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Ray parked the Riv illegally outside the Canadian Consulate. He knew Fraser would give him hell for it but he didn't see any reason why he should have to drive for miles looking for a legal one when there was a perfectly good handicapped one right in front of the door. He walked up the front steps tackling the urge to try to disturb the rigid mountie standing guard by the door. Ray knew it would be useless anyway, It would take the hand of God for him to move and maybe not even then.
He entered the building and took the stairs to the second floor two at a time but before he reached the top he heard a very peeved Thatcher spouting off about Siamese cats. He tiptoed up the rest of the stairs and peered around the corner and into the reception area. There stood Thatcher and Fraser toe to toe and practically nose to nose arguing veameantly. Well, It wasn't much of an argument since Thatcher was doing all the yelling. Every so often Ben would offer a confirming nod or an apologetic "Yes ma'am, Sorry ma'am" which meant very little to Thatcher. The most disturbing thing about the scene to Ray was not the fact that Fraser was being dressed down, but the sheer proximity between the two officers and the way that Fraser was looking at her as she spoke. All at once Thatcher and Fraser became aware of another person in the room and they both turned to stare at the intruder.
Ray smiled smugly, "6:30 Inspector. You'll have to hand him over to me now. If you want to, that is..." he said suggestively. He had the satisfaction of seeing her face turn slightly pink as she picked up on the implication. But the embarrassment quickly turned to a scowl aimed at Ray and then Fraser, "This isn't over yet Fraser. I want you in my office at 8:30 in the morning." Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ray's smile grow decidedly wicked and felt her face burn bright red as she realized that was exactly the wrong thing to say. "8:30" she repeated in Fraser's direction before turning on her heel and retreating to the safety of her office.
Fraser stared at the door to her office with a look that Ray couldn't quite place. "Hey Benny, Ya ready to go or not?"
Ben turned to look at Ray as if seeing him for the first time and nodded curtly as he picked up the Stetson the desk. "Yes" he said distractedly casting one last glance over his shoulder towards Thatcher's office. He walked over to Ray and together they began to descend the stairs.
After a few minutes of silence Ray's curiosity got the better of him. "What did you do to get the Dragon Lady all riled up like that?"
Ben held the door open for him as they stepped onto the street. He didn't even notice Ray's parking job as they climbed into the car and he still hadn't answered his question. Something most be wrong he decided as he repeated the question.
This time Fraser heard it and stared mournfully at the dashboard in front of him. "Ambassador Doolly was in town along with his prized Siamese cats. I was given charge of them for the day since he didn't want to leave them at the consulate and also Constable Turnbill was sick today." He paused for a moment frowning at that statement and wondering about whether Turnbill had found out about taking care of the cats before or after he had called in sick. "In a nutshell, I was distracted from my duties and one of the cats ended up in a vat of chocolate pudding."
Ray stared at Fraser wondering if he would be offended if he laughed. But when he saw the look on his face he decided against it. "YOU? Distracted?" Ray said still trying to stifle the giggle that was threatening to over come him, "By what?"
Fraser's face turned as red as his uniform, "Inspector Thatcher." He said simply not bothering to explain further.
"Ahh..." Ray said knowingly. They rode in silence for a few moments before Ray broke it, "You know, Inspector Thatcher is a very attractive woman." He said with a pointed look in Frasers direction.
Fraser's face turned ever redder, if that was possible, and glanced uncomfortably at Ray, "She's my superior officer."
"Yes but she's a very *atractive* superior officer."
Fraser gave an exasperated sigh, "We've talked about this before."
"No we haven't"
"Yes we have," Fraser insisted, "after the train incident."
"Speaking of the train incident, you two seemed to be very cozy after that," Ray said remembering the way they had sat on that horse together.
Fraser turned his stare back to the dash board and muttered, "I don't know what you mean."
Ray gave one of his 'yeah right grins' and said nothing knowing Fraser would eventually break any way. After 45 seconds he got his answer.
"She is my superior officer." He said firmly, "Any feeling I might have for her, *IF* I had feelings for her would be out of place."
"So you do like her" Dig, dig. Poke, poke.
"I didn't say that, I said *If*." Fraser said a little louder that was necessary.
"Now don't get defensive on me, I was only thinking out loud." Ray said not quite backing down, "Anyway, I don't think you'll have any trouble with your feelings being out of place considering how she looks at you." Ray stopped there letting his statement dangle like bait in front of the mountie.
"Ray!" Fraser said, shocked and more than a little embarrassed.
"She wants you, Fraser. Don't tell me you don't notice the way she looks at you."
"I don't know what you're talking about." Fraser looked out the window relived to see that his apartment was in sight an with it a way out of this very uncomfortable topic of conversation.
As the Riv pulled up to the curb Fraser got out of the car a little to quickly, "Thanks for the ride, Ray."
"Anytime Benny. I'll see you in the morning" he said cheerfully unaware of his friends' nervousness. Fraser closed the door and jogged to the apartment building.
After Ben was gone Ray permitted himself a triumphant smile. This tension between Thatcher and Fraser was proving to be very entertaining indeed. He pulled onto the street thinking along the way about tomorrow's ride with Fraser and all the interesting things to talk about, *especialy* women. Yes, tomorrow would be a very entertaining day.
************
Fraser entered his apartment and visibly sagged with relief. It had been a terrible day at the consulate, what with the cat incident and the dressing down Thatcher had given him after it. He walked over to the sink in the bathroom and ran cold water over his face trying to soothe his shot nerves. Ray had been the last straw with his inquiries into his feelings for Thatcher and for a brief moment he wondered what Ray's reaction would be if he had told him the truth:
I love her and I would do anything for her.
He let the stark truth of his thought wash over him like the cold water he had used to wash his face. Sighing at the turmoil of emotions tumbling in his chest he looked down to see Dief staring up at him with woeful, hungry eyes.
"Ahh...I'm sorry Dief." He walked out of the bathroom and into the kitchen to prepare Dief's dinner. He opened the fridge and reached in to pull out the left over pasta from the night before. He poured the pasta into Deif's bowl and set it before the hungry wolf who quickly gulped it down. He watched as his friend ate wishing that his life was that simple. No superior officers, no regulations, no cares in the world except eating. Although he secretly believed that Deif care more about food that most animals do.
When he was finished with his dinner he looked up at Ben with concern noting his unusual sadness. "It's nothing, I'm fine" he said dismissing Dief's concern. Dief whined, saying it wasn't nothing, and continued to stare at him. Ben sighed heavily and turned away from the unusually keen eyes. Dief was right. It wasn't nothing . He walked towards the bed not bothering to undress and laid down on his back and stared at the water stained ceiling of his apartment. Dief climbed up on the bed and laid down next to him offering what little comfort he had to give. Ben reached down and absentmindedly began stroking his soft fur.
Ben found his thoughts going back to the conversation he'd had with Ray on the way home from the consulate. He'd said that Meg wanted him and although he had denied it in the car he had also noticed the signal coming from those beautiful brown eyes. And he was sure his own eyes were sending the same message. But the agony of it was that he could never claim those eyes for his own. There would always be a insurmountable barrier between them that came in the form of rank. She would always out rank him. His mind wandered to the kiss they had shared on top of the train. The taste, and feel, and scent of her were imprinted so strongly into his senses that he could almost feel her next to him. Almost, but not quite.
He moaned quietly and rolled over onto his side, leaving the warmth of Dief behind him. He would meet her again in the morning and he would have to explain exactly 'why' he had been distracted enough to let Ambassador Doolly's cats get away and if he told her the truth he would be in even more trouble. She been standing so close to him when she gave him the report on the Ambassadors duties that he had completely forgotten about the unruly cats and their habit of slipping out of doors when their keeper gets distracted. What was he supposed to tell her? It was her fault that the cats had excaped and ended up landing in a vat of pudding? He would have sentry duty for a month and that was the last thing he needed right now. But still he couldn't help noting the delicate features of her face and the strength in her athletic body as she had yelled at him.
Perhaps it was just an inner-ear imbalance and it would pass with time, but he severely doubted it. He knew the fire of love, after all, he'd been burned by it with Victoria. A small ache filled his chest as he thought of Victoria but her face was soon replaced by a different dark haired woman. A woman that had just as much power over him as Victoria had. But did she know it?
Ben suddenly felt very tired and he allowed his exhaustion to drag him into a deep sleep. A sleep filled with dreams of Meg and all the things they would never be able to share.
Meg studied her reflection in the mirror. Her face was free of makeup and her chestnut hair was pulled back in a pony tail at the nape of her neck. She noticed the black circles under her eyes and thought about the reason they were there in the first place. Benton Fraser. Every time she closed her eyes she could see his ice blue eyes staring at her from that handsome face and every time she laid down on the bed she could feel his powerful arms wrap around her in a tight embrace. It had been hard for her to concentrate from the time she'd met him but now, after tasting his kiss, it was impossible to stand in the same room with him and still remember her own name.
She felt slightly guilty about losing her head with him this evening but when she remembered the look on Doolly's face as she handed him a pudding covered angry cat and tried vainly to come up with an excuse, and the regret fizzled.
Who the hell does he think he is anyway? Meg thought angrily. He's the most difficult man to read and she would *never* understand him. She was still trying to work out what possessed him to dress in drag and become a teacher at an all girls school and she'd had months to think that one over.
She sighed and padded over to the small living room area of her apartment and plopped herself down on the couch. Glaring at the pile of paper work on the table she reclined against the soft pillows of the sofa. It wasn't late but she felt too weary to tackle the mound of reports she was supposed to finish tonight. She rubbed her sore eyes and tried to get her wound up mind to relax enough for sleep to overtake it. But it was no use. All she could think about was Ben and how much she wanted him. Meg let out a frustrated breath and got up to her glasses. She would try to work on the reports; if nothing else it would bore her enough to put her to sleep. It was going to be a long night.
**********
Ben walked into the consulate at 7:00 am the next morning dreading and in a twisted way looking forward to the meeting with Thatcher. He slowly made his way up the stairs to his office so caught up in his own thoughts that he was completely oblivious to Constable Turbill who gave him a cheerful wave as he passed him going down the steps. He entered his office and sat down behind his desk and for once longed for the usual stack of paper work that was always there. He needed something to occupy his mind for an hour and a half until his 8:30.
A knock on his door interrupted his reverie. The door opened almost immediately after and in stepped Thatcher looking as composed and beautiful as usual in a well cut dark red pant suit.
"Constable" she greeted him coolly, "We need to talk." She took a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk and motioned for him to take his seat. "I realize it's early but I saw you were here..." She caught his intense gaze and looked slightly flustered for the briefest of moments. "What?"
Ben lowered his gaze and muttered, "Nothing Ma'am, Sorry."
She looked at him suspiciously for a beat before resuming her sentence, "So I thought we might as well get it over with. Ambassador Doolly is not pressing charges. If he were I would not be letting you off as easy as I am now." She glanced at him pointedly before continuing, "It appears the cat has suffered no ill affects from the pudding, and for that you should be grateful."
"I am," Ben said relieved, "Thank you Ma'am."
Meg nodded, the expression on her face softening slightly, and got up to leave his office. Suddenly Ben couldn't bare the thought of her leaving and stood up with her.
"Can I see you tonight?" he asked hurriedly. The words were out of his mouth before he knew it. He saw shock and another emotion he couldn't identify flash across her face.
She stood there considering his request, "How about dinner? A casual dinner." she offered carefully.
Ben nodded completely composed even though his insides were jumping for joy.
"There's a lovely little cafe around the corner from here, we can walk there after the shift ends tonight." And with that she was gone.
Ben stood staring off towards where she had exited feeling a happiness he hadn't felt in some time. The last time he had felt this way it had ended in tragedy with Victoria, but this time he wouldn't let that happen. Not this time, not with her.
*********
Meg walked with wings on her feet back to her office. She knew it was wrong, but she also knew that her heart thought that it was very right. Anyway, it was just dinner, nothing more, nothing less. No commitments, no promises, just dinner. Yet at the same time she knew she was making a very definite promise to herself; a promise to see where she stood with this exasperating man and to find out how exactly he felt about her.
*********
Ben picked up the phone and dialed Ray's phone number at the precinct. The reply came after 3 rings, "What?" he demanded rudely.
"Hello Ray, I thought I should call to tell you that I will not need a lift home today." Ben said carefully, praying he would not ask why.
"Fine, whatever," came the distracted reply, "See ya later."
"Good bye Ray" Ben hung up the phone relieved he didn't have to tell Ray he was going to dinner with his Inspector. It was not that he was embarrassed about it, but Ray would then want details that Ben didn't want to give.
********
They stepped into the warm, night air together and slowly began walking down the street. Ben looked up at the sky and noted with some sadness that the stars were washed out by the bright lights of the city.
"That's the one thing I miss about Canada," He mused out loud breaking the silence, "the stars."
Meg looked up at the bland sky, "You're right. There's just something peaceful about a sky full of stars." They walked in silence the rest of the way, content to be in one another company. When they were seated in the Cafe and musing over menus Ben realized he wasn't very hungry and was thinking about just ordering a dessert and coffee when his eye's happened to run across chocolate pudding. He grimaced slightly and put down the menu.
Thatcher noticed the action and looked over at him, "Is something wrong?"
"No, It's just I noticed they had chocolate pudding on the menu." He said with a rueful grin.
She returned the smile and motioned the waiter over asking for him to put it on separate bills. She ordered coffee and a slice of cherry cheese cake and Ben ordered the same. They talked about the academy and the teachers and courses they had loved. In fact they continued to talk long after their coffee cups were empty and the check had been laid suggestively on the table. Meg finally realized that they were the only ones left in the cafe and the waiter was glaring at them. They paid their bills and left the cafe. They walked back to the Consulate slowly, savoring the last few minutes they would have with each other.
When they reached the steps of the Consulate Meg turned to face him, "I had a lovely time tonight, thank you."
"I also enjoyed it" he looked into her eyes and found his own desire mirrored there. He took a tentative step toward her not wanting to make her uncomfortable, but as it happened he needn't have bothered. She matched his step and brought her face mere inches from his. He reached up with one hand and cupped her face. Slowly, very gently he brought his face down and kissed her lips softly. The kiss was more gentle than the one they had shared on the train. There was no fear of bombs and terrorists to fuel their passion now, only love. After a few minutes of this Meg had had enough of this tentativeness and forced his mouth open with her tongue and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him against her. Ben responded in kind running his hands possessivly along her back as he matched her hungry kiss. They finally pulled apart breathless from more than just the lack of air.
"Would you mind if I asked you to accompany me home?" Ben asked, trying unsuccessfully to keep his voice steady as she kissed his neck.
"I'll drive" she said breathlessly in his ear before taking his hand and leading him to her car. She had never wanted a man more in her life and she wasn't about to deny herself this. She loved him, she wanted him and she need him. And there was no denying the fact that he wanted her. She could feel his desire as he'd kissed her.
They separated enough to get in the car and drive to his apartment when they finally reached his home Ben leaned over and kissed her neck softly and then pulled away, "Are you sure about this?" he asked quietly.
She felt a surge of warmth for him. He was giving her a way out if she wanted it. She grabbed his face with both hands and kissed him with all the love inside her, "I have never been so sure of anything in all my life."
Somehow they made it up the stairs to his apartment and before the door clicked shut they were in each others' arms. Meg's mind was zooming ahead to all the pleasures that she would experience at the hands of this man before his mouth and fingers took away every thought from her head. They gave in totally to each other, delighting in the taste and smell of each others bodies and loving the sounds they could bring from one another.
Hours later Meg lay curled around Ben side staring at his sleeping face. She wasn't quite sure how many morality codes and regulations they'd broken last night but she knew she'd had a fun time doing it. She looked at the watch on the trunk beside her, 7:00am. She would be due at the Consulate soon, as would Fraser, but she was thinking about calling in sick today and was planning on spending it right here with him. It would give Turnbill something interesting to think about when both of his superior officers called in sick on the same day. She brought her attention back to the man laying at her side. She leaned over and kissed him softly on the shoulder before getting up and heading for the shower.
Ben woke slowly enjoying the memory of last night and the thought that there were going to be many more nights its equal. He reached over to touch Meg but his hand fell on empty air. A surge of fear ran through him and for a moment he though she was gone but then he heard the water of his shower running. A few minutes later she emerged from the bathroom, her hair wet and her shoulders damp with water. She was wrapped only in a towel.
She smiled and stood before him in front of the bed. "This is the only towel you have" she said matter of factly.
He smiled slightly, "I'm going to need that for my shower."
"Yes you are. Called Turnbull and reported us both in sick today" she said softly.
"That will give him something to think about" Ben said with what looked suspiciously like a wicked grin. He lunged up from the bed in one sudden motion and pulled her down onto the bed with him, "now let me give you something to think about."
***********
Ray was worried; more than that he was down right scared. Beny never misses work and yet when he called him at the consulate he'd been told that he'd called in sick. He raced up the stairs and knocked loudly on Ben's door.
"Hey Benny, you ok?" he shouted through the door. The door opened halfway to reveal a perfectly healthy Ben on the other side.
"Hello Ray, Is something wrong?"
"I was just about to ask you the same thing. The receptionist said you'd called in sick, are you ok?"
"Yes Ray I'm fine." Ben assured him.
"But you called in sick" Ray said confused.
"Yes, but I'm fine"
For the first time Ray noticed Ben still had the door open only half way, "Is there someone in there?" he asked suspicious.
"Inspector Thatcher is here." He said. There was no point in hiding the truth since Ray would find out later anyway. Ray's face broke into a wide grin.
"I'm happy for you Benny." He said simply and turned and began walking down the hall.
Ben watched as he left with genuine affection for his friend, "Thanks Ray" he called out. Ray waved before disappearing down the stairs.
He closed the door and found Meg was waiting behind him, "He's a good friend."
"The best " he agreed as he took her into his arms.