobblin' like you'd drunk too much so I grabbed us a cab and took you back home. This mornin' when I heard you, well, like I said, I thought maybe you were sick and that's when I went in to check on you."

Francesca laid there for a few moments absorbing everything he had said. So the whole thing had been a dream? Or was it a hallucination?

"So you mean you're not the Sapphire Biscupidor?"

The boisterous entry of two orderlies diverted their attention and gave Ray the chance to look elsewhere so Frannie wouldn't see the flush that colored his skin.

"Okay, Miss Vecchio. The radiologist is upstairs waiting to take some pretty pictures of your skull. You just lie back there and let us do the driving," one of the orderlies instructed.

Dr. Rawlings looked at Ray for a moment. "The Sapphire Bicuspidor?" he inquired.

"Yeah, Frannie's got a secret admirer. He's been sending things to her at work and the notes are always signed Sapphire Bicuspidor. She thought it was me playin' a joke on her."

"Well it's an interesting pseudonym. But I can't say that I'd find an admirer that calls himself 'Blue Teeth' all that appealing."

Ray tried to keep the look of shock from his face. Fraser had said the same thing. Very few people understood that the name referred to the sapphire pendant that her real brother had given her for her birthday and the smile she flashed the camera when she put in on. That was the picture that he kept on his night stand. The FBI hadn't wanted to release it from their files but he had convinced them that if he was gonna play the role of Ray Vecchio, he should have some pictures of his family. And a picture of his sister with the birthday present 'he' had given her could be easily explained.

"Yeah well, I'm sure it's some sort of inside joke or somethin'."

"Yes, well, why don't you come with me? I'll take you to the radiology waiting area and you can be there for your sister when she's finished."

"Thanks, doc."

"All part of a days work."

'Hospitals! Could there be a more depressing place to spend a Sunday morning?' Ray thought. He wasn't allowed to actually be in the room with Frannie while she had the CT scan or the x-rays taken. All he could do was cool his heels in this waiting area until they wheeled her out and took her somewhere else. He sat for over an hour, flipping the pages of a magazine but not really reading it or even looking at it.

"Mr. Vecchio?"

Ray looked up at a very tall thin man dressed in a shirt and tie with expensive looking shoes and finely tailored trousers. They were the kind of clothes that the real Ray Vecchio would have killed for. A white lab coat replaced what would normally have been a blazer or suit coat but even this appeared to be custom made.

"Yeah?" Ray answered.

"I'm doctor Worthington, radiologist. I understand that Miss Vecchio is your sister?"

"Yeah, dat's right."

"Does she have any other family?"

"Why? What's this about?"

"I'm very concerned about your sister. There is some head trauma and I'm going to be calling in a neurologist to have a look at these pictures with me. She seems quite a bit more confused than I would normally associate with this kind of injury."

"Confused?"

"Yes. I'm really not qualified to make this kind of diagnosis which is why I'd like a specialist to take a look at her. But her speech is somewhat garbled. And she tells me that her recollection of your evening together don't match what you told her actually happened. Now, I hate to be an alarmist but perhaps it would be wise to alert the other members of her family."

"Okay, thanks doc. I'll call them."

"Fine. For now, though, I'm going to send her back to the ER and Dr. Santos will see her there. If you want to wait in the hall with her, the orderlies should be here in just a moment."

"'kay. Thanks."

Ray walked through the double doors that separated the radiology department from the waiting area. Frannie, looking pale and incredibly fragile waited on the gurney. He wanted nothing more than to gather her into his arms and hold her for the rest of his life. Instead he settled for a brief, gentle kiss on her forehead.

"Hey Frannie, how ya feelin?"

"Like I got hit by a truck. I had to lay on that hard table for hours while this big white ring circled around me like that space station in Hal."

Having been thoroughly innoculated against her mixed metaphors and spoonerism, he knew she was talking about the movie '2001-A Space Odessy.'

"Yeah well, the orderlies are gonna be here in a minute to take you back and then Dr. Santos is gonna take a look at you too."

Their conversation was interupted by the arrival of the aforementioned orderlies, the same two guys who had brought her in.

"Okay Miss Vecchio, hold on tight. We're gonna get you back to the ER in record time."

Ray followed right behind them and once she was settled in the curtained cubicle that she'd left earlier, Ray held her hand fussed over her.

"Frannie, I'm so sorry I didn't do this sooner. I feel like such an idiot. I shoulda realized you was hurt, not drunk."

"It's okay, Ray. Stop beating yourself up. Besides, you got more important things to do."

"Like what?"

"Like helping me figure out who the Sapphire Bicuspidor is."

The color drained from Ray's face at the mention of his pseudonym. But he was spared making any comment by the entrance of Dr. Santos.

"Knock, knock," the doctor called as she entered the cubicle. "Miss Vecchio, I'm Dr. Santos. I'm a neurologist on staff here at the hospital. I just came from radiology and took a look at your pictures and now I'd like to take a look at you."

It was hard not to like the cheerful woman with the dark eyes and bright smile. She radiated an aura of optimism and happiness. She looked at Ray standing by his sister, holding her hand.

"Are you her husband?"

"Ah, no, I'm her brother."

"Okay then. Would you excuse us for a few moments? I'll come get you just as soon as I'm finished here."

Ray was reluctant to leave Frannie but there was something in the doctor's demeanor that made him trust that she really would find him.

"Frannie, I'm gonna be down the hall in the waitin' room. Don't give the doc too much trouble, okay?"

"Sure."

Once again Ray assumed the pose of a man looking at a magazine. But this time he didn't have long to wait before Dr. Santos found him.

"Mr. Vecchio?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you and Francesca part of a blended family?"

"A what?"

"Blended family, umm, like the Brady Bunch. Dad with his kids marries Mom with her kids and they all live together."

"Why? Is somethin' wrong with Frannie?"

"Well, she's definitely suffering from a concussion. But I'm afraid there may be more here than meets the eye. I asked her several questions in order to guage her neurological capacity and she was very short tempered in her response; which, in and of itself, was quite bizarre."

"What'd she say?" Ray asked, though he could only imagine the worst.

"She asked me why I was bustin' her steaks?" the doctor replied, puzzled.

Ray smiled and nodded.

"And when I asked her about her family, she mentioned an older sister and then an older brother who died several years ago. But when she talked about you, she said you weren't her 'real' brother. So I wondered if, perhaps, you were actually a step brother."

Panic shot up Ray's spine and immediately set his brain to spinning. Wouldn't it be just his luck for Frannie to blow the whole cover story? He had to throw together a story and quickly.

"Yeah well, we ain't exactly the Brady Bunch. But you're right; we ain't blood relatives either. My mom married her dad. The old man eventually adopted me but she never lets me forget that I'm not really a Vecchio."

"That's awfully cruel."

"She ain't cruel. It's really become a joke between us. The God's truth is that I couldn't love her more if we were blood relatives."

"Oh that's good."

"And the steak comment? Well, I'm a cop and sometimes she tries to pick up the lingo but she don't get it right. Like sayin' 'bustin' her steaks' instead of 'bustin' her chops'."

"Ahh, I see. Well, I'd still prefer to err on the side of caution and keep her overnight for observation. I'll send the orderlies for her as soon as a room is ready upstairs."

"Can I go see her now?"

"I was hoping you'd offer. The staff says she much nicer when you're around. And I have a feeling she won't be happy to hear we're keeping her as a guest."

He grinned at the doctor, anticipating Frannie's reaction to the news. "Yeah, she'll probably blow a gasket."

It was nearly an hour later before Francesca was settled in a room. Ray had called Ma Vecchio and let her know what had happened to Frannie. But he was unprepared for the arrival of Fraser. The Mountie strode purposefully into the room. Ray almost didn't recognize the Canadian since he wasn't wearing his usual red serge. Noticing that his friend's sister was asleep, he whispered to Ray.

"What happened?" he asked.

Ray motioned for the Mountie to follow him out into the hallway. Mindful that they were still inside the hospital, Ray spoke quietly but intently in answer to his question.

"When we left the restaurant last night, this big guy ran into us and it knocked Frannie into the wall. I took her home with me but this mornin' I could tell she wasn't actin' right so I brought her here. They say she's got a concussion and they're gonna keep her here over night."

"That seems like a wise precaution. But what do you mean that she wasn't acting right?"

"Oh man, Fraser. I'm in deep shit here. Frannie thought that I told her I was her secret admirer."

"Well then, what's the problem? She knows and you two can go on from here."

"It ain't that simple. I didn't really tell her. It was just part of this whole head trauma thing. She don't know it's really me."

"I don't follow you here, Ray."

The blonde detective shook his head and let out a sigh. "When Frannie woke up this morning she was talkin' all crazy. Sos I brought 'er here. And I told her exactly what happened last night, tryin' to help her get her memory back. Of course, that did not include me tellin' her I was the Sapphire Bicuspidor. So now she wants me to help her figure out who it is. I'm tellin' ya Fraser. I don't think I can do this any more."

"Well, Ray, as you know, I've urged you to be honest with her from the start."

"Yeah, yeah, I know that. And I wanna be honest with her. I really do. I wanna tell her how crazy I am about her but I'm afraid."

"Afraid?"

"Is there an echo in here? Yes, Frase, I'm afraid. I'm scared. I'm quiverin' in my damn boots here."

"I'm sorry Ray. I don't mean to mock you but I just don't understand what you're afraid of."

"How stupid are you?" Ray responded with some heat. "She could say no. She could tell me to take a hike. She could totally reject me. And quite frankly, after Stella, I just don't think I could take that again."

Ben watched his friend pace the hallway as he spoke. Though he'd only been partnered with Ray for a few weeks, he had learned a lot about the man. He knew about the citations for bravery that the young detective had earned. Secretly Ben was amused that the same man who earned those medals now stood cowed before one Francesca Vecchio.

"I just wish there was a way I could tell her without really tellin' her," Ray stated half under his breath.

A virtual lightbulb went on over the Mountie's head. "Ray, look, why don't you go home for a little while and get some rest?"

"Are you kiddin'? I can't leave Frannie now."

"I'll stay with Francesca. If there's any change in her condition, I'll phone you immediately. But you're not doing yourself or her any good if you keep pacing the halls exhausting yourself."

Fraser's words made sense. Ray was exhausted. He hadn't slept well last night. Thoughts of Frannie, asleep in his bed, wearing just his Blackhawks jersey, had run through his brain keeping him from sleep most of the night. He'd had thoughts and dreams about her that no brother should ever even consider with his sister. And though he knew the wisdom of his friend's advice, he was afraid that if her were alone again, the thoughts and dreams would come back.

"I don't know, Frase."

"But I do. Really just go home and rest for a couple of hours. I promise I'll call you if you're needed here."

As much as he wanted to resist, Ray allowed the Mountie to escort him out of the hospital and to his waiting car. Fraser then walked back to Francesca's room.

Ben quietly entered Francesca's room carrying a small ivy bowl that floated a single red. He placed it on the table by her bed and watched her sleep. Moments later, a nurse came in the room. Gently she shook Frannie's shoulder.

"Miss Vecchio. Wake up. Need to ask you a few questions."

Frannie opened her eyes and warily looked around the room. Spotting Fraser sitting by her bed she smiled. But the joy disappeared from her face when she noticed that Ray was not there.

"Where's Ray?" she asked.

"He went to take a short nap. He'll be back to see you later. But I think the nurse needs your attention right now."

The nurse smiled at Fraser and then began her check of Frannie.

"Can you tell me your name?" she asked.

"Yes." Francesca answered curtly.

"And it would be?" the nurse prompted.

"Francesca Vecchio."

"Good. Do you know what day it is?"

"Sunday?"

"Also right. Where do you live?"

"With my mother, my sister, her husband and their children on Octavia Avenue. My brother Ray has his own apartment and my brother Leo died when he was 18. Look, I'm only concussed, not stupid."

"Francesca," Fraser said trying to calm her down.

"It's okay, sir. The doctor's warned me that she had a sharp tongue. I'm glad to see it. Okay now Miss Vecchio, I just need to check your vital signs and I'll leave you alone for a few hours."

The nurse made a routine examination and was out of the room in a matter of minutes.

"So you're here to babysit me?" Frannie asked.

"Well, I felt it was prudent that someone stay here with you while Ray went home. I was afraid you'd wake up frightened in unfamiliar surroundings."

"Thanks, Frase. You're the best." She smiled at him and then looked around the room.

"What's that?" she asked indicating the ivy bowl.

"A rose, Francesca."

"Yeah, I know that but what's it doing here?"

"I picked it up at the gift shop downstairs. I thought you might like to have something pretty to look at while you're here."

"Then it's not from my secret admirer?"

"No, Frannie. It's from me."

The young Italian woman sighed heavily. "I guess I'm never going to find out who it is."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, it's not you. It's not Ray. Mind you, I still haven't ruled out the possibility that the guys at the station are just pulling a prank on me. But whoever it is, he's being really cagey and covering his tracks really well."

"Who would you like it to be?"

"Huh?"

"Who would you like it to be?" he repeated.

"I dunno. I never really thought about it. I mean, I thought it was you at first. But you swear it isn't. And then I thought it was Ray. In fact I was sure it was Ray. But then, come to find out, our night together was all a figment of my bruised immagination."

"And if it were?"

"If it were what?"

"If Ray were your secret admirer, what would you do?"

"Frase, do you know something?"

"No, I'm simply putting forth a hypothetical situation. Something to keep your brain active. We'll explore this possibility and then we'll explore another potential secret admirer."

"Well, gee, I don't know. I mean, it would be kinda strange, seein' as how he's pretending to be my brother and all that."

"But would that preclude you from returning his affections?"

"Well, it would be kinda hard, ya know. People might wonder about us goin' out when we're supposed to be related."

"Hmm. Good point. Well what if it were say, Detective Huey?"

"Jack? Oh God. Never happen. Not in a million years."

"Why not?"

"Well, he's so smug and superior. Like he knows everything and I know nothing. Besides, he's not sneaky enough to pull something like this off."

"Then what about Detective Dewey?"

"Dewey? Hmmm. He might be able to pull it off, but I'd never go for him."

"Why not?"

"His nose is too big. Besides, he's too rumpled looking. Someone really needs to point that man in the direction of a good tailor. Some days I think he's tryin' to look like Columbo."

"Ahh very good."

For nearly an hour, Fraser went on questioning Francesca about possibilities for who her anonymous suitor might be. He was pleasantly surprised to hear that Ray was the only one she didn't seem to have an aversion to.

"So Fraser, tell me the truth. Who is it that's sending all this stuff to me?"

Ben looked startled at her question.

"I mean, you told me once that you thought you knew who it was. And I'm assuming that since you're questioning me like this, you're trying to steer me away from somebody so who is it?"

"Well, I, uh, actually thought it might be Constable Turnbull."

"Turnbull? You're kidding."

"No, actually, once you get to know him, you'll find that he can be quite romantic. I thought perhaps he had found someone at the police station to help him plant the gifts."

"Turnbull, huh?"

"Yes, but he assures me that he isn't the one."

"Oh, well."

Fraser watched as Francesca's posture slumped.

"Ben, would you mind if I went back to sleep now?"

"Not at all, Francesca. I'll be right here when you wake up."

Ray sighed deeply as he entered his apartment. It had been a stressful day and it was only 3:00 in the afternoon. Fortunately Ma had been very understanding about Francesca's hospitalization. He was so afraid she'd blame him for her daughter's injuries. How could the woman know that he'd move heaven and earth to keep Francesca safe and sound? Around the Vecchio family he acted as if he were just one of the siblings. He never let on about his feelings for Ma's youngest daughter.

"Yeah, what an actor I am. I oughta get an Oscar when this performance is done," he said aloud to his pet turtle.

He considered making himself a cup of coffee but knew that would keep him awake when he desperately craved sleep. Instead, he fell into his bed, unclipping his pager from his belt and setting an alarm to sound in two hours. His last waking thoughts were of Francesca as she had looked when he put his shorts on her. Her face had been pale but peaceful. He thought again of how her semi-naked body had graced his bed and fell asleep.

Though she closed her eyes, Francesca did not fall asleep quickly. Thoughts of Ray filled her head. Though she would never admit it to Fraser, she really liked the man who had given up his life to become her brother. It seemed like such a noble thing to do and there weren't many men that Frannie considered noble. Fraser would be one. Turnbull might be another but her experience around him was too limited to tell for sure. But here was a man who had willingly given up his own life, such as it was, in order to take on another man's life. And in doing so, he had also willingly taken on the role of brother and uncle.

She had to admit that he was really great with Maria and Tony's children. They had easily fallen into calling him Uncle Ray and didn't seem to mind that he didn't look, or sometimes act, like the original. He had mentioned to Ma once, when he thought no one else was around, that he had wanted children, but Stella felt the need to put her career first; that she'd had to prove to her family that she could live well independent of their wealth. Frannie's heart had nearly broken listening to that story. How awful for a man who would obviously be such a great dad to be denied fatherhood.

When she was taking classes to become a civillian aide, she'd heard the stories about Kowalski. Police stations tended to be gigantic rumor mills and the new kid on the block always generated the biggest amount of grist. She'd heard the whispers that he accepted this assignment because his personal life was in the toilet; that he'd been considered by some of the higher-ups to be mentally unbalanced. Rumor had it that his former commanding officer had recommended him for the job because he thought it would be a way for the detective to get a fresh start.

The stories didn't matter to Francesca. She just knew that she really, really liked this man. It pained her to have to be as nasty to him as she would be with her real brother. For one thing, he seemed to care about her more than the real Ray did. He never tried to boss her around under the guise of brotherly love. Though she pretended to be suspicious of his motives, she secretly liked it when he did nice things for her; like the day he had bought her lunch. No, she could never admit it to Fraser, but she really did wish that Ray were the Sapphire Bicuspidor.

Thoughts of him tenderly ministering to her weaved into her brain as she fell asleep. She was in his bed, wearing a pristine white cotton poet's shirt. She was propped up against several pillows while he spooned rich ice cream into her waiting lips. Gently he blotted any dribbles from her chin with a white linen napkin. smiling at her with that quirky grin.

And when she'd had enough ice cream, he put the dish aside and climb into the bed with her. He sat behind her, his legs straddling her hips and let her fall back into his chest. Softly he caressed her dark hair and murmered endearments in her ear. She sighed his name with the voice of a truly contented woman.

Fraser looked up from the magazine he'd purchased at the sound of her sigh. He saw a slight smile playing at the corner of Francesca's lips. He smiled as well. Over the years, as the Vecchios had come to accept him as family, he'd come to think of Frannie as his sister too. Audacious, outspoken and brash, he knew that her obstreperous behavior hid a tender heart. It made him happy to know that his new friend Ray saw past her brassy bravado and loved the woman within. Now if he could just meddle enough to get them together.

Ray's dreams, however, were less romantic and more passionate. The vision of an unkempt Francesca, wearing nothing but his blackhawks jersey had stayed with him. The way the cotton fabric draped over her well formed breasts and hung past her rounded hips.

He saw her sitting on his bed, waiting for him. Mischief sparkled in her brown eyes. Quickly he divested himself of his white t-shirt. The tattoo of a sparkplug became visible on his shoulder. He unbuckled his belt and quickly unfastened the fly of his Levi's. His jeans came off with his black motorcycle boots and socks in one swift, practiced motion. Standing by the bed clad only in a snug grey pair of boxer briefs, he felt his passion for this temptress surge through his body and make itself known as his erection strained against the fabric of his shorts.

Francesca's wanton smiled urged him on as he made a flying leap into his bed. Together the two wallowed in each other, probing and learning. He found her breasts were quite sensitive to his touch and she liked it when he gently suckled her earlobe. He cried in ecstasy as she ran her well manicured nails lightly over his skin, finally coming to firmly squeeze the well rounded flesh of his ass.

He drew out his exploration of her body until she was squirming and writhing in pleasure. Finally she was begging him to take her, pleading for him to fill her completely. Stripping away his own shorts as well as her satin and lace panties, he rolled her onto her back and hovered over her. Francesca's eyes stared deeply into his, as if looking directly into his soul. When she smiled her acquiesence he slid his penis slowly into her.

Francesca gasped in pleasure as he filled her. Her eyes brightened as she looked into his face. And then she began to slowly rock her hips foward against him; pressing him deeper into her. He smiled back as he moved in unison with her. It seemed like forever that they stayed locked in that most intimate embrace; her legs wrapped around his hips, pulling him in closer.

Ray sense the difference in her as soon as it began. Her muscles tensed and her breathing became more rapid. Soon she was gasping for breath and shoving her hips fiercely at him as her climax spasmed through her body. Ray moved in perfect synchronicity with her wild gyrations until he felt a tightening in his own loins. Soon her orgasm pushed him over the edge and he groaned deeply as he bucked and surged deeper into her, calling out her name in ecstasy.

"Frannie, I love you!"

The sound of his own voice awakened the blonde detective. Disoriented, he looked around the room frantically until he realized that it had been just a dream. Groaning with frustration, he flopped back against the bed and clutched a pillow to his chest. Two tears made silent tracks down his cheeks as he tried to figure out how he was going to let this woman that he called 'sis' know just how much he wanted her in his life.

Ray returned to the hospital nearly three hours after he'd left. Purposefully he strode into Francesca's room. Fraser motioned for him to be quiet and then pointed at the sleeping woman. Ray nodded his head and then gestured for Fraser to join him in the hallway.

"How is she?" he asked once they were both out of the room.

"Resting comfortably. The nurses come in at two hour intervals to check on her and make sure she's still lucid. Of course, she gives them the rough edge of her tongue but they seem to take it in stride."

Ray smiled and nodded

"You, however," Fraser continued, "don't look well at all. Didn't you get any rest?"

"Not much. I was havin' a, uhh, bad dream."

"Oh dear. Then the dream catcher I gave you hasn't helped."

"Oh no, man. It's greatness. And other any other circumstance, I'd consider this a good dream it's just that... well it was about Frannie and me and..."

"Understood."

Fraser looked back in the room at the sleeping woman.

"Would you like me to stay a while longer with you?" he asked the detective.

"Yeah, Frase. That'd be swell."

The two men returned to the room and watched silently as Frannie continued her undisturbed slumber.

"I think I have some good news for you," Fraser admitted quietly.

"What's dat?"

"Well, before she went to sleep, Francesca and I spoke at length about the possible identity of her secret admirer."

"Jeez Frase, tell me you didn't spill the beans."

"Of course not, Ray. I would never willingly betray such a confidence."

Ray sat for a moment and watched his friend exhibit what he'd come to call the 'big eyed Mountie look'. "Yeah, I'm sorry. I know better'n that. So what happened."

"Well, while she still hasn't a clue as to who the true identity of the sapphire bicuspidor, I've discovered that she bears you no ill will. In fact, I believe I could go so far as to say that she does actually like you."

"Really?"

"Yes. We talked about many different people who could be behind the gifts and she ruled them all out for one reason or another. You were the only plausible person about whom she also had nothing negative to say."

"Fraser, it's a long way between likin' somebody and not sayin' bad things about them."

"Yes, but Ray, I watched her eyes as we spoke. I believe I could actually see a change in them when we talked about you. They seemed bigger and softer than when we were discussing the others."

"Yeah, but what if I've carried this too far? I mean, she could have liked me once but now I've tortured her for so long with this that she turns on me. Ya know, she could just hate me on general principles now."

"Yes, I see your point. But I find it highly unlikely that she would do so."

"I dunno, Fraser."

"Well, perhaps you could simply tell her how you feel about her and then see where that takes you. And then later let her know that you were the person behind the anonymous gifts."

"Hey, yeah. I suppose I could do that."

"I think you'll find her more than receptive if you just let your feelings for her show."

"Oh? How's dat?"

"It's just a hunch," he said, smiling as he recalled Francesca's sigh.

"A hunch, huh?"

"Yes Ray. A hunch."

"You don't *have* hunches, Fraser. You're completely logical an' rational an' you plan everything out to the last millimeter. But you don't go on hunches."

"Well, this time, I *am* going on a hunch. Trust me."

Ray looked suspiciously at his friend. He knew the Canadian was up to something, but he didn't know what. However, despite all that, he decided to trust him anyway.

It wasn't long before the nurse came in to check on Frannie. The young woman was grumpy both from being awakened as well as being asked the same questions over and over again. But her mood subtly brightened when she saw that Ray had returned.

"Hey, sis," he said quietly when her eyes rested on him.

"Ray, you came back," she seemed a little shocked.

"Of course I did. I wasn't gonna leave you in the hands of this Canadian forever."

"Better him than these nurses. They won't let me sleep for more than two hours at a time."

"Now Miss Vecchio," the nurse replied looking up from the chart that she was making notes on, "you know we have to keep alert for signs of head trauma. You make it through the night okay and then tomorrow you can sleep all you want."

"Are you kidding? I've got to go to work tomorrow."

"No way, sis. I'll let Welsh know what happened. You can take a couple of sick days."

"Ray, I'm not gonna miss work over a silly bump on the head. If I leave Huey and Dewey alone in the file room for more than five minutes, it'll be utter chaos."

"Yeah, right. Well, before I let you back in the file room, I'm gonna make you recite your alphabet forwards and backwards."

"You're on, bro."

The nurse smiled at the pair, a point which Ray picked up on.

"What are you laughin' at, Florence Nightengale."

"Oh nothing," she replied chuckling. "You two just sound more like husband and wife than brother and sister."

Fraser would have been hard pressed to tell which Vecchio blushed deeper at the nurses observation. But it just reinforced to him that these two really should try to work something out.

At 8:00 Monday morning, two orderlies arrived at Francesca's room to take her to radiology for one more CT Scan. Dr. Santos met her at the door as she was being wheeled in to the imaging room.

"Well, Miss Vecchio. One more set of pictures and if everything goes well we can let you go home today."

"Thanks. But would you please tell my brother that I can go back to work?"

Ray shoved his hands in his pockets and whistled while he looked around innocently. He had spent the night in Frannie's room napping in the recliner that sat by her bed. His eyes were heavily shadowed from so little sleep over the weekend but he was in a good mood, knowing what Fraser had done for him.

"I'm not agreeing to anything until I see the results of the Cat Scan, Miss Vecchio," the doctor responded.

She motioned for the orderlies to take the young woman on into the imaging area and get her positioned for the scan. Once the door was closed behind her, she looked at Ray.

"Please tell me you're not encouraging her to go back to work today," she said aghast.

"Hey, no. It's not me. I've already called the boss and told him what happened. He wants her to take a couple of sick days but she just won't listen. She thinks that if she's not there, everything will fall apart."

"Mr. Vecchio, I want to make this clear. No matter what the outcome of these tests, I want her in bed with no undue stimulation for at least 72 hours after discharge. Is that understood?"

"Oh yeah. I'm all over that. I'll even call Ma and tell her that I'm takin' Frannie home with me so she can rest up."

"Thank you, Mr. Vecchio. I'm glad to see someone in your family is willing to be reasonable."

"That's me, 'Reasonable Ray'."

Dr. Santos smiled at him and motioned for him to join her in the control room while the radiologist took care of getting the CT Scan. Frannie seemed more relaxed knowing that Ray was just on the other side of the window, even if she couldn't see him with her view obstructed by the machinery.

It was nearly an hour before the tests were done and Frannie was taken back to her room. Dr. Santos walked with them.

"I'm going to go study the test results and see how things look. If everything checks out, I'll talk to the discharge nurse to arrange for you to go home."

"How long?"

"Oh, maybe an hour or so."

Frannie genuinely smiled for the first time since she had been admitted. "Thanks, doc."

"You're welcome. Rest up and I'll see you shortly."

Dr. Santos gave Francesca's hand a quick squeeze before she walked off.

Once he was certain that Frannie was safely tucked away in her room, Ray took off on an errand. Though he really didn't want to leave her alone, he also knew that he wouldn't be able to withstand her questioning him about her secret admirer. And he knew he'd have to make some preparations for Frannie to come home with him.

His first stop was at the Vecchio home on Octavia Ave. He'd called Ma from the hospital so she had an overnight bag packed for her daughter. She didn't quite understand why Frannie was going to stay with Ray instead of coming home but he repeated the doctor's orders that she needed peace and quiet for a few days, a commodity that even Rosa Vecchio had to admit was in short supply at the house. She kissed Ray on the cheek as she handed him the small suitcase and thanked him again for taking care of her daughter.

"My pleasure, Ma."

"You're a good boy, Ray. I'm so happy to see you and Francesca get along so well."

"Thanks, Ma."

Ray placed the suitcase in the trunk of the car, next to the box of food Rosa had prepared for them. She may not be able to personally supervise her daughter's recuperation, but she refused to let the girl go without proper nutrition. She loved Ray and had accepted him into his family just as she had with Ben. But the boy was suspiciously thin and she 'knew' he couldn't cook properly.

He stopped by his apartment and carefully stored the food in the fridge. On his way back to the hospital, he stopped by the florist and placed an order. The clerk looked puzzled but wrote up the request anyway. And in just under an hour, he was back at the hospital walking into Frannie's room just steps ahead of the nurse.

"Hey ya, Frannie."

"Good news Miss Vecchio. You're going home," the nurse announced.

"When?"

"As soon as we get the paperwork finished and you get dressed."

"Dressed? Oh my God. I came in wearing his shorts and hockey jersey. I have nothing to wear home."

"Yeah you do," Ray announced. "I stopped by Ma's and got some clothes for ya." He held up the bag so Frannie could see it.

"Thanks Ray." She beamed at him.

"Okay Miss Vecchio, let's get started on this paperwork."

The one factor that all bureaucracies have in common, be they governmental or not, is the amount of paperwork that must be filled out before even the simplest of actions can be taken. And discharging a patient who had been treated for a head injury was by no mean a simple action. To Ray and Frannie, it seemed like there were hundreds of symptoms to watch for. But Ray made sure he was crystal clear on all of them before he let Frannie sign any of the paperwork.

"The phone number is here at the bottom of this form," the nurse said. "I'm here from 8:00 to 5:00 Monday through Friday. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call me. If it's after hours, the nurse at the desk can help you."

"Greatness," Ray said.

"Thank you," added Frannie.

"You're welcome," the nurse responded before she left.

"Okay, bro, hand over that suitcase and let me get dressed so I can get the heck outa here."

"You're sure you don't need any help getting changed?" he asked.

"Ray!"

"Jeez Frannie, I didn't mean it that way. I was gonna get you a nurse or somethin'. I didn't mean me. What'd you think? That I'm some kind of pervert?"

In truth, he would have loved to have helped Frannie get dressed, but he wasn't going to admit that to her just yet. That bit of information could wait for a while.

"Oh, sorry. I guess I wasn't thinking."

"Fine. Look, I'll be just outside the door. Let me know when you're ready."

"Okay."

She watched as Ray left the room and shut the door behind him. Opening the bag, it appeared to her as if Ma had misunderstood. There were enough clothes in here for a week. It looked more like she expected her daughter to stay in the hospital than to come home. Shaking her head in disbelief, she quickly dressed and left her hospital gown on the bed.

Ray was, indeed, just outside the door. Actually, he was leaning against it and nearly fell into the room when Francesca opened it.

Frannie stifled a laugh at his clumsiness. His face was pink with embarassment and she didn't want to compound that. An orderly with a wheel chair followed Ray into the room. Gesturing grandly, he invited Frannie to sit in it so he could officially discharge her. Francesca giggled at his gallant good manners and hopped in. Soon they were at Ray's car.

He made sure that Frannie was safely belted into her seat before he stowed her bag in the back. He got into the car and started the engine, smoothly pulling away from the admitting area. It was several minutes into the drive before Francesca realized they were going in the wrong direction to take her home.

"Where are we going, Ray?"

"Back to my place."

"Oh, do we need to pick up something before I go home?"

"Nope. Dr. Santos says you need 72 hours of peace and quiet. I talked to yer Ma and she agreed that you wouldn't get that at home. So you're gonna stay at my place for a few days."

"Don't I have any say in the matter?"

"Sure you do. You say the word and I'll take you home, where you can be smothered by yer Ma and climbed over by Maria's three adorable but less than quiet children. And you can listen to Tony yell at his wife and kids all day."

"Well, when you put it that way..."

"And I've talked to Lt. Welsh. He's already authorized you to take three days of sick leave. So yer not to return to the station until Thursday."

"Boy, you've got this all worked out."

"We aim ta please."

It wasn't long before they had arrived at Ray's apartment. Frannie insisted she could climb the stairs without his help but he kept one hand near her anyway. Once inside, he settled her on the sofa and threw an afghan over her before handing her the remote control to the television and sitting down in the recliner next to the couch.

"What about you?" she asked.

"What about me?"

"Why aren't you at work?"

"I'm stayin' here to take care of you."

"Really, Ray. I only got a conk on the head. I hardly think I need a babysitter."

"Frannie, that conk on the head messed up your memory. Now the doctor said you may still be a little dizzy an' queasy so I wanna make sure you got somebody here for you. Welsh understands. And if there's anything that comes up, he knows where to call me."

Francesca snorted and then turned her attention to the piece of plastic in her hand. She turned on the television and began to flip through the channels. Finally she stopped at American Movie Classics. They were showing Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn in "Holiday". Frannie was amazed at the sheer athletecism they displayed in their dance numbers. She held her breath as Hepburn stood on Cary Grant's shoulders and then the two of them pitched forward into a sommersault.

"Oh," Frannie breathed.

Even Ray, experienced dancer that he was, had to admit that it was a pretty difficult and gutsy move.

As soon as the movie was over, Ray popped out of his seat and hustled into the kitchen. He wasn't gone long before he brought back a tray with a turkey sandwich, chips and a glass of ginger ale and set it on the table in front of Francesca.

"What's this?"

"Lunch."

"Well, I can see that."

"Then why'd you ask?" he responded teasingly.

"Why are you bein' so nice to me?" she asked somewhat suspicious.

"Huh?"

"You bring me back here to get some doctor ordered peace and quiet. You tuck my in like one of Maria's kids. You let me watch an old movie on your TV and you gave me the remote control. Now you're bringing me lunch on a tray. It's not that I don't appreciate it, Ray cuz I do. I'm just curious. Why are you bein' so nice to me?"

Ray swallowed nervously. He knew this was a perfect opportunity for him to express his feelings but he wasn't sure if he could do it. 'Cuz I love you Frannie. I love you and I want to spend every day of my life watchin' TV with you and bringin' you sandwiches and makin' love with you until the early morning sun comes in the window...' If only he could get the words out of his brain and through his lips. He knelt down on the floor in front of the sofa and looked up at Francesca. To a casual observer, it would appear that he wanted to be on eye level with her. But the truth was that he was so weak in the knees that he was afraid he'd fall over if he didn't.

Francesca sat curled in the corner of the couch and watched him. When it didn't appear that he was going to say anything, she reached passed him and grabbed the sandwich off the plate. She had no clue that simply watching her eat a sandwich would cause him to become utterly entranced. But she quickly noticed the vacant expression on his face.

"Ray? Ray?"

"Huh?"

"Boy, you're actin' like you're the one with the bump on the head."

"Sorry, I got to thinkin' about something else."

"Okay, one last time. Why are you bein' so nice to me?"

"Cuz I like you Frannie. I really like you. And I like doin' nice things for you."

A deep heavy silence hung inside the apartment of Detective Stanley Raymond Kowalski Vecchio. He had just admitted to the woman whose brother he pretended to be that he had feelings for her that were incongruous with his role as her brother. Or at least that's what he thought he had done.

"Well, thanks Ray. I like you too. You do an okay job as a brother."

"Thanks Frannie. It's good to hear that."

Inwardly Ray groaned. He had hoped that Fraser's advice would give him an easy way out. But now it appeared that he would have to make a full blown confession and tell Frannie that he was her secret admirer. Gathering his strength, he went back to the kitchen and fixed himself lunch as well and joined Frannie in the living room to eat it.

'Brother and sister' watched the WGN noon news while consuming their lunch. Afterwards Ray washed the dishes despite Francesca's assertions that she was not an invalid and could do the job herself. He reminded her that he'd brought her here so she could get some rest and then forcefully told her to stay on the couch. Frannie stuck her tongue out at Ray behind his back but remained where she was seated and started flipping channels again. Finding nothing of interest, Frannie decided to take a nap and Ray saw his opportunity to put his plan into action.

First he carried Francesca into his bedroom. She woke briefly and complained.

"Hey, what'd you do that for?"

"Yeah, I know. But you'll get a kink in your back if you try to sleep on that couch. You'll be much more comfortable in here. Now just close your eyes and go back to sleep."

"Okay." Francesca yawned, turned on her side and curled up into a tight ball before she nodded off again.

Ray covered her with the afghan he'd brought from the living room and watched her for several minutes. When he was certain she was deeply asleep, he quietly left his apartment. He needed to make some arrangements before he sprung his surprise on Frannie.

Francesca was slighly disoriented when she awoke from her nap. Her bed was facing the wrong way and the window wasn't where it was supposed to be. Slowly she remembered that Ray had brought her back to his home to recuperate from her injuries. Something was tickling her cheek. She went to brush it away and found her hands were bound above her head.

Her eyes flew open wide and she would have sat straight up in bed if she'd been able to.

"Ray!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah?"

"What are you doing?"

"Ahh, just somethin' I saw in a movie once. The girls at the precinct where I worked all said that it was incredibly sexy. So I thought you'd like it too. Of course I did embellish a little."

Francesca took stock of her surroundings and realized that while her hands were bound, he appeared to have used satin drapery tiebacks, not his stainless steel handcuffs. Breathing a small sigh of relief, she looked around and noticed that she had been covered in daisies. The flowers surrounded her body and were strewn casually across the afghan as well. As near as she could tell, she was still completely dressed, wearing the tank top and shorts that she had put on before leaving the hospital. Her feet were bare and stuck out from under the afghan.

Ray sat on the end of the bed and gently picked up Frannie's left foot, depositing it softly into his lap. From a bedside tray, he picked up a bottle of nail polish and was timidly painting her nails.

Frannie squealed as she felt the wet enamel being applied to her toes. She would have jerked her foot out of Ray's hand but he had a firm grip on her. "Ray! Stop!"

He complied but only long enough to question, "Why?"

"Are you nuts?"

"Well, Fraser asked me once if I was unhinged. But that's when he first met me and he didn't know about your brother."

Ray continued to paint her nails and Frannie continued to squirm silently.

"Relax, Frannie. I'm not gonna hurt you. I know how you like to take care of yourself and look pretty so I just thought I'd help ya a little. You know, save you the strain of bending over to take care of this yourself. Besides, like I said, the girls at the precinct all thought it was great when Kevin Costner did it to Susan Sarrandon."

Francesca raised her head a moment to look at Ray. True he was no Kevin Costner. But at this moment, with that wickedly mischievous grin on his face, he was quite attractive. And even though she would never admit it to him, she was getting turned on by his treatment of her. She knew that the cords on her wrists were not tight and that she could probably wiggle out of them if she needed to.

"This is too kinky, Ray."

"Hey, I'm almost done here. Just settle down for a couple a minutes and I'll let you loose."

True to his word, he was done with in under two minutes. He left the foot of the bed to check on the cords that restrained Frannie and found that they were still sufficiently loose. Gently he place a hand under her back and helped her sit up.

"Easy does it. Don't want you kickin' and ruinin' the great job I just did on your nails."

Frannie looked intently at her feet and had to admit that for a guy, he had done a great job. Then a wave of realization struck her.

"I know that color. It's OPI's 'I'm Not a Waitress'."

"That's right," he replied.

"How do you know that's my favorite color?"

"The same way I know you love daisies and Frango Mints. The way I know yer favorite book is 'Sword of Desire' and that you always buy your greeting cards from that little corner news stand by the precinct."

Francesca stared at the blonde detective. A thought began to form in her injured brain just before he uttered his last sentence very softly.

"And the same way I know that love poems make you cry when you find them on your desk."

The young woman couldn't form the words that stuck in her throat.

"Frannie, I wasn't kiddin' earlier when I said I like you and I like doin' nice thing for you. The truth is I've been crazy about you ever since I saw your picture in the folder that the FBI guys handed me when I took this gig. But I was worried about blowin' our cover if I spent too much time with you. And I was afraid if I told you how I felt that you'd say you weren't interested in me. So I put my detective training to use to learn all about the things that you like and then I started usin' that to do nice little things for ya. 'Course I couldn't tell you who I really was so I started usin' the name Sapphire Bicuspidor cuz of that picture with you wearin' the pendant yer brother gave ya for yer last birthday."

"*You're* the Sapphire Bicuspidor?"

Ray hung his head preparing for the inevitable outburst of rage that he thought would come.

"Yes."

"*You're* the one who has been driving me crazy with all those little cards and gifts and things?"

"Yes,"

"You really like me?"

"Oh yeah," he answered still afraid to look at her.

"Umm, Ray, would you please untie my hands?"

"Only if you promise yer not gonna hit me."

"I promise."

"Or choke me."

"No choking."

"No physical harm whatsoever."

"None."

"Okay."

With trembling fingers he loosened the slip knots that had restrained her arms. When both appendages were free, she flung herself at him, wrapping both arms around him in a fierce hug. Ray could feel her body trembling next to his.

"Hey, what's wrong Frannie?"

"I can't believe it's you. I've treated you so badly and here you were trying to say how much you like me. I've been such a bitch to you."

"Hey, it's okay. You were just actin' like you do with yer real brother. I'm all over that."

"But you still liked me."

"I just didn't take it personal. The Feds told me how you and Ray used to go at it like cats and dogs. I figured it was part of the gig."

Gently he pulled away from her and saw the tears running down her cheeks.

"Frannie, it's okay. You can quit cryin'. Besides, I may be able to do a decent pedicure. But I don't know nothin' about mascara."

Francesca sniffled once and gave a weak smile. "I really like you too, Ray. And I do appreciate all the wonderful things you've done for me."

Ray smiled with a gladness that radiated from his heart.

"Greatness, now why don't you call the police station and see what yer secret admirer did fer ya t'day?"

"Huh?"

"Well, I didn't want anybody getting suspicious with both of us bein' gone. So I went ahead and arranged for a little surprise."

He picked up the phone and punched in the speed dial code for Lt. Welsh's office.

"Lt. Welsh."

"Uh, Lieutenant, this is Frannie."

"Francesca, how are you feeling?"

"Uh, not bad. Ray's taking good care of me. I was wondering if anything's been delivered to my desk today?"

"You mean, from your secret admirer?"

"Well, it is Monday."

"As a matter of fact, a dozen red roses were dropped off just a few minutes ago."

Frannie's eyes opened wide. "Roses?" she squeaked.

"Yes, Miss Vecchio. I believe I've seen enough flowers in my time to recognize roses."

"Umm, would you mind if I sent Ray down to pick them up? I'd hate to inconvenience anyone by asking to care for them while I'm gone."

"That would be fine, Miss Vecchio."

"Thanks, Lieutenant."

"You're welcome. Take care of yourself."

She managed to stifle a giggle. "I will. 'Bye."

She hung up the phone and launched herself at Ray, kissing him soundly on the lips. The detective had hoped she would appreciate the gesture but he never figured on this much exuberance. He was bowled over, literally, by her gesture. He found himself underneath Frannie, her lips on his and a familiar tightening in his jeans.

"Um Frannie," he said, squirming his way out from beneath her.

"What?"

"Uh, can I get some air here?" he asked.

"Oh sorry, Ray."

"Don't be. It was fun. But I don't want to rush things. I mean, we still need to act like brother and sister ya know, even if we do like each other."

"Umm, yeah, I guess."

"Look, why don't I go pick up the flowers and bring 'em back?"

"Okay."

"And then I'll fix us a nice romantic dinner."

She looked at him doubtfully.

"Honest. You'll see. You just hang tight. Admire your nails. Go watch some TV. I'll come back and we'll have us a really nice time tonight."

He kissed her cheek lingeringly as he got up from the bed.

"Stay put and don't do anything crazy while I'm gone," he instructed.

"Yes sir," she replied giving him her best military salute.

He couldn't resist. He leaned over and kissed her again, this time on the lips. It was such a fulfillment to his dreams that he found it difficult to pull away. But he had plans for those flowers and knew he couldn't put them to use if they were at the precinct.

Francesca decided she would stay in Ray's bed and take another nap. But first she had to find something to do with the dozens of daisies. She wandered into the kitchen, not really expecting to find a vase, but hoping that she could find something servicable. While rummaging around the top most shelf of a corner cabinet, she found something intriguing. There was a set of pottery dishes; really nice stuff too, not just the kind that you could pick up at Crate and Barrel. This appeared to be hand thrown and it was glazed in a gorgeous cobalt blue. While surveying the pieces, she found a pitcher. This would make a wonderful vase for her daisies.

She took the pitcher into the bedroom and gathered all the flowers into it. Then she took the vessel back to the kitchen and filled it with water. Pleased with the result, she put the pitcher on the counter that separated the kitchen from the rest of the apartment and looked around. It was the first time she'd really taken a good look at the place where Ray lived.

It was somewhat spartan, as she'd expected and a little cramped. But there were unexpected touches that made it very homey, like the afghan and the pottery. In the living room she noticed that he had a few plants. They were low maintenance flora but they were real, not silk. On one table she saw a somewhat shallow glass dish and found that it was filled with small stones, water and a turtle.

Startled, she jumped back and gasped. She had heard Ray speak of the terrapin but thought he was just kidding. Who kept a turtle for a pet? Well, it seemed that he did. Cautiously she leaned toward the bowl one more time and looked again. It wasn't bad looking for a turtle. Small and dark green. It had red and yellow markings around its... ears? Frannie wasn't even sure that turtles had ears but figured that's where they'd be if they did. She returned to the bedroom and laid down again. Pulling the afghan across her bare legs, she quickly drifted off to sleep.

Ray returned later that afternoon and saw Francesca was fast asleep. Smiling he took the roses to the dining room and placed them on the table. They would be part of the centerpiece for tonight's dinner. Turning to go into the kitchen, he saw the daisies in the pitcher. So, Frannie had seen his Bybee collection. Well, she'd just had a preview of what the table would be set with tonight. A wide grin broke out over his face as he got the manicotti that Ma had fixed out of the fridge and put it in the oven. He set the table with the cobalt dishes and added votive candles around the roses.

Looking at the clock, he realized he would have time to take a shower and clean up a bit before dinner. He knew Frannie wasn't used to seeing him in anything but jeans and a T-shirt and wanted to surprise her by dressing up a bit.

Half an hour later, clad only in a towel wrapped around his waist, he went in to the bedroom and gently kissed Francesca until she opened her eyes. When she realized just how dressed he wasn't, her eyes popped open and she sat upright very quickly.

"Ray!"

"Yeah Frannie?"

"What are you doing?" she asked pointing to the towel.

"I'm just getting some clothes to put on before dinner. I thought you might want to uhh, freshen up too."

Frannie ran a hand over her hair and realized it had been forty-eight hours since her last shower. "My God, I'm a mess. Why didn't you suggest this sooner? How could you spend all this time without telling me I look like this?"

"You're beautiful. But you might want to be even more beautiful for dinner."

She stuck her tongue out at him but got out of the bed and walked towards the bathroom.

"There's a set of towels for you on the rack. And I put the bag your mom packed in there too so you'd have your stuff."

Once Ray was dressed, he checked on dinner and found that everything was progressing nicely. He fixed the salad and bread to go with the meal and found two wine goblets that he added to the table. Hearing Francesca leave the bathroom, he decided to light the candles. And then he pulled the manicotti out of the oven and set it on the table as well. Finally, he dimmed the lights that hung over the table and waited for Frannie.

As if on cue, the young woman appeared from the hallway. Her eyes grew wide as she took in the graciously set table.

"Ray, it's beautiful," she breathed.

"But not nearly as beautiful as you are."

She looked closely and realized that, while he was still casual, he was dressed in far nicer clothes than she usually saw him wearing. He'd even abandoned his trademark black motorcycle boots for a pair of soft leather loafers.

"God, I feel so underdressed," she complained.

"Never," he responded as he took her hand to lead her to the table. "You look really great." He smiled warmly while he seated her.

"Thanks so do you."

"I know the doctor said no alcohol for you for a few days but I felt like we really needed something special tonight, so...ta da."

Frannie looked at the bottle that was on the table. "Sparkling grape juice?"

"Yeah, festive but not intoxicating."

"That's so cool."

"Glad you like it."

Dinner, by anyone's account was a smashing success. The scent of tomatos and basil mixed with the garlic in the manicotti to make a heady fragrance of Italy. Frannie recognized her mother's food instantly. She thought it was so sweet of Ray to ask Ma to make something special for them to eat. But as she told him, she'd have been happy if he'd just fixed her another turkey sandwich.

After dinner, Francesca offered to wash the dishes, but Ray insisted they could wait. He had something else in mind. Turning on the stereo, he took her by the hand and led her to the living room. Gently he wrapped one arm around her delicate waist and began to sway in time to the music. She quickly fell into step with him and soon they were tripping the light fantastic all around his living room floor. At one point Ray lead her back to the dining room and plucked a rose from the vase on the table.

He handed it to Francesca who stuck it in between her teeth with a flourish and a grin as he continued to waltz her around the apartment. When they'd exhausted all the discs he'd put into the CD changer, they stopped and looked at each other for a minute. He went and got them each another glass of the sparkling grape juice, knowing that his throat was probably gonna close up on him before he got out what he wanted to say to her.

She accepted the goblet and looked at him expectantly. She'd been around the block enough times to know that something was about to happen.

"C'mere," he said, indicating the sofa.

She sat beside him and snuggled into his side when he put his arm around her. Several minutes passed without either of them saying a word. Francesca idly twirled the stem of the rose between her fingers and inhaled it's wonderful fragrance.

"Frannie, I don't know exactly how to say this, so umm, bear with me here, 'kay?"

She nodded, not knowing what to expect next.

"Ya see, it's been a long time since I asked a girl to ah... well, anyway, I guess I never actually asked Stella cuz we'd known each other since we were kids and... so what I'm wonderin' is..."

"Yes, Ray."

"Yes, what?"

"Yes to whatever it is you're gonna ask me."

"You don't even know what I was gonna say," he protested.

"No but I do know that you wouldn't ask me to do anything harmful, right?"

"Yeah."

"And you wouldn't ask me to do anything illegal, right?"

"Heck, no! Never."

"Then what's the problem?"

"Well, I was gonna ask if you'd let me sleep with ya."

"Sleep with me?"

"Yeah, you know, two people, in bed, catching some z's."

"Sure that'd be fine. After all, it is your apartment."

She wondered if all he had in mind was sleeping. She tilted her face up to his and kissed him softly. Ray responded with the passion that he'd shown earlier today. Before she realized what was happening, she was pulled into his lap. His embrace tightened and she could feel his heart racing next to hers. She felt his tongue touch her lips tentatively and let them part.

Ray couldn't believe that everything was happening so quickly. Barely six hours ago, Frannie hadn't even known how much he felt for her. And now she was sitting on his lap, returning his kisses with great passion. He felt her tongue snake into his mouth to dance with his. Suddenly he realized that the pleated front trousers that he wore wouldn't constrain his growing erection and soon she would know just how much he wanted her.

Frannie felt like she had been transformed into one gigantic heart beat. Her pulse thudded in her ears and she felt her body respond to him in a way she'd only read about in 'Sword of Desire'. Places that he hadn't even touched yet felt electrified and she knew that she wanted more than to simply sleep with him. She wanted to make love with him; to feel him literally connected to her, moving in concert with her. Then she felt something underneath her and she knew that Ray was feeling the same way too.

"Uhh, Frannie?"

"Yes, Ray?"

"Can we uhh?"

"Yes, Ray."

He picked her up and carried her back to his room. Gently he placed her on the bed and began softly caressing her body, kissing her soft lips and whispering endearments in her perfect shell-like ears. She responded with kisses and endearments of her own.

Carefully he undressed her, kissing and caressing each part of her body that he exposed. When she was completely naked, he quickly stripped and joined her in bed again.

Making love with Francesca was like nothing he'd ever imagined. He had long suspected that her tough-as-nails exterior covered a much softer side but he didn't expect to see the two meld together so perfectly. While he was ministering to her needs, she was as docile as a kitten. But then she flipped him over off her and became as voracious as a lioness.

And when it was all over, naked bodies tangled in each other, Ray could almost discern a soft white aura around the two of them. He wondered if it were a trick of the full moon, now visible from his bedroom window. But he didn't really care. What mattered most to him was that the woman he loved was in his arms, limp from their exercise in passion, and he was not dreaming. He'd managed to come out of the darkness that had enveloped him since the day his divorce was final and come into the light of Francesca Vecchio.

"I love you, Frannie."