__________________________________________________________________________ _____ Lynne Schmidt Normal Lynne Schmidt 2 18 2000-02-29T10:44:00Z 2000-02-29T10:44:00Z 2 702 4003 33 8 4915 9.2720 Title: Glimpse of BenAuthor: LysPairings: NoneRated GNo Spoiler Alliance owns these lovely characters. The actors fleshed them out for us on the screen. But there are still so many areas to think about, so many gaps to fill. This is part of a series of stories I call Glimpses of Ben. Most of them take place just before or after Ben's mother was killed.   Lys  He sat there by the window. His feet were quietly swinging back and forth. He watched the figure following the path growing smaller outside his window. His nightgown was too large and fell away from his shoulders. His large, blue eyes almost seemed unseeing. The curls of his dark, dark-brown hair framed his face. The boy's lips moved but no sound came out as he watched the figure disappear totally down the path.  The boy's feet stopped moving, he dropped his eyes towards his clasped hands in his lap. He sat totally unmoving.  She watched from the doorway, her gray head bowed, her shoulders drooping. She had no more tears to cry. She had spent too many nights holding the boys small frame in her lap while he grieved. Walking over to the boy, she gently picked him up. His little head lay on her shoulder, he made not a sound. Carrying him to the little cot in the corner by the stove, she held him tightly to her. Covering him carefully, she dropped a kiss on his hair and walked over to the "Chair" he had been sitting in moments ago.  He lay there unmoving, his eyes open and staring at the ceiling. His little hands lay open upon the coverlet. The woman saw his little red truck with its homemade carrying bag under his bed where it had been forgotten. She rose and picked it up to lay it next to him.  His hand clutched the little truck; he brought the carrying bag it to his nose and smelled it sighing gratefully. Suddenly he looked up at the woman who stood next to his bed and began screaming.  "Where is she, where's my mother. Go away. Go away." He threw the bag and truck across the room and turned on his side to face away from the woman.  She knelt next to him and gathered the struggling child in her arms. Holding him tightly she let him cry himself out. Covering him back up she turned and crossed the room. She bent and picked up the discarded toy and put it in a drawer of her dresser.    Twenty-Eight Years Later.... It was Christmas Eve and Benton Fraser was wrapping the presents he had for the Vecchio family and his neighbors. He sang happily to himself as he wrapped the gifts he had made or bought for each of his friends. Dief lay in the corner enjoying a snooze.  Robert Fraser watched his son merrily wrapping and singing. A smile crossed his face. "Better answer the door boy."  Ben looked up at his father and gave him a questioning look. "You're physic now?" he asked, but rose to go to the door. As Ben opened the door a young UPS man approached the door. He inquired if this was apt. 3J, Benton Fraser's residence. Ben signed for and received a large box from the courier. He turned back into his apartment and set the box on a chair. "Aren't you curious, son?" Robert asked.  "I'll open it later."  "Why not now?" Ben gave his father a curious look and retrieved the box. He began opening the box under his father's watchful eyes. Inside was a leather bag tied at the top with deer sinew. The leather was old, but had been well taken care of by the look of well oiled surface.  There was a note inside that fell out on the floor as Ben opened the leather bag. He put a hand inside the bag and knelt to retrieve the note. Dear Ben, he read, Went up to your grandparents old cabin last month. Found some things I put in storage for you. But thought you might like to have this, it was in a metal trunk with your grandmother's name on it. I'll let you know where the other things are stored. But you were right; the old cabin is too bad to be repaired. When the sale papers are drawn up, I'll send them to you. Guess I'll be building a new cabin on that property. Signed Bixley. Inside the leather pouch was another note. Ben pulled that out first. He read his grandmother's writing. Ben is so ill now. He won't look at this, but I know someday he might want to have it back. All I wish for is to have my noisy little grandson back. He hasn't been the same since Caroline died. Ben folded the note and dropped it on his kitchen table. Then Ben pulled out the object inside the pouch and found in his hands his little red truck and carrying bag his mother had made so lovingly. He held the bag up to his nose and smelled the faint lingering scent of the scent his mother used to wear. Ben went into his bedroom and placed the carrying bag and truck lovingly on his nightstand.  He returned to his gift wrapping, singing louder and happier than before.