Glowing	 Glowing

 by Evans

  

 

 Disclaimer: A little dark fun, sans profit. The characters belong to the
creators of due South.

 Author's Notes: 

 Story Notes: "He was such a nice guy. We never saw it coming." That's
what people say when their neighbor takes out his whole family then
himself. You can almost say it with them when you watch the news. 
I think people do see it coming even if the don't know exactly what it is.


 This story is a sequel to: 'Til Death 

 

 Glowing. From the other side of the dinner table, in the flickering
candlelight, Ray could think of no other word to describe the way Ben
looked. He glowed. If it had been a woman sitting there, Ray would know
what was probably coming next. An announcement that there would be a
rugrat coming in nine months. That's the kind of glow Ben had. That's the
kind of happy he saw on his partner's face. 

 It dawned on Ray that maybe the reason the glow seemed so bright was
because it wasn't competing with the shadows. In the middle of a
conversation, sometimes the shadows would skirt Ben's irises for a brief
flicker then disappear . Sometimes they took up a sublease. This week they
had been big time squatters. 

 He always gave Ben the space he needed and Ben always came back strong.
He figured that's what would happen this week. But there had been a
different quality to the shadows. Once, early in the week, when he looked
into Ben's eyes, he'd gotten a chill right down to his Doc Martens. Ray
couldn't put his finger on it, but it crossed his mind that they might
need help, that Ben might need help. He couldn't imagine Mr. Self-Reliant
doing one on one time with a shrink but for a moment, Ray had considered
making that suggestion. 

 Ben grinned at him, and Ray chided himself for his lack of faith in his
partner. Ben was good. They were good. This was good. He'd been exhausted
when he walked through the door tonight. It was odd how paperwork did that
more than being on the street. Today had been paperwork day. Catch up or
spend the night at the precinct catching up had more or less been the
Lt.'s threat. He couldn't even imagine having to make the call to Ben to
tell him he wouldn't be home. And he hadn't had to. Ray had worked his ass
off to be home on time. This dinner, the way Ben looked at him, was like a
reward for a job well done. He reached across the table and clasped Ben's
hand in his. And that was greeted by a smile that was like staring into
the sun. 

 "I love you Ray," he whispered as he took his lover gently, slowly. Like
the first time they'd been together. The only thing missing was the
nervousness. They had both been so nervous that first time. Afraid they
might break each other, afraid that what was happening wasn't real. "I
love you Ben." Ray gasped. That first night they probably said it to each
other a hundred times as they made love. "I love you." Like they were
trying to make up for the past when they couldn't say it, hadn't realized
it would be alright to say. And Ben was saying it now over and over .
Almost reverently. 

 "I love you Ray," Ben whispered again as he placed a gentle kiss on his
partner's temple. "Where you goin'?" Ray mumbled sleepily as he felt the
warmth at his back suddenly disappear. 

 "Sleep, Ray. I will be right back." When the warmth returned, though
nearly sound asleep, Ray moved instinctively into it. The heat of Ray's
body against his chest, and the press of the cold metal behind his thigh
made Ben smile. He considered it fortuitous that the gun dealer he
selected also carried the specific ammunition he required. There could be
no margin for error. He'd briefly considered acquiring two handguns so
that the time of deaths would be identical, but in the end rejected that
idea as logistically cumbersome. Besides he believed he could probably
tough it through a couple of seconds without Ray. Reaching behind his
thigh, his hand encircled the hilt of the gun. "I love you." He whispered
into the ear of his sleeping partner and pressed his lips to his temple
for the final time. And it was amazing how peaceful he felt, how unafraid.
Ray wouldn't die alone in some grimy alley. And he wouldn't have to
persevere. He put the gun to Ray's temple and fired one of the two
chambered hollow points into his head. 

 End 

End Glowing by Evans: cevans652000@yahoo.com

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