Title: Glimpse of Ben
Author: Lys
Pairings: None
Rated
G
No Spoiler
 
Alliance
owns these lovely characters. The
actors fleshed them out for us on the screen. But there are still so many areas to think about, so many
gaps to fill. This is part of
a series of stories I call Glimpses of Ben. Most of them take place just before or after Ben's mother
was killed. 
 
 
Lys
 
 
He sat there by the window. His feet were quietly
swinging back and forth. He watched
the figure following the path growing smaller outside his window. His nightgown was too large and fell
away from his shoulders. His large,
blue eyes almost seemed unseeing. The
curls of his dark, dark-brown hair framed his face. The boy's lips moved but no sound came out as he watched
the figure disappear totally down the path. 
 
The
boy's feet stopped moving, he dropped his eyes towards his clasped hands
in his lap. He sat totally unmoving. 
 
She
watched from the doorway, her gray head bowed, her shoulders drooping. She had no more tears to cry. She had
spent too many nights holding the boys small frame in her lap while he
grieved. Walking over to the boy,
she gently picked him up. His
little head lay on her shoulder, he made not a sound. Carrying him to the little cot in the corner by the stove,
she held him tightly to her. Covering
him carefully, she dropped a kiss on his hair and walked over to the
"Chair" he had been sitting in moments ago. 
 
He
lay there unmoving, his eyes open and staring at the ceiling. His little hands lay open upon the coverlet. The woman saw his little red truck with its homemade carrying
bag under his bed where it had been forgotten. She rose and picked it up to lay it next to him. 
 
His
hand clutched the little truck; he brought the carrying bag it to his
nose and smelled it sighing gratefully.
Suddenly he looked up at the woman who stood next to his bed and
began screaming. 
 
"Where is she, where's my mother. Go away. Go away." He
threw the bag and truck across the room and turned on his side to face
away from the woman. 
 
She knelt next to him and gathered the struggling
child in her arms. Holding him
tightly she let him cry himself out.
Covering him back up she turned and crossed the room. She bent and picked up the discarded toy and put it in a
drawer of her dresser. 
 
 
 
Twenty-Eight Years Later....
 
It was Christmas Eve and Benton Fraser was
wrapping the presents he had for the Vecchio family and his neighbors. He sang happily to himself as he wrapped
the gifts he had made or bought for each of his friends. Dief lay in the corner enjoying a snooze. 
 
Robert
Fraser watched his son merrily wrapping and singing. A smile crossed his face.
"Better answer the door boy." 
 
Ben
looked up at his father and gave him a questioning look. "You're physic now?" he asked, but rose to go
to the door.
 
As
Ben opened the door a young UPS man approached the door. He inquired if this was apt. 3J, Benton Fraser's residence. Ben signed for and received a large
box from the courier. He turned
back into his apartment and set the box on a chair.
 
"Aren't you curious, son?" Robert
asked. 
 
"I'll open it later." 
 
"Why
not now?"
 
Ben
gave his father a curious look and retrieved the box. He began opening the box under his father's watchful eyes. Inside was a leather bag tied at the
top with deer sinew. The leather
was old, but had been well taken care of by the look of well oiled surface. 
 
There
was a note inside that fell out on the floor as Ben opened the leather
bag. He put a hand inside the
bag and knelt to retrieve the note.
 
Dear
Ben, he read, Went up to your grandparents old cabin last month. Found some things I put in storage
for you. But thought you might
like to have this, it was in a metal trunk with your grandmother's name
on it. I'll let you know where
the other things are stored. But
you were right; the old cabin is too bad to be repaired. When the sale
papers are drawn up, I'll send them to you. Guess I'll be building a new cabin on that property. Signed Bixley.
 
Inside the leather pouch was another note.
Ben pulled that out first. He read his grandmother's writing. Ben is so ill now. He
won't look at this, but I know someday he might want to have it back.
All I wish for is to have my noisy little grandson back. He hasn't been the same since Caroline died. Ben folded
the note and dropped it on his kitchen table.
 
Then Ben pulled out the object inside the pouch
and found in his hands his little red truck and carrying bag his mother
had made so lovingly. He held
the bag up to his nose and smelled the faint lingering scent of the scent
his mother used to wear. Ben went
into his bedroom and placed the carrying bag and truck lovingly on his
nightstand. 
 
He returned to his gift wrapping, singing louder
and happier than before.