Fraser looked up from the report again, cocked his head, every inch the Curious Mountie, and looked at his partner

Another one of my late night snapshots. . .

Title: Golden Moment

Author: Debbie Hann, March 9, 2000

Rating: G

Category: Humor, Snapshot

Pairings: None

Spoilers: None

Disclaimer: I'm just taking them out to play... they don't belong to me, but to Alliance. (sob)

Thank to Courser who read along as I wrote it!

~*~*~*~*~

Fraser looked up from the report again, cocking his head, every inch the Curious Mountie, and looked at his partner.

It was the second time in under a minute he had heard a popping sound coming from across the desk, but Ray did not appear to be chewing gum. Yet the snapping sound had unquestionably come from his partner's direction.

Not wanting to disturb Ray, however, who was intently studying an evidence sheet, Fraser went back to comparing the two ballistics reports in front of him.

Less than 30 seconds later, he was once again staring hard across his partner's desk.

This time there had been several quick pops, one right after another.

Ray's jaw wasn't moving. Still no gum. This was very odd. It sounded like gum.

Still trying to categorize the distracting sound, Fraser cast his eyes across the desk, searching for something that could be causing the noise.

Nothing on the desk was out of the ordinary papers, pencils, stray paperclips, an out-of- date auto section from the newspaper, and a miniature GTO Ray had told him was a "Hot Wheels." Nothing that could be causing this new noise.

His puzzlement growing, Fraser suddenly noticed the way Ray was sitting. Usually he had his elbows propped up on the desk, his hands ready to support his head as boredom set in or to run through his hair in frustration.

Today, however, both of his arms were below desk level.

Leaning back in his chair, Fraser took a closer look. Not only were his arms below the desk, but Ray had both his elbows propped on his knees and his hands appeared to extend into the knee-well of the desk, although from his angle, that was harder for Fraser to determine.

What in the world could Ray have underneath his desk that could be snapping and popping?

"What, Fraze? I got somethin' on my face?" Ray cocked an eyebrow at his partner, raising one hand and swiping it across his lower face.

"Not that I'm aware of, Ray."

"Then what's with the weighty Mountie stare? My hair gone flat?"

"No, Ray, your hair is as experimental as always. I was simply trying to determine the source of the popping noise."

"Popping noise?"

"Yes, Ray." The barest hint of exasperation threaded though the Mountie's words. "In the last several minutes, I have been hearing snapping and popping sounds coming from your side of the desk."

"Oh, sure, I was playing with this," Ray replied with a grin as he brought up his other hand and held out an amorphous golden blob. He tossed it across the desk.

Catching it easily, Fraser stared down at the . . . whatever it was. Holding it in the palm of one hand, he tested it with a finger and was slightly surprised when it gave way under his finger. It was smooth and yet... slightly tacky, and rather plastic. Confused, Fraser looked up at his friend. "You're playing with clay, Ray?

"Clay? Clay!?" Ray's jaw dropped. "It's not CLAY, Fraser! Yeesh! Haven't you ever seen Silly Putty before?"

"Apparently not, Ray. What's Silly Putty?"

"Yer such a freak, Fraze! We gotta get you out more." Leaning across his desk, he took the ball of putty back from his friend. "It's only the coolest stuff in existence! Loved this stuff when I was a kid. It's usually peach color, but it's like their 50^th Anniversary or somethin,' so they're coloring it gold and putting it in a golden egg instead of red. See?" He pulled two golden plastic egg halves out of his desk drawer. "I heard about 'em making it gold, and I just had to get some."

"I see. But it isn't clay."

"Look, you can mold it and twist it," Ray said shaking his head and matching his words with action, "but it does way more than that! You can make air pockets an' pop 'em, and watch this! This is the coolest."

Grabbing the old automotive section of the newspaper from one of the piles on his desk, Ray squished the putty down into a flat pancake over a picture of a car. Pressing it down evenly, he peeled the putty back up and held it out to his friend with a grin.

"It picked up the image," Fraser blinked back at his friend.

"Yep. Told you the stuff was cool. I can't even tell you how many comics I transferred with this stuff when I was a kid. Used to be a Sunday ritual cuz o' the color comics."

Fraser took the putty back from Ray and studied it as he manipulated and rolled the putty back into a ball. "It must be something about the particular polymer,"

"Fraze?" Ray held up a hand, halting Fraser's words. "Don't need the Mountie analysis. I like it the way it is."

"Certainly, Ray." Fraser replied a bit absently as he pushed and squished the putty.

Shaking his head a little at his friend's bent head, Ray got up and walked around the desk. "I'm gonna grab a coke; want something?"

"Water would be nice, Ray, thank you."

"You got it."

A few minutes later, Ray walked back towards his desk, sipping his coke while he swung Fraser's water bottle idly from the other hand. Fraser didn't seem to have moved. He was still intent on the putty.

Ray's grin grew as he got closer. Fraser had discovered that by jerking the putty apart, it would "break," but that by pulling slowly, it could be extended into thin strings, and he watched the Mountie repeat both movements several times.

Walking back around his desk, Ray set the drinks on a mostly stable pile and sat down, enjoying the sight of Fraser playing with Silly Putty. Smothering a laugh at the quiet delight on Fraser's face, Ray leaned forward against his desk.

"Hey, Fraze, ever heard of a Slinky?"

Fin!

Happy Anniversary Silly Putty!! Which, of course, doesn't belong to me either!!!