We Met One Night

	"Dief!" Constable Benton Fraser of the Royal Canadian Mounted
Police
called out loudly to his feral friend.	"Just where do you think you
are going?" 

	The wolf ignored him and continued trotting away from his
so-called
master, heading towards some low dunes further down the beach. 

	Fraser shook his head, his finger absently tracing the line of his
eyebrow.
He began muttering aloud as if the animal were still there gazing up
at him. 

	"I don't know why Ray thought he needed to bring me down here with
his
family on vacation.  It was certainly a nice gesture, but the Vecchio
Florida trips are a family affair; he probably assumed I would decline
his invitation.  And now," the Constable glanced around before finishing
the sentence, "Dief has gone off on some inexplicable mission in the
middle of a deserted Florida beach with which he is completely unfamiliar.
Oh, dear."  Ben sighed and began following the rounded tracks in the
sand in front of him. 

	"It's really too bad," he commented to the air around him, half
expecting
his father to appear.  "It's such a beautiful night; the stars here shine
brightly enough to remind me . . . to remind me . . . of home and the
Northern Lights."  He paused, blinking, and glanced up at the moonlit
sky. 

	Before long, Ben heard Dief's soft whine, accompanied by another
low,
sad sound.  A puzzled look crossed his face, and he quickly walked towards
the noises.  In a few moments, he came upon a sight, which rather unnerved
him. 

	At first all he could see was a lithe form curled upon itself on
the
sand, half shrouded by a shower of curly, brown hair.  The only thing
that defined the vision as human and not some ethereal being was a small
hand wrapped around Dief's head, stroking it lightly.  Ben realized that
the sound he had heard was this female's weeping, and his brain
automatically
flipped into the usual unsettled mode it adopted when he was in the
presence
of beautiful women. 

	Fraser stood ramrod straight, his mouth flopping open and closed
as
he tried to think of what to say.  Suddenly it occurred to him that the
young woman might not even have noticed his presence, and he felt almost
guilty for intruding. 

	"Excuse me, ma'am, I'm sorry, I - "

***

	As soon as the first syllable shattered the quiet around me, I
jerked
upright.  I stumbled to my feet, head held high somewhat defiantly,
rubbing
briskly at my eyes.  "Who - ?"	My words trailed off abruptly; starting
at the bottom, I was looking at high, laced boots, form-fitting jeans,
a tiny waist, a soft-looking sweater, broad shoulders . . . and
astonishingly
deep eyes the color of the sea after a storm. 

	As strange as his sudden appearance was, I couldn't help but
recognize
the man for who he was, and in my shock, I didn't really notice the stray
tears that rolled down my face.  I should have known, anyway; who else
would have a half-wolf that just wandered up to me and let me pet it?
I still couldn't believe it, though. 

	Ben reached out with one hand and brushed them away with silken
fingertips,
only belatedly pulling his hand back and offering a handkerchief instead.
"Please stop crying, ma'am.  If you tell me what's wrong, maybe I can
help you." 

	I laughed a little, both at being called ma'am and at the idea of
his
actually being able to help.  He might have been an amazing Mountie,
but Superman he was not. 

***

	Fraser took the opportunity to study her more carefully.  The
woman
was of an average height and willowy, her form almost like that of a
pixie.	She had vast, soft eyes which shone brightly in the moonlight,
and her hair now cascaded around her smooth face, framing a slightly
puckered, bow-shaped mouth.  She seemed to emanate a light, fragile scent
that tickled his nose and stayed there.  He didn't recognize her, but
she did look familiar to him - and she certainly seemed to know him.

	"Perhaps you knew her in a previous life, son."  At the dagger
look
he received from Ben, Robert Fraser's ghost snorted indignantly.  "Well,
that's what you were thinking anyway, wasn't it?  Besides, it doesn't
matter whether you know her or not, she seems to need your help.  Go
on, son; go get your man, or something. " 

	Fraser shot his father another dirty look before the dead Mountie
faded
away, chuckling and rambling about the 'real' RCMP motto.  The woman
had stopped laughing long ago and was now just staring at him with
interest.
"Miss, do I know you?" 

***

	"In a way," I said.  I fought the tears threatening to fill my
eyes
again.	"I'm sorry.  I just - " 

	Naturally, the Constable's eyes were sympathetic and open, and he
waited
for me to continue. 

	"I just had a really awful day.  Nothing was going right, and
everything
just seems to be crumbling around me."	I looked up as Fraser placed
a gentle hand on my arm. 

	"Go on.  Would you walk with me, though?  My wolf, Diefenbaker
seems
to be meandering off again." 

	"Sure," I replied.  "Wouldn't want Dief to get soft."  I couldn't
keep
a wry grin from crossing my face for a moment, and I could see Ben
contemplating
asking me why I'd said that.  Apparently, he decided it would be
pointless,
that I'd rather maintain my mystery for the moment anyway.  And maybe
he was right. 

	We started walking slowly along the beach, feeling the waves
pulling
lightly at our feet as we went.  We began to talk, starting with the
details of my horrid day and moving on to almost everything else. 
Including
the childhood each of us had experienced and the scars we bore from it.

***

	Ben's heart was tearing as he listened to her story; he couldn't
believe
all she'd been through and how strong she'd become to survive it.  He
felt incredibly drawn to this woman, and it was as though she already
knew everything about him and he could have no secrets from her.  It
was an odd feeling, but not an upsetting one.  Fraser realized he'd
somehow
taken hold of her hand as they were walking, and he started to pull away.

***

	I blinked, squeezed his hand for a moment, and was letting go, but
his
hand suddenly closed more firmly around mine.  I smiled faintly. 

	From my past, we had somehow moved to his history with Victoria,
which,
as always, moved me to both tears and outright anger.  But Ben told me
he hurt more for my sake than for himself.  For some reason, I spoke
about former lovers - "If you could actually give them that title," I
muttered - and the pain I had endured over the years.  "You know, I might
not open up like this if it were anyone but you."  Another secret smile
took over my mouth.  "But it *is* you." 

***

	The Mountie ached for her, wanting to just wrap her in his arms
and
protect her from all the evils of the world.  And even as he thought
them, the ideas put themselves into action, without any conscious effort
on his part. 

***

	My head bowed to rest against a firm chest as I felt Fraser's
strong
arms slipping around my body, and I sighed.  Worried, Ben looked at me
and asked if I wanted him to let go of me.  I shook my head vehemently
and pulled him closer. 

	"No, please don't."

	"The things you've gone through - you merit so much more
happiness,
miss, uh . . . what is your name, by the way?  I'd rather not keep calling
you ma'am or miss." 

	"I'd prefer something else, too."  I leaned in and whispered in
his
ear, then leaned back some again; he lifted one hand to the back of my
head, holding me there.  "Ciyerra . . . "  My name sounded so right coming
from his mouth - like it belonged there. 

	Ben looked into my eyes, giving me that softly piercing,
questioning
look I knew so well.  What he saw there must have given him his answer,
because the next thing I knew, he was whispering, "You deserve so much
better . . . I wish I could have been there all those years to give it
to you . . . I wish . . . I'm so sorry . . . " 

	He mumbled something in an Inuit dialect, and his voice trailed
off
as he started pressing these tiny kisses all over my face.  He'd lifted
both hands to the side of my face, his fingers lightly stroking my cheeks
as his lips moved across, catching the tears that fell openly again from
my eyes.  His mouth seemed to caress the tiny scars on my forehead. 
I felt myself practically sobbing into his chest - he was so warm, so
sweet, so *there*.  And, *God*, it was *Ben*! 

***

	'She's so very alive,' Fraser thought vaguely.	'So vibrant and
strong
and beautiful.	And so lonely.	Like me . . . No more.'  He shifted his
arms to support the small woman, one hand gliding to the small of her
back, while the other slid under her hair to stroke the nape of her neck.
She felt liquid in his arms, as though if he let go she would just puddle
into a loose-limbed mass at his feet. 

***

	I felt like my bones were running through my body with my blood,
just
melting and coursing along.  When his hands circled to hold me against
him, my knees were in the verge of buckling, and I clung to him like
a child.  But I didn't feel like a child when his mouth came to rest
against mine.  We stayed like that for a moment, lips just touching in
the softest contact.  He whispered right into my mouth, "Are you all
right?"  The tickling buzz galvanized me, and I answered by kissing him
full on the lips.  His mouth opened in shock, then relaxed, melding
possessively
against mine.  His tongue tentatively came out partway, slipping ever
so lightly over my lips.  I tried to draw it into my mouth, but he
continued
to caress my mouth with that velvety tongue until I felt like it had
gone numb.  *Then* he pushed his tongue between my lips and into my mouth.
My hands had gone to the back of his head, running luxuriously through
his thick, soft hair, and our kiss deepened further, our tongues stroking
each other.  Forget rational thoughts, this was pure emotion.  Damn hot
ones, too. 

***

	Ben was amazed at the feelings this woman had ignited in him. 
Kissing
her was like filling his mouth was flame, and all he wanted was more
of the burn.  He gathered her up into his arms, lifting her off her feet.
Her hands went around his neck, and he relished the feeling, using it
as an excuse to explore her mouth even further with his own.  He thought
he heard Dief grunt before trotting off, but the thought soon fled from
his mind.  Very gently, he set Ciyerra down on the sand. 

***

	'Like a doll.'	That's all I could think then:	'I feel like a
china
doll.'	I wanted to giggle.  Until I realized what he was doing.  Which
was taking off his cuddly, bulky sweater.  I leaned back on my arms,
stretching my legs out and admiring the molded chest Ben was so modestly
displaying.  He was so shy he wasn't even looking at me while he squatted
to spread the sweater out on the sand.	Another nice view. 

	Then he stood up and unzipped his jeans.  Wow.	I don't know
whether
I was expecting *that* so soon, but I wasn't going to object.  I trusted
him, like I hadn't been able to trust any other man.  He was wearing
the stiffest, cleanest white boxer shorts I have ever seen, but they
were obviously well filled.  Not overly so, just to a decent capacity.
Then he was squatting again, putting the jeans down - making a sort of
impromptu bedroll for us.  Now he was looking straight at me, effortlessly
scooping me up into his arms again, then laying me down on top of his
shucked clothing. 

	He lay down next to me, not on top, like he was afraid of crushing
me.
I wanted to feel his body though, so I rolled up as close to him as
possible.
His eyes were glittering like the Northern Lights, and it was like
drowning
on dry land in their depths.  Suddenly, we were kissing again.	I couldn't
even figure out whose mouth was whose anymore.	I laid my hands on his
chest, stroking the fine planes and angles.  He shuddered a little, lips
tightening on mine.  I felt his hands begin roaming up and down the back
of my body, like rain sprinkling before a downpour.  I felt . . .
treasured,
somehow. 

***

	Fraser pulled away from Ciyerra for a moment to come up for air. 
He
kept one hand on her back, bringing the other to the top button of her
blouse.  'I must be going crazy.  I don't know how this is actually
happening,
how we are together right here and right now.'	She was giving him a
puzzled look; he must have been staring.  Ben mentally shook himself
out of his reverie.  Her hands were like brands on his torso, and he
smiled at her reaction when she felt the rumbling underneath her fingers
- he started singing to her. 

***

	I couldn't figure out what language it was, but it was one of the
most
beautiful things I have ever heard.  His voice made my hands tickle 
- and ache to hold him.  His smile got bigger.	It was a light-up-the-sky
kind of smile, and I couldn't help but smile back.  Looking at his mouth
just made me want to kiss it more, though.  I thought he sensed that
a few minutes later when he finished the song and leaned in close, but
I never felt his lips on mine. 

***

	Ben crooked his finger under her chin and leaned forward to press
a
kiss there.  He continued from there, trailing down and around her neck,
into her hair, at the edge of her shoulder, and pausing where her pulse
was throbbing at the juncture of neck, chest, and shoulder blades.  'So
lovely,' he thought dazedly. 

***

	I had closed my eyes as of the first kiss on my chin, and I kept
them
closed as he took that kiss elsewhere.	I rested my palms on his back,
lightly massaging the muscles so strongly defined there.  My eyes flew
open when his apt fingers returned to the buttons of my shirt and began
undoing them.  I kept my body relaxed, concentrating on my trust in this
man.  His lips followed his fingers, blazing a line down the very center
of my chest, and soon my shirt was being slipped off my shoulders.  Now
he pressed his mouth to my abdomen, gently nipping at the skin there.
His hands came up and flattened against my breasts through the thin
material
of my bra.  His fingers smoothed over my breasts but didn't touch my
nipples, just lazily circled around them as his tongue played tricks
on my stomach.	My back arched as I leaned into his sensual touch, but
his caresses stayed light, almost teasing.  Then Ben brought his head
back up to the level of mine, gazing into my eyes and kissing me again.
His hands slipped underneath my bra, his hands cupping my breasts,
stroking
the sides.  I thought my body would burst into flames right then and
there.	My nipples ached to feel that powerful sensation, and I pushed
towards him.  A chuckle started in the back of his throat and spread
into my mouth with the dance of his tongue inside.  Finally, his thumb
slowly, ever so softly swept over my erect nipples, the hard little peaks
at full attention.  My gasp was audible, tearing through the silent night
air, and his tongue traced over my lips again. 

	Just as my racing heart adjusts to his hands doing such erotic
things
to my breasts, his mouth again follows those hands.  Fraser leaned in,
pulling me even closer to him.	At first he just kissed my breasts, but
then that talented tongue sneaked out again, and he was softly licking
everything he'd uncovered.  Some ungodly moan tore from my throat when
I felt his large hands move to lightly hold and caress my buttocks. 
His mouth was still roaming over my breasts, nibbling here and there
on the sides.  Without warning, his mouth latched onto my nipple, and
he lightly nibbled it as he sucked.  His tongue swirled around it like
it was his first ice cream cone.  He traced his tongue back and forth
between my breasts, lavishing special attention to the small cavity
between
them.  Hell, it was all special attention, and all I could do was tangle
my hands in his hair and revel in it. 

***

	Ben could sense how aroused she was, and he thrilled to the
knowledge
that he was doing that to her.	He lifted his head from her breasts,
hair tousled and lips swollen, watching her eyes slowly open and refocus
on him. 

	"You stopped."	It was almost a question.  Almost.

	"Yes."

	"Oh."  Her expression was confused.

	"I just wanted to look at you for a moment.  To see what this was
doing
to you . . . " 

	"Oh, really?"  Now there was amusement and a touch of mischief in
her
eyes.  Ben's face showed astonishment in the moment before she pressed
her own to it, tongue encircling his tempting mouth.  She started to
kiss her way down his chest, but he gently pulled her back up again.

	"No, Ciyerra."	She looked hurt until he continued, "I want to do
this
for you.  Let me make this all about you.  Let me show you how you should
have been treated all along." 

***

	As if I could resist an offer like that.  I swear, the smile that
appeared
on my face practically split it apart.	I got up slowly, looking him
full in the face while I pulled off the rest of my clothing.  His eyes,
the way he looked at me . . . you'd think there was no one else but us
in the whole world.  It's impossible not to melt when Benton Fraser looks
at you like *that*.  It's also impossible to keep any normal smile on
your face; he's simply too delectable.	It took some courage I probably
didn't know I had to take that last step and pull off my underwear, but
I did it, reading nothing but admiration, desire, and caring in Ben's
eyes as I did so.  I settled myself back down on the 'bedroll,' trying
to relax. 

***

	Ben gazed at every square inch of her, from top to bottom.  He
worried
that she might be uncomfortable with the scrutiny; she was fidgeting
slightly.  Still, that brilliant smile had not entirely left her face.
To put himself on equal ground, he slid out of his boxers, by now
significantly
moistened with the pre-cum his body had released as he tortured her
breasts.
He watched her eyes, checking for any signs of anxiety, but she seemed
to take in his hard penis with some delight, her eyes roving over him
as his had done to her.  Eventually, her eyes returned to his face, and
they shared a smile.  Both recognized the trust they had in the other.
Fraser leaned over and kissed her languorously, his tongue intertwining
with hers.  He lay on top of her as lightly as he could, keeping the
bulk of his weight off of her with his arms.  Then he had to shift to
the side, supporting himself on one elbow, so that he had a free hand.

***

	I felt him moving over, and wished we could be even closer.  And
then
his hand was on me, starting at my breasts again and working downward
. . . down and down and down . . . He slipped his fingers between my
legs and stroked with the lightest touch, just feathering his fingertips
against the opening.  Then two fingers were spreading me open while a
third was slipping up and down in between. 

	I could feel myself moaning into his mouth.  Ben just kissed me
harder
and wrapped his other arm around my back, touching my butt with the pads
of his fingers.  Then his mouth slipped away from mine and found its
way down the front of my body, touching every bit of skin he can reach,
then circling around the point where my legs meet.  So glad I have these
dancer's legs . . . He slid all the way down to my feet, then started
at the bottom and moved up, placing little kisses and licks at random
points on my feet, ankle, calves, knees - ohh, he knew that place on
the back of my knees, too . . . - then on my thighs, working from the
outside inward.  My hands were back in that silky hair again, rubbing
and kneading.  I was so aroused I was amazed I hadn't come already, but
somehow Fraser was prolonging it. 

***

	The Mountie continued to lick at the area just above her pelvis,
at
a particularly sensitive spot on her belly.  Then he was trailing that
tongue due south, kissing softly at the wet folds of her center.  His
hands came up between her legs, one on each side spreading her open.
Fraser just stayed like that for a moment, and then he *breathed* on
her, hot air flowing from his mouth to curl through her. 

***

	A second after that, his tongue delved between my legs, and he
started
licking me, somehow, impossibly, arousing me even more than before. 
I had to get my hands off his head before I pulled all that lush hair
out, so I buried them in the sand on either side of me instead, clenching
my fists around handfuls of the fine grains.  I had to bite my lips to
try to repress the scream rising from my throat, but it ripped out anyway
when he drew my clitoris into his mouth, sucking and licking it.  He
even nibbled it a little, rubbing his tongue over the very tip of it.
I was fighting against the impending orgasm, wanting to wait as long
as possible, to keep him where he was, doing what he was.  I felt his
penis far down my leg though, begging for some attention.  His tongue
was circling my clitoris and doing amazing dives into my vagina, and
I couldn't have withstood it much longer.  So I pulled him away. 

***

	Fraser stared at the sweating woman lying on the sand below him. 
"What's
wrong, Ciyerra?" 

***

	I struggled to sit up through my hormone-induced stupor.  "Nothing
is
wrong.	Absolutely nothing.  But I want to come with you inside me."

***

	"I told you I wanted to do this all for you."  Fraser tried to
form
a stern expression on his face and failed miserably. 

***

	"I know you did.  And you are," I replied.  "I want to come with
you
inside me, but I'll be on top.	It will still be better for me that way.
Besides, I've always wanted to mount a Mountie." 

***

	Fraser blushed at the sparkle in her eyes - and he felt the blush
go
all the way down to his toes.  But all he said was, "All right, if that's
what you want." 

***

	"You better believe it," I said, grinning devilishly at him. 
"We're
going to finish what you started, Ben."  With that, I pushed at his chest,
forcing him onto his back on the pile of clothing.  He sat quickly back
up and grabbed for the pocket of the jeans underneath him.  He pulled
out a condom and rolled it on carefully before lying back again.  When
he did, his penis was pointed upward like a flagpole saluting the nation.
If I wasn't so aroused I might have laughed at the sight.  Instead, I
just smiled.  He was giving me that soft, almost questioning look again.
I leaned forward and kissed him swiftly, then moved up and positioned
myself above him.  He placed his hands on my arms, supporting me, holding
me.  I eased slowly down onto his penis, our eyes focused only on the
other's.  I pressed my hands to his chest then slid them around to mold
against his ribs. 

***

	As they started to slowly rock back and forth against each other,
Fraser's
hands slipped from her arms up to her shoulders, then down to softly
cup and stroke her sensitive breasts.  Both leaned in, lips meeting in
a kiss, and Ben knew he had just hit *right* *there*.  Her face tensed
for a moment then was filled with a new urgency.  'She looks angelic,'
Fraser thought, raising his hips gently.  She lifted herself up, then
dropped back down, trying to maintain that contact.  He arched into her,
thrusting deeply upward. 

***

	His tongue was doing to my mouth what the rest of his body was
doing
below, and I felt like I couldn't be filled any more.  As I rode up and
down on him, I felt everything coming together, and I just couldn't hold
back anymore.  He pumped into me, mouth enfolding mine, and as he touched
that spot again inside me, I came.  I yelled loudly, my hands coming
back to his chest as I collapsed against him.  When he followed, coming
a little bit later, I felt his heart pounding like crazy underneath my
hands, and I kissed the spot where I could feel it most strongly. 

	Instead of just falling asleep, Ben pulled me even closer - I
didn't
even think that was possible - and started humming his earlier song again.
I smiled, sated, and relaxed into his embrace.	I didn't even want to
think about what else might happen in the future.  Apparently, though,
Fraser could read my mind. 

***

	"No matter how far apart we are, I'll always be with you.  And
I'll
always be here waiting.  You know that."  At my dubious look, he
continued,
"I can see in your eyes that you don't believe me, but you know it's
true.  Look inside your heart.	You know it.  You do." 

***

	Of course, Constable Benton Fraser is always right.  He will be
there
when I need to talk to him, even if he won't always be able to say much
back.  For now . . . 

***

	Ben studied Ciyerra's face thoughtfully.  "Until we have to
separate,
would you like to come stay with me?  You can meet the Vecchios, I'm
certain you'll like them - "  Fraser's face was utterly baffled when
the woman in his arms burst out laughing, but he received no explanation
from her.  Dief plodded up and started licking both their faces, making
Ciyerra laugh harder and seeming to mock the Mountie who wasn't in on
the joke. 

 - end -