Title: "A Small Misunderstanding"

Author: Melanie Mitchell

Rating: Heck if I know. Play it safe, call it PG-13.

Pairing: I wish!

Teaser: Just how big is Benny's range?

Spoilers: None

"A Small Misunderstanding"

Fraser was confused. "Bi. . . bi-sectional?"

"Yeah." Francesca leaned back against the cool stone wall, and stared unblinking into his blue eyes. Her face was frozen into an unemotional mask, but her gut was churning.

"I beg your pardon?" Those eyes betrayed no sense of embarrassment, only mild puzzlement.

Francesca glanced up and pointed to the balcony above them, where St. Michael's choir was assembling for another Thursday night rehearsal. She had waited at the foot of the stairs for ten minutes, in order to ambush Ben Fraser when he arrived. "I heard some of the men talking about you. They said you were bi-sectional."

Fraser frowned, listening with half his attention to his fellow singers as they warmed up, descending arpeggios echoing the length of the nave.

"Well?"

"I'm. . . I. . . I'm not familiar with the term, Francesca."

"Bi-sectional!" she hissed. "What part of 'bi-sectional' don't you understand?"

She could tell that he was concentrating by the little crease at the bridge of his nose. A few seconds of tense silence passed before his face relaxed. "Well, I suppose I am."

"Bi-sectional," she whispered. "Why?"

"Well, I try to be flexible, Francesca. After all, it depends on which men are available, doesn't it?"

"And the women?"

"I just don't see how that's relevant."

She turned away so he wouldn't see the tears that were filling her eyes. She would have fled from the church, but he reached out to touch her shoulder and hold her still.

"It's not exactly something I choose to do, Francesca. It's just something that I can do. . . you might say it's a gift."

"A gift?"

"Yes, I believe it is. Tenor or Bass, I sing both ways."