Rated R for m/f sex. Warning: this is a Meg/Ray story.

Although I did write it, the blame for this story lies entirely with Elaine, who wanted a story in which Ray and the Dragon Lady got together.

For this story I have assumed (as did the episode "The Mask", apparently) that Eric is the Inuit man who saved Fraser's life in the pilot, and that he (and his family) lives somewhere near Bob Fraser's cabin in the Northwest Territories - despite the fact that the Tsimshian are not indigenous to that area.

The title comes from an Indigo Girls song. The verse goes, "...I would launch a thousand ships/to bring your heart back to my island as the sand beneath me slips/cause I burn up in your presence and I know now how it feels/to be weakened like Achilles with you always at my heels..."

Disclaimer: Do I own the characters? Nope. Will I make a profit from this story? Get real, of course not. Will you get any money by suing me? Come on, I live in South Africa, our money isn't worth anything!

BACK TO MY ISLAND

By T'Mar

Ray Vecchio looked up from his desk in surprise when he heard that familiar female voice. It wasn't, however, a voice he cherished hearing. He looked into the angry face of Inspector Meg Thatcher, not so affectionately known as the Dragon Lady. Ray forced a smile, although he knew it probably wasn't a very sincere one.

"What can I do for you, Inspector?"

"What have you done with Fraser?" she asked.

Ray frowned. The last time he'd seen Benny was this morning, when he'd dropped him off outside the Consulate. "What do you mean? I dropped him off this morning."

That threw Thatcher. "You mean you don't know anything about this?" She opened her purse and took out a note.

Ray scanned it. 'Inspector, An emergency has come up. Please consider this an official request for a leave of absence, starting today. Thank you. Constable. B. Fraser.' He handed it back to her with a frown. "I don't know anything about this." It was odd, too. Why wouldn't Benny have told him if he was going somewhere?

Thatcher's face seemed to fall. "I thought he would have told you. This isn't like him." At Ray's look she quickly amended, "It isn't like him to go off without telling you, at least. That's why I'm here."

Ray looked into those normally icy eyes, and saw that Thatcher was worried. It made him worry, too. Benny often did strange and unexpected things, but he normally knew about them. And this time...

Just then, Elaine walked in. Catching sight of Ray, she said, "Oh, Ray, Fraser called this morning when you were doing that interview."

"What'd he say?"

"Only that it was too bad he hadn't caught you, and that he'd try to call later. Oh, and that you shouldn't worry."

Ray's eyes locked with Thatcher's. He knew what she was thinking, because he was thinking it himself: when Fraser said something like that, that was the *exact* time to start worrying.

"What's up?" Elaine asked, curious as to why Inspector Thatcher would be here.

"Fraser's disappeared."

"Again?" Elaine smiled.

"No, I mean, he's really disappeared. Left the Inspector here a note and just took off."

"Oh." Elaine now looked worried as well.

"I'm going to try to find him," Thatcher said, pausing. "But you know him better than I do. Where do you think he would have gone?"

Ray pondered this. The first thought that came to mind was Victoria. But as soon as he thought of it, Ray dismissed the idea. If it had been Victoria, Fraser would have left without calling. And he certainly wouldn't have left a note asking for a leave of absence. No, he would have stated his exact intentions in the note. So, since he was planning on coming back, it couldn't be Victoria. But to leave a note like that, made it an emergency.

"Elaine, call the airlines. I'd stick to flights to Canada for now. Also, call bus and train stations, that kind of thing. Any transportation to Canada." He looked at Thatcher, who nodded. "I'll... er, we'll... question his neighbours."

"'Kay." Elaine went off to start calling. Thatcher followed, feeling a bit awkward. But she wanted to thank Elaine for helping them.

"Thank you for doing this," Thatcher said.

Elaine wasn't particularly fond of the Dragon Lady, but she appreciated the gesture. "No problem, we all like Fraser."

Thatcher went off after Ray.

"Are you sure you haven't seen Fraser today?" she was asking the people who normally sat outside Fraser's building.

"Nope, well, we saw him leave with the cop."

"This morning?"

"Yeah."

"Did he have Diefenbaker with him?"

"Who?"

"The wolf!" They gave her strange looks. "The white dog?"

"No, the kid came and got him later."

"Kid?"

"Yeah, the black kid."

Just as Thatcher was getting frustrated, Ray came out of the building. "Mr. Mustaffi says Benny got a call even before I came to get him. Now he wasn't sure what it was about, but Mr. Mustaffi thinks he heard Benny call the guy 'Eric'."

The name rang a bell. "Eric? That's..."

"Yeah, Fraser's Eskimo, I mean, Inuit, friend." It was something, at least. "Find out if Dief went with him?"

"These gentlemen mentioned a black child."

"Oh, yeah, Willie. Benny pays him to feed and walk Dief. Come on."

"Where are we going?" Thatcher called as she rushed to keep up.

"Willie's place, of course."

Dief was at Willie's. "Where's Fraser?" Ray asked the boy.

"How should I know? I get this call from him saying go get Dief and keep him until I hear from him. I get paid extra."

"Willie..." Thatcher looked uncomfortable trying to question a child. "Did Constable Fraser not say anything about where he was going?"

"Look, lady, he never said nothing, all right?"

Ray grabbed Willie by the jacket. "Are you sure?"

Thatcher, unaware that she was playing along with Ray's good cop/bad cop scenario, pulled Willie away from Ray. "Detective! That's enough! Please, think carefully," she said to Willie.

"I am! Geez, gimme a chance."

"I'm not giving you any money, you know," Ray said.

"Did I ask you for any?" Willie affected a hurt look. "Um... he said some word that I've never heard before. Shimmy... something."

Ray and Thatcher exchanged glances. Willie tried again. "Shim shim?"

"Tsimshian?" they both asked.

"Yeah, that was it."

"Fraser's Inuit friend?" Thatcher asked Ray.

"Eric, yeah." Ray fished $10 out of his wallet. "Thanks, Willie. Take good care of Dief, okay?" And Ray gave Dief a quick scratch.

"Hey, no problem," Willie replied, taking the money.

Thatcher had left her car at the Consulate to go chasing the Mountie with Ray. Ray felt decidedly... weird... driving Fraser's superior around. But, surprisingly enough, she hadn't once yelled or given him the ice treatment. Ray guessed that meant she was as worried about Fraser as he was.

"So where do we find this friend of Fraser's?" Thatcher asked as they arrived back at the precinct.

"Where else? In the snow and ice."

Thatcher nailed him with a look.

"The Northwest Territories, where else?"

"Oh, of course."

They entered the precinct, where Elaine had news. "Fraser took a flight to Canada at 8.30 a.m. Here are the details." She handed Ray a piece of paper with everything written down.

"Yup, looks like he's headed there."

"Where?" Elaine wanted to know.

"The Northwest Territories." Ray looked at Thatcher. He knew where he was going, but he wasn't sure if she'd want to tag along. Before he could ask, Thatcher turned to Elaine.

"If I could bother you... would you call and make a reservation for me?"

"I'm coming too, Inspector. Elaine..."

"I know, two reservations. What am I, your travel agent?"

Ray kissed Elaine tenderly on the cheek. "I'd be lost without you, Elaine."

"I know." Elaine sighed dramatically and went back to her desk.

"Detective, you don't have to..." Thatcher began, but Ray cut her off.

"I do have to. Benny's my friend, and if he's in trouble I wanna help him. But you don't have to come."

"Yes, I do. Fraser is under my command. It's you who shouldn't have to... I mean, we will be in Canada."

Ray grinned at her. "Inspector..." he used his most polite and friendly tone. "Have you ever been to the Northwest Territories?"

Thatcher hadn't, and she looked embarrassed to be admitting it. "No."

"Well, I have."

That surprised her. "You have?"

"Yeah. That's me, Mister Adventure. Go tearing off to the Great White North, ride in dogsleds, get shot at... all in a day's work."

Dogsleds?? Thatcher decided not to ask, but Ray could see the curiosity on her face.

"Get in a plane crash, get stuck in the woods, use a bola, build a raft, I've done it all." He grinned disarmingly at Fraser's surprised superior.

"Are you serious, Detective?" Thatcher sounded rather disbelieving.

"Sure I am. Ask Benny sometime."

"Maybe I will." Thatcher looked up at Ray, developing a slight respect for him.

Elaine was back. "Okay, I made the reservations. Same destination; your flight leaves at 2 p.m."

"Thanks, Elaine."

"Yes, thank you," Thatcher added.

"Okay, Inspector, let's go pack." They left the precinct together.

When he pulled up outside the Inspector's apartment block - in a *much* nicer section of town than Fraser's - Ray said, "I'll pick you up at one, how's that?"

"That'll be fine." She started to get out of the car.

"Oh, Inspector..."

"Yes?"

"Don't bring too much stuff." Ray had learnt his lesson. All you needed on a trip up North was warm clothing to wear... and a lot of food and water... just in case.

"I'm a Mountie, Detective," she said, as if that closed the subject.

Different day, same airport, same man Ray had tangled with last time. But this time, he waited patiently to check in. Ironically, it was Thatcher who got annoyed. "Excuse me, is this going to take long?"

The man just looked at her with a deadpan expression, and Ray tried to stifle a laugh. Thatcher turned around and glared at him. "What's so funny, Detective?"

"Oh, nothing... It's just that this could be a replay of the last time I was here. Except I'm doing Benny and you're doing me."

"What?"

"Benny said that things move at their own pace in small places. And I was the one who wanted to rush."

The man at the counter nodded, and without a word Ray placed his single bag on the scale, then put Thatcher's two bags (not very large, though) on as well. They were underweight this time, and Ray couldn't help grinning.

"Learned your lesson, huh, Detective?"

"Yeah."

"Found an attractive partner this time, I see."

Thatcher bristled, and Ray put in, "Yeah, but it's still another Mountie."

The guy looked impressed. "You like Mounties, Detective?"

"Sometimes," grinned Ray. "And speaking of Mounties, have you seen my last Mountie travelling companion?"

"He came through here yesterday. I figured you and your girlfriend were joining him."

Ray could feel the temperature next to him drop about twenty degrees, but he didn't bother to correct the man, he was enjoying this too much. "We are, but I think we got the dates wrong. And of course he doesn't have a phone up at that cabin of his."

The man said nothing, and Ray took this as encouraging news. It was Thatcher who had to ask. "So he's definitely at the cabin?"

"Said he was going to his cabin, yeah."

The pair exchanged relieved looks. Soon they'd know what this was about. Ray kept expecting something to happen when they were on the plane. The last time he'd been in a plane of this type, it had crashed. Although, at least they'd crashed in the woods. If they crashed this time, it would be in snow and ice. Ray had packed his snowsuit and a LOT of food and water. No way was he going to dehydrate, starve or freeze out here.

Thatcher hadn't said much on the flight so far. She was just looking at the landscape they were flying over.

"Inspector?"

"Yes?"

"Why did you come? Do you have some sort of attachment to Benny?"

There was no question that Meg Thatcher liked the Mountie. Despite that, she knew that the inequality in their ranks was something neither of them would be able to get past. She was forced to content herself with being his superior officer and nothing more. "He's a good man," she said, still looking out of the window. "I'd hate for something to happen to him. And is IS under my command. That's always been my reason."

"'My quite logical relief that Starfleet had not lost a highly proficient captain'," Ray quoted.

"Excuse me?"

"Lemme guess... you never watched Star Trek?"

Thatcher had absolutely no idea why Vecchio would bring up a TV show. And she was also slightly hurt - though she'd never admit it - that he thought she wouldn't have watched it. "Yes, I did." She had no idea how plaintive she sounded.

"All 79 episodes?"

"Yes."

"Bet you can't name them!" taunted Ray.

Thatcher was about to get angry and yell when she saw he was joking. She turned away from the window and smiled - just a little. "Well, no." A pause, then she did ask. "What does that have to do with me or Fraser?"

"It's from an episode where Spock is happy to see Kirk, okay? And he tells them it was only his relief that Starfleet hadn't lost an important captain."

"So you think I was lying about my feelings for Fraser, is that it?"

"I never said that, Inspector." He had implied it, though.

"You didn't have to." Why was she even speaking to the detective about this? Wasn't he the guy who annoyed her on a regular basis? But somehow, this last day and a bit, she had come to see another side of Ray Vecchio. She saw that he was loyal to Fraser - he really cared - and at rare moments he opened up and showed that he had a good heart. Despite all she could do, Meg Thatcher was starting to like him. "I wasn't lying, Detective," she finally said. "I do care about Fraser. But as his commanding officer... and hopefully as his friend."

Ray gave her an innocent, accepting smile. "Okay."

"Arena," said Thatcher.

"Huh?"

"A Taste of Armageddon. Assignment Earth. Operation Annihilate. Amok Time..."

Ray couldn't believe it. Here he was, flying to the Territories to find Fraser along with the Mountie's superior... and she was naming Star Trek episodes! He just grinned and counted.

"... Wolf in the Fold!" Thatcher was quite out of breath.

"Uh uh, that's 78," Ray said, grinning. "I counted."

"The Menagerie was a two-part episode."

"My sister has all the tapes. It's counted as one. So try again, Inspector." Thatcher was actually smiling at him. He couldn't believe it - not the Dragon Lady, surely! But she was, and he knew he was smiling back. Then he said, "Inspector... do you think on this trip we can skip the formalities? You can call me Ray... I mean, Benny does."

"All right. I suppose the world won't end if I let you call me Meg."

"I'm waiting... Meg," Ray grinned.

"For... oh. I don't know. I give up."

"The Cage!" said Ray triumphantly. "And don't argue. It's tape one. We can check my sister's collection when we get back if you don't believe me."

"I will," Meg said, and Ray knew she would, too.

They hiked up to the cabin - luckily it was only just over a kilometre from where the plane landed. Benny must have done some repairs, because it was partly built up. But Meg saw the burnt wood. "What happened?"

"Arson. That bitc... er, there was this woman who had it in for Benny. She hid money under the floorboards and burned it down so the RCMP would investigate and find it."

"Victoria Metcalfe?" Meg asked.

"How..."

"I read it in Fraser's file. There was nothing in it about the cabin being burnt, however." She looked rather shocked.

"Looks like Benny did some repairs, though."

They knocked at the singed door. "Benny?" There was no answer, so Ray pushed the door open, and they went in.

Fraser wasn't there, but it was clear that he had been there recently. Three walls of the cabin had been rebuilt or mended, and there was a large tarp over the fourth wall, which had burnt almost to the ground. There was a tarp over where the roof would have been, as well. It wouldn't be as warm as usual in here, not with the missing wall and roof. "Geez, the damage was bad," Ray said.

"Yes, but where's Fraser?"

"My guess is he went to find Eric, to help him or whatever. He'll be back."

"How do you know?"

"Because he left his stuff here." Ray pointed to Fraser's kitbag and bedroll. The last time he'd seen those had been in Chicago.

"Should we go and look for him?"

"Well, I don't know where Eric lives," Ray said, quite reasonably.

Meg looked around for somewhere to sit. The remains of what had been the bed looked best. "I suppose you're right." She took a blanket from a pile of things - tarps, a groundsheet, and some other necessary stuff - and draped it over the bed, then sat down.

Ray looked around. There was still a lot of cleaning to be done. Fraser had obviously done the few repairs in a hurry. Ray pulled off his heavy jacket and started cleaning.

"Det... um, Ray... what are you doing?"

"Cleaning up a bit, what does it look like?"

Meg appeared to think about this, then she got up, removed her own jacket, and helped him. "If nothing else, the exertion should help us keep warm," she mused.

"Yeah." Ray grinned at her before continuing.

"What?" she asked.

"Oh, nothing." Ray didn't want to say what had caused the grin. He'd had a quick thought of what *other* forms of exertion were guaranteed to keep one warm... But this was the Dragon Lady... she wouldn't appreciate that kind of comment.

But the Dragon Lady got it anyway. And instead of getting angry, she shook her head and smiled. For some reason she couldn't fathom, Vecchio no longer annoyed her at all. In fact, she was starting to enjoy his company. He wasn't as abrasive as she'd always thought. She was starting to see why Fraser called him a friend.

They cleaned up a lot of the cabin before night fell and they were forced to stop. They were both tired, and, deprived of the exercise, they began to get cold. Jackets back on, and they were sitting together on Fraser's father's bed.

"Think the fireplace is still okay?" Ray asked.

"It should be."

"I think a fire would be a very good idea right about now." Ray moved towards the fireplace. It seemed all right. He checked that the tarp wasn't covering the chimney before putting some wood in and lighting a nice blaze. At least Fraser had stocked up on dry wood before taking off into the snow, he thought, grateful.

"Oh, no." Meg was looking out of the window.

"What?"

"It's snowing."

Ray looked out, and sure enough, it was. He couldn't help it, he started to laugh.

"What is it? Ray?" Meg's voice sounded worried.

"Oh, sorry. Nothing, really. It's just..." He started laughing again. What the heck, he might as well say it. "This is, like, every guy's fantasy, being stuck up in some frozen wasteland with a beautiful woman... you know, snowed in. With a nice fire and everything." He laughed some more, then noticed the look on Meg's face. She looked unhappy. Not angry... unhappy. "I'm sorry, Inspector." The formality was back. "The irony."

And Thatcher whispered, very quietly, "Is it so bad?"

Ray looked startled. "What?"

"I know what you mean, Detective. It would be your fantasy if it were someone else here with you. I don't fit into that category. I'm the Ice Queen or whatever you say."

"Dragon Lady," Ray corrected, then looked shocked as he realised what he'd said. "Meg... I'm sorry. I didn't think you could be..."

"Personable?"

"Well, yeah." He had the grace to look apologetic.

"It's all right. I'm used to it." She looked... sad. "I had to be twice as good as any man, just to make it. Along the way I may have sacrificed... a few things. It was a necessary sacrifice." Why was she explaining herself to Fraser's annoying Italian friend? She knew why, however - Ray Vecchio had ceased to be 'Fraser's annoying Italian friend' somewhere up in the sky, on the plane. She'd seen his compassion, the genuine friendly love he was capable of.

"I understand, Meg." He moved closer, wanting to comfort her. It truly was all he wanted - she sounded as though she might cry. "It's the same with cops. You develop this... outer self. You work on it. You need it for when you bust people, when you have to deal with the scum of the Earth. And sometimes it's hard to find yourself again." He paused. "Benny helped me find myself. He showed me I could be a better person."

Meg looked at him in understanding. "I know. He's like that."

As they were speaking, they moved closer together. Neither one had any idea that they were doing it, they just moved closer until they were almost touching.

"I'm sorry I'm ruining your fantasy," Meg said. For once she just wanted to let go, to let out the Meg Thatcher who had once existed, before duty had success had taken over. She didn't even have time to be shocked that it was someone like Ray Vecchio who would get to see the other side of her.

Ray understood, though. He could almost see the ice breaking inside her. He'd seen that happen to Benny, that one morning when he'd knocked on the Mountie's door when Victoria had been there. And he couldn't believe what he knew he was going to say. "Who says it's ruined?" He reached over and very carefully touched her cheek. If she realised what was happening and got angry, he was ready to accept that. But he sensed that perhaps what she needed was just to have a man see her as a woman, not as Inspector Thatcher of the RCMP. And if she returned the caress, he knew she saw him as a man, not as Ray Vecchio, Chicago detective.

Meg put her hand over his on her cheek, as she looked into hazel eyes. There was no guile or ego in those eyes, only concern. For her. Meg brought her hand up to touch his cheek, and as she did so he leaned forward... and kissed her.

The kiss was tentative at first, but finally Meg wanted more. She parted her lips invitingly, moving her arms up around his neck, pulling him to her. Ray's arms went around her waist, and melded their bodies tightly together as his tongue explored her mouth.

She tasted of orange juice and peanuts and her own unique flavour... Ray yielded as he felt her tongue flick out to taste him. And it aroused him more than he would have thought possible. His mind tossed out a brief thought: 'This is the Dragon Lady you're kissing!', but he ignored it. He couldn't believe how good she felt in his arms, how good she tasted, how much he wanted her. But despite that, he made no other moves. He didn't want to presume a thing, not with Meg Thatcher.

The kiss finally ended, and Meg was breathing hard, looking up at him. She opened her mouth, then, and Ray almost ran. He didn't want to hear her say that this was wrong, a mistake. But then that wasn't what she said, at all.

"Do you want to make love to me, Detective?"

'Detective', at a time like this. Ray almost smiled, but managed to stop himself. Why lie to her? "Yes."

"Good." She reached up and kissed him again, passionate and needful. "I want you to." Ray swallowed. The Dragon Lady, *asking* him? But... "Uh... Meg... I don't... I don't have any, you know, protection." Who'd have thought he needed it all the way up here near the Arctic?

There was disappointment in her eyes. "You don't need protection from me. I... I'm always careful." Her eyes begged him to believe her. And he did.

"Cops, we... well, suspects throw up on you and bleed on you and stuff, so we get blood tests four times a year. The last one was two weeks ago. All clear on that front."

Relief flooded her features. "Then... make love to me."

Ray did not need to be asked twice. He unzipped her jacket, pulling it off, then lifted her sweater up over her head. At the same time she had managed to unzip his jacket, and now she was unbuttoning the second jacket he had on underneath the first. She had a shirt and T-shirt under the sweater, Ray had a sweater, T-shirt and thermal underwear under his jackets... All upper clothing was finally off, and only pants, socks, boots and underwear had to come off.

As Ray, naked except for his briefs, bent down to pull off Meg's underwear, he kept his eyes locked with hers. And he saw only passion there. No disapproval or annoyance... only need and desire. And after her underwear was off, his own followed, and he crushed her against him, his mouth seeking hers.

Meg could feel his hardness, his need of her. It thrilled her to the core, and she felt a rush of desire, of pure want... an emptiness inside her that needed him to fill her, to make her complete. "Oh, now, do it now," she whispered as he lay her carefully on the blanket which covered the bed.

"Patience, Meg," he whispered, remembering how his wife had taught him to be patient, to make her cry out with desire. This was one woman with whom rushing would not be a good idea. He wanted to hear Meg Thatcher call out to him with need, begging him to fill her. He lay down beside her, his mouth leaving hers to kiss her throat, her breastbone, the valley between her breasts, her navel... Then he moved back up to taste each nipple in turn, making fire run through her body as he went from tasting to sucking before resuming a path downwards...

"No." Her voice was loud in the silence.

Ray looked up. "No?"

"I want to taste you all over, too." She made him lie flat while she mimicked exactly what had been done to her. Ray writhed in pleasure at the feel of her mouth and tongue tasting, sucking and licking the same path down his body. Just as her head reached his navel he grabbed her wrist and pulled her up, taking her mouth again, kissing her deeply. His hand snaked downwards to probe in between her legs.

Oh, she was so ready for him! He could feel her legs part as his fingers touched her, and finally touched the piece of flesh he was looking for.

Meg's eyes snapped open. "No, not that way," she gasped. She no longer looked anything like the strict superior officer who'd given Benny such a hard time. She was flushed with desire and need, and she looked more beautiful than he'd ever seen her. He touched her anyway, ignoring her request, and she moaned loudly, then whispered, "Please."

Ray grinned. "What, Meg?"

"Make love to me. Oh, please!" He felt her legs part further next to his fingers.

Ray needed this as much as she did, and he couldn't ignore this second plea. He rolled over so that he was poised above her, and she grasped him firmly, guiding him into herself as he lay ever so carefully above her.

He didn't move for a moment, just looked into her eyes, imprinting this on his mind. He was actually making love to Meg Thatcher. His heartbeat seemed very loud in his own ears as he felt a great deal of emotion break over him, and then he was moving within her, encouraged by her moans of pleasure. Ray quickened the pace, feeling his peak approaching, wanting her to share it. He lifted away from her just a little, so that he could touch that knot of flesh again. And she arched her hips up to meet him when he did, and they fell back into a rhythm, his finger caressing her most needful spot at the same time...

He watched as the wave broke over her, and it only took a few more thrusts on his part before he joined her, kissing her deeply as their orgasms abated.

Ray realised, not too long afterwards, that he was lying on top of her. But Meg wasn't complaining, he noticed as he lifted his head and looked at her. For the first time, she looked truly happy. Satisfied, yes, but there was genuine happiness in that look. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine, Ray." And that was also the first time she used his given name without hesitation.

"Good." He moved to the side of her, holding her in his arms and pulling the blanket up and around them.

He wasn't sure if he was dreaming, but he could have sworn he heard her whisper, "Thank you, Ray," just before sleep claimed him.

Ray woke up slowly... aware that there was something different about waking up today. Oh, yeah, he was in Benny's cabin. He was here with... Oh, boy. Yes, that was definitely Meg Thatcher in his arms. But there was something else, something he couldn't quite... Then he knew. He was being watched. He opened his eyes and found himself looking into the startled blue eyes of one Benton Fraser. Oh, dear, as Benny would have said.

Fraser opened his mouth, but all that came out was a shocked-sounding, "Ray?!"

"Yeah, hi," Ray whispered, hoping not to wake Meg.

"What are you doing here?" Fraser asked, deciding for the moment to ignore the fact that Ray was in bed with his superior officer.

Ray managed to get his arm out from underneath the sleeping inspector and sit up. "Uh... Benny, would you mind?" He pointed to his underwear lying near the window on the other side of the cabin.

"Er... sure." Fraser picked up the briefs and handed them to Ray, who put them on quickly, then went over and began to pull his other clothes on.

They stood at the window, so that they wouldn't wake Meg up. "What do you mean, what are we doing here? You should have known you couldn't just take off without an explanation, Benny! We were worried, so we followed you."

"How did you know where I went?"

"I *was* a detective before you came to Chicago, you know, Benny," Ray quipped. "Besides, it wasn't difficult. Mr. Mustaffi mentioned Eric, and Willie said you'd mentioned Tsimshian. We checked the airlines, and here we are."

"Thank you for being concerned, but it was a private matter. Eric and his family needed me. I couldn't tell you where I was going."

"But you called me at the station."

"I was going to tell you not to worry, and not to follow me."

"I needed to hear it in person, Benny. You're my best friend, you can't expect me not to back you up."

"I'll remember next time."

Ray shook his head, smiling. Typical Fraser reply. "So... is everything okay with Eric?"

"Now, yes."

"And you really can't tell me?"

"I really can't. It's a matter of honour, Ray. I gave my word."

"Okay. I understand."

Fraser looked over to where Meg was still sleeping. But he couldn't bring himself to ask. Finally Ray said, "You know, she's not at all like she seems most of the time."

Fraser blushed; it was adorable. "Ray... you don't have to say anything."

"I guess I don't need to, huh?" Ray grinned, blushing a little himself. "I hope I haven't... I mean, you and her, you weren't..."

"There's nothing between the Inspector and myself, Ray," Fraser said. That was true, as much as he might have wished otherwise. One kiss on top of a train did not a relationship make.

"Good. I mean... you know what I mean, Benny."

"Yes, Ray."

Just then they heard a noise, and Meg Thatcher sat up, clutching the blanket to herself. She was as red as her uniform.

"Oh, dear." Fraser turned around, facing away, while Ray collected Meg's scattered clothes and went over to her. As he handed them to her he said, "It was a personal matter with him and that Tsimshian family."

Meg was getting dressed, still blushing. "You could have said something, Constable."

"I didn't want you to worry, Ma'am."

"We worried anyway," Ray put in. "We're your friends. Of course we'd worry."

Thatcher had finished dressing. It felt a little awkward, but she came over to Ray, and to both Ray and Fraser's shock, she put her arms around him. "Does this bother you, Constable?" she said, even as Ray turned around in her embrace and faced her.

"N... no, Ma'am, of course not." It was odd, seeing Ray holding Meg that way. But if it made Ray happy... if it made Meg happy... he would be happy for them.

"Can we get outta this cold place now, Benny, or did you want to fix up the cabin some more?" Ray changed the subject.

"I wasn't planning on fixing it up this trip, no. But I think I need to build up that wall and put a roof on before we leave."

"We'll help you, Constable," Thatcher put in.

"Thank you kindly," was all Fraser could think of to say.

It took them the better part of a week to get the cabin in decent shape. By unspoken agreement, Ray and Meg continued to sleep on the bed - though they hadn't made love again, not even when Fraser was out chopping wood - and Benny of course slept on his bedroll.

By the time they were finished, the place looked much as it had before, although Fraser had built an extra section onto one side, to make room for the bathroom Ray had insisted he install. It would be installed next time he came up here.

They were all packed, and standing outside admiring it before hiking back to the airfield. "It's a nice place, Benny," Ray said. He now had some good memories of the place to replace the bad ones of being chased by men in snowsuits with automatic weapons.

"It is lovely here, Constable. I understand why you'd want to keep it."

Fraser looked at her, and felt suddenly shy. "You... you know, Ma'am, you don't have to wait for me... I mean, to come up here. If you and Ray want to come here some other time..." He trailed off, but it was enough, and Ray just wanted to hug Benny in thanks.

What the heck. He did hug Benny. "Thank you, buddy."

"You're very welcome, Ray."

Thatcher didn't hug Benny. It wouldn't have been... appropriate. But she did smile and repeat Ray's thanks.

They hiked back down in silence.

The cab dropped Fraser off first, and Ray went with Thatcher back to her place. It was the least he could do. He didn't know where he stood, or even if she was still interested now that they were back in civilization... But he wouldn't ask. He'd wait for some sign.

He carried Meg's bags up to her apartment, and was glad when she seemed to take it as a given that he'd come in.

"Would you like some coffee?"

"Yeah, that'd be great." Ray put her bags in her bedroom and then followed the sound of the kettle into the kitchen. "Nice apartment."

"Thanks." She turned around and looked into his eyes, her own revealing uncertainty. "Ray... I'll understand if what happened up there didn't mean anything to you. We were alone, we'd been together for days... it's perfectly reasonable."

Ray came forward and put his arms around her from the back. "Is that what you want? To call it a one night stand?"

Meg put the cups down. "No, it isn't. I..." She blushed. "I think we could have something." She turned and looked at him. "If you want to..."

"Yeah, I want to." He tightened his grip on her. "Meg... I'm really not a bad guy. I felt something up there, with you. You're Benny's boss. I wouldn't just use you, I think you know that."

She put her arms around him, then. "So... we can try?"

Ray smiled at her: a genuine, happy smile. "I'd like that." He kissed her, then, and the coffee was forgotten.

Fraser wasn't surprised the next day when Ray wasn't there to pick him up in time for work. Nor was he surprised when he got to the Consulate only to find that Thatcher had called in sick.

Fraser had guard duty that day, and even though he wasn't allowed to move, passersby could have sworn they saw a smile playing across his features.

THE END