I don't know what it is with me and due South back story lately, but that's where my mind is dragging me, so I have to follow.
There are two different stories (in cannon, no less) as to how Diefenbaker and Fraser first met.
Of course, you may believe whichever one you wish. I happen to think one story is wonderful and makes perfect sense, and the other story is pure bullshit. But that's just me.
These characters belong to Alliance, and I am making no legal claims to them, nor do I intend any offense by this story; and no profit will be made.
Ray Vecchio awoke with a gasp and sat up in the bed, all senses on full alert as he tried to find out what had awakened him so suddenly. The answer came to him as Benny cried out softly in the bed next to him.
Ray looked down at his lover and frowned. Benny was obviously in the throes of a nightmare; tossing restlessly and mumbling. Ray reached down and grabbed Ben's shoulder, shaking him lightly. "Benny."
Ben didn't awaken, he just continued thrashing around. Ray shook him harder. "Benny!" He called a little louder.
Ben awoke with a harsh gasp and sat straight up in the bed, breathing heavily.
"It's all right, Benny." Ray said, squeezing Ben's shoulder comfortingly. "You were having a nightmare. It's over now, you're okay."
Ben nodded as he brought his breathing under control. "I hate that dream." He said quietly.
Ray blinked in surprise. He hadn't been aware that Benny had recurring nightmares. He reached out and drew Ben into his arms. "Benny, you're shivering."
Ben nodded. "That dream always makes me feel cold."
Ray suppressed a sudden shiver himself as he thought about what nightmare Ben could be having that would leave him feeling so cold. He had thoughts of a blizzard, and Fortitude Pass, and...
"What was the dream about, Benny?" He asked quietly.
"It was about the time I fell through the ice into Prince Rupert Sound." Ben answered.
Absurdly, childishly, Ray felt relieved. He lay back down with Benny in his arms and drew the blankets over his lover. "Do you want to tell me about it?" He asked quietly.
"I was stupid." Ben said. "I made a stupid mistake, like someone who hadn't lived in the Territories for their entire life. There had been a thaw the week before, but the temperatures had dropped again, so I figured I'd be safe. I figured wrong.
"I was out walking on the ice, and I heard a cracking noise. I felt the ice start to break up, and I tried to run for it, but I wasn't quick enough. The ice broke up right under my feet, and I fell into the sound.
"And the cold, Ray." Ben shivered again, and Ray tightened his arms around Benny, drawing him closer.
"The cold was numbing. Not just to my body, but the shock numbed my mind for a few moments, and I lost crucial time. By the time I tried to swim back to the ice, I was already in trouble. My reaction times were slower, and I was having trouble moving at all."
There was a pause before Ben started speaking again. "You know, Ray, it's funny how the mind works in situations like that. There was a part of my mind that seemed separated from what was happening to me, that seemed to be observing things from afar.
"And this voice was so clear in my mind. I was thinking what a stupid way that was to die. I wondered if they would ever find my body, or if it would just be swept away."
Ray made a pained sound and tightened his grip on Benny even further.
"I remember hoping they would find my body," Ben continued, "just so that Dad could have some peace. I didn't want him to spend the rest of his life wondering what had happened to me and searching for me.
"I had just about given up fighting." Ben said, and his voice was full of shame, as if he were confessing a terrible secret. "But then something landed in the water next to me. I only saw it out of the corner of my eye, and at first I thought it was another chunk of ice.
"But then I realized that it was moving, that it was alive. I looked at it fully, and I realized that it was a wolf. And under the circumstances I didn't even think to wonder what on earth an arctic wolf was doing jumping into the icy water after a human.
"He took hold of my sleeve and started swimming towards an ice floe. I thought to myself that I surely wasn't going to be shown up by a wolf, and if he could fight and try to swim, than I could too."
Despite himself, Ray grinned.
Ben cleared his throat and continued with his story. "Somehow, we made it over to the ice floe. I noticed that the wolf hopped up onto it with almost no trouble at all. I tried to climb up on it, but I was so cold, and my body was already so numb, that it was hard to move. It was hard to even focus enough mental energy to try to move.
"But then this strange wolf, who I didn't even know, leaned down into the water and grabbed the sleeve of my jacket and started pulling me up onto the ice floe. He was pulling me up, Ray."
Ben's voice was full of wonder, as if he still couldn't believe what the other animal had done for him. "So with him pulling on my sleeve, I managed to pull myself halfway up onto the ice floe, but then my strength gave out.
"I thought I would just rest for a while, then try to pull myself up the rest of the way; but I started slipping back into the water. So the wolf lunged forward, and he caught the hood of my parka in his teeth, and he helped haul me the rest of the way onto the ice floe."
Ben's breathing was heavy again, as if he had been re-living the experience instead of just telling it. He paused for a few seconds to calm himself.
"So there we were, this wolf and I, on this ice floe, and I was lying there wondering what I was going to do now. I knew I was still in trouble. I tried to formulate a plan, but my mind was so hazy, I had trouble keeping a single train of thought going.
"I started feeling so tired, and I didn't even recognize the danger in that. I thought if I could just take a nap, rest for a little while, I would wake up refreshed; and be able to think more clearly and figure a way out of the predicament.
"But just as I started to drift off, I was rather forcefully brought back to full wakefulness by a wolf lying on my chest. I honestly believe that he was trying to keep me warm, Ray. That he was still trying to protect me and take care of me.
"I could feel his breath on my cheek, and it was nice and warm and- I don't wish to appear ungrateful, Ray, but his breath was rather unpleasant smelling."
Ray laughed quietly and gave Ben a quick squeeze.
"So out of thankfulness and a desire to stay awake, I began talking to this wolf. I named him right then and there, on that ice floe- Diefenbaker.
"He didn't object to the name at all, and at the time I thought it was because he liked my choice. Now, of course, I realize that it was probably because he was deaf. But it was too late, and the name stuck. But it's a good name, Ray."
"It's a fine name, Benny." His partner agreed.
Ben lay silent for awhile, lost in thought. "I don't know how long we drifted, Ray, but it seemed like forever. Finally, I noticed some lights off to my left side. I looked, and there was a little village.
"I realized that my one chance at survival probably rested in reaching that village. But it was about ten meters to the shore. The only way to reach the shore was to get back in the water and swim there. Believe me, Ray, I have never wanted to do anything less in my life."
Ben squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath, and Ray gave him a gentle hug. "It's okay, Benny." He said quietly.
Ben looked over at him. Ray could see his lover's face only faintly in the dim light, but it was enough to see his loving smile.
Ben took up the story again. "I sent a quick prayer to any Gods- Inuit, Christian, Pagan- who might be listening, then I rolled off the ice floe and into the water.
"Any residual sleepiness was quickly wiped away. If anything, the water seemed even colder than before, and it hurt more. But I knew that I absolutely had to make it to the shore; and besides, I had Diefenbaker by my side, and I didn't want to disappoint him.
"Somehow I made it to shore, and started walking to the village. The snow was quite deep, and there was no path, but there were scattered footprints left by others who had been to the shore, so I tried to walk in those whenever possible to make the trip easier."
Ben shook his head slightly, and gave an odd little smile. "The more I walked, the more I began to wonder if the village hadn't been just a hallucination. It seemed almost like an optical illusion. No matter how long or how far I walked, I never seemed to get any closer to it.
"I don't know how long I had been walking before I passed out."
"You did?" Ray exclaimed, sitting up slightly in the bed.
Ben nodded. "Yes. When I woke up, I was in a strange bed, covered in blankets and furs, in front of a roaring fire. I'm not sure how long I had been there, but it had been long enough that I had begun to warm up, and feeling was beginning to return."
Ben shuddered slightly in remembrance. "The pain of being in that cold water was nothing compared to how much it hurt having the feeling return. I have never felt that kind of pain before, and I hope I never do again.
"I could hear a voice telling me to try to relax, to just take it easy, and not fight the pain. And I wanted to, but I couldn't. It hurt so much it was hard not to scream. It was hard to even breathe, and even though I tried to do what he was telling me, I passed out again."
"God, Benny." Ray whispered in a choked voice. He shifted their positions slightly, so they were lying facing each other on their sides. Ray pulled Benny close, pressing his body up against Ben's, as if after all this time he could protect Benny; keep him warm.
Ben was quiet for a few minutes, running a hand slowly up and down Ray's back. He grinned suddenly and resumed his story. "When I woke up again, I was in the same bed, in front of the same fire, but I felt much better. The pain had receded almost completely and I even felt warm again. I could hear a faint murmur of voices, but when I turned to look, all I saw was a furry white face with big brown eyes, staring at me rather intently."
"Then I noticed a man sitting next to me on the other side of the bed. He was an Inuit, and he looked to be in his early fifties. He introduced himself to me as Dr. Rainwater; and he told me how a very agitated wolf had come into the village a while earlier and led the first man he saw out of the village.
"Fortunately, a few of this man's friends saw him, and being unwilling to let him set off after a wolf all alone, they followed him. Diefenbaker led them to me, and they brought me back to the village; and the doctor.
"If he hadn't done that, Ray, I would have..." Ben's voice trailed off again, and the two men lay in shaken silence. "By my count, that is the third time Diefenbaker saved my life that afternoon."
Ray didn't speak; he just lay quietly, his face buried in Ben's hair. If Dief hadn't been there, if he hadn't pulled Benny out of the sound, kept him warm, brought that help back to him...
Ray couldn't suppress a shudder as he thought about his near miss. What if he had never met Benny, never gotten to know him, never gotten to love him; and be loved by him? What an empty, bleak place his life would be.
Ben sighed in his arms, and Ray pulled back slightly to look into his lover's face.
"It being such a small village, the doctor served not only as the humans' doctor, he served as a veterinarian as well. And he told me that as a precaution, he had examined Diefenbaker; and that he had discovered he was deaf.
"He told me that his eardrums had been shattered and that it was a very recent injury. It didn't take a doctor to figure out when it had happened."
Ben's voice sounded guilty, and Ray smiled gently and ran his hand lovingly up and down Ben's arm. "Benny, I'm sure Dief didn't mind about that at all. And I'm also sure that if he had known what would happen, he would have made the sacrifice willingly, and still jumped in after you."
Ben nodded his head. "I'm sure of that, too, Ray." A smile crossed Ben's face. "From that moment on, Diefenbaker and my fates were sealed. I knew he couldn't be returned to the wild if he were deaf, it wouldn't be safe for him. So I decided to keep him.
"And as terrible as this sounds, I was even a little bit grateful for his deafness. I wasn't glad that he couldn't hear, of course, but the fact that he was deaf gave me a handy excuse for keeping him.
"And I didn't want to return him. I wanted to keep him with me, because even though I'd only known him for such a short time, I already cared for him a great deal."
Ben sounded embarrassed at that confession, and Ray felt a surge of amusement and love. "Benny, it's perfectly okay that you love Dief, and that you grew to love him so soon. Love isn't a weakness, you know."
Ben nodded. "I know."
"Do you, Benny?"
"Yes, Ray. I do. Now. You taught me that lesson."
Ray smiled, pleased. "I'm glad I could, Benny. I do love you, you know."
"I do know that; and I love you too, Ray."
The two men lay quietly together. Ben slowly relaxed in Ray's arms, and soon he was sound asleep again.
Ray, however, was not feeling sleepy at all. He lay awake, holding Benny while gently rubbing his back, deep in thought. About twenty minutes after Fraser had fallen asleep, Ray gently eased out of Benny's arms, got out of bed and walked into the kitchen. Diefenbaker followed him, as Ray had known he would.
Ray opened the refrigerator and pulled out a package of steaks. He had bought them just yesterday, as a special treat for his and Benny's Sunday dinner.
Ray tore open the package of steaks and dropped one into Diefenbaker's food dish. The wolf looked at it, then up at Ray, wagging his tail happily.
Ray smiled at him and scratched him between the ears. "Thank you kindly, Dief." He whispered.
As Diefenbaker turned his attention to his steak, devouring it with gusto, Ray walked back across the apartment and slipped into bed next to Benny.