2Copy of stime    

rating: nc-17 (or maybe r) for violence, language, m/m sex.  SPRINGTIME IN
CHICAGO  

by Paloma Manchada  

paloma46@hotmail.com  

c. 1996  

The usual disclaimers apply. No copyright infringement is intended; no
commercial gain is anticipated from this use of the property of Alliance,
et al. Kate belongs to me. This was written for the personal, private
amusement of the author and anyone else who cares to read it. Enjoy!  

Have fun.  SPRINGTIME IN CHICAGO 

Saturday, 0130hrs  

Ray Vecchio was a happy man. He lay warm and drowsy in his lover's arms,
contentedly listening to the early spring storm outside. The realization
of just how happy he was slowly filtered through the sleep-fog of his
brain and triggered a twinge of guilt, probably the result of all those
years in Catholic school and all those sisters drumming the concepts of
good and evil, sin and redemption, into their students' heads. Ray pushed
all that aside. He refused to feel guilty for being happy. He refused to
feel guilty for making Benny happy. And he damn-well refused to think that
his happiness would draw down the wrath of some jealous god who just could
not stand to see people . . .  

Ray heard a faint noise from the hallway. Absurdly, his heart rate jumped
and he shivered in the classic "someone's walking on my grave" mode. It's
a rat he told himself. Just a rat. The noise came again, louder. Oh shit,
now what?  

Diefenbaker jumped up from his rug and ran to the apartment door, giving
out a quizzical whine. Ben was instantly awake, gently disengaging himself
from Ray's arms before swinging his long legs over the side of the bed and
pulling on the blue jeans which had been left so unceremoniously on the
floor earlier that night. Ray raised himself on one elbow, rubbing at his
eyes, "What is it Benny?"  

Ben gave him a smile and little shrug before striding across the bedroom
to the apartment door. To Ray's dismay he once again just turned the latch
and opened the door, without any attempt to find out who, or what was on
the other side. Ben tensed in shock as he recognized the bedraggled young
woman leaning against his doorjamb.  

"Kate! What's happened?" Ben reached toward her; something was very, very
wrong. At second look he could see she wasn't just wet from the rain.
There were bruises on her face and the hand she lifted toward him was
scraped and bloody.  

"Ben", her voice was low, she was breathing fast, as if she'd been
running. "Ben?"  

Fraser caught her as she crumpled against him. He swept her up in his arms
and turned to go back into his apartment, nearly tripping over both the
wolf and his lover. Ray smoothly skipped back out of the way, then checked
the hallway, his weapon in hand, ready to deal with anything. "Ray, come
help me please. And put something on - you'll catch your death running
around like that."  

By the time Ray had secured the apartment door and pulled on his own
slacks and t-shirt, Ben had their visitor seated on their bed leaning
against him as he tried to get her out of her coat. Ray switched on the
overhead light as he walked back into the bedroom and heard Ben's gasp. He
hurried to his lover's side and immediately understood his reaction.  

"Lay her down Benny, we can't do anything with this. I'll call an
ambulance."  

Ben caught his wrist before he could move - "We can't - not until I've had
a chance to talk to her."  

"Talk to her?! Christ!, Benny, she could be dying on us."  

"Ray, trust me on this. She came to me for a reason - I need to find out
what it is. Help me get this coat off her - please?" Ben turned his
worried blue eyes toward Ray and was rewarded with his immediate, if
unhappy, capitulation. Vecchio could never deny Benny anything for long.  

"Well, forget about doing this the usual way. Where's that hunting knife
of yours?" Ben transferred the injured woman into Ray's arms while he
fetched the knife. It took only a few moments to cut the expensive ski
jacket from her body. Ben paled as he saw the extent of her injuries. Ray
gently laid her down on the bed and peeled back an eyelid to check her
condition. Then he tried to find a pulse both in her neck and wrist, shook
his head in exasperation, and pressed his ear against her chest to listen
for a heartbeat. He straightened up, oblivious to the smudge of her blood
on the side of his face. He grasped Ben's forearm, "Benny, I think she's
dying. She's cold and clammy; I can hardly hear a heartbeat. This gash in
her head needs stitches - she's probably got a concussion. That's a bullet
wound and it looks like someone used her for a punching bag. I wouldn't be
surprised to find a broken rib or two. We have GOT to call an ambulance." 


"In a minute, Ray." Ben leaned down next to the woman's ear and spoke very
distinctly but not overly loudly. "Kate. Come back and tell me what
happened. If you don't talk to me we are going to have to call an
ambulance." He looked up at a thunderstruck Ray. "Is there any wine left
from dinner?" Ray nodded. "Please bring a glass." Ben went back to calling
Kate's name softly, but insistently in her ear. Ray went into the kitchen,
drank part of a glass of wine himself and filled another to take to
Fraser.  

When he returned to the bedroom he noticed that Ben had pulled the blanket
up over Kate. Dief was resting his head on the opposite side of the bed,
watching everything very carefully. As he approached, Ray noticed her move
her head slightly away from Fraser's voice. He was shocked to see Ben
reach out, push her hair out of the way and pinch her earlobe, pressing
his thumbnail into the cartilage. She frowned and her eyelids fluttered as
a little gasping breath escaped her. Ben reached out for the glass, raised
her head from the pillow and held it to her swollen lips which opened
slightly in reflex. Ben poured a little wine into her mouth and watched in
satisfaction as she swallowed. After a couple more sips she whispered
"Chianti. You know I hate chianti." Ben took a drink of the wine himself
before setting the glass on the nightstand. He took her hand from under
the blanket, holding it tenderly. She turned her head on the pillow to
look at him and smiled.  

Ray felt his heart twist in his body. Even beaten, filthy, with blood
matting her long blond hair, she was beautiful. He could see from the way
she looked at Fraser that she loved him. He was glad he couldn't see
Fraser's face - he didn't want to see an answering shine in Ben's eyes.  

"Ben. Beloved Ben." Her voice was thready, so faint the men could hardly
hear it. She squeezed her eyes shut as a wave of pain swept over her,
almost causing her to faint again. Ben squeezed her hand, bringing it to
his lips for a kiss before calling her back to him, "Kate! Tell me what
happened." She sighed and opened pain-glazed gray eyes to focus blearily
on his face.  

"Dear Lady - I hate getting shot. Can I stay with you a little while? Help
me Ben, please?"  

Ray had heard all he wanted to hear. "Benny! We have got to call the
ambulance before we have to explain her dead body!"  

"Ray, please." Ben was uncomfortable with the whole situation, but really
didn't feel it proper to talk about her death - and he had to admit it
looked very bad just then - in front of her. Kate ignored Ray's outburst
and continued to gaze trustingly into Ben's troubled blue eyes.  

"No hospital. They'll find me and kill me." Another pain-filled gasp. "And
anyone in the way. If they know I've been here they'll kill you," she drew
a shaky pain-filled breath and looked straight at Ray, "and him too."  

"Who did this Kate? What's your lifeguard's number? Let me call in." Ben
was nearly frantic - how could he bear to watch her die?  

That suggestion seemed to increase her anxiety. "NO. No cops - no
doctors." Another gasping breath. Fraser watched with growing dismay as
her blood stained his bed. His focus narrowed to her eyes; her steadily
weakening grasp on his hand. A towel suddenly appeared over his shoulder,
startling him. He'd almost forgotten Ray's presence in his concern for the
woman dying before his eyes.  

"Try pressure against the bullet wound - maybe you can slow the bleeding."
Vecchio was still unhappy with the situation, but he never could bear to
see anything suffer without wanting to help. He touched Fraser's shoulder,
standing close to lend the support of his physical presence if Ben needed
it. "Benny, we've got to get help."  

Fraser pressed the towel hard against the wound and she gasped at the new
pain, wavering on the edge of unconsciousness. The sound of Ben's
strangled "Yes, call now Ray." energized the last of her strength and
will; her hand closed strongly on his.	

"No! It's your life! Swear to me Ben - swear you'll keep me here - try to
keep me alive." She swallowed hard as tears slid from her eyes back into
her hair. "If I die", it was harder to breathe, "Ditch the body far away
and never tell." Her nails dug into his hand. "Swear to me Ben."  

"Kate - how can you ask? We're going to get help and we'll protect you.
Ray's a police officer - we can do this."  

She blinked away the tears of pain and glared at him. "Benton Fraser -
swear to me!"  

Ben wavered on his knees beside the bed, leaning against Ray's leg for an
instant. He turned his anguished face toward Ray, for once unable to
automatically choose the right course of action. Ray had no problem with
this choice. "I'm calling in - " and headed for the cell phone in his coat
pocket.  

Kate released Ben's hand and raised bloody fingers to touch his lips.
"Ditch the body, Beloved Ben," and with a small sigh her hand fell limp on
the bed as Ben watched the light begin to fade from her eyes. "Ray! She's
not breathing!"  

Ray rushed back to the bedside. "Damn!" He checked for a clear airway and
began mouth to mouth, all the while hearing himself cursing in his mind.
Damn it lady. You are NOT going to die here. Breathe, goddammit!  

"Ray. Can we do as she asks?" Vecchio interrupted his breathing to stare
at Ben in complete amazement. Ben took over the mouth-to-mouth while Ray
tried to figure out just what was happening here.  

"Benny - it's a shooting. It's going to be a dead body soon. I'm a cop for
God's sake - for that matter, so are you. We can't suppress evidence of a
felony or pretend all this didn't happen. It's crazy!"	

Ben turned to him with the most grief-stricken look Ray had ever seen.
"She will die rather than put me - us - at risk. If she dies, we may never
know what happened. Please. I owe her a great deal." Ray began breathing
for Kate again. He was thinking very hard and fast. What did it matter?
The shape she was in, calling an ambulance wasn't going to make a
difference now. If she died, and he was sure she was going to die, he
could call for the coroner. They'd have to play with the time factor a
little; he'd coach Fraser so his incurable honesty didn't get them in
trouble, but why not?  

Between breaths he looked over at his lover and said "Why the hell not
Benny? It's only worth a little jail time." He was starting to feel light
headed as he returned to puffing air into her lungs and remembered his
instructor cautioning against hyperventilating while doing this procedure.
It seemed perfectly reasonable to hear Ben talking to this woman who Ray
was sure was dead.  

"Kate. Ray agrees. No hospital. No cops. No ambulance. We'll take care of
you. But you've got to come back now." His voice took on a commanding
tone, "Come back NOW." Fraser patted Ray's shoulder. "Stop Ray." Vecchio
slid down gratefully to sit on the floor with his back against the side of
the bed. He leaned his head back and waited for the little black spots to
stop swirling around behind his eyes. Suddenly he realized that Fraser had
not continued the breathing. He was still talking to her. Ray struggled to
his feet, ready to support Ben when he finally accepted that they'd lost
her. Suddenly Ben slapped her sharply, the sound loud in the now almost
silent room. "Damn it Kate - that's enough! We agree! Come back right
now!"  

Diefenbaker reared up and came down with his front legs on the bed, giving
an aggrieved "Woof!" Ray put his arms around Fraser, offering what comfort
he could, prepared to forestall any further outburst. Suddenly he heard a
long wavering gasp from the woman on the bed. "She's alive? How the hell
is she alive Benny?"  

"She's a very determined woman. Very strong-willed." Fraser turned in the
circle of Ray's arms to return his embrace. "Thank you kindly, Ray." The
cop brushed Ben's hair back and kissed him gently, "You're welcome,
Benny." They stood for a brief moment enjoying the comfort of their
contact before Dief's anxious whine called them back to the problem at
hand.  

Ray turned to check Kate while Ben went to get his first aid kit from the
kitchen. Ray was startled to see her eyes open. Had she seen them kissing?
A moment of panic raced through him. No one had ever seen them together
before. They were careful to act as they always had in public. They both
had a lot to consider before making this relationship a matter of public
knowledge. Her eyes closed slowly as her consciousness faded. He stamped
on the panic, admonishing himself to deal with the matter at hand and not
to borrow trouble. Benny trusted her; he'd reserve his judgement. He
picked the hunting knife up from where it laid on the pile of bloody rags
which had been a very expensive ski jacket and began cutting her clothes
from her body as gently as possible.  

Ben returned with the kit, a pot of warm water and some kitchen towels. He
poured antiseptic into the water and the two men began to clean the blood
and dirt from her body. They bandaged her wounds as well as they could and
Ray gently pulled the blanket over her.  

"Well, it's not as bad as it looked before - a lot of the blood wasn't
hers. But we're going to need some supplies you don't have here. I'll run
down to County and see what I can scrounge." He went into the bathroom to
wash her blood from his hands, Fraser following.  

"I had no idea you were so knowledgeable in these matters."  

"Yeah - well, the City in its wisdom had a bunch of us cross- trained for
disaster duty back when I was a patrolman." He scrubbed at the dried blood
on his face. "It seemed a good idea to keep up my certifications." Ray
went back into the bedroom to finish dressing. "I wish we knew her blood
type."	

"O negative, Ray."  

Vecchio shook his head disgustedly. "Of course. Why wouldn't you know her
blood type?" He pulled on his top coat; Fraser walked him to the apartment
door. "I'll be back as soon as I can. If she wakes up again, keep her
quiet and try to get some liquids down her."  

"Yes, Ray."  

"And Fraser - "  

"Yes, Ray?"  

"Do you have any other mysterious women likely to show up out of your past
that I should know about?"  

Fraser caressed Ray's face, running his thumb gently across the cop's
sensitive lips before kissing him goodbye. "Not that I can think of Ray." 


"Thank God for that anyway." The detective grumped his way down the stairs
and out into the rain.	

Fraser smiled fondly after him, closed the door and returned to Kate's
bedside. He pulled a straight chair near the bed and settled to his
watching. Dief came to rest his head on Ben's knee, looking up at him. "I
don't know what she's doing in Chicago. I wish I did." Ben absently rubbed
the wolf's ears, his eyes never leaving her face.  

Saturday 0300 hours  

Dief prodded Ben hard in the ribs with his nose. "Yes?" The wolf looked
meaningfully at the apartment door and whined. "Oh, thank you
Diefenbaker." Fraser rose quietly and opened the door just as Ray
staggered up loaded down with supplies. Ben caught a box as it fell toward
the floor and followed the detective into the kitchen.	

"Ray, this box is labeled "Property of Chicago PD." Vecchio put the rest
of his load on the kitchen counter and shrugged out of his overcoat,
tossing it over a chair. He started ripping a box open.  

"And?"	

"Well, Ray. This could be misappropriation of city property."  

Vecchio nodded sagely. "A class c misdemeanor in this amount, Benny. We're
already in felony territory with this mess, you're going to worry about a
class c misdemeanor? This stuff is from the emergency stores at County.
There are rooms full of it down there. Every year they throw bunches of it
away when it gets outdated. This stuff will be trash in another six
months." He pulled the flaps loose on the last box, "This stuff, on the
other hand, is a bit fresher. Put this in the fridge, Benny."  

Fraser stared down at the plastic bag labeled "O Negative" the cop had
tossed into his hands. Ray was already headed toward the bedroom with
another unit of blood and one of his boxes. "Ben. Find something we can
hang this on." His words jarred the still transfixed mountie into action.
He carefully put the blood in his fridge and grabbed the coat rack Mr.
Mustafi had found on the street and given him a few weeks before.  

"Will this do?" Ray glanced up, "Yeah, bring it over here." He pulled some
surgical gloves out of the box along with an IV needle and tubing. "Damn -
they left out the elastic band. Fraser, stay here." Ray gently pulled
Kate's arm from under the blanket, turned it toward the light and began
looking for a vein. "I really hate this part, Benny. I was never any good
at it."  

"You'll be fine Ray - just breathe and center yourself." Ray shot him a
jaundiced look.  

"Don't get metaphysical on me Benny. I think that's it. Can you hold her
arm here..." he placed Fraser's hands around her arm just above the elbow
- "Now squeeze." Ray pulled on the surgical gloves and swabbed her arm
with an alcohol wipe.  

"Ah. I'm to be the tourniquet."  

"Yeah, yeah. Don't distract me." Ray closed his eyes for a moment and
realized he was praying for the first time in a long time. Please let me
hit this the first time, please, please. The needle slid in easily and
true. It was a matter of only moments to get everything attached and to
hang the blood from the coat rack. With the IV going Ray began checking
the bandages. With Ben's help he packed the bullet wound and replaced the
bandage, glad to see that the bleeding had almost stopped. The long gash
on the side of her head accounted for most of the blood in her hair. "This
should be stitched, Benny, but maybe these will do." He applied small
butterfly clips, trying to pull the edges of the scalp neatly together.
Ben spread an antiseptic cream over the less serious cuts and scrapes.
They were finally done; he pulled the sheet and blanket over her as Ray
threw his surgical gloves into the trash. He checked the IV, obsessing
that he'd forgotten some critical aspect of the process.  

Suddenly Ray turned and hurried back to the kitchen. He pulled a glass
from the cabinet and a bottle of Jack Daniels from one of his boxes. His
hands were shaking so he nearly dropped the bottle. Fraser guided him to a
chair at the kitchen table. Ray leaned his elbows on the table and covered
his face with his hands. The mountie opened the bottle and poured an inch
of whisky, setting the glass on the table in front of Ray.  

Fraser moved behind the chair and rested his hands on Ray's shoulders for
a moment before beginning to knead the tension from his back. It took
several minuets before Fraser could detect any relaxation in the rock-hard
muscles. Ray finally lowered his hands to rest limply on the table. He
sighed and leaned his head back against Fraser's chest. The mountie
continued the massage for a few minutes until he could tell Ray had
regained his equilibrium. He slid one arm down Ray's chest in a half hug
as he bent to kiss his cheek, then moved to sit in the other chair.  

Ray fidgeted with the glass, picking it up a couple of times as if to
drink, then replacing it on the table. "You know, Benny, this is what my
Pop used to do. If things got to him, something didn't go the way he
wanted, he headed right to a bottle. I always hated that. I hate it even
more that it's my first reaction too."	

Benny reached over and took Ray's hand. "We all tend to deal with events
according to the pattern we saw as children, Ray. I do the same thing."
Ray looked at him disbelievingly. "No, no, it's true. When things threaten
me - emotionally - my first inclination is to shut down - run away." He
swallowed hard, such openness about his feelings was still very difficult.
"You've helped me start to get past that. The fear is still there - I
still want to run far away where I can't be hurt - but you've taught me
that love is worth the risk. I will be always grateful to you for that."
He looked into Ray's surprised and slightly embarrassed eyes. "A first
reaction only matters if that IS your reaction. You stop and think, and
choose your actions - at least when it really matters."  

They laughed together for a moment. Ray brought Benny's hand to his lips
and kissed his fingers. "I wish we didn't have company - I really want to
take you back to bed."	

Dief's soft whine brought them to their feet. They hurried back to their
patient's bedside. Her eyes were open but whatever she was seeing was not
in the room with them. She twisted under the blanket as if struggling with
someone; little panting crys of pain and outrage escaped her clenched
teeth. Fraser grabbed her wrist to protect the IV line. Her other hand
suddenly shot from beneath the blanket in an open-handed karate punch
which caught him on the side of his face. Weak as she was, the blow pushed
him off balance and he went to his knees beside the bed, still holding her
wrist. Ray grabbed her free arm as she attempted to hit Ben again. The men
held her down on the bed until her strength suddenly deserted her and she
collapsed, sobbing, back onto the pillow.  

"You all right, Benny?"  

Fraser smiled ruefully at his partner and nodded. "I told you she is a
strong-willed person." He turned his attention back to Kate, gently
caressing the most uninjured side of her face. "Kate - it's me. And Ray.
We are not going to hurt you. Look at me, Kate."  

Her eyes fluttered open. "I see you Ben." Her breathing slowed and the men
could feel her relaxing. Ray looked over at Ben questioningly. "Kate,
Ray's going to let go of you now, but if you hit me again I'm going to hit
you back. Okay?"  

She nodded weakly "Fair's fair."  

Ray gingerly lifted himself off her body, not releasing her arm until he
had both feet on the floor. He was dismayed to see the red marks of his
fingers pressed into the flesh of her forearm; he hadn't realized the
strength of grip he had used to control her. The mark on Ben's face looked
to develop into a first class bruise.  

Ben sat on the bed beside her, her hand now gently held between his hands.
Ray could see his lover's face and what he saw worried him. He turned on
his heel and returned to the kitchen for the glass and the bottle. She'd
opened her eyes again by the time he returned and for the first time
realized they had an IV drip running. Ray was startled by the outraged
betrayal on her face.  

She tried to pull her hand from Fraser's grasp. "You lied to me! You
stupid bastard - you've killed us all." Confusion turned to understanding
as Fraser realized what she meant.  

"No," he murmured, pushing her tangled hair away from her face. "Ray did
it. You're safe here. No one knows you're here but us." Fraser continued
talking gently to her, as if calming a spooky horse. Ray poured about half
a glass of the whiskey as he walked up behind Ben. He stopped beside
Fraser, not wanting to see his friend's face as he looked at the woman in
their bed. Ray held the glass out to Fraser.  

"Try to get this down her."  

"You think we should?"	

"We need to do something for her pain Benny. Boosting blood is one thing.
I draw the line at controlled substances." Ben turned to look at him.  

"You stole the blood?"	

"How did you think I got it?" Honestly, the mountie was so dense
sometimes. "The EMTs replenish their ambulance supplies at County all the
time. It was simple to pick up a couple of units. I figure we can give
blood for a few months and we'll be even." Ray squirmed under the
mountie's gaze, expecting to see disappointed accusation in Ben's eyes.
"She had to have it Benny."  

"I know Ray." Fraser suddenly realized part of what had so upset the cop.
The soon-to-be-discarded supplies were one thing. Ray could easily
rationalize scrounging those boxes. But the blood - that was really
stealing. While Ray might talk a good game, pretending to be cynical and
self-centered, Fraser knew he had a deep seated sense of right and wrong
which ultimately guided his actions. Since he'd left his adolescent
flirtation with Frankie Zuko and the 'connected life' behind, Ray had
devoted himself to protecting people and upholding the law. The events of
this evening had set him up for some very deep seated conflicts.  

Kate had drifted off again. Fraser stood and took the liquor from Ray,
setting the bottle and glass on the nightstand. "Ray - I don't know what
to say. You did that for someone you don't even know. . ."  

Still defensive, Ray backed up a step. "Hey - it's no big deal. Don't make
something" his words were cut off by Benny's lips on his. The mountie's
mouth moved insistently over Ray's lips, sensually claiming every part of
the cop's attention. They stood for a moment in each other's arms.  

"Ray."	

Vecchio rested his head on Benny's shoulder, his eyes closed, listening to
the heartbeat of the most important person in his world. "Hmm?"  

"You have been so", Ben searched for the right words, "good, through all
this. Of course," Ben grinned mischievously and put one hand under Ray's
shirt to stroke his chest, following the crinkly line of hair down to his
flat belly for a feather light caress, "you are always good."  

Ray's arms tightened around Fraser's body. He kissed the side of Ben's
neck, then the mark of Kate's hand on his face. "So are you Benny, so are
you." They slowly ended the embrace and returned to the bedside.  

"The problem is going to be getting the whisky down her without choking
her. Maybe we could roll up a blanket or something to prop her up on?"	

"Why don't you hold her? Look Benny," Vecchio gathered the blanket around
her and lifted her from the mattress, "you sit on the bed, leaning against
the headboard." Ben looked skeptical. "Just do it, okay?" Ben settled
himself as directed and Ray very gently laid Kate across his lap, her head
pillowed on Ben's shoulder. "See, she's upright enough to drink, if we can
wake her up, and the IV line is safe. Are you comfortable?"  

Fraser looked with amazement at his lover who had just deposited a
beautiful, naked woman in his arms. "Yes Ray, I'm fine."  

"Good." Ray pulled another blanket from the closet shelf and draped it
over them both. "She seemed a little cold. I'll go out tomorrow - this
morning rather - and pick up some clothes for her. Frannie's always making
me get stuff for her - I'm immune to the embarrassment anymore."  

The tentative stirring of the woman in his arms distracted Fraser from his
contemplation of his lover's incredible character. Ray handed him the
glass of whisky and pulled the chair back up beside the bed. If she went
off on them again he wanted to be close enough to help immediately. She
choked a little on the first sip, but readily accepted the second taste
when it was offered.  

As the liquor took the edge off her pain, she opened her eyes and took a
bigger drink. "Slowly now," Fraser cautioned. "Can you tell me what's
happened?"  

She nodded slowly. "Why are you in Chicago? How did you find me?"  

"Benny, keep it simple for now. We need to find out what to expect."  

"Of course, Ray." Fraser nodded his agreement, deferring his curiosity to
another time. She took another sip of the whisky.  

"We came to coordinate a drug buy. A big drug buy. We've been in town
about two weeks. Stayed at the Drake." She smiled at the thought, "Best
room service this side of New York." Her voice trailed off.  

"Kate. Stay with us a little longer. What happened?"  

Ben looked over to Ray who was rummaging in the first aid kit. "Gotcha!"
He reached over and snapped an ammonia ampule in front of her face. She
coughed as the fumes stung her eyes and throat.  

"You were at the Drake. With whom?" Fraser was gently insistent.  

"My partner, Andrew Davis. We made our contacts - arranged the buy.
Everything was going fine. Andrew worried it was too smooth. I told him
that sometimes things did actually work out right." Her soft laugh was
bitter.  

"The buy was tonight. Warehouse by the river near the rail yard, on
Hudson. We got there - the buy went fine. The capture team didn't roll. I
thought something had gone wrong with the wire. We started to walk out. .
." she paused for a breath. From his seat Ray could see how difficult this
was for her.  

"Suddenly everyone had guns out. We ran for the door. Everyone was
shooting. We got a couple, then I was hit. Andrew came back to help me and
was wounded too. There were too many of them." She took a wavering breath,
fighting back tears of rage and weakness, struggling to give a coherent
account to her audience, to make a decent debriefing report. Ben offered
another sip of whiskey.  

"I must have fainted - the next thing I'm clear about - one of	

them was holding me up and two men were beating Andrew. They asked about
our original briefing. Who knew what about the operation. When he wouldn't
tell them what they wanted to hear they started on me."  

She had a wad of blanket crushed in her hand. Ray impulsively reached out
and patted it comfortingly. His touch seemed to draw her back to her
story. She transferred her hold from the blanket to his hand.  

"I was laying on the floor. Andrew was face down on the concrete. His eyes
were open; I could see his fingers move a little so I knew he was still
alive. Then a man pulled him up on his knees by his hair, and shot him in
the head." The horror of the moment was clear in her eyes. She sobbed
suddenly and Ben's arm tightened around her. Quite naturally he kissed her
forehead, murmuring soothing noises. Ray was distracted from that by her
nails digging into his hand.  

"That's enough for now. She should rest Benny."  

"No - you've got to know." She calmed herself by an act of will. "Most
everyone had gone by then. The murderer told one of the men to finish me
off and clean up the mess. They walked off. It seemed like a long time. I
heard the man coming back. He pulled me off the floor and dragged me over
beside Andrew. He kissed me." Ray's hand tightened on hers; he had a
sinking feeling he knew what was going to be next.  

"He threw me down in Andrew's blood. He stood over me, unfastening his
pants, telling me what he was going to do." She smiled a feral, savage
smile. "They didn't find my knife. He laid on me, started pulling at my
clothes, and I gutted him. He squealed like a stuck pig. He rolled off me
and started begging for a doctor.  

"I crawled away, managed to get on my feet and got to his car. I didn't
know where to go - where would be safe. Then I thought of you. Ben, the
man who shot Andrew - was our station chief. That's why we can't call the
lifeguard. I don't know who to trust." Her strength was nearly exhausted.
"Maybe tomorrow, when I can think, I can figure out a safe line. I want to
get very drunk and go to sleep now. Please Ben."  

Fraser gladly gave her the rest of the whiskey in the glass and held it
out to Ray for a refill. "Benny - we've got to find that car!" Ray stopped
the glass before it touched her lips again and for the first time said her
name. "Kate - where did you leave the car? I need to find it - get rid of
it."  

She focused blearily on his face, "'S on the street. Dark, four doors . .
.take something to put on the seat." Fraser gave her the last of the
liquor. She drank it down all at once, sighed and passed out. Ray helped
Fraser get her settled in the bed and the friends left Dief to keep an eye
on her.  

Ray looked at his watch. "How is it only four a.m.? I feel like I've been
up for a week." He rubbed his face, stretched hard, trying to loosen the
tense muscles in his back, then grabbed his coat.  

"Ray." Fraser held out his leather jacket. "Wear this instead. And take
these." He rummaged under the sink for a package of plastic trash bags.
"She's right. You're going to need something to put over the seat."  

Ray checked his handgun and slipped the holster into his waistband, then
let Benny help him into the jacket. He patted him on the back a couple of
times. "We are going to have to have a serious talk later. Do you have
your RCMP revolver here?"  

"It's locked in the office safe."  

"Shit. Come down with me - my backup piece is in the Riv. It won't take
two minutes. And don't give me any grief about it not being legal for you
to have it. We don't know what's going on here and I don't want to leave
you unprotected."  

To Ray's surprise, Fraser just nodded and waved him toward the door.
Diefenbaker watched them go out together.  

On the street, Ray rummaged under the front seat of his beloved '71
Riviera. Eventually he pulled out a short-barrelled .38 pistol and a box
of ammunition. He pressed them into Benny's hands. "I'll be back soon." He
pulled his key ring from his pocket, removing the Riv's ignition key. "In
case you need transportation while I'm gone. And Fraser?" Ben looked from
the weapon to the key, then back into his friend's green eyes. "Try not to
shoot me when I come in the door."  

"Understood, Ray."  

The cop watched until Fraser was back inside the apartment building, then
headed up the street to a rather haphazardly parked vehicle. When he
opened the driver's door he was glad Benny was not there to see it. He
quickly spread trash bags over the seat and put one down on the floor to
try to keep his shoes out of the blood there. The engine caught on the
turn of the key and Ray Vecchio drove away, heading toward the rail yards
near the river.  

He wanted to find this place, partly to make sure that the people she
thought dead were, and partly to, well, just to see the crime scene. He
laughed softly to himself. "It's a cop thing."	

Besides, he figured there would be a good place to abandon the car in that
area, and there was an all night bus route serving the adjacent industrial
district. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to walk very far in the rain to
catch a bus.  

Vecchio drove slowly toward the warehouse she had described. He parked in
the shadow of the building, keeping careful lookout for anyone else in the
area. The cop entered the warehouse, using his flashlight sparingly. The
last thing he needed was to attract the attention of either the people who
had wounded Kate, or a passing patrol car. He wasn't prepared for a fire
fight on the one hand, and he certainly didn't want to have to explain
what he was doing driving a blood soaked car. The warehouse didn't seem to
have been used for anything for a while. He was beginning to wonder if it
was all just a fantastic story concocted to cover who knew what, when he
caught the faintest scent of cordite in the air. He quartered the floor
again and was rewarded by the sound of a shell casing skittering across
the concrete when he scuffed it with his shoe. He picked it up and smelled
it. "Damn! I'm getting as bad as Fraser!" Someone had been there and
cleaned away the evidence of the fight. He reached for his cell phone to
call for a forensics team, then remembered that to get them out on a rainy
Saturday morning he'd have to admit to knowing something had gone down.
Then the shit would hit the fan for sure.  

As much as it hurt his policeman's instincts and inclinations, he could do
nothing about this situation at the moment. At least he now knew the
address, and the blood stains on the floor would wait a few days if need
be. He'd promised Benny no cops, and he'd stand by that a little longer.  

Ray returned to the car and drove to an even more deserted area along the
river. He used a stick to jam the accelerator pedal down and let the car
drive itself into the water. With luck it wouldn't be found for a few
days, by which time the whole situation would be settled. He headed toward
the bus stop through the steadily falling cold spring rain.  

Saturday 0600 hours  

By the time the detective returned to the apartment he was worn out,
soaked to the skin, and looking forward to some sleep. He trudged up the
stairs, almost pulling himself by the handrail.  

When he tapped softly at the door he heard a little scuffle from inside
the apartment. Ray flattened himself against the wall, his handgun drawn
and ready. He turned the door knob and gently eased the door open, trying
to hear what was going on in the apartment over the sudden hammering of
his heart. Vecchio stamped on the panicked thoughts racing around his
mind. They had to be okay - Ben had to be okay. He carefully pushed the
door completely open. The lights were off, but the gray morning light
shone softly through the kitchen window. Nothing was moving inside.  

He took a couple of deep breaths to get pumped for the run and rushed
through the door, performing a shoulder roll that took him to the kitchen
counter and up on one knee in position to check through the bedroom door
and back to the apartment door in one quick look.  

Fraser stood against the wall beside the door, the borrowed .38 cocked and
aimed, ready to fire. The men stared wide-eyed at each other over their
gunsights for a moment, then relaxed as they recognized each other. Ray
collapsed back against the counter, his 9mm held loosely in his lap. Ben
uncocked the .38 and returned it to his waistband before turning to close
the door. He reached out into the hall to pick up the white bag Ray had
dropped. He put the bag on the counter and joined Ray on the floor.  

"Goddammit Benny - you scared me to death." Ray's hands and voice were
shaking in physical reaction to the adrenaline still flooding his body.  

"But I didn't shoot you." They grinned at each other.  

"No, and don't think I'm not grateful." Ray patted Benny's knee. "How's
our patient?"  

Fraser got to his feet and offered Ray a hand up. "About the same. I think
it's time to change bandages and hang the second unit of blood."  

Ray wearily grasped Benny's hand and let him pull him to his feet. Ben
helped him off with the jacket, hanging it over the back of a chair. They
collected the blood from the fridge and headed into the bedroom. Ray
exchanged the blood pack, reducing the flow rate. He checked her vital
signs, finding the carotid pulse easily this time. By the time they were
finished, Ray was weaving on his feet and shivering uncontrollably.  

Ben led him over to where the bedroll was laid out against the wall.
Fraser quickly got Ray stripped to his boxers and t-shirt, helped him into
the bedroll, pulling an extra blanket over him. "Get some sleep, Ray."
Fraser laid down beside him, lending his body heat to hasten the warming
process. Ray curled up next to Ben and was asleep almost instantly.  

Vecchio was dreaming. He thought he heard Fraser calling him from far
away, needing him. But he was encased in something which would not let him
run. He gradually became aware of a hand on his shoulder shaking him. Ray
opened gummy eyelids to focus blearily on Fraser crouching beside him.
"What?", he croaked querulously. "What time is it?"  

"A little after noon. I'm sorry to wake you Ray, but I didn't want to
leave without you knowing."  

Ray struggled to sit up. "'S all right." He yawned hugely. "Where are you
going?"  

"We need some groceries. And I think she's running a fever. I thought I'd
go to Mr. Xiao - get some medicine from him. He's not exactly a doctor. .
."  

"So you won't be 'exactly' breaking your promise. Sounds good to me. You
still have the Riv's key?"  

"I was going to take the bus."	

Ray looked disgusted. "Take the Riv. Just don't hit anything - or blow it
up, okay?"  

Fraser tucked the detective back under the blanket with a little kiss.
"Thank you kindly, Ray. Go back to sleep. Diefenbaker will let you know if
you're needed." He watched Ray's eyes flutter closed before heading for
the door, a little nervous to be driving the Riveria. The click of the
door closing barely registered before Ray was deeply asleep again.  

He was running along a train platform, desperate to head Benny off before
he ruined his life. There they were ahead of him-- climbing into the
European-style train compartment, laughing together. His gun was in his
hand; he had no memory of drawing it. He ran and ran, but was making no
headway. The train would be pulling out soon, taking Benny and the woman
away, out of his life. Suddenly he seemed to have covered the distance in
a thought. He was standing directly across from the compartment. Benny was
still standing on the platform, holding her hand, laughing up at her. He
turned toward Ray, smiling the most open, happy smile Ray had ever seen on
his face. "Benny, no!"	

"Sorry, Ray, gotta go." Benny gave a jaunty little wave and turned back
toward the woman. Ray raised his gun and aimed at Victoria, began to yell
"Halt, Police!", and his heart stopped in his body. His aim never wavered,
but his heart had stopped. Kate smiled and waved to him with one hand as
she aimed a pistol at him with the other. Benny was still turning and
couldn't see the weapon in her hand.  

"Drop it-you're under arrest!" Her smile didn't change at Ray's shouted
warning; he could see her finger tightening on the trigger. Oh, no! Not
again! This couldn't be happening again! He tried to lower his gun, but
the commands were not getting to his hand from his brain. Benny started to
pull himself aboard the train as it began to roll away. The sound of the
gunshots was. . .  

Diefenbaker's cold nose pressed against his cheek and the wolf whined in
that particularly unpleasant high-pitched whine which is just barely
within the range of human hearing. Ray jerked awake, breathing hard. He
sat up so quickly that he startled the wolf into bounding several feet
back from him. "Son of a bitch!" He scrubbed at his face and tried to calm
his breathing. Ray looked over at the wolf who watched him with what could
only be termed a wary and baleful eye. "Sorry, Dief. Damn! I haven't had
that dream in a long time."  

He got on his feet and headed for the bathroom to throw some cold water on
his face. He found his trousers hanging to dry in the shower. He pulled
them on and padded back into the bedroom, acutely aware that he was really
hungry. He glanced at his watch. "Almost four. Do you need to go out?" The
wolf leaped up and rushed the apartment door. "Well, I guess that answers
that. You know, Dief, I never used to talk to animals like this. I think
Fraser's been a bad influence."  

After letting the wolf out, Ray went into the kitchen looking for
something edible. The sack he'd brought back from his early morning trip
to the river was still on the counter where Fraser had put it. He
scrounged in the fridge for leftovers from their supper the night before.
Could it really be less than twentyfour hours ago? And where the hell was
Benny? And the Riv?  

He returned to the bedroom to check on Kate, bringing his glass of water
with him. He gently removed the IV needle from her arm and covered the
spot with a bandaid. He was pleased to see that she looked stronger. But
she did seem to be running a fever. She was flushed and a sheen of sweat
covered her face and neck as she moved restlessly under the blanket. He
went to the bathroom, returning with a hand towel rung out in cold water
from the tap. Ray gently wiped her face with the towel, careful of her
injuries. "You are going to have some spectacular bruises, lady." He
washed her arm, hoping the cold towel would draw some of the heat from her
system. He moved around to the other side of the bed and repeated his
actions. When he wiped her forehead she seemed to wake up a little, at
least enough to try to move away from the towel.  

"It's all right Kate. I'm just trying to make you more comfortable. Come
on, relax." He spoke to her in the same gentle tone he used when one of
his nieces or nephews was sick. Her eyes fluttered open, not quite
focusing, but looking toward him, at least. Ray slipped a hand behind her
head to support her as he offered her a drink from his glass. She drank
most of the water, giving him a little smile of gratitude as he gently
lowered her head back onto the pillow. He put the glass back on the table.
"So, you're back with us? Benny's gone to the store, but he should be back
any time." Ray watched her for some sign of comprehension, but she just
stared at him. Thinking she didn't look very comfortable with her hair in
a snarled mess around her head, he raised her off the pillow enough to
gather it up and smooth it all to one side.  

"There, is that better? Maybe tomorrow we can try to get the blood washed
out of it."  

Kate made to lift her hand from the mattress; she succeeded in moving her
fingers. He took her hand gently in his; it seemed insubstantial, almost
boneless. She tried to speak, he bent down to place his ear close to her
lips. "What are you doing here, Pauli? You're dead."  

Vecchio straightened quickly, but she had already exhausted her strength
and was again unconscious. He released her hand and backed away from the
bed to stand staring at this person who had invaded his life.  

Vecchio straightened quickly, but she had already exhausted her strength
and was again unconscious. He released her hand and backed away from the
bed to stand staring at this person who had invaded his life.  

He heard the apartment door open behind him and hurried over to help Ben
carry in an assortment of bags. Working together, they quickly had the
groceries put away and Ben started brewing an assortment of concoctions on
the stove.  

"What is this stuff, Benny?" Vecchio tried to move downwind of the stove,
but in the small kitchen, there was no escaping the odors beginning to
perfume the air.  

"Oh, various poultices and teas for fever and infection and general
energy, Ray. Mr. Xiao was very generous with his time and supplies."
Fraser stirred one pot and then strained part of its contents into two
coffee cups. "He sent this especially for you." Ray shot him a questioning
look. "Well, I mentioned you had gotten soaked in the rain this morning
and he was concerned that you would take a chill." Benny advanced on Ray,
offering a cup. "Don't be a baby about this. I'm going to drink some too.
You know, my grandmother used to brew up something that smelled very
similar - a recipe she got from an Inuit woman she knew. Grandmother
always said the Inuit and Chinese had some amazingly similar practices and
stories. There is this one story . . ."  

Ray grabbed at the cup, "All right, all right! I'll drink it, just no
Inuit stories right now, okay?"  

Fraser hid his smile behind his own cup of tea.  

A while later they were finishing off the last of the leftovers and some
deli food Fraser had brought home. Ray rose and cleared the plates to the
counter. He picked up the white sack and returned to his seat, placing it
carefully in the middle of the table. The men sat for a bit, looking at
the bedraggled bag. Finally, Ray looked over at Ben.  

"You looked in this?"  

Benny nodded. "I thought it might need refrigeration. I expected
doughnuts. . ."  

Ray pushed the bag over on its side and picked it up from the bottom. A
large, bloody knife fell out onto the tabletop.  

"I found it on the car seat. Damned near impaled myself on it. I take it
this it the knife she used on the guy?"  

"I expect so, Ray. She'll be glad to have it back. It's something of a
family heirloom."  

Exasperation was clear in every syllable Vecchio spoke. "Heirloom! Wedding
lace and silver teapots are heirlooms! This is a damned murder weapon!"  

"It was self defense, Ray."  

Ray took himself in hand. "You are not going to distract me from the real
issue here, Benny. We're in this mess to our eyeballs. Okay - she's an old
friend of yours. Someone wants her dead. From the looks of her, a lot of
someones have wanted her dead. I want some answers. Who is she? Where do
you know her from? Who does she work for? Am I going to have to go into
the witness protection program - which if it got me away from Frannie,
might not be too bad? And just how the hell does she know my middle name?"
 

Fraser had begun to look a little like Dief when he was being scolded,
sort of scrunching up his eyes and settling into himself, just waiting for
the tirade to be over. The last question surprised him. "Your name, Ray?" 


"Yes, my middle name. She looked right at me and said, 'What are you doing
here, Pauli? You're dead.', or something to that effect anyway. She
definitely called me by my name."  

Ben laid his hand on Ray's forearm, "I have no idea, Ray. You'll have to
ask her." He poured some tea into his cup. "As to the rest - there's a lot
I don't know, but I don't think she would object to me giving you some
background."  

Vecchio settled back in his chair with the air of a man prepared to listen
for a long time. He watched every nuance of emotion that crossed Ben's
face, trying to figure out just what the long term results of this
encounter would be for them.  

"We met two summers before I came to Chicago. I was filling in for the
regular constable - he'd had an altercation with some tourists and a
mother grizzly bear that spring. Twisted Knife is up in the Territories -
beautiful country, Ray. You should see it someday. Her family owns land in
the area and she came for a vacation. I guess you could say we hit it off.
Diefenbaker liked her immediately. They have a most remarkable rapport."
Fraser smiled. "She says it's because she has a lot of wolf in her."  

"And?"	

"Well, we, uh, eventually, we . . ." A blush began to color Fraser's face
as he tried to think of a discrete way to tell his lover about his
previous lover. He could not believe he, Benton Fraser, RCMP, was in this
situation.  

Ray broke in, "Eventually she tripped you and beat you to the floor? Is
that what you're trying to tell me, Benny?"  

The coarseness of the image shocked Ben deeply. "No, it wasn't like that,
Ray. She was hurting when we met. I didn't know anything about her then,
but I could tell she'd had some terrible experiences. There was an awful
darkness about her - some great sadness she couldn't escape. We were
friends. Just friends. Gradually, I could tell she was healing."  

Ray spread his hands on the table top, bracketing the bloody knife. He
looked up and just waited for Fraser to continue, keeping his expression
carefully neutral.  

"We were picnicking one day. She asked me if I didn't find her
attractive." Ben laughed softly at the memory. "She asked if I was gay.
Because I'd never made a pass at her, never taken advantage of the
openings she'd offered for something more than a hug. She said she didn't
care - she just wanted to know if she should keep hoping or be happy with
our friendship as it was." His voice trailed off. He didn't want to hurt
Ray, never Ray. He stood and went to the window, staring down at the alley
three floors below. It had begun to rain again. Fraser leaned his forehead
against the glass and shut his eyes on the view.  

Ray watched him for a few minutes, confused and hurt and afraid. Was Benny
trying to figure out a way to tell him that he'd loved Kate? Still loved
her? Would always love her? 'Thanks very much Ray, it's been fun, but now
that this woman has come back in my life, well-you understand.' Vecchio,
he told himself, what can you expect? You've always known you weren't good
enough for Benny - not nearly good enough to be a permanent part of his
life. When are you going to grow up, you stupid bastard? His eyes swam
with unshed tears, blurring his vision. It didn't matter anyway. He was
looking inward at his future and not liking what he saw. Ray was so sunk
in misery that he was unaware when Ben turned from the window at the sound
of his heartbroken sigh. The mountie crossed to his side, kneeling beside
his chair to embrace him.  

Ray leaned against him for a moment, too miserable to think of anything
except that this would be the last time he'd be enveloped in Ben's arms,
hear his heart beat like this. He gradually became aware of Ben's voice
murmuring soothingly, one hand drawing gentle patterns across his back. He
began to be able to hear the words which had been washing over him in an
unintelligible babble.	

"We made love that afternoon, Ray. She was so beautiful. It was something
we both wanted, that we could give each other. It was wonderful. The most
wonderful experience I'd had." Ben moved a little apart from Ray so that
he could look into his eyes. "The most wonderful experience I ever had
until I met you. I love you Ray. I intend to spend the rest of my life
loving you." He kissed him very gently, not asking for more than Ray could
give at that moment, but offering every bit of himself.  

Ray could feel the hard knot of anxiety that had taken the place of his
heart slowly relax. As the tender kiss ended he hugged Ben fiercely, then
sat back to look at him. He wanted to impress this image on his memory so
that, no matter what happened in the future, he would always have this to
pull out and look at. It was amazing that Benny could love him, but he'd
said it, and Benny didn't lie.	

"Okay, Benny. Get off the floor and tell me the rest."	

Fraser looked deeply into Ray's eyes. They were once more the clear green
he loved, the shadows at bay, his uncertainties a little more at rest. Ben
got to his feet and pulled his chair around so he could sit next to Ray.  

"We had almost another six weeks together. I could see, when we were
making love, the scars - well, you've seen . . ."  

Ray nodded, "Yeah, it looks like she's had an interesting life."  

Fraser absorbed that phrase, nodded and continued. "I was waiting for her
to tell me. Then, one day we were at her house and she got a telephone
call." A shadow crossed his face at the memory. "She was upset. She was
shouting at whoever it was on the phone, using the most shocking language.
I went to her to see what was wrong. When she'd calmed down she explained.
She had worked for a special security agency - apparently multi-national.
She's never told me more than that. She quit them just before she came to
Twisted Knife. I gathered she'd left not on the best of terms. But her
chief was the one on the phone. Anyway, he wanted her to come back to
work. He said she'd had enough R&R and he needed her."	

"Did he threaten her? Coerce her?"  

"No, not at all. You see, Ray, what had so upset her was that she wanted
to go back. I had been noticing that she seemed restless. She was pushing
harder, driving faster, taking more chances when we were rock climbing.
Little things, but definite signs. We talked about it as much as we could
considering how much she couldn't say. Eventually she called him back and
told him she'd be in after Labor Day."	

"She left you?" Ray was aghast. How could anyone leave Benny? It was
blasphemous!  

Fraser smiled at his reaction. "My assignment was up the first of
September. So it was really more like I was leaving her. We already knew
that. Ray, we never expected our relationship to last. Not on a permanent,
everyday basis. She made sure we were clear on that the very first time.
Anyway, we enjoyed the time we had together and the first of September I
left for my new post and she left for her family home in the States. I'd
get postcards every once in a while from all over the world. We met a
couple of times for a few days. But we're still friends first. I hope you
understand - that it doesn't upset you too much."  

Ray considered it for a bit, then leaned over to kiss Fraser. "I won't say
there aren't still some questions I'd like answered, but I can go with it
for now. She is one of the good guys?"	

Fraser nodded, "Oh, yes, Ray. Definitely one of the good guys."  

Sunday Morning 0030 hours  

Ben felt Ray leave the bedroll. He turned his head to watch him move
quietly to the bed, rubbing Dief's ears as he passed him. Ray sat on the
edge of the bed beside Kate. She was dreaming, moving restlessly under the
covers, muttering something he couldn't quite catch. He smoothed her hair
away from her face; she didn't react to his touch. Somewhat wary, he
captured her hand in his. "Kate. Kate, it's all right. You're safe here.
It's all right." He repeated this litany until she quieted. He stayed
beside her a little longer, then returned to the bedroll.  

Fraser drew him close beside him. "You're freezing!"  

"Yeah, well, if you lived somewhere with decent central heating."  

"There'd be no excuse to do this." Fraser began briskly rubbing Ray's
torso as he slowly moved to cover him with his body. Ray slipped his cold
hands around Ben to warm them against his skin, gently sliding them under
the waistband of his boxers to caress the soft skin of his butt.  

Fraser's mouth moved insistently over Ray's throat, up his jawline, across
to his mouth. He nibbled Ray's lower lip, sucking it. Just as his tongue
slipped into Ray's mouth, Fraser's hand glided down Ray's body, into his
boxers and around his cock. Ray was instantly, passionately erect, moaning
into Fraser's mouth. As Benny's hand began its expert massage, Ray
caressed and kneaded the smooth flesh beneath his hands.  

Ben released his lips and trailed a line of soft kisses around to Ray's
ear. "Just lie back," he whispered. "You've done so much already - let me
do this for you." He kissed and sucked the earlobe, running his tongue
around the curve of the ear as he pushed Ray's boxers off his body. Ben
covered his lover with kisses, nipping and tasting his way down his body,
his hand never faltering in its attention to his cock. Ray balanced on the
edge of orgasm, breathing in little gasps and moans.  

Fraser slid farther down Ray's body, kissing the soft skin of his belly,
feeling the muscles clenching under his lips. Ray had one hand tangled in
Fraser's hair, totally lost in the sensations Fraser's lips and hands were
generating in his body. Ben kissed the tender skin of Ray's inner thigh,
then his cock, slowly taking it into his mouth as he gently manipulated
his balls. Each light touch increased the excitement; Ray felt as if his
identity was dissolving in the heat of Fraser's inspired mouth. He was
beyond anticipation or particular desire, utterly unable to do anything
but experience whatever Benny chose to do to him.  

Fraser increased the friction of his hand and mouth on the cop's straining
cock. He was very close now; Ben could feel it. At the last moment he
pushed two fingers into Ray's ass, massaging his prostate gland. With a
hoarse cry, Ray thrust into Ben's mouth as he gave himself up to the most
convulsive orgasm he had ever experienced.  

Ben swallowed quickly, maintaining the exquisite friction to prolong the
moment as long as possible. Ray fell back almost totally exhausted. Ben
moved to lie beside him, gathered Ray into his arms, and they were
immediately asleep.  

Sunday 0730 hrs  

Ben woke slowly, listening to Ray move around the apartment. He lay
quietly, enjoying the sense of peace he felt. He opened his eyes as Ray
knelt beside him.  

"Morning, Benny. Coffee?" Ray set the cup on the floor beside Fraser.  

"You're dressed."  

"Yeah, if I go now I'll get home while everyone's at 8 o'clock mass. I
want to get some clothes and other stuff. I'll be back in a couple of
hours."  

Ben visibly relaxed. "I was afraid you were leaving."  

Ray bent to kiss him, taking his time, putting his heart and soul into it.
 

"How could I ever leave you, Benny?" He smoothed Ben's hair back from his
forehead, "Thank you for last night. It was wonderful." He dropped a kiss
on his forehead, "I'll be back soon." He left the apartment quietly,
leaving Ben to his coffee and his thoughts.  

Sometime later Fraser carried a pan of Mr. Xiao's wound medicine to the
bedside. The fever seemed to have lessened; Kate appeared to be naturally
asleep, a good sign he hoped. He gently removed the bandages covering the
bullet wound. It was a simple in and out wound, just catching her side
below the ribs. It had missed anything vital, but she had lost a lot of
blood. Ben shook his head as he laid the medicine soaked cloth over the
wounds.  

"Lucky," her soft voice startled him. He looked up into her eyes. For the
first time since she fell into his arms, he thought she was completely
awake and coherent.  

"Kate!" The look of relief on his face warmed her. He leaned down and
gently kissed her cheek. "You scared me half to death. How is this
'lucky'?"  

"That the guy couldn't shoot, that it wasn't a .357, that you were here.
Lucky to be alive. I'm sorry to have involved you in this mess, Ben." Her
grey eyes suddenly swan with tears.  

Aghast, he gathered her carefully into his arms, rocking her gently.
"Kate, it's all right. Hush, now. You've got to rest, to get your strength
back." Ben held her until she lay quietly in his arms. He carefully moved
her to the bedroll. "Rest here for a few minutes so I can change the bed,
okay?" She nodded weakly, not really caring where she was. Diefenbaker
laid down beside her, pushing his nose under her hand. Fraser quickly
gathered the blood stained sheets into a pile and flipped the mattress
before remaking it. In only a few minutes he was settling her back on the
bed.  

He went into the kitchen and brought back a cup of Mr. Xiao's tea. To his
relief, she simply took a deep breath and drank it down. "I didn't know
you were practicing Chinese herbalism, Ben."  

He was somewhat concerned about her reaction, but fessed up anyway. "A
friend in Chinatown provided the medicine. We had to have something for
your fever. I told him only what he had to know to prescribe. We can trust
him. Ray and I saved him from an extortionist last year."  

"Is there any more?"  

"You like it?"	

She shook her head. "It's vile - but it works. I've used it before. I've
got to get on my feet and get out of here, before they find me."  

Ben brought her another cup of the stuff. "We'll keep you here as long as
you need a place to stay. Ray's gone home to get some clothes, but he'll
be back soon. We're going to figure out how at least one of us can be with
you at all times. We've got vacation time. Don't worry about it."  

She drank down the last of the tea and settled back onto the pillow. Ben
took her hand, enfolding it in his, willing strength into her body.  

"Ben, they know I left there alive. They can't stop looking until they
have a body. This is very big - I don't know how high in the organization
the corruption goes, but they cannot afford to leave me loose. I need to
get out of Chicago. Get somewhere safe." The sound of the apartment door
opening cut her off. She froze, wishing for a gun.  

Ben took the borrowed .38 from his waistband and silently moved to the
doorway to get a view of the exterior door.  

SUNDAY 10:30 a.m.  

"It's Ray."  

He relaxed, returning the pistol to its place at the small of his back. He
crossed back to the bed in time to see her slip off to sleep, her slender
reserves of strength depleted again. Fraser tucked the blanket more
securely around her before closing the apartment door after the cop who
was carrying a suitcase, the Sunday paper, and a bakery box, to which Dief
immediately laid siege.  

Ray had used his time at home to shower and shave. He'd changed into jeans
and one of his least garish shirts. Ben took his suitcase and put it near
the bedroll. He returned to the kitchen in time to catch Ray giving Dief a
glazed doughnut. They both looked so sheepish Fraser couldn't bring
himself to scold. Instead he settled at the kitchen table with a cup of
coffee and carefully chose a chocolate covered pastry for his snack.  

Ray nodded toward the bedroom. "So how is she?"  

"Asleep again, but better. She drank two cups of Mr. Xiao's tea." Fraser
looked up from the pastry he was pulling into little pieces on the napkin
before him. "She would have died without your help, Ray. How can I ever
thank you?"  

Embarrassed, Vecchio tried to be off-hand. "We serve and protect - it's
what I do." He saw a disappointed look flit across Fraser's features and
knew he had to get over his need to present an uninvolved, flippant facade
to the world and to himself. He had to stop pretending things didn't
matter to him. With a deep breath, he pushed himself to do it before he
could chicken out.  

"Benny, I'm sorry." The strain in his voice caught Fraser's attention; he
looked over at Ray, curious and concerned.  

"You are very welcome. But there's no thanks necessary. She's important to
you, that makes her important to me." He took Ben's hand, oblivious to the
chocolate on his fingers. "I would do anything to make you happy." Ray
stared into Ben's blue eyes, trying to impress him with the depth of his
commitment. "Anything at all."	

Ray rose to get a refill for the coffee cups. Ben caught his hand,
pressing the back of it to his cheek. "You have chocolate on your
fingers." He very gently licked at the index finger, slowly drawing it
into his mouth, tongue swirling around it to remove the foreign material.
He methodically cleaned all of Ray's fingers in the same way, enjoying the
effect his actions were having on his partner. After his initial surprise,
Ray found the process supremely enjoyable; indeed, he was beginning to
have a hard time staying still. His knees felt weak, his breathing was
fast and shallow, a tightness was spreading through his groin. Ben
finished with a final lick to his palm and a sharp nip to the web of skin
between his thumb and fingers.	

Ray ran his free hand through Benny's thick black hair. "You need a bigger
apartment." He bent to kiss his partner, coaxing his lips open with his
tongue. Vecchio slowly ended the kiss with one last languorous suck of
Fraser's lower lip.  

The friends spent the remainder of the day quietly. Later in the afternoon
they decided that Fraser should take Diefenbaker for his usual walk
through the neighborhood, to keep his routine as normal as possible. Ray
began preparations for supper while they were gone.  

He was finding that he enjoyed these culinary exercises, and that he was a
pretty good cook. Helping his mother all those years had taught him quite
a bit about food, and Benny was always an appreciative recipient of his
efforts. Today he was making soup. He'd thought about what they could feed
Kate, something nourishing, but not too hard to deal with. Soup seemed
perfect. He remembered his Ma feeding him soup whenever he was sick. It
always made him feel better. Once it was simmering on the back burner, he
took some coffee and his book back into the bedroom where he could keep an
eye on their patient while he read.  

We have got to get a decent chair in here, he told himself as he tried
unsuccessfully to get comfortable on the straight backed kitchen chair. He
was soon engrossed in Fraser's copy of Tacitus. Eventually he became aware
of being watched. He looked over the top of the book, meeting her puzzled
eyes. He moved the ribbon bookmark to his place and left the book on the
chair as he moved to the bed.  

"Hello again. How are you feeling?" Ray felt her forehead; she was still a
little warm, but he thought she was getting better.  

Kate looked around the room, finally managing to whisper, "Ben?"  

"He took Dief for a walk. They should be back anytime." He smiled, trying
to reassure her. "I'm Ray, is there something I can do for you?"  

She looked uncomfortable and embarrassed. "I remember you. I'm sorry . . .
I really need to go to the bathroom."  

This was a problem the detective hadn't considered. He looked around the
apartment, his eyes finding the flannel shirt Ben had worn the previous
day where it was laying across the bedroll. He brought it over to the bed.
 

"I'll try not to hurt you." She opened her eyes when he returned to her
side, not understanding what he meant. Ray carefully raised her from the
pillow, the blanket still wrapped around her. He drew one of her arms
through a sleeve of the shirt, brought the shirt around her and got her
other arm in the sleeve. Supporting her against his chest, he managed to
get her into the shirt and get it buttoned without exposing her body for
more than a second. The shirt fit her like a nightgown, the sleeves ending
well past her fingertips. Vecchio rolled the cuffs up to her wrists, then
stood, carefully picked her up and carried her into the bathroom. He put
her on her feet and helped her to the toilet.  

"Will you be all right? Do I need to stay?"  

She leaned against the wall, her eyes closed briefly. "I think I'll be
okay for a minute or two." She looked up at him from behind the curtain of
her tangled hair, smiling a little.  

"I'll be right outside the door." He left, pulling the door shut, staying
outside, just as he said. When he heard the toilet flush, he opened the
door as she took a tottering step toward it. Vecchio caught her as she
collapsed, cradling her in his arms as he returned her to the bed. He
carefully settled her back in place, drawing the sheet and blanket over
her before returning to his book. When the Mountie and wolf returned he
was dividing his time, reading a chapter and watching her sleep.  

They ate a quiet supper, enjoying the rare opportunity to just be
together. When Kate woke up they coaxed her to drink more of Mr. Xiao's
tea and most of a bowl of Ray's soup. The evening wound down to its
uneventful close, which Ray pointed out was exactly what they needed to
recover from the previous 48 hours.  

Monday Morning 0700 hours  

Fraser was pacing the apartment restlessly. "I should arrange to stay home
today, Ray. I don't feel right leaving you here to deal with this."  

Ray herded him to the kitchen table. "Here's your coffee, Benny. And some
of that healthy stuff you keep for breakfast." He shuddered delicately.
"To quote my Ma, "Sit, eat, you need your strength." The imitation brought
a tentative smile to Fraser's lips. Ray sat down across the table from
him.  

"Look, I already called in and arranged to take a few days personal time.
It's easier for me to do than for you to get the Dragon Lady to let you
off." He raised a hand to forestall Fraser's objections, whether to his
decision or calling his superior a Dragon Lady, he did not know or care.
"Be reasonable, Benny. It's important to keep things looking normal. It
will be odd enough for me to be here. You can arrange to get time off
easier in person. Work today and then stay home with us the rest of the
week if you want to." He smiled winningly, "We'll be fine. And you can
call to check on us whenever you want."  

Fraser wanted to be stubborn, but the cop's arguments all made perfect
sense. He finished his breakfast, dressed in the red serge, and found
himself hovering at Kate's bedside. He brushed her hair back from her
face, hoping she'd wake up so he could explain that he had to go. Ray
brought him his stetson, dusting an invisible piece of lint from the brim.
 

"You have to go now. Do you want to take the Riv?"  

The Mountie looked at him in amazement. It was unheard of for Ray to let
anyone drive the Riviera. To be offered the opportunity twice in as many
days was as gratifying as the prospect of driving it in Monday morning
traffic was terrifying. "No! I mean, no, thank you Ray. It will be good
for me to walk. And it would cause a stir at the Consulate; there would be
questions." He settled the stetson on his head. His unease at leaving them
was plain and beginning to make Ray nervous.  

"Look, Benny. You're not having one of those Inuit hunches, or anything
are you? If you really feel there's some danger, maybe we should pack up
and find a safer place."  

"No, it's not that, Ray." Fraser took himself in hand. "I'm sure you're
right. Everything will be fine. Diefenbaker is here, and you are armed.
There is no reason to believe anyone could know she is here."  

Ray walked him to the apartment door. They shared a brief embrace and
kiss. Fraser opened the door, "You know, I really wish I had replaced that
lock."	

Vecchio patted his back comfortingly. "We'll be all right, Benny. And
don't worry about the lock. The wood's so old, a three year old could kick
it in, lock or no lock. See you later."  

The door closed on Ben's retreating back. Ray tidied the kitchen, keeping
an irregular watch out the window to make sure nothing unusual was going
on outside. He read the paper he'd bought on his breakfast run thoroughly;
there was no mention of trouble at the warehouse, no unexplained bodies,
or a car in the river. He couldn't decide if that was good or bad. Making
up his mind, he pulled his cell phone from his coat pocket and punched in
the number of the local precinct. He was relieved to recognize the voice
of the desk sergeant.  

"Hello, Phil? It's Ray Vecchio. Yeah, long time. Listen, I wonder if you
could do me a little favor? Sure, the next time Ma makes cannoli I'll
bring you a box full. I've got a friend living in the 200 block of West
Racine. Yeah, tell me about it.  

Anyway, there's been some trouble in the block - maybe a gang trying to
move in. Could you have your guys cruise the area a little more often for
a few days? Maybe more cops around will discourage whatever is going down.
Thanks a lot Phil. I owe you, and I mean besides the cannoli." Satisfied,
he closed the phone and returned to the window. Nothing had changed. He
roamed into the bedroom.  

Kate was still sleeping, looking amazingly childlike in Fraser's flannel
shirt. The bruises on her face were at their most garish, but all in all,
he thought she looked a lot better. He gathered his supplies and prepared
to change the bandages on the bullet wound. She stirred when he sat on the
edge of the bed and took her hand.  

"Kate, wake up."  

She slowly opened her eyes, disoriented for a moment, then relaxing as she
recognized him. "Ray."	

"Yeah, it's still me. Ben's gone to work, but Dief and I are here. I need
to check the bandages. Do you want something to eat first?"  

"No, go ahead." She closed her eyes, turning her head a little away from
him. Ray carefully turned the covers back from her side and unbuttoned the
last three buttons on the shirt, folding the tails up and out of the way.
He picked at the tape holding the gauze in place, "I'm sorry, this may
hurt when I take it off." He removed the bandages as gently as he could,
wincing at the one little gasp that escaped her when he pulled the tape
from her skin. "This is healing really nicely."  

Kate looked down at the wound under her ribs, pleased to see that it was
indeed healing well. "You do good work, Ray."  

A pleased smile tugged at his lips as he taped the new bandage over the
wound. "Can you lay on your side for a minute so I can fix your back?"
Kate nodded and he helped her roll onto her right side. He finished
quickly and got her settled back against the pillows.  

"So how do you feel?"  

"Filthy, mostly." She smiled at him. "Better, really. I hate this part."
He raised a questioning eyebrow. "You know, when you're first hurt you
could care less. It's easy to sleep, or be unconscious, or whatever. You
miss a lot of the most unpleasant parts. But when you start getting
better, you have to be around for stuff. And it's harder to just sleep all
the time, but you don't have the strength to do anything constructive.
Plus you complain a lot." They laughed together over that.  

"What do you want to eat? You've got to eat, whether you're hungry or not.
You want to get your strength back, you've got to eat. And get up a
little, walk around."  

"Yes, mama. I know the drill. Is there any of the soup left? That was
really good."  

"Sure, it'll take just a few minutes to heat." Vecchio went into the
kitchen absurdly pleased that she liked his soup. While it heated he
glanced out the window to see a police car cruising slowly down the block.
 

She let him feed her most of the bowl before dozing off between spoonfuls.
Ray put the rest of the soup in Dief's bowl. When she showed signs of
waking again, he went into the bath, poured some bubbling bath salts he'd
liberated from Frannie's cache in the tub and turned the water on full.
When everything was ready he returned to the bedroom and hung the shirt he
was wearing in the closet, which left him in blue jeans and a white
t-shirt. He stood beside the bed for a few minutes.  

She was dreaming again, becoming increasingly agitated. Ray sat beside
her, speaking to her. She woke with a muffled cry, striking out at him. He
caught her wrists in his hands, holding her away from him.  

"Kate! Wake up."  

He was startled by the hatred blazing from her eyes as she struggled
against his grip. In the seconds before she truly woke and recognized him
he could see murder in her gaze.  

"I'm going to cut your fucking heart out!"  

"Shh, no you won't. Benny wouldn't like it."  

The sound of his voice and his features finally registered. Kate relaxed
so suddenly that the detective was pulled off balance and found himself
falling against her. He sat up quickly, worried that he had hurt her. She
lay, still breathing fast, her eyes closed, head turned away from him. Ray
gently touched her face, urging her to look at him.  

"Hey, it's all right. You were dreaming again." He pushed her hair away
from her face. "Kate, did I hurt you?"	

She finally looked at him, touched by the concern in his voice. "It's the
same dream, Ray. Andrew on his knees, the gun, all that blood." She
squeezed her eyes shut against the memory, tears sliding back into her
hair.  

He took her hand, not sure exactly what to do, what she would accept from
him. "It'll get better. With time, when you're well. . ."  

She laid her free hand over his, and spoke very calmly, in a perfectly
normal voice. "It'll get better when I've killed them." A quick frisson of
unease ran through him. At that moment Vecchio knew that there were dead
men walking around, waiting  

for her to come to them. Who was this stray of Fraser's? And he used to
complain that his life was dull.  

In his best, talking-to-the-nephews-no-nonsense voice, the detective
changed the subject. "Well, that won't be for a while. In the meantime, I
have a little surprise for you." He untangled her from the bed clothes and
carried her into the bathroom. Vecchio put her on her feet beside the tub.
Kate looked at the billows of bubble bath and drew a deep breath of the
steamy, scented air.  

"Lavender," she signed contentedly. "How did you know I love lavender?"  

"It was the least awful of the stuff my sister had in her bath." He smiled
down into her eyes and suddenly realized that he had not figured out how
he was going to get her into the tub. Kate watched a shadow settle in his
eyes as some of his pleasure in his surprise dissipated.  

"What's wrong?"  

"I'm sorry. I hadn't given any thought to . . .", he gestured helplessly
toward the water.  

Kate laughed softly as she realized his concern. She swayed toward him as
her strength began to wane, putting up a hand to catch herself against his
chest. His arms were around her immediately. "Ray, you've already seen all
of me there is to see. Help me get this off." She began fumbling with the
buttons of Fraser's shirt.  

Ray gave himself a mental shake and got back on balance immediately. He
unbuttoned the shirt and slipped it off her shoulders to fall to the
floor. He carefully lifted her into the tub. The lavender fragrance
surrounded them both as Kate raised a double handful of the suds to her
face. Vecchio handed her a wash cloth, then knelt beside the tub to gently
wash her back.	

"Lean back," he kept one arm around her back, "I want to get your hair
wet." Trustingly, she leaned against his arm and slid down under the
bubbles and warm water. He raised her up immediately and wiped her face
with the corner of a dry towel. He worked shampoo into her hair, glad that
the bubbles kept them from seeing the water change color as the blood and
dirt was washed from her heavy blond mane. "Here we go again," he dunked
her again to rinse the shampoo.  

Vecchio leaned toward the drain to pull the plug and slipped on the wet
tub, splashing himself liberally with the bath water. That got them both
laughing and ended his concern with staying fairly dry himself. He
adjusted the temperature of the water, helped her to her feet and pulled
the diverter valve to turn on the shower. He helped her turn under the
shower, thoroughly rinsing the shampoo from her hair and the last of the
bubblebath from her body. He turned the shower off and bundled her into
Fraser's terry cloth robe. He wrapped a towel around her hair, draped
another towel around his neck, and carried her back to the bed.  

She seemed to be asleep again when he laid her down. He went over to his
bag and pulled some dry clothes out. He quickly skinned out of his wet
clothes, towelled off, and dressed. When he returned to Kate's side he
realized she was awake. It seemed she was always watching him when he
didn't expect it. He waved a comb he'd brought from Frannie's supplies
toward her.  

"Where do you get all this stuff, Ray?" She seemed genuinely amused.  

"Mostly from my sister, the clothes horse. She has more stuff than any
three people." Ray propped her up on the pillows and unwound the towel
from around her hair, handing her the comb. She made an attempt at combing
the tangles, but he could see that she wasn't up to it. He laughed softly
to himself as he took the comb from her and began gently teasing the knots
from her hair.	

"I know I look a fright, but you're not suppose to laugh."  

He bent to get a look at her face to be sure she was teasing. She was
immediately contrite when she realized that he had taken her seriously.
With considerable effort, she raised her hand to rest against his cheek.
"I'm sorry, Ray. It was a bad joke. And anyway, if anyone has the right to
laugh at me anywhere, anytime, it's you." Her hand slipped away from his
face and he returned to combing her hair.  

"Nah, I was laughing at myself." He continued in a soft voice, "If anyone
had told me a year ago, that I'd be here now, doing this, I'd have decked
them. And it's just too stereotypical," he took a deep breath and bravely
continued, "Cooking, now hairdressing. I may have to find a new line of
work. There, I think that will do for now." He smoothed her hair to one
side, so she wouldn't have to lay on it. "Is that all right?"  

Kate nodded and caught at his hand before he could leave. "Would you do
one more thing for me, Ray?"  

"Sure, what is it?"  

"I am so tired. Would you lay down beside me? If you held me, maybe the
dream. . . ."  

He pressed her hand between his for a moment, "Just give me a second."	

Vecchio quickly checked the apartment, looked out the kitchen window at
the neighborhood, picked up his holstered handgun and the cell phone from
the kitchen table, and brought her a glass of orange juice.  

"Drink this. You need the vitamins." He helped her sit up long enough to
drink it down. With the phone and gun to hand on the bedside table, Ray
stretched out beside her on the narrow bed. Kate snuggled against him, her
head on his chest, one arm across his body.  

"How do you guys accomplish anything on this bed?" By the time the
detective had recovered, she was sound asleep. In fairly short order Ray
had dozed off too. He knew Diefenbaker was awake, so no one could possibly
sneak up on them. And he'd seen another police car cruising the block when
he was in the kitchen. He'd have to get Ma to make two boxes of cannoli
for Phil.  

Monday 1200 hours  

The cell phone purred in his ear. Vecchio jerked awake, grabbing it before
it could ring again.  

"Yeah?" His voice was a little rough.  

"Ray?" Fraser's concern was plain in his voice. "What's wrong?"  

Ray cleared his throat, when he spoke his voice was low, but sounded more
normal. "Nothing, Benny. The phone startled me, that's all. What time is
it?"  

Kate stirred, on the verge of waking. Ray rubbed her back soothingly; she
relaxed against his chest, lulled back to sleep by his touch..	

"It's noon. Is everything all right?"  

"Sure, everything's fine. We've had a very quiet morning. I called in a
favor with the local precinct sergeant. Now, don't get crazy on me. I told
him I have a friend living in the area and we thought there was some gang
activity building - they've been cruising the street more often. I figured
it couldn't hurt to have the cops be a little visible in the area. And if
we need them, they'll be handy."  

"That was a good idea, Ray." Ben glanced over at his closed office door
and lowered his voice, just in case anyone was in the hall. "How is she?" 


"Better. She had breakfast, I changed the bandages, it looks like
everything is healing fine. I think her fever's almost gone." Ray looked
at Kate, sleeping contentedly against his heart. "And, I think we've
figured out a way to stop the dreams." He laughed softly, "So when are you
coming home, Benny?"  

"My request for the rest of the week off was granted, but I have a stack
of things to finish before I leave. I may be late."  

"Not too late, okay? I miss you."  

Fraser's pleasure at the declaration was clear in his voice. "And I miss
you. I'll be home as soon as I can."  

"Benny?"  

"Yes, Ray?"  

"Call before you leave the Consulate - and take a cab, okay?"  

"Yes, Ray."  

They disconnected the call, both smiling.  

"You have the most beautiful smile." Her soft voice startled Vecchio.  

"Damn! Did Fraser teach you about sneaking up on people, or did you teach
him?"  

She squirmed against his side, finding a more comfortable position. "I
think it comes with the territory, so to speak. When is Ben coming home?" 


"He wasn't sure. The Dragon Lady gave him the leave he requested, but she
loaded him up with a bunch of stuff to get done today. He said he'd call
before he leaves."  

"The Dragon Lady?"  

"His boss. Inspector Margaret Thatcher. She's got something against him.
She's been on his case ever since she came to Chicago last fall. The woman
is . . ." Ray realized he was on the verge of a rant and shut up.  

"What is it?" Kate had heard his heart speed up as he became more upset.
She looked into his eyes, surprised to see them shadowed with his anger,
and other, darker feelings. She barely touched his cheek with her
fingertips, "Tell me what I can do Pauli." Vecchio tensed as she used that
name again. He disengaged himself from her arms and left the bed. Kate
looked after him, confused by the sudden change in his mood. After a few
minutes he returned to the bedside.  

"There's soup left. Do you want that for lunch, or something else?"  

"Help me up, please." She held out a hand to him. He carefully got her to
her feet. "You're right, I need to try to walk around a little." Vecchio
kept one arm around her as she walked carefully across the floor toward
the kitchen. They turned and made the short trip back to the bathroom
door. Kate pushed the door open, "I think I can make it from here." She
offered him a little smile, "The soup would be fine." She pulled the door
closed behind her.  

Ray went back into the kitchen and started lunch. After five minutes he
heard the bathroom door opening and hurried back make sure she was all
right. He helped her into the kitchen and got her settled at the table.
They ate quickly, with no extraneous conversation, still feeling awkward
with one another. She pushed her bowl into the center of the table when
she finished.  

"All right, Ray. Tell me what's wrong."  

He looked stubborn, almost determined not to tell her. Then he looked into
her worried gray eyes and surrendered.	

"You keep calling me by my middle name. How do you know that? I keep
wondering if there's more here than you're telling us. I admit, it would
be a little extreme for you to fabricate this whole situation . . ."  

"Especially since I almost died? Believe me Ray, I hardly ever plan to get
shot. The sight of my own blood on the ground makes me nervous."  

He smiled grudgingly and nodded. "Yeah, I know it's crazy. But . . ."  

"But who better than we Italians to understand intrigue? What is this name
business? I don't understand."	

"Twice now, you've called me Pauli. That's my middle name. No one since my
grandmother died has called me Pauli."	

"Oh." She thought for a moment. "I had a cousin, Pauli. My father's
sister's son. But you're not anything like him. Why . . .?" She looked
over into his troubled eyes and suddenly understood. "Dear Lady! I am so
sorry, Ray."  

"Well, are you going to tell me?"  

She looked up from where she had been pleating her napkin on the tabletop.
"My aunt married a professor, philosophy I think. He teaches at one of
those expensive private colleges in upstate New York. We never saw them
much; he didn't approve of the 'military industrial complex', and you
can't get much more military than my family. Pauli was about 4 years older
than me.  

"The August before I turned thirteen, my Grandmother Bertelli died. Papa
had been dead a bit over a year. Mother was out of the country on
business. My brother was cadet commander at his school and was already
there, making the first year students' lives miserable. One of my aunts
called with the news. Johnny got leave, came and got me and we flew to New
York for the funeral.  

"After the service everyone went back to the house for dinner. You know
how it is. John was off with the young men, I felt I was too old to play
with the little girls, and the teenagers were busy talking about boys. The
married women didn't want me around while they talked about men and
babies."  

Ray could easily put himself in that situation. He'd been at many a family
gathering that had ended up feeling more like one of the crowd scenes in
Cleopatra. Family is a great thing, especially in time of trouble, but it
could also be exhausting and overwhelming.  

"Grandmother had a little shrine at the foot of her garden. There was a
loggia, with a swing, and a statue of the Little Flower and one of St.
Jude. She used to go there and say her rosary in the afternoons. I headed
down there and Pauli was already there. But he didn't leave, or make me go
back to the house. He was really nice to me." She smiled fondly at the
memory.  

"We sat on the swing and talked - about Grandmother, what we wanted to do,
our families. You know, I believe he was the most beautiful boy I had ever
seen. You remind me of him."  

Ray looked up, startled. "What?"  

She nodded. "That's it. I see him in your eyes sometimes. The first time I
called you by his name - I was really out of it. All I remember is your
eyes. They were so troubled; scared, but determined to do the right thing.
Just now, I saw your fears, uncertainties. Pauli used to look like that.
He was so unhappy. He'd been accepted into film school in New York. That
was all he wanted to do. But his father insisted he go to school where
they lived and study business. The man was a controlling, abusive jerk."  

A yawn suddenly overtook her. Ray watched in alarm as she paled before his
eyes. He hurried around the table to help her to her feet. A few steps
from the bed she completely wilted against him. He swept her up in his
arms, settling her gently against the pillows, pulling the blanket into
place.	

Kate blinked sleepily up at him, "For a skinny Italian boy, you're pretty
strong."  

Vecchio smiled back at her. "You try to get some rest, okay? I'm going to
straighten up; you need anything, speak up."  

"Yes, sir."  

Diefenbaker had followed them into the bedroom and he now carefully
climbed up on the bed to lay beside her. Kate smoothed the fur between his
ears, closed her eyes and slept.  

Monday 1830hrs	

When Fraser returned to his apartment he was exhausted, both from the day
and from his constant concern about Ray and Kate. He tapped on the door to
avoid startling Ray and walked into his home. Ray came out of the bedroom,
greeting him with his 'I've got a secret and you're going to love it'
smile.	

"Hi, Benny. You look like hell."  

"Thank you kindly, Ray. The day has been a little strenuous." Fraser
headed into the bedroom, but found his path blocked by the cop.  

"Where do you think you're going?"  

"Well, I was going to see Kate and put my things away."  

"Just never mind that. Give me your stuff, and stand right there. We have
a surprise for you." Ray took his stetson and backed away from him.  

Ben stood bemused by this playful aspect of Ray's personality. Vecchio
disappeared into the bedroom. Fraser could hear the rustle of bedclothes,
then Ray's voice.  

"Close your eyes, Benny."  

Not completely comfortable, Ben complied with the request.  

"Are they closed?"  

"Yes, Ray."  

After a little more rustling of material, he heard, "Okay, you can look
now."  

Fraser was surprised to see Kate standing beside Ray. She was leaning on
his arm, but standing on her own feet, which appeared to be covered by a
pair of his hiking socks. She was wearing another of his flannel shirts,
with the sleeves rolled halfway up her arms. Her hair was clean and pulled
back in a thick gold braid that fell halfway down her back.  

Ray looked at him eagerly, "Well?"  

Fraser closed the space between them in two long steps. He bent down to
kiss her lightly on her cheek.	

"So, how do I look?"  

"You look fine, Kate. I never expected to see you up tonight."	

The men conducted her to a chair at the table.	

"If you're going to change, do it. Supper's almost ready." Ray went to
check something on the stove.  

Fraser looked from one smiling face to the other and went off to the
bedroom to get out of the red serge.  

They enjoyed a quiet supper, chatting of inconsequential things. It wasn't
long before Kate was visibly tired. Ben hurried around the table to pick
her up and return her to the comfort of the bed. He sat on the side of the
bed for a moment, tucking the blanket around her.  

"I am happy to see you doing so well." He held her hand, pleased to feel
some returning strength in it.	

"You are a lucky man, Beloved Ben."  

"Oh?"  

"To have found Ray. Take care of him."	

Fraser brushed a light kiss across her lips. "I know. And I intend to."  

When he returned to the kitchen, Ray was standing at the sink, finishing
up the supper dishes. Fraser stood behind him, arms around his waist,
fiddling with his shirt buttons. Ray leaned back into his arms
contentedly. "Let me finish this, Benny. You'll have us both soaked."  

Soft lips pressed to his neck just below his ear. Ray felt Ben's warm
breath as the Mountie nuzzled his throat. A shiver of anticipation ran
through his body and settled in his groin.  

"Ray? You smell of lavender."  

Vecchio laughed as he drained the sink and dried his hands before turning
in Ben's arms.	

"Let me tell you about my day, Benny."	

Tuesday Morning 0800 hours  

Kate woke in Ben's arms. She lay quietly listening to his heart beat. She
remembered waking sometime earlier to Ray's comforting touch soothing her
back to sleep. Sometime during that night a solution to her problem had
come to her. Perhaps it was just that she was finally able to relax enough
that her subconscious could get the message to her waking mind. It didn't
matter how or why. She knew now how to remove herself safely from Chicago,
before her presence endangered these men further.  

The sound of Ray moving around the apartment woke Ben. Dief's nails
clicked across the bare floor, the kitchen window rattled up, and the wolf
scrambled onto the fire escape for his morning run. The scent of perking
coffee soon filled the apartment.  

Fraser shifted slightly as he thought about getting up. His hand slowly
drifted from the middle of Kate's back to settle on the back of her neck
under her hair. Unconsciously he flexed his fingers, gently massaging the
tense muscles.	

"Beloved Ben." Her sleepy whisper brought him completely awake.  

"Good morning." He remained relaxed, the easy kneading not changing in any
way, not showing any tension in recognition of possible misunderstanding
of his actions or intentions. Kate pushed away from his body to sit up,
almost laughing at him.  

"I'm glad to see you feeling so well this morning. Will you share with me
what is so funny so early?"  

"Oh, Ben, it's just you. You and your Invincible Innocence. Come on, help
me up, please. Ray is cooking something and I am starving." She felt
better than she had since the gunfight. The solid night's rest and her
naturally healthy constitution were combining to speed the healing
process.  

Ben rolled out of bed and helped Kate to her feet. They moved slowly to
the bath. She walked on her own, with just her hand resting on the arm he
offered to steady her steps. When Kate was safely in the bath Fraser
dressed quickly and joined Ray in the kitchen. Without comment the mountie
began setting the table for breakfast.	

Ray bustled happily around the tiny kitchen area. They brushed past one
another a couple of times, smiling. The knock at the door startled them.
Ben went to the door; Ray positioned himself to have a clear view of the
caller as the door opened, his handgun drawn and aimed. Fraser glanced to
Ray and opened the door at his nod, careful to keep out of the line of
fire.  

"Mr. Mustafi!" Fraser greeted his neighbor, moving quickly between him and
Ray to give the cop a chance to holster his weapon.  

"Good morning, Benton. I just wanted to be sure everything is okay?"  

"Of course. Thank you kindly for your concern. We're fine.  

How are you?"  

"Very well, Benton." Mr. Mustafi peered around Fraser to see Ray returning
to his cooking.  

"Good morning, Detective Vecchio."  

Ray waved distractedly in his direction as he tried to save his scrambled
eggs from overcooking. Mr. Mustafi and Fraser stood in the door, each
trying to find a graceful way to end the encounter.  

"Ben, help me with this." Kate stepped out of the bedroom, her braid
pulled over her shoulder as she tried to untie the shoelace Ray had used
to secure it. She looked up to meet Mr. Mustafi's surprised eyes. This was
an unexpected complication. Mr. Mustafi thought he had the mountie and the
cop figured out. But here was a woman, hair in disarray, wearing only a
shirt which he was sure belonged to Fraser. Mr. Mustafi suddenly found
himself in the hall as Ben stepped forward and pulled the door shut behind
him.  

"Mr. Mustafi, I'm going to have to ask you to forget what just happened."
As Fraser desperately cast about for a plausible explanation, he
remembered one of Ray's comments from yesterday. "She's a protected
witness. It would be dangerous for anyone to know she's here. I'm relying
on your discretion."  

"Of course, Benton. Goodbye." The curious neighbor continued on his way
downstairs.  

When Fraser returned he saw Kate seated at the table watching Ray dish up
breakfast. She fiddled with the glass of orange juice at her place.  

"Damn, I'm sorry, Ben."  

He put an arm around her as he bent to kiss her cheek. "It's all right. I
told him you are a protected witness. He's a good man. He won't talk about
it."  

Ray grinned appreciatively. "That was quick thinking, Benny." He took his
place and waved Ben to his chair, giving his partner a measuring look.
"And, again, not exactly a lie. She is a witness, and we are protecting
her. There's hope for you yet, Fraser." Ray chortled over the idea.  

Fraser took a piece of toast from the stack before him. "You gave me the
idea, Ray."  

"How?" Ray glanced up, wondering if he needed to deny something. Fraser
smiled innocently.  

"Yesterday, you asked if you were going to end up in the witness
protection program."  

"Oh, yeah." They laughed together.  

Kate watched them bantering back and forth, so comfortable with each
other. She put the last bite of her egg on a toast fragment, chewing it
thoroughly in order to prolong this last moment of this time in her life.
As much as she wanted to get out of Chicago, she hated the thought of
leaving them.  

"I think I've figured out a solution to our problem." The men turned
toward her.  

"I have contacts in New York. Relatives, really."  

Ray and Ben exchanged looks.  

"Who?" Ray asked suspiciously.	

"Relatives, Ray. Family." She looked at him meaningfully. "Corsican
relatives. This afternoon, I'd like you to go somewhere where there are
lots of pay phones. I'll give you the New York number. Ask for Etienne St.
Michel."  

Fraser broke in, "This is no good. We don't know these people."  

Kate took his hand, "Ben, I know these people. They are very good. They
will keep me safe, and keep you two safe."  

Ray added his protest to Ben's. "We're doing okay here. I don't see any
reason to change what we're doing." He suddenly realized that he hated the
idea of anyone else caring for her, being responsible for her safety. He
trusted himself and Ben, but to turn her over to strangers? No way!  

Kate levered herself to her feet, angry clear to the bone. "You don't know
shit! Either one of you. I tell you, I am leaving here, with your help or
without it. Kincaid is a traitor, but he's a very good agent. He and his
people are looking for me. They know Chicago intimately. Eventually they
will find me if I stay here. They will come and we WILL die. If they have
to, they'll level this building. Do you want that? All these people to die
because you are too proud and stubborn to listen to me?" She swayed on her
feet, her weakness making her angrier. Ben moved to her side, picked her
up and returned her to the bed. She wiped her eyes with a corner of the
sheet. "Damn! I hate this."  

"It's all right. Rest a little, you can tell us the rest when you feel
better."  

Fraser rejoined Ray to help tidy the kitchen. While Ben dried the last of
the dishes, Ray went to look out the window. "Look, Benny, there's the
patrol car again. Phil's going to get so much cannoli they won't be able
to measure his cholesterol." Ben joined him, slipping an arm around the
cop's shoulder.  

Ray signed deeply, resting his head for a moment against Ben. "I just hate
the idea of her leaving. How do we know these 'relatives' of hers can take
care of her?"  

"I know. I don't like it either. But she seems to have confidence in them.
I think we have to trust her judgement." They stood there a little longer,
each thinking their own thoughts, staying away long enough for her to
regain her composure.  

When they returned to the bedroom Ben gathered her into his arms and
settled against the headboard, while Ray pulled the chair close.  

"You said Corsicans?"  

"Yes, Ray. Very serious people. Etienne is the son of my godfather, so
we're cousins, sort of. And at one time there was talk that we would
marry." She smiled a little. "Fortunately, he fell in love with someone
else. He will come for me."  

Ray nodded his agreement. "Okay, so I call him and say what?"  

"I've been thinking about that. We need to cover your tracks. He should be
the only one answering the number I'll give you. Tell him you have a
message from Michaela Catarina. Tell him to call us, say ten minutes more
than it will take you to get back here, and give him your cell phone
number. Keep it short, don't tell him anything else." She stopped, clearly
unhappy with something.  

"What's wrong?" Ben asked quietly.  

"I wish we could use a pay phone for the call back. But I have to talk to
him. He'll have the call back number checked. I don't want anyone to know
who you guys are until Kincaid is dead."  

Ray took her hand. "Let me finesse this part. I think I know how to
arrange it."  

"Good, I'll leave that to you then. When he calls, I'll be able to tell
it's him. We'll arrange the pickup, and I'll be out of here by tomorrow.
Maybe by tonight."  

Ben rubbed her back soothingly, feeling her relax in his arms. "You rest
for a while. It'll be okay."  

Her eyes were drooping closed when Ray asked, "You really think he'd have
everyone killed to get you?"  

She nodded. "Without a second thought."  

"But, how can you be sure?"  

She managed to look over at him, her eyes suddenly opaque and frightening.
"Because, if the stakes were high enough, it's what I'd do." She gave him
a sad, rueful smile. "Hell, Ray, it's what I've done."	

The friends looked at each other over her head as she fell asleep in
Fraser's arms. He carefully moved her to the bed and the men retreated to
the kitchen table.  

Kate woke slowly to the sound of their low conversation in the kitchen.
She lay quietly for several minutes enjoying the peace she felt in the
apartment. The voices were a quiet background noise, almost like a brook
swirling among rocks. The sound of Ray's soft laugh brought a smile to her
lips. He was such a remarkable man. Of course, he would have to be to
interest Ben. Such an odd pair on the surface; but their differences
seemed to be complimentary, fitting together to form a united front
against the world. And they would need that front, sooner or later.
Eventually their life choice would be obvious to the world around them,
and then what would happen? She wished there was some way she could
protect them, as they were protecting her.  

Kate pushed back the covers and managed to sit on the edge of the bed by
herself. Taking stock of her condition she was happy to realize that she
felt better than she had that morning. Her body was finally getting on
with the healing process. That was a relief. It would be a bigger relief
to get out of here before Kincaid and his minions caught up with her.
Diefenbaker got up from his spot on the floor, came to her, and dropped
his head in her lap. He closed his eyes in wolfy ecstasy as she scratched
behind his ears.  

Kate steadied herself against the wolf as she stood up. She swayed a
little, but caught her balance almost immediately and walked beside the
wolf to the door. She leaned on the doorjamb watching the men as they
talked. They were sitting at the table, coffee cups in front of them,
apparently discussing an old case. Ray was drawing invisible diagrams with
his finger on the table top, making a point about which he seemed to feel
passionately. Fraser nodded his agreement with what the cop was saying,
then covered the moving hand with one of his own, while his other hand
went around the back of Ray's head to draw him toward Fraser's lips for a
kiss.  

Kate had never watched two men kissing each other in such an intimate
fashion. It was really different than the family hugs and kisses she was
used to seeing in her own fairly demonstrative family. It was different
than men and women kissing. Maybe it was just that it wasn't something
often seen at all. Maybe it was Ben and Ray. It was tender and strong,
nurturing and still very masculine. With some surprise, she found it to be
a little arousing. She knew what it was like to kiss Ben with that open,
sexual wanting. She wondered what Ray would taste like. She caught herself
thinking, well, that proves I'm getting well! And just stop that!  

The kiss ended, Ben resting his forehead in the hollow of Ray's shoulder.
Ray sighed and opened his eyes, slowly focusing on Kate where she stood
across the room from them, watching with a sweet, tender smile. She rested
her hand on Diefenbaker's head and slowly walked into the kitchen.  

"I'm sorry to interrupt."  

Ben stiffened in Ray's arms at her voice, then relaxed when Ray rubbed his
shoulder soothingly and answered her in a completely normal voice. Fraser
realized that Ray's heartbeat had not even speeded up.	

"Benny." Ray kissed him gently on the lips as he shifted in the chair,
starting to rise. Fraser sat back in his own chair, still turned away from
the door. He was not sure exactly how to deal with this. It was one thing
to know that she knew about them, but quite another to KNOW that she knew.
 

Ray was beside her in two steps, offering his arm to guide her to her seat
at the table. "There's coffee, tea, orange juice?"  

"Orange juice will be fine, Ray. Thanks." Kate looked worriedly at Ben. He
still sat half turned away from her, tension in every line of his body.
Ray brought the juice and started putting something together for lunch. As
he passed Fraser on the way to the fridge Ray trailed his hand across the
mountie's back, giving him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. Kate finally
leaned across the table to put her hand on Ben's arm.  

"Ben, what's wrong?"  

He steeled himself for whatever he would see in her eyes and turned toward
her. To his everlasting relief, all he saw was concern for him. Not
surprise. Not condemnation. Not disgust. Concern. And love.  

"You are being a complete ass, you know?" Her words and tone were serious,
but she was smiling at him just as always.  

He nodded, "I know. It's just . . . ."	

"Ben. Dear, sweet, Beloved Ben." She shook her head at him. "Ray, can you
come here for a minute?"  

Vecchio turned off the stove and joined them, standing a little apart from
Ben.  

"It will be best to call between 1 and 2 p.m., Eastern time."  

Ray went to his topcoat, pulling his notepad and a pen from the inside
pocket. He sat in the chair next to Ben, looking expectantly at her.  

"I'm relying on you to forget this number as soon as this is over, Ray.
Not that Etienne won't change it immediately, anyway."	

"Yeah, yeah. My legal interests end with the Chicago city limits. As long
as your Corsican friends don't start trying to do business here, they have
nothing to worry about from me." His smile belied the tone of his words.
He copied the number carefully, reading it back to her once. "You said to
tell him the message is from Michaela Catarina?"  

She smiled, "I was named for my grandmothers. Mother decided to call me
Kate when people started to nickname me as a baby. But when I went to
school in Switzerland, I used my full name. Madame le Princesse insisted.
All her young ladies use their given names."  

Vecchio gave her an old fashioned look as he got to his feet. "Benny, I've
got some errands to run before I make the call. You finish lunch, I'll
grab a dog at the bus station." He pulled his coat on, patting his pockets
to make sure he had everything he needed. He leaned down to kiss her
cheek, "There's lots of phones at the bus station."  

Kate caught his lapel, holding him at eye level for a moment. "Be very
careful, Ray. If anything happens, don't hesitate. Do whatever you have to
in order not to be taken." She released him and watched the men walk to
the door.  

They stood talking softly for a moment. "Does she mean what I think she
means, Benny?"	

"I'm afraid so, Ray."  

Vecchio closed his eyes for a moment, readjusting his attitude toward this
exercise. "Okay. You've got my gun." He pulled his cell phone from his
pocket, quickly programming the local precinct's number into it's speed
dialing. "Anything happens, punch 3 for the local cops. The desk sergeant
should be Phil O'Roark. Tell him you're my friend; he'll roll some backup
for you. I'll be back by three, for sure."  

He glanced toward Kate, and pulled Benny into a hard embrace, kissing him
as if for the last time. Fraser hesitated for only a second, then threw
himself into the kiss and the embrace, not wanting to let Ray go. Then it
was over and the cop was out the door. Ben stood by the closed door,
listening to his footsteps on the stairs, catching the sound of his voice
as he greeted one of the tenants, then the slam of the front door closing
behind him. For a mad instant panic roiled in Ben's soul. Everyone he ever
loved left him. What if . . .  

"Ben." Kate's voice recalled him to his duty. He straightened his
shoulders and went to the stove to finish lunch. "We need to figure out
how to do the pickup. What do you think, Constable?"  

They discussed various scenarios while he cooked. After lunch, Fraser
insisted that she return to the bed to rest; he stayed with her so they
could continue planning. They finally agreed on two possible plans to
present to Ray when he returned. As the person most familiar with the
city, it seemed reasonable that he would be the one to rule on the merits
of their ideas and help make the final decision.  

Finally, Diefenbaker perked up and ran to the apartment door. Fraser was
right behind him, pistol drawn. He stood beside the door waiting. Two
taps, followed by two more and Ray's voice, "Did you set up a password and
forget to tell me? Open the damned door, Fraser!" The mountie threw the
door open and Ray hurried in, his arms once again full of packages.  

"You have got to move to a building with an elevator that works." He
dumped the bags on the table, threw his top coat over a chair, and checked
his watch as he hurried into the bedroom. "Six minutes to spare. Your
'cousin' wasn't too happy to hear from me."  

Kate pushed herself up on the pillows, wincing as she twisted wrong and
something hurt her. Both men were beside her instantly, plumping pillows
and arranging bedclothes. She laughed at them, giving Ray a special look
of welcome. "You two are like a couple of mother hens with one chick." She
took the cell phone Ray held out to her.  

"That is a very special, private number. Good news seldom comes over it,
so he's always a little tense when it rings. Ben, run our ideas down for
Ray. We need to decide what to tell Etienne."  

Fraser brought Ray up to speed on the pickup plans. The cop had been
thinking about it himself and had some ideas to contribute to the mix. At
one point they looked to Kate for a decision. She dumped it back on them,
"You guys know this town better than I do. Decide. You know what we have
to achieve. Figure out a way to do it. A way that's safe for us all."  

By the time the phone rang they were satisfied that they'd come up with a
workable plan. Kate hit the button on the second ring, "Yes?" She listened
for a moment. "Oui, mon vieux." More listening, then she clearly broke in
on his words.  

"Etienne. I'm sorry to have to bother you with this, but I'm in big
trouble and I need your help. . . . I need you to come get me. . . .I'm in
Chicago. . . .I don't want to be on this line too long, are you going to
help or not?" Her voice threatened to break. She listened for a minute
while Ray became more agitated. She looked over at her friends and spoke
to them without bothering to cover the mouthpiece. "It's all right. He was
just indulging in some Gallic excess." She spoke again into the phone. "If
this were a simple situation I would not need you to help me deal with it.
Are you going to help or not?. . .Good. How soon can you be here?. .
.Excellent! I'm going to put one of my friends on the line. He will
explain how the pickup will work and you two can figure out recognition
signals." She listened some more, then spoke in a very quiet voice. "If
any harm comes to them, I will be very unhappy. The security on this has
to be impeccable. . . . All right, I'll see you tonight." She handed the
phone to Ray who took it and moved into the kitchen while Ben settled her
more comfortably.  

Fraser followed as soon as he could. He could tell the cop was furious. He
had never heard him use such a ferocious tone; his voice was low and
vicious. "Listen you bastard! She's hurt and you just exhausted her. If
this is the way you treat family, you can just keep your ass in New York!
We'll take care of her ourselves!"  

Fraser could hear what sounded like very irate French coming over the line
which was soon drowned out by equally irate Italian coming from Ray. Ben
put a calming hand on Ray's shoulder as he took the phone from the cop's
hand.  

"Sir, this is accomplishing nothing. Kate has asked for your help, do you
intend to provide it?" Fraser's calm, polite, but very firm voice seemed
to calm St. Michel. Ben listened for a moment, "Very good, sir. Hold just
one moment, please." He covered the mouthpiece with his hand. "Ray. He
says of course he intends to help. I believe he is as upset by the idea of
Kate being hurt and in danger as we are. We have to work with him. Try to
stay calm and tell him the plan. Please?"  

Ray had been standing with his head tipped forward, trying to calm himself
with one of the breathing tricks Ben had told him about. To his surprise,
it seemed to be working. He straightened up, took a deep breath and held
out his hand for the phone.  

"Mr. St. Michel? Here's the plan . . ." Within three minutes he had
outlined their plan and had settled on the arrangements with the New
Yorker. "All right, we'll see you then. What? . . . No, I don't believe
she needs anything special now. Oh, this phone line will be out of service
in five more minutes. I have your number, if something goes badly wrong
I'll call it. I assume someone will be able to forward a call to you?
Fine. Goodbye." Ray disconnected the call and put the phone on the table.
"Well, that was certainly unpleasant." He headed back to the bedroom.  

"Ray, I'm sorry."  

"Kate, I'm sorry."  

Their voices overlapped and both stopped speaking at the same moment. Kate
gave him an uncertain smile. He waved to her to talk first.  

"Etienne has always reacted badly to me getting hurt. I should have
thought of a better way to break this to him. It's my fault. He really is
a good friend and someone we can trust."  

Vecchio sat on the bed beside her, nodding with a little shame- faced
smile. "Yeah, I could tell once we quit yelling at each other. Everything
is arranged. I brought you some clothes and stuff. Do you want to see them
now, or are you too tired?"  

Kate perked up at that. "Clothes?" The men brought the packages in and
dumped them around her on the bed.  

"I took the sizes from the clothes you were wearing when you arrived. That
reminds me Benny. Help me remember to get rid of those. They're still in
the plastic bag in the Riv's trunk. I'd have a hell of a time explaining
how I have a bag of bloody women's clothes in my trunk. Anyway, I was
going for warm and not too flashy. I thought you'd prefer to leave in
something besides one of Fraser's flannel shirts." He looked over at Ben
with a teasing smile. "Not that they aren't perfectly fine, at the right
time and place."  

"Leave Ben alone, Ray. Open something."  

Fraser stayed back, perfectly willing to let Ray display his purchases for
her. He did notice, however, that Ray had left one package on the table,
so he helpfully brought it in. "You forgot this, Ray."	

"What? Oh, that's just some . . . I thought Kate might prefer to open it
alone." He was getting a little flustered, almost blushing, a condition
Fraser would never have believed Ray Vecchio capable of.  

"Open it Ben." Kate thought she knew what it must be, but the spirit of
mischief was in the air and she was willing to play along. Fraser ripped
the bag open, spilling several items of feminine underwear on the bed. She
pulled a lacy bra toward her, "This is very nice, Ray. Of course, you
know, in many cultures you'd have to marry me after this."  

He looked up from the package he was opening, returning her smile. "Sorry,
I'm spoken for." Where the hell did that come from? Vecchio was shocked at
what he just said. He looked over at Fraser, who was just standing there,
looking pleased with himself. Kate followed his gaze to Ben, who nodded
solemnly.  

"Really?" Kate asked.  

Fraser nodded. "Really."  

"The story of my life. Well, what else did you buy, Ray?"  

By the time he'd shown her the rest of his purchases, she was tired and
ready for a nap. Fraser had been clearing up behind the fashion show, so
it took only a moment to get her settled. The men returned to the kitchen
to go over the logistics one last time.  

"So, if we eat supper about seven, that gives plenty of time to get
dressed and leave. She can probably get an after dinner nap in if she
needs it."  

"You've done a good job with this, Ray. Very credible. Have you done
dignitary security before?"  

"Everything I know, I learned from TV, Fraser. See what you've missed? Do
you want to take the first nap shift?"	

Fraser drew his lover to his feet, "Why don't you go. You've been running
most of the day; you look like you could use some rest yourself." Fraser
gave him a little push toward the bedroom, then went over to open the
kitchen window so Diefenbaker could go for his afternoon run. He closed
the window, returning to the bedside as Ray slipped off his shoes and put
his watch on the nightstand. Fraser leaned over to smooth Kate's hair.	

"Kate, it's just us." She woke up enough to recognize Ben as he picked her
up.  

"What? It's not time yet?"  

"No. Go back to sleep." Ray settled himself comfortably on the bed and
Fraser laid Kate in his arms. She snuggled against him, one arm across his
body. She mumbled something against Ray's chest and was immediately,
deeply asleep. Fraser straightened the blankets, then knelt beside the
bed, curious about Ray's almost silent laugh.  

"What?"  

"She said I smell good. Benny, this is absolutely the weirdest thing I
have ever been involved with in my entire life!"  

Ben nodded in agreement. He reached over and unbuckled Ray's belt. "That
will be more comfortable, and you're right, it is weird, and she's right,"
he leaned down for a quick kiss, "you do smell good. I'll trade places
with you in a couple of hours." Fraser rose and returned to the kitchen
table. The apartment was very quiet. He opened the window a little to let
in the cool spring air. If he closed his eyes, he could almost believe he
was back in the Territories. The spell was broken by Diefenbaker's whine
at the window. Fraser let him in, taking the opportunity to lean out into
the alley to look around. Everything seemed normal.  

Tuesday 1830 hours  

Ray had just pulled the lasagna from the oven when Ben walked Kate in to
sit down. Her hair was a little damp from her bath and she was wrapped in
Fraser's robe again.  

"Lasagna. Nature's perfect food!"  

He was pleased with her reaction. "It's my Ma's. She always has a ton of
it in the freezer, so I brought some back with me  

Sunday."  

They went over the pickup plan once more while they ate. When he was
satisfied, Ray pushed back from the table.  

"Okay. I'm going to get our ride. I'll be back in about an hour."  

Fraser cleaned up the supper dishes, then walked her back to bed.  

"You should rest."  

Kate slipped an arm around his waist. "I know." She sighed deeply. "But I
am so damned tired of resting, Ben."  

Fraser laughed as she settled on the bed. He reclined beside her,
smoothing her hair as she laid her head on his shoulder. She could feel
the tension in his body and slid her hand across his chest to give him a
little hug.  

"What's wrong, Ben? It's nearly over." She sat up to see his face. For a
moment his fears and uncertainties played across his features.	

"Beloved Ben!" Kate leaned up to kiss his cheek, "Tell me."  

Fraser smiled ruefully, "I really can't say. It's a lot of things. I'm
still trying to understand how Ray . . ." He blinked quickly, swallowing
hard in an effort to keep his voice ordinary.  

"What? Is it the homosexual thing? Is someone giving you grief over that?"
She looked suddenly very fierce, like she would gladly hunt them down for
him. Fraser pulled her braid over her shoulder, flicking the end around in
imitation of an infuriated cat's tail.	

"Pull in your claws." He smiled reassuringly. "No one knows about us yet.
Except you. I don't know what will happen when they do. And I'm not
worried about that - not on my account. I don't have anyone to be hurt by
it. No," he colored a little, embarrassed to say the words out loud. "I
don't know why Ray loves me. I don't deserve him. I feel . ."  

Fraser was startled into silence by her hand slapping his chest hard
enough to sting. "That's enough! It's bad enough Pauli has these fits of
insecurity. I will not put up with them from you, Ben Fraser! You are both
absolutely infuriating." She glared into his startled blue eyes.  

"Love happens. If one is extraordinarily fortunate. There is no
'understanding' to be done. Be grateful. Damn it, be happy!" Tears welled
up in her eyes, surprising them both. She ducked her head, wiping angrily
at her face. After a few moments, she sniffed once or twice and gave him a
little smile. "For once in your life, don't analyze something to death,
Ben. Just enjoy it, okay?"  

"Yes, ma'am. I will work on that." He settled her back against his chest,
rubbing her back and thinking calming thoughts. She shifted a little to
find just the right spot and dozed off with his arms around her and part
of his shirt clutched in her hand.  

Fraser held her, wondering if they'd see one another again after this
evening. He knew what she intended to do when she was well, and how
hazardous the next few months would be. Of course, he also knew that it
was utterly impossible to stop what she planned. So he lay there, absently
rubbing her back, remembering when they met. It was certainly different
than his meeting with Ray. Who would have predicted that he and Ray would
become friends? Certainly no one could have guessed they would become
lovers. He was still amazed by that turn of events himself. The mountie
rested quietly, meditating on the strange twists his life had taken over
the years, feeling extraordinarily fortunate to have known and loved these
two remarkable people and totally unaware that they felt exactly the same
way about him.	

After a while Ray let himself quietly in the apartment, giving Dief a pat
as he passed the wolf on the way into the bedroom. "Hey, Fraser. You know
you have a wolf at your door?" He laughed at his joke, which was even
funnier as Ben didn't seem to understand the reference. The cop waved off
his question, "Never mind, I'll explain later. Wait till you see the ride
I got us. Just into the Impound Lot. You'll love it." He rummaged in the
closet for the clothes he was going to wear that evening and headed for
the bathroom. Half an hour later he emerged freshly showered and shaved.
He dressed quickly, giving attention to every detail. He was pleasantly
aware of Fraser's scrutiny as he finished.  

"So, Benny, what do you think?"  

"You look very nice, Ray. I had not thought to be so formal. . ."  

"Look, Benny. We don't want to stand out from the crowd when we meet St.
Michel. And we don't want to look out of place in the ride I borrowed.
And, most importantly, we don't want these East Coast types looking down
on us like we're Midwestern provincials, do we?"  

"Well, Ray, in the strictest sense, I'm not Midwestern. Although, I
suppose I could be considered provincial as in Canadian prov. . ." Fraser
was cut off by Kate's warm fingers across his mouth.  

"Leave Ray alone, Ben." She shifted around to look Ray over. "My, my,
Detective Vecchio. You do look good enough to eat." Ray was looking very
handsome in a dark, well-tailored suit with a black, collarless silk
shirt. "Keep this up, we'll have to call you Don Vecchio."  

He sketched her a little bow, "Thank you, thank you. Appreciation at last.
Your turn, Benny."  

While Ben changed Ray brought out the clothes he'd bought for Kate to
wear. She moved to the chair and he brushed her hair until it fell in
smooth waves down her back. With some direction from Kate he managed to
gather it into a french roll, held with a handful of chignon pins he'd
grabbed from Frannie's stuff.  

Kate caught his hand and pulled him around to sit on the bed beside her.
"Ray, I have been trying to figure out how to say this." She looked down
at his hand which she still held in hers, then up into his eyes. "Thank
you for saving my life." He shook his head, trying to come up with a flip
rejoinder, but the serious look in her eyes stopped him. "Don't try to
pass this off. I know you don't want to hear this, but I need to say it.
And you, my dear, caro Pauli, you are old enough to be able to accept a
thank you." She held up one hand, "I say, 'Thank you Ray for saving my
life' and you say 'You're welcome'. Got that?" She waited for his
reluctant nod. "Good. Thank you, Ray, for saving my life." She waited
expectantly.  

"You're welcome." He managed to get the words out without blushing too
much. Kate laughed and patted his hand before releasing it.  

"See, that wasn't too bad was it?" Her smile slowly turned into a serious
look. "There's just one or two things. In a couple of days, when I'm back
in New York, I can reach my chief. Once I can talk to him, I think the
danger from Kincaid will be over for you guys. He'll be on the run.
Hopefully, no one will know about you anyway. Just be a little careful for
a few more days, okay? Maybe you could go out of town for the rest of the
week? Whatever, just be careful. If you ever need Etienne, call the Purple
Unicorn in New York. Say who you are and ask for him. You both will be on
the list to be put through. He can always reach me eventually."  

Ray leaned toward her, tucking a stray hair behind her ear, then kissing
her cheek. "All right. Quit fretting. You're beginning to sound like
Benny. Come on, I'll help you get dressed."  

By the time Fraser was through in the bath, Kate was almost dressed. As he
had said, Ray had shopped with an eye to warmth and comfort. There was no
coyness between them this time. He helped her into the underwear he'd
chosen, then a long silk slip; somewhere he'd heard that silk was warm.
The only salvageable item of her original clothing was the ankle- high
boots she'd worn. He'd bought black wool knee socks to wear with the
boots. Fraser watched the process as he finished dressing in his one
civilian suit, a dark wool with white shirt and a patterned tie Ray had
given him for their one month anniversary. He was fussing with the knot as
Ray helped her step into the ankle length, long sleeved black jersey dress
he'd picked out. Ray zipped it up and arranged the cowl neckline so it
draped properly.  

"So, what do you think, Benny?"  

"I think you're both beautiful." He took her coat from the closet, hanging
it with Ray's topcoat by the front door. "We have time for some tea before
we leave." The sound of the kettle being filled and placed on the stove to
heat brought them to join the mountie at the table. Kate looked at them.  

"Are we doing a vampire imitation? Or a bad gangster movie? Not that you
both don't look wonderful. And Ray, this dress is incredible. You may have
missed your calling after all." She patted his hand and said, "Thank you
for taking such good care of me, Ray." She sat and waited. After a moment,
Ray realized he'd missed his cue. Fraser was mystified when she repeated,
"Thank you for taking such good care of me, Ray."  

Ray threw him a glance, then turned to her and said. "You're very welcome,
Kate." They both dissolved in giggles, leaving Ben to wonder just what was
going on. They sat quietly, drinking their tea, chatting a little. All too
soon it was time to go.  

Diefenbaker sat beside her, laying his head in her lap. Kate leaned down
to kiss him between the ears, then held the wolf's head between her hands
so he would see her lips. "I'm going to miss you, Diefenbaker. Thank you
for all your help. Take care of these two for me, okay?"  

He gave her a lick on the cheek and a strange warbling came from his
throat as the wolf threw himself at her feet, resting his head on one
boot. Fraser coaxed the wolf off her foot and took him into the bedroom.
Ray and Kate could hear him explaining why Dief could not accompany them
to the pickup. Ben rejoined them, shaking his head. "He just does not seem
to understand the concept 'low profile'."  

Ray had his coat on, "I'll go down and get the car. Give me a couple of
minutes. I'll be right at the door." He headed down the stairs.  

Fraser helped Kate into her coat, buttoning it for her. Her hands closed
on his as she leaned against him. Ben hugged her gently, pulling his
handkerchief from his pocket for her. She dabbed at her eyes, but didn't
move away from him.  

"How can I ever thank you, Ben?"  

He suddenly understood the interplay between Ray and Kate a little before.
Ben smiled and turned her face up so he could look into her eyes. "You're
welcome, Kate." Still smiling, he kissed her gently on the lips. "And you
are always welcome here. Drop by anytime you're in town."  

Kate laughed out loud at that. "Don't worry. You haven't seen the last of
me."  

Fraser opened the door and led her down the stairs. She stood to one side
when they got to the street door while Ben stepped out and scanned the
dark street. Ray was waiting in a new black Mercedes sedan, the rear
passenger door slightly ajar. Ben waved for Kate to join him and had her
in the back seat in a matter of seconds. He jumped into the front seat and
Ray pulled away from the curb even before his door closed. Fraser looked
around the luxurious interior, sitting sideways on his seat so he could
see Kate in the back seat.  

She ran a hand across the soft leather of the seat, "My stars, Ray. Where
did you get this?"  

"From the Impound Lot. A drug dealer was arrested in it over the weekend.
Not only is it a gorgeous car, it's bulletproof and there's absolutely no
comeback to us."  

"Damn!", the admiration in her voice enhanced his pleasure in the car
considerably. "I tell you, if you ever want to change employers, we could
use you. The both of you. People who can think and make decisions are
worth their weight in gold to us."  

Ray looked at her in the rearview mirror. "You guys are hiring?" The brief
tightening of her expression reminded him of the circumstances of their
meeting. "I'm sorry - sometimes I am just so . . ."  

Fraser's hand on his arm and her sharp voice from the back seat cut him
off.  

"That's enough of that! Ben you've got to work on him." She scooted
forward on the seat, reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder for a
moment. "We're sort of like the military, Ray. We're always looking for
the right people. Of course, we are a few people short at the moment." She
gave a low, wicked chuckle. "And we will be shorter, soon." To change the
subject she asked, "How far is it?"  

"Half an hour, forty minutes. Just sit back and enjoy the ride." Ray drove
the powerful luxury car toward downtown. It was the most lawabiding Fraser
had ever seen him. He didn't even hurry to make the lights. Eventually, he
felt the mountie's eyes on him and glanced over to see what the problem
was. Fraser's relaxed pose clued him in.  

"Well, Benny, I do know what a low profile is." He smiled and returned his
attention to his driving. Before long they were in the midst of the late
evening downtown traffic.  

"The symphony is just up ahead. Looks like they just got out." Ray circled
the block once, cruising slowly, careful of the traffic. "You guys watch
for a dark limo with the Italian flag on its fender. He heard her low
laugh from the rear and knew she appreciated his joke. The second trip
around Ben spoke, "Is that it?" Sure enough, there was a limo cruising in
the same direction with two small Italian VIP flags attached to the hood.
The cars stopped together at the next light and the passenger window
rolled down, showing the man in the back seat. Kate lowered her window on
the driver's side; they smiled at oneanother.  

"It's Etienne, Ray." The cop nodded and drove down a few blocks to a
lighted, deserted parking lot, the other vehicle following at a discrete
distance. Ray stopped in the middle of the lot, the Mercedes pointed to an
exit. He put it in park and watched the other limo pull up along side. Ray
quietly slipped his handgun from it's holster and was relieved to see Ben
taking his backup .38 from his waistband as well. Kate opened the door and
in a moment St. Michel was sitting in the back seat with her.  

He lifted her hand to his lips in greeting, then cupped her face gently,
seeing the remains of her cuts and bruises for the first time. "Who did
this? I'll kill the son of a bitch!"  

"It's all right, Etienne. I'll explain once we're away. These are my
friends. I will not introduce them tonight. Gentlemen, this is my cousin,
Etienne St. Michel." The men nodded stiffly to each other. Ray put his arm
on the back of his seat, twisting around so he could look St. Michel in
the face, letting him see the weapon in his hand.  

Etienne ignored the provocation. "Gentlemen, I am grateful for the help
you have given my cousin." He reached very slowly into his inside breast
pocket. "My card. If there is anything I can ever do for you, call." As he
handed a card to each of the men there was a light tap on the window. "We
must be going now, Michaela."  

Kate leaned forward, giving first Ray, then Fraser a soft, lingering kiss.
Etienne watched for a moment, then opened his door and stepped from the
car, reaching back in to offer his hand to Kate. Ray hit the button to
roll his window down, turning to look over at the car idling beside them.
A fit young man had just finished removing the Italian flags and holders
from the hood. He leaned down slightly and offered them to Ray, who took
then with his left hand and dropped them on the seat between himself and
Benny. Two other bodyguard types in long coats were stationed around the
car, not paying attention to what was going on with their employer, but
keeping watch on the area around them.	

Kate slid across the seat, took St. Michel's hand, and was gone. Two steps
on the asphalt of the parking lot and she was in the back seat of the
limo. St. Michel followed her quickly, the bodyguards were on board and in
a matter of thirty seconds, the limo was pulling into traffic on the way
to the airport.  

"I suppose we shouldn't follow them, huh, Benny?"  

"No, I don't believe so."  

With a sigh, the cop put the Mercedez in gear and headed back to the
Impound Lot. The ride was short and quiet. Fraser waited in the Riv while
Ray returned the borrowed vehicle, chatting for a few minutes with the
uniformed officer on duty.  

They were pulling out of the lot when he looked over at Ben. "You know, we
didn't make arrangements for them to let us know they got back to New York
okay."	

"I know. I'm sure she'll arrange something when it's safe." The Riv
cruised through downtown, the occupants caught in their thoughts.
Eventually, "Ray?"  

"Yeah, Benny?"	

"Where are we going?"  

Ray looked around him, "Hell if I know, Benny." He gave his partner a
glance, "You hungry?"  

"No. Let's go home."  

Ray nodded and turned at the next light, headed back to the apartment. In
short order they were climbing the stairs to Fraser's door.  

Vecchio hung his top coat on the coat rack beside the apartment door, then
followed Fraser into the bedroom. "This is Wednesday morning, isn't it?"  

Ben hung his suit jacket in the closet and turned to his friend. "Yes, it
is."  

"Well, we can really pack a lot into four days, can't we, Benny?" He
looked around the room, "You know, it feels kind of strange, to be here
alone. . ." He pulled his suit coat off, unable to find the words to
convey his thought. Fraser brought him a hanger, waited while Ray settled
the coat on it to his liking, then put one hand on the back of the cop's
neck and pulled him into a kiss. It started out warm and caring but
quickly transmuted into passionate need. The hanger slipped from Ray's
hand to the floor where it was shortly joined by the rest of their
clothes.  

The urgency of their need sent them stumbling toward the bed, where they
fell in a tangle of limbs on the narrow mattress. Ray rolled across Ben's
body, one hand caught in his hair, the other tracing lightly down his
throat, across his chest, to his cock. This was heaven, to be holding Ben,
to be held by Ben. The mountie's strong arms held him tightly, locking
them together.	

The tension and suppressed fears of the last four days fueled their first
frenzied coupling; their climaxes were explosive and exhausting. They lay
panting in each other's arms, barely able to think, let alone speak.
Eventually Ray squirmed his way to a more comfortable position, leaning
over to kiss Ben's chest over his heart. He licked at the sweat on
Fraser's skin, smiling at the shiver that ran through the mountie's fine
body, then relaxed against his chest.  

Benny managed to run his hand down Ray's spine, letting it come to rest
cupping a smooth, muscular buttock. Fraser was almost asleep when Ray
raised up to look down at him. Vecchio insinuated his knee between Benny's
legs and brushed his hair from his forehead. "Benny?" Ray waited a little
for some response. "Benny." His voice was a little firmer and he poked his
lover lightly in the ribs.  

Fraser let out a little groan. "Can't this possibly wait, Ray?"  

"No. Open your eyes Benny", he kissed his throat, "Ben", he kissed his
lips so lightly Ben was not sure he'd done it, "Beloved Ben", he licked
around a nipple before giving it a light suck and kiss. "Look at me
Benny," the cop's voice had an edge to it. "Things can get rough if you
ignore me."  

Fraser smiled and looked up into the green eyes, "Is that a promise, Ray?"
 

The cop chortled at Benny's approximation of an evil grin, "Oh, you are
bad, Fraser. Everyone thinks you are so nice, but you are really SO bad.
Deceitful, that's what I call it. That innocent act of yours; you're a con
man. Benton Fraser, Con Man of the North."  

"Is there a point to all this, Ray?" Fraser ran his fingers up and down
the length of Ray's arm, barely grazing the skin. He smiled at the gleam
in Ray's green eyes.  

"Don't distract me. I had a point. . . .oh yeah." He gave in to the urge
to kiss Ben's lips which were so close to his own, but kept it light and
brief, a little tease to set the stage for later. "I  

just wanted to double check on this 'woman out of your past' thing. Is
there anyone else likely to show up? I'm only asking so I can buy some
extra life insurance if there is. I want Ma and the girls to be taken care
of . . ." His voice trailed off when he realized that Benny was not taking
his question lightly. "Jeeze, Benny. I'm joking."  

Fraser pulled himself together, remembering Kate's admonition to not over
analyze things. He caressed Ray's face, running his fingers across his
lips, letting them be drawn into Ray's mouth for a quick suck and lick.  

"No, Ray. You're only partly joking." He sighed, "And I certainly can't
blame you for being concerned. The only times you've met people I knew
before I came here have been unpleasant. Gerrard, Eric, Vi..", it took an
effort, but he managed to say her name, "Victoria, now Kate." He smiled
that wistful smile that always grabbed Ray's heart and twisted it to
pieces. "I really do know some nice people, Ray. They just don't seem to
come to Chicago."  

Ray sat up in bed, dragging the sheet around him. The room was getting
colder. "I've met some of your friends who are perfectly nice." He cast
about frantically for some names, needing to make Benny feel better.
"Frobisher - he's okay. A little crazy maybe, but all the best people are.
And Eric's family, they're fine. The twins, Patty and Sarah - they're
wonderful girls." He caught Benny's hand in his. "And Kate is incredible.
That's what I was getting to. When these people show up, I learn more
about you. And about me. Much as I hate her, where would we be if Victoria
had never come here? It was awful, but we came out okay, didn't we?" His
latent insecurities were clamoring for release; Fraser could see the
'Pauli" part of his personality seeping into the cop's eyes.  

"Yes, Ray. We're just fine. I wouldn't change a thing. Not even the bad
parts."  

Ray nodded, "Right. The last few days taught me a lot about myself, and
us. We've done more serious talking about our lives together than we've
done since we started this. I can't be sorry about that, Benny." He leaned
down for a lingering kiss. Fraser pulled him closer, to lie with his head
on Ben's chest. Fraser slipped his hand up to knead the back of Ray's
neck.  

"We have to talk more, Ray. I want to know everything there is to know
about you." His hand slipped down Ray's spine to the small of his back,
gently working the muscles there for a moment. "I need you in my life, for
the rest of my life."  

The cop moaned softly as he ran his hand over Fraser's ribcage, down his
side, across his hip to the mountie's growing erection. "Me too, Benny.
Whatever happens. Forever."  

finis  

 

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