Pairing: Benny/Ray V., Frannie/Elaine.

Category: Drama.

Rating: R

Warning: Violence.

Evil Gilda has been at it again! The basic scenario was swiped from a scene aired on GENERAL HOSPITAL on Tuesday, December 27th. If you're a GH fan, you'll recognize it. If not, you'll just have to read it! :) The DUE SOUTH touches are my own.

Disclaimer: I don't own 'em, Alliance does, more's the pity.

Comments welcome on or off-list. E-mail: jeanniemarie@sprintmail.com.

January 1, 2001

SOUND OFF, SLOW MOTION (TIME IN A WINK):

*Snow falls lightly as the door of Chicago's 27th Precinct is opened, and four people emerge and start down the steps.

The first two are Elaine and Frannie, smiling and laughing, teasing their joyful comrades behind them. Benny and Ray smile back, everyone pumped up because the men have just made one of the biggest busts in Chicago history: a Mob kingpin and several highly-placed city officials. A major web of corruption is crushed in a notoriously corrupt city. It's a major feather in Ray Vecchio's cap, and they were going out to celebrate.

Benny is thrilled for his partner. He is finally getting the credit he so richly deserves. He helped break the case, but the lion's share of the work (and the credit) is Ray's. He is so happy that he feels like dancing down the street.

Ray is ecstatic. He has taken down some major bad guys and has made Benny proud of him. For the first time in a long time, he believes that he can make Lieutenaut someday. He reaches out to catch a snowflake on his tongue and smiles at Benny.

They glow with happiness. They are still like newlyweds, unable to believe their good fortune. They spend every waking moment together that's possible and still can't get enough of each other. Their gloved hands touch and their skin tingles even through the leather.

Elaine looks back and grins. She is happy for Ray. He has always been overlooked in the department and works like a horse. Lieutenaut Welsh does his best because he recognizes Ray's talents, but now the brass will have to recognize them, too. She turns back and smiles at Frannie.

Frannie feels giddy. She is happy for her brother. Despite their squabbling, she loves him dearly, and she is also glad that the Mafia kingpin isn't Frankie Zuko. Ray and Frankie have a truce of sorts, and she'd hate to see what would happen if it was broken. She knows that it's a love-turned-hate kind of thing with them and she worries about the viciousness of payback.

She is also on her own Cloud Nine. She and Elaine are new lovers, and she can't believe her good fortune. After a lifetime of losers she has finally found a caring, considerate mate. Life's little irony that she happens to be female.

Frannie feels so good that she reaches down and scoops up a handful of snow, tossing it at Elaine. The policewoman shouts and answers the attack, Frannie squealing with delight. Ray's green eyes sparkle as he moves gracefully, the long, pearl-gray coat he's wearing fluttering in the wind. The coat is a Christmas gift from Benny. The Mountie has a fondness for pearl-gray.

Elaine gets Frannie with a snowball down the back of her collar, and the women shriek and grab each other in mock combat. They twirl around in a laughing ballet.

Ray has splattered Benny's dark-blue RCMP coat with snow, the Mountie quite indignant as he scoops up his own missile. Ray puts up his hands as he laughs and ducks the snowball, but is quickly battered by the next one.

As Elaine is twirled around to face the Precinct, her expression turns to shock, then fear.

Ray sees her face and turns, his own shock quickly turning to grimness as he begins to pull out his gun.

The two uniformed patrolmen, the streetlight illuminating their blue-and-white checked bands on their hats, raise their gloved hands. The Uzis begin to spew bullets in rapid fire.

Elaine yells a warning as she shoves Frannie to the ground, grunting in pain as a blossom of red explodes from her left shoulder. She is knocked to the ground with the force of the impact.

Ray shoves a startled Benny, caught off-balance, to the sidewalk. He hits it hard, his head slamming on snow-covered concrete as his Stetson flies off.

Ray's body is caught in a macabre dance as it jerks, the force of the bullets propelling him off the ground, then he descends in a graceful arc to slam face-first into the snow.

The shooters leave. For a space of seconds, all is silent, the snow drifting down, drops of red in the pristine snow. Then Frannie pushes herself up from the ground.

SOUND ON, (REAL TIME):

Frannie screamed. She scrabbled over to Elaine. "You're hit!"

Elaine groaned as her shoulder was jostled. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. You saved my life!" She tore off her scarf and pressed it to Elaine's wound.

Elaine's eyes widened. "Oh, no," she whispered.

Benny is up, his blue eyes wide. Blood trickles down a cut on his temple. His face is as white as the snow. Elaine feels the horror build. A dark-red nimbus of blood is seeping out around Ray's body, staining the snow.

Benny suddenly screamed, startling both women. They watched as he crawled frantically over to Ray and turned him over.

The pearl-gray coat was now a deep red. Ray's skin was as white as the snow, his body limp.

"No! No, Ray, you can't leave me! I love you! Oh, god, no!" Benny's hands ran over Ray's body, his gloves becoming soaked in blood. "Ray! Ray, please don't leave me! Please! Oh, god, love, don't go away and leave me all alone! You have to be all right!" Tears streamed down Benny's face as he held his lover's shattered body and began to rock back and forth.

"Frannie, help them," Elaine whispered.

Frannie looked at her lover, then nodded. She gave Elaine a quick kiss, then hurried on her knees to her brother and his lover.

"Benton, we have to stop the bleeding."

Benny was covered in blood, his smart red serge a deeper red now. His knees were pooled in red slush as the tears streamed silver rivulets down his face. Ray was a rag doll in his arms, his gold crucifix bright and shiny against marble skin. Benny's hand shook as he gently reached out to touch Ray's shorn head. Suddenly, he tore off his gloves with a savagery that startled Frannie. With his bare hand he touched the precious head, cradling it to his chest.

"Ray..." he moaned.

Frannie's heart broke but she grabbed the scarf he wore and applied it the worst wound, a gushing hole in Ray's chest. She was terrified of his waxen pallor and didn't even know if he was breathing. She screamed for help.

"Ray, you can't leave me! I love you!"

"Benton..."

The door to the 27th opened and Harding Welsh and Jack Huey were the first ones out, guns drawn. They blanched at the sight before them and Jack flipped open his cellphone, barking orders for an ambulance. Welsh was down the steps and shouted, "What happened?"

"Two beat cops with Uzis. They went that way!" Elaine pointed with her good arm. Detectives in their shirtsleeves pounded down the sidewalk, closely followed by patrol officers.

"My god," Welsh said as he saw the carnage up close. He shook slightly as he looked down at Ray, his favorite. He had kept that a careful secret, piling on the cases, because he knew that Ray Vecchio could handle the work and needed the challenge. He had a soft spot for the fiery Italian and now his quiet Canadian.

Who was entreating his lover not so quietly. Shock gleamed in Benton Fraser's blue eyes as the tears stung his cold skin. Star-shaped snowflakes floated gently onto his dark hair.

Welsh saw Elaine's bleeding shoulder and checked her. Frannie and Jack were busy trying to stop Ray from bleeding to death.

The ambulance arrived in record time. Welsh put a hand on Benny's shoulder.

"You must let go of him now, Constable." Benny reacted by tightening his hold on Ray as a haunting keening began. "Constable, Ray needs help. The paramedics can give that to him." A moan. "Please, give Ray a chance."

The snow-frosted head bowed, strong arms suddenly falling away. The paramedic efficiently strapped Ray to a stretcher while his partner tended to Elaine. The stretcher was wheeled away, leaving Benny kneeling in the blood-drenched snow.

A soft whisper was borne on the wind. Could it have been, "Benny?"

Suddenly Benny looked around wildly, his body shaking. His frantic gaze found Ray and he began crawling toward the ambulance. He screamed, "Ray! Don't leave me!" Tears streamed faster down his cheeks. "I love you! I love you! I love you!" The howl rivaled Dief as he stood and ran, pounding his fists on the ambulance door. The paramedic helping Elaine grabbed him. Jack came over to assist as Benny struggled, his face contorted in agony as he screamed his throat raw. Welsh took the paramedic's place as the man fished out a hyperdermic needle and quickly filled it. He jabbed it into Benny's arm.

"Ray! Ray! Raaaayyyy!!!!"

SOUND OFF, SLOW MOTION (TIME IN A WINK):

Quiet suddenly descends on the chaotic scene as Benny collapses in Welsh and Jack's arms. The ambulance doors open and the men gently hand the limp Mountie up to the waiting paramedic. Elaine is helped into the vehicle by the other paramedic, who runs around to get behind the wheel. The ambulance light flashes red as the vehicle races off with its precious burdens. Frannie runs to her car to follow.

Welsh rubs his face with his hand, then he turns to the scene. He and Jack look at it grimly, then Welsh barks orders to a pair of returning patrolmen. They run for the standard yellow tape, and Welsh and Jack go into the Precinct.

For a brief time, there is silence on the street. The snow continues to fall, beginning to dapple the almost-perfect scarlet outline of a human body, the streetlight glinting off a crucifix ringed in red.*