Due South and all its characters belong to Alliance Communications 

  

Views to: Cal18@usa.net 

Story page: http://users4.50megs.com/callie 

  THE CALL by Callie 

   

The lights in the apartment were low, soft gentle music playing in the
background. However, the occupant was far from calm; Stanley Raymond
Kowalski paced the small apartment. Diefenbaker watched from the couch,
his head moving from side to side following Ray's movements as he paced
around the living room. 

"Why hasn't he called?" Ray stopped abruptly in front of the wolf.
Diefenbaker barked softly in reply licking his slender hand
affectionately. Ray smiled despite himself. "He said he would call as soon
as the day's lectures were finished. We agreed. And it's," Ray glanced
down at his watch. "Ten o'clock. So why doesn't he call?" he started
pacing the room again waving his arms in the air mumbling under his
breath. "It's not as if he coulda been eaten by a bear or something. Not
in Toronto."  

On his tenth circuit of the room, Ray glanced sideways glaring at the
telephone sitting silently on the kitchen counter. He stomped over picking
up the receiver checking for the hundredth time for the dial tone. He
smiled to himself despite his bad mood - of course Fraser wouldn't let the
telephone be cut off, insisting that they paid all their bills on time. 

He slumped onto one of the bar stools, resting his head on his hands
glaring at the telephone willing it to ring. Ray's thoughts drifted to
memories of the past year. He still couldn't believe that Fraser loved him
and wanted to be with him. They had finally confessed their love for each
other after months of each man agonising over their feelings, both
terrified to admit their feelings for one another, fearing that they would
be rejected in disgust by the other. Fraser had moved into his apartment
and his heart, and Ray never wanted the Mountie to move out of either. Ray
was in love and deliriously happy - happier than he had ever been with
Stella. He also knew, deep in his heart, that Fraser was just as happy.  

Ray fiddled absently with the two small packages in front of him, one
elaborately wrapped in gold paper. He cast another angry look at the
telephone. "Ring why don't ya?" he cursed silently.    ************** 

 Constable Benton Fraser hurried into the hotel foyer; he was late, the
last speech having overrun by an hour and a half. He had been willing the
final speaker to finish quickly sighing silently every time another
officer asked a question, and the speaker launched himself
enthusiastically into a long-winded answer. He snatched the key from the
receptionist hurrying towards the elevator. Stepping inside, Fraser
watched impatiently as the floor indicator counted off the floors.  

He sighed to himself knowing that Ray would be waiting for his call; they
had agreed that it would be easier for Fraser to call the apartment. He
glanced down at his watch again. "Oh dear," he thought to himself. "Ray
won't be happy." Fraser glared at the floor indicator. "Hurry up," he
willed the elevator to go faster, hoping that no-one would stop it on its
journey to the twentieth floor. 

He was in Toronto for a week attending an RCMP Conference on Modern
Policing Methods, and although the conference was interesting, Fraser's
mind kept drifting to thoughts of his partner. Just when Fraser thought he
had been condemned to a life of loneliness, Ray had come crashing into his
world bringing with him his constant energy but more importantly his
friendship, which had gradually grown into a deep love. Fraser loved Ray
more than life itself, and was happier than he had ever been. At last, he
knew what real love could be, and he had no intention of giving it up.	

With a hiss, the doors opened on the twentieth floor, and Fraser raced
along the corridor in an un-Mountie like manner to his room. Closing the
door behind him, he switched on the light moving quickly towards the
telephone. Two packages lay on the night stand, and Fraser smiled to
himself as he gently fingered the untidily wrapped parcel. Shrugging out
of his serge, he picked up the telephone dialling the apartment. 

  ************** 

 Ray was laying slumped over the kitchen counter, his head resting on his
folded arms, his eyes staring mesmerised at the telephone. Lost in
daydreams of Fraser, he nearly fell off the stool startled as the sharp
ring of the telephone echoed around the room. He snatched up the handset
grinning to himself. 

"You have reached the KowalskiFraser residence. No-one is home at the
moment. They died of waiting for the Mountie to call them. Please leave
yer message after the tone," he said playfully, mimicking the sound of an
ansaphone's electronic tone. He waited silently still grinning to himself.


"This is Constable Benton Fraser. I would like to leave a message for
Stanley Raymond Kowalski. Could you tell him I love him very much, and I
am sorry," Fraser said politely. "Thank you kindly." 

"Love ya too Ben," Ray giggled sensing the smile in Fraser's voice.  

"Thank you kindly," Fraser repeated laughing softly. "How are you? Are you
eating properly? Is Diefenbaker behaving himself?" 

Ray stifled a laugh as he glanced sideways at the wolf who was finishing
of the pizza he had ordered earlier, but hadn't felt like eating. "OK, but
miss ya. Yes. And yes," he replied to the Mountie's questions. "But where
have ya been? I was worried. Thought ya'd gotten yerself eaten by a bear
or something." 

"No bears in Toronto. Only a moose on every corner," Fraser chuckled. "I
am sorry. The last lecture overran by an hour and a half and I couldn't
get away." 

"It's OK," Ray said. "Ya here now. Well sorta. Ya know.... on the other
end of the telephone thousands of miles of away." 

"Well actually Ray," Fraser said. "I'm only 441miles away...." 

"Frase," Ray interrupted raising his eyes towards the ceiling in
exasperation. 

"Or 710 kilometres," Fraser continued oblivious to Ray's interruption. 

"Ben," Ray said slightly louder. 

"Or 383 nautical miles away from you," Fraser finished satisfied.  

"Ya know I love ya more than anything in the world," Ray sighed. "But
sometimes ya do sorta go on. And only my Mountie would know how many
nautical miles we were away from each other." 

"Thank you kindly," Fraser grinned hearing the mild exasperation in his
partner's voice. "And I love you. And miss you Ray. My bed is lonely
without you. I wish you were here so I could touch you. Kiss you. Stroke
you. Make love to you," he said his voice husky with desire. 

"He stifled a un-Mountie like giggle as he heard Ray groan. "If ya keep
going on like that. I'm gonna swim them 382 nautical miles to ya," Ray
murmured. 

"But you can't swim Ray," Fraser teased. 

"I'll learn," Ray retorted. "Tomorrow." Suddenly lost in thoughts of
missing Fraser, Ray fell silent not being able to stop the ache he felt
spreading across his chest. 

"Ray," Fraser said. "Ray. Are you still there? Ray." 

"Yeh Ben," Ray whispered. "Just ..... just wishing that ya were here.
Especially ya know .... today. The.... anniversary of .... of the day we
first said we loved each other." 

"I know Ray. I wish I was there with you," Fraser replied wistfully. "I am
sorry that the conference just happened to fall on this particular week. I
did try to get out of coming here, but the Inspector insisted." 

"Yeh. I know you did Ben," Ray assured his lover. "Not yer fault."  

"Would you prefer to do this when I get back home at the weekend?" Fraser
asked."We can have a spec....." 

"No," Ray interrupted loudly stopping Fraser mid-sentence. "We agreed all
those months ago to do it today. And if we don't. It will be like it don't
matter. And it does. To me," he finished lowering his voice shyly.  

"It matters to me as well Ray," Fraser breathed. "You are with me now in
my heart. And you always will be. How ever far apart we are from each
other." 

"And ya in my heart Ben," Ray agreed softly. "Always and forever." 

"Have you got your packages Ray?" Fraser asked, his voice nearly breaking
with emotion at the loving words. 

"Yeh," Ray picked up the smaller box flipping the lid open revealing the
plain gold band inside. "Ya got yers?" 

Fraser smiled. "Yes Ray," he said carefully opening the velvet box which
displayed the twin of the gold band he knew Ray was holding.  

"OK," Ray closed his eyes imagining that Fraser was close to him. "I'll go
first. Yer ready?" He heard Fraser murmur in the affirmative as he begun
to recite his promise to Fraser. "Benton Fraser. I love ya with all my
heart. Yer my best friend, my partner and my lover. Ya brought strength,
passion and happiness into my life. Ya made me the man I am today. And
I'll never leave ya. Accept the ring as my pledge to ya," he whispered
quietly. 

"Thank you kindly Ray," Fraser murmured as he placed the gold band on his
ring finger. "My turn." Closing his eyes, he could see Ray's face grinning
at him, and he smiled lightly. "Stanley Raymond Kowalski. I love you with
all my heart. You are my best friend, my partner and my lover. You brought
love and laughter into my lonely life. You showed me what love could be.
And I will never leave you. Accept the ring as my pledge to you," he
whispered softly. 

"Greatness," Ray smiled as he slipped the gold band onto his slender ring
finger. "Can I open my present now?" he asked ever impatient. 

Fraser chuckled. "Yes my impatient love," he teased as he heard the sound
of ripping paper from the other end of the telephone. 

"Oh Ben," Ray breathed. "It's beautiful."  

"I made the frame myself," Ben said. "Do you like it?" 

"Oh yes Ben," Ray said running his fingers over the wooden frame
marvelling at the delicate workmanship, noting that Fraser had carefully
carved the RCMP and CPD crests intertwining them on the top of the frame. 


Ray turned his attention to the picture that he remembered had been taken
on a weekend hiking trip into the hills. Smiling to himself, he recalled
how they had giggled at each other trying to work out how to use the
self-timer mode of the camera they had borrowed from Constable Turnbull.  

The photograph showed them sitting in the bright spring sunshine in front
a large rock, Ray nestled between Fraser's legs. Fraser had his head
resting on Ray's shoulder, his strong arms wrapped around his upper body.
Ray was resting his hands on Fraser's arms. They grinned at the camera
happily, their love for each other captured forever.  

"It's beautiful and we're gonna give it pride of place in our home," Ray
said. "Now open yers." 

Fraser tugged at the tape that seemed to be have been wrapped around the
package several times. "I can see that you need a lesson in how to wrap a
parcel," he teased. "Have we any tape left in the apartment?" 

"Funny guy. Ya know I aint good at wrapping things up," Ray lowered his
voice slightly. "Good at unwrapping though. Especially red parcels," he
grinned as he heard Fraser's breath catch.  

Fraser finally managed to get the paper off the package. Speechless, he
gazed down at the modern red frame with a photograph of the two of them
taken on the same hiking trip into the hills, as the one he had given Ray.
They stood on the edge of a hill with the countryside in the background;
arms wrapped around each other, they were looking into one another's eyes
smiling - identical happiness mirrored on their faces. 

"Ya hate it right?" Ray said quietly. "Knew I shoulda got ya a book or
something." 

Fraser dragged his eyes away from the gift and back to Ray's voice. "No
Ray. I love it," he breathed. "It would seem, as you say, that we are on
the same page." 

"Aint that the truth," Ray smiled relief evident in his voice. "But it's
kinda good. Ya know.... being on the same page. Feels right," he twiddled
the gold band on his ring finger. "And it goes right next to my picture.
OK?" 

Fraser grinned fingering his ring absently. "Ray. I love you," he suddenly
wanted and needed to hear himself say the words. 

"I love ya Ben," Ray whispered. "It's just ya and me forever. OK?" 

"Understood," Fraser replied as he glanced down at his watch. "Ray. It's
late and I know you have to be up early in the morning." 

"Yeh. I know," Ray replied wistfully. "Wish we could talk all night." 

"I would talk to you all night Ray. But I don't think the RCMP would be
very happy if I fell asleep during tomorrow's speeches," Fraser said. "And
I am sure that the CPD would want you to be awake at your desk." 

"Suppose yer right. As usual," Ray said sadly. "But it's lonely without
ya." 

"I know Ray," Fraser agreed. "But I'll be home on Saturday. Only 48 hours.
2880 minutes. And 172,800 seconds," Fraser chuckled as he heard Ray groan
in mock irritation. "Then we can have our honeymoon. A whole week alone
together. Away from the precinct and the consulate." 

"Ben," Ray moaned. "Yer a cruel man."  

"Sorry Ray," Fraser said guiltily. "I'll be counting the hours, minutes
and seconds until Saturday." 

"Me too," Ray agreed. "Night Ben. Love ya. Miss ya." 

"Good night Ray," Fraser whispered. "I love and miss you." 

The two men hung up the telephone at the same time, each feeling lost and
lonely without the other. 

 ************** 

  

After he hung up the telephone, Ray paced around the room for a while
trying to lose himself in the soft music. He distractedly twisted the gold
band round and round on his finger, his mind full of thoughts of Fraser.
Suddenly irritated with his own company, Ray decided on an early night.  

Diefenbaker was asleep on the couch; Ray stroked the furry head
affectionately before turning off the apartment lights and locking the
door. He ambled towards the bedroom, his gift tucked firmly under his arm.
Placing the photograph carefully on the night stand, Ray stripped quickly
casting his clothes untidily on the floor. Slipping under the blankets, he
lay on his side staring up at the photograph in the dim light. 

He reached up to the photograph tracing Fraser's face with his finger.
"Love ya," he said as he closed his eyes; Fraser's face being the last
thing he saw before sleep claimed him. 

  ************** 

  

441 miles, 710 kilometres or 383 nautical miles away, Fraser stared at the
telephone distractedly after he had hung up. His mind full of Ray, he made
his way slowly towards the small bathroom for a quick shower before an
early night.  

Half an hour later, he emerged a towel wrapped around his hips. Sitting
down on the edge of the bed, he gazed down at the gold band flexing his
finger admiring how it seemed to glint in the light. Sighing, he slipped
under the blankets turning onto his side. He gazed up at the photograph
that he had placed neatly on the night stand. 

Reaching over, Fraser traced his finger over Ray's smiling features. "I
love you," he murmured as he closed his eyes; Ray's face being the last
thing he saw before sleep claimed him.   THE END 

  Love it. Hate it. Views to: Cal18@usa.net