Author's webpage: http://victoria.tc.ca/~wy236/fic.html

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Taking Care Of Benny
by Iris Gray
Sequel to "The Way That I Love You"

Ray Vecchio was a happy man. His partner was being released from the hospital today, two weeks after the frightening day when Ray had arrived at the ER to find Fraser suffering from being beaten to within an inch of his life. His fear that he would lose Benny had prompted him to confess his hidden feelings for his partner - "his" Mountie - which, to his joy and relief, were returned in full. Ray could tell that several people were watching him as he strolled down the corridor to Benny's room. He imagined that his relationship with Fraser had inspired some jealousy among the nursing staff. After all, even when he was covered in cuts and bruises, Fraser was a good-looking guy. And he was Ray's. //My Mountie// thought Ray. //Wonder why it took me so long to realize it?//

Arriving in the hospital room, Ray greeted Benny with a kiss and a gentle hug, mindful of the Mountie's still-healing ribs. "Ready to go home, Benny?" Ray asked.

"It is not *my* home Ray, it is yours," said Fraser. "And yes, I am ready."

"Fraser, my home is your home. If I'm with you, I'm home - physical location doesn't matter. "

Ben smiled. "I feel the same, Ray," he said. "It will just take awhile for me to get used to the idea. Our relationship is still very new to me."

"You think I don't know that, Benny? It's just as new to me as it is to you. And I still have to figure out what I'm gonna tell my Ma about us."

"Why not tell her the truth?" asked Fraser.

"Aw, Benny, I don't think I'm ready to deal with the fallout from that revelation yet. Please understand, it's not that I'm ashamed of our relationship, but my Ma is really traditional, old- fashioned, you know? "

Fraser sighed. "I know, Ray. I just don't like the idea of hiding my feelings for you."

"You don't have to hide anything, Benny. Ma knows that we care about each other, that we're best friends. I don't think any of that has changed. And I'm Italian, so I'm always hugging and kissing my family and friends."

"Very well, Ray. You know that I am very fond of your family, so I hope they will come to accept us as a couple, in time."

"I do too, Benny. C'mon, let's get out of this place and go home."

The two men arrived at the Vecchio home to a warm greeting from Mrs Vecchio. "I am so happy to see you are finally out of the hospital, Benton," she said. "My Raymondo was so worried about you. We all were."

"Thank you, Mrs. Vecchio," said Fraser. "I am pleased to be out of the hospital. And thank you for taking care of Diefenbaker for me."

"Benton, you know better than to call me 'Mrs. Vecchio' ! You are part of my family! You and Raymond are practically brothers, no? You have no mother of your own, so I am now your mother. You call me 'mama' or 'ma', the same as my other children."

"Yes, Ma," said Ben. "Thank you kindly."

"Come on, fratello mio," said Ray teasingly, calling Benny 'my brother' in Italian. "Let's find you a place to sleep."

"Raymondo, why don't you ask Tony to help you move the bed from your brother's old room into your room? That way you will have Benito close by, where you can 'keep an eye on him', as the doctors told you to do," instructed Mrs. Vecchio.

So Ray and his brother-in-law moved the bed in to Ray's room, and Ray persuaded Fraser to use it right away to take a nap. Ben still tired quite easily and needed the rest, so he didn't argue very strongly. When Tony was out of the room, Ray kissed his sleeping friend, then went back downstairs to join his mother.

"Raymondo," said Mrs. Vecchio. "Come in to the kitchen and sit down. I want to talk to you about something."

"Sure thing, Ma," said Ray, curious as to what his mother wanted to talk about.

Mrs Vecchio sat down at the table across from her son, a cup of tea in hand. "Raymond," she said, "you love Benton, do you not?"

"Sure, Ma. Like you said, he's practically my brother," answered Ray.

His mother shook her head. "No, Raymondo, that is not what I mean. I mean, you love Benton. Like the way you loved Angela when you were married to her."

Ray was surprised, but he supposed he shouldn't be. His mother had always been very perceptive where her children were concerned. "Yes, Ma, I do love him. More than I even loved Ange. Are you mad?"

"No, figlio mio, I am not mad. Benito is a good man. He will be good for you, as you are for him."

"But the church.." Ray continued.

"I have spoken to Father Behan. He was very helpful. He says that not everyone in the church believes that the kind of love you and Benton have is a sin. Did you know that they have a support group that meets at the church, especially for parents of homosexual and bisexual people? He said it is mainly the 'old fogies' as he called them, who have a problem with it. I do not wish to be an old fogy!"

Ray laughed. "You could never be an old fogy, Ma. But Benny and I have only been aware of our feelings for a couple of weeks. When did you talk to Father Behan?"

"Ah, Raymondo, maybe *you* have only been aware of them for a couple of weeks, but I was aware of them for a long time. I saw the way you looked at him when you thought no one could see. I saw you spend every day and night at the hospital with him after he was shot. I saw you challenge Frank Zuko, who has always scared you, just because he hurt Benton. How could I not know?"

"Ma, you're amazing," said Ray, shaking his head.

"No, Raymond, I am not amazing. I am simply a mother who loves her son. Her sons." Mrs. Vecchio sipped her tea, then continued. "As for the sleeping arrangements, that is up to you and Benton, whether he sleeps in the spare bed or in your bed. The spare bed is there for appearance - I didn't know when or if you wished to tell Francesca and Maria, so this will spare you answering questions. And if you wish to do something other than *sleep* in your bed - please just remember there are children in the house. It is no more than I ask of Maria and Tony. But be careful; I don't think poor Benito will be able to do much until he has recovered from his injuries."

"MA!" exclaimed Ray, blushing furiously.

"You think your mother never had a sex life, eh, Raymondo? And where do you think I got four children? In the cabbage patch?"

Wondering if it were physically possible to die from embarrassment, Ray said, "Ma, I haven't even discussed this ... issue ... with Benny yet. I'm not ready to discuss it with you!"

"Well then, Raymond, I think you had better discuss it with him soon, don't you?"

"Yes, Ma," said Ray meekly.

"Good. I am glad we had this talk. When Benton wakes up you may tell him that I approve of your relationship, so that he has nothing to worry about. And that I will try to make Francesca behave."

"I love you, Ma," said Ray.

"And I love you, Raymondo. And Benton, too."

Later that night, after dinner had been served and eaten with the usual noisy clamour of the Vecchio household, and after Ben and Ray had done their share of the cleaning up, Fraser insisted on reading a bedtime story to Tony and Maria's children. Or rather, telling one. He told an Inuit tale, of course, and the children were enthralled. Ray watched him from the doorway of the children's room, almost overwhelmed by the love he felt for this man. He was glad that his family accepted Benny so easily, even if they didn't know the extent of the relationship between them. Ray wanted Benny to know what it was like to have a family, a real family with a mother and sisters and nieces and nephews. Sadly, neither of them had good relationships with their fathers. Fraser's father had been absent for most of his childhood, and Ray's father had been a violent alcoholic. Above all, though, Ray wanted Benny to feel safe. He wanted Benny to know that Ray would not abandon him, that he would always have a home here.

When the children had fallen asleep, Ben joined Ray in the bedroom. As they began to undress, Ray saw Fraser preparing the spare bed, and said, "Benny? You can, uh, sleep with me, that is, if you want to."

"I would like that very much, Ray," Benny replied, and slipped into the bed beside Ray. Ray wrapped his arms tightly around Ben, and the Mountie was soon asleep in his arms. Ray knew, from the way he felt having Benny in bed beside him, that they would need to have that talk about sex soon.

Life continued in a relatively normal fashion for a couple of weeks. Benny slept in Ray's bed every night. Ray went to work every day, while Fraser helped Mrs Vecchio with household chores as much as he was able, and entertained Maria and Tony's children. When he was home, Ray did his best to take care of his partner, trying to anticipate all the things that were made difficult by Ben's injuries. They were mainly little things, such as fastening buttons, cutting his food, or other things that Benny couldn't do because of the cast on his wrist. The first night that Ray cut Benny's food for him, his mother noticed, and after that the food was cut up before it was served. When he wasn't at work, Ray was at Ben's side almost constantly, urging him to take things easy and not tire himself. When Fraser started arguing with him, Ray knew he was feeling better.

Finally, the day came when Fraser was able to return to work at the Consulate. Ray felt a lump in his throat when he saw Benny in his red uniform. Fraser always looked incredible in the red serge, and he seemed to stand just a little bit straighter when he wore it.

"You sure you're ready for this, Benny? Does the Dragon Lady know how bad you were hurt? She's not going to make you do anything you're not ready for, is she? 'Cause if she does..." Ray let the sentence trail off. He remembered the threat he had made to Victoria: 'Hurt him and I'll kill you.' He was prepared to say the same thing to Inspector Thatcher. No one would ever hurt his Benny again, not while Ray was still breathing.

"Ray, Inspector Thatcher is quite aware of my injuries. She did come and visit me in the hospital, if you remember. She spoke to the doctor."

//Yeah and she almost caught us kissing, too// recalled Ray. Speaking of kissing...

Ray followed Benny to the door. He had tried to get his friend to accept a ride to the Consulate, but Ray was working a later shift and Ben insisted that Ray not make a special trip for his sake. He was quite capable of walking to the Consulate, and, in fact, he wanted to. Being stuck in the hospital, and then in Ray's house, for such a long time was making him a bit stir crazy. He needed some time outdoors. "Benny, you look great," Ray said. Suddenly, he no longer cared if anyone saw them together. He put his arms around Fraser's neck. "I love you, Benny," he said, and gave him a goodbye kiss. "And I you, Ray," replied Benny, returning the kiss.

Ray's mother smiled at them and went back to clearing the breakfast dishes. Maria glanced at them, shook her head like she wasn't terribly surprised, then ignored them. Tony was already at work. The children continued racing around gathering their things for school, and if they'd noticed that Uncle Ray had just kissed Uncle Benny, they just chalked it up to "grownups being mushy" the way they did when their parents showed affection in front of them.

Francesca, however, was a different matter.

As soon as Fraser left, Frannie confronted her brother. "Ray! You just kissed Frayze!"

"Yeah, Frannie, I did. So?"

"So???" Frannie spluttered. "SO? So - WHY?"

"Because I love him, Frannie. Because I'm *in love* with him."

"What - how- when - HOW LONG?" Francesca could not quite form a coherent sentence.

"I don't know, Frannie. Seems like forever. Maybe since I helped him catch his dad's killer."

"And you've been keeping it from me all this time? Is that why you were so freaked out when I wouldn't tell you if I'd slept with him or not?"

Ray sighed. This was going to take some explaining. "Frannie," he said."Sit down. We have to talk about this, but we can't do it if you keep screaming at me."

Francesca sat. "Okay, brother DEAR, explain to me why you kept the fact that you are in love with the man of my dreams a secret for so long?"

"I wasn't even sure of it myself until a few weeks ago, Frannie. I think it was when Carver had him tied up in that junked car that I realized how I really felt about him. And when he was in the hospital, I found out he felt the same way about me. I never meant to hurt you, Frannie. I never expected that I was going to fall in love with Fraser. "

"Ray..are you and Frayze happy?"

Ray smiled. "Yeah, sis, we are."

"I guess I've known for a long time that Benton wasn't interested in me *that way.* I tried to get him to change his mind, but he always treated me like a sister. Which is really a lot better than most guys I've *dated* treated me! I do want you to be happy, Ray. And I want Benton to be happy too. I guess if you're happy together I'll have to get used to it....eventually."

"Thanks for understanding, Frannie," said Ray, giving his sister a hug.

Francesca smiled a little sadly. "Well, how can I blame you for falling in love with Fraser?" she asked. "If I have to lose him to anybody, I guess I should be glad it's you."

"He does think of you as a sister, you know, Frannie." Actually, what Fraser had said was something like, "All women are our sisters, Ray."

"Great, just what I need, another brother," Frannie laughed.

Ray was relieved. Everything was out in the open. There was no need to hide, pretend, or, as Fraser would say, 'prevaricate.' It had been amazingly easy, and Ray knew he was lucky. Not all families were as accepting as his was.

---

A few days later was Saturday and neither Fraser nor Ray had to work. Ray's mother and sisters were shopping and Tony had taken the children and Diefenbaker to the park. It suddenly struck Ray: he and Benny were truly *alone* for the first time since Benny had been taken to the hospital. He turned to his partner. Now was as good a time as any to have that 'talk.'

"Benny, you know, uh...we've been sharing a bed for a couple of weeks now...and we haven't uh, done anything, you know...like...sex." They had held each other, they had kissed, but that was all.

Fraser smiled and raised his eyebrows. "Is that a suggestion, Ray?" he asked.

"Well..we are *alone* for at least a couple of hours. And there is a lock on my bedroom door, just in case anyone comes home early." He got up and held out his hand to Benny. "How about we go upstairs?"

"Excellent suggestion, Ray," replied Ben.

They went upstairs to Ray's bedroom and locked the door behind them. Then they stood and looked at each other. "I've never done anything like this before, Benny. I don't even know where to start."

Fraser reached out and began to unfasten Ray's shirt. "How about we start by getting undressed?" he suggested. With a grin, Ray began to undo Ben's shirt as well. The shirts were quickly followed by shoes, socks, trousers and underwear, until both were naked. Ray's grin grew wider. "Benny, I thought you looked amazing in the red uniform, but you look even more amazing now."

Benny blushed slightly. "Thank you kindly, Ray. You look very good yourself."

Taking his love's hand, Ray moved to the bed and drew Fraser down beside him. "I have no idea what we're supposed to be doing, Benny. I've never had sex with a guy before. But I want to make love to you - with you. Got any ideas?"

"Ray, I have no experience in this - area - either, but I believe that all we have to do is what feels pleasant. I am certain you know how you like to be touched, so why don't you show me, and I'll show you what I like."

"I love you, Benny," said Ray.

Benny gave Ray one of his rare brilliant smiles. "I know, Ray. And I love you."

No matter how many times he heard Benny say the words, they still thrilled and amazed him. Benny loved him. He didn't know what he'd done to deserve the gift of Fraser's love, but he would do anything it took to keep it, always. His friend, his partner, his lover - *his* Mountie.

Fraser traced the path of a tear falling down Ray's cheek. "Ray - what's wrong?"

"I can't believe I almost lost you, Benny. That you might have - might have died - without my ever having a chance to tell you how I feel."

"But, Ray, I already knew," said Benny.

Ray looked confused. "How did you know?"

Fraser smiled. "You show me every day. From the time you put aside the forty-one cases on your desk to help me find my father's killers. You pushed me out of the way and allowed yourself to take the impact of a bomb blast to protect me. You mortgaged your house to bail me out of jail. And you remained by my side even after you knew I would have jumped bail to leave with Victoria. You took a bullet for me in the hospital. You carried me for miles through the forest after the plane crash. How could I not know, Ray?" Without waiting for an answer, he kissed Ray full on the lips, then continued down his body.

//Ohmigod, he's *tasting* me!// thought Ray. He wasn't surprised - Fraser tasted everything, so why not him? And it did feel very nice to be tasted. Still, he wasn't prepared for the shock of pleasure he felt when Benny took his cock in to his mouth. "Benny!" he cried out.

Fraser stopped what he was doing. "Am I doing something wrong?" he asked.

"No, no, oh god no, just keep on doing what you're doing. I was just surprised, that's all.."

Benny bent his head and returned to his explorations. Ray whimpered and moaned as Benny's talented tongue licked him and Benny's mouth sucked him. Just when he thought he was going to explode, the mouth suddenly moved away. He looked up at his lover, a question in his eyes.

"I want this to last as long as possible," Benny said. He moved back up until he and Ray were lying face to face, and took the Italian into his arms.

As they embraced, their cocks brushed each other. Both started at the sensation, then Ray began to move against Fraser. Benny thrust against him, and they began to move together, timing their thrusts to a shared rhythm known only to the two of them. Soon they tumbled over the edge, spilling over each others' bodies and crying out each others' names.

When Ray could breathe relatively normally, he said, "I love you, Benny."

Fraser kissed him softly. "And I love you, Ray," he said.

"Y'know, Benny, I think I am going to want a lot more of this."

"I will too, Ray."

"In that case, I think that you and me should get our own place together," stated Ray.

"But Ray, your family - how will they react?" asked Fraser, concerned.

"Oh, Ma won't be thrilled, but she managed when I was married to Ange, and she'll manage when I'm ... married to you," Ray said, turning over and removing a small package from the table beside his bed. He'd picked it up on impulse on his way home from work the day before, and had been saving it for just the right moment. He opened the bag and handed a small box to Fraser. "Will you marry me, Benny?"

Benny opened the box and found a matching set of gold bands. "Yes, Ray," he said with a grin, "I will." Taking one of the rings from the box, he slipped it on to fourth finger of Ray's left hand. Ray did the same for him.

"There's no priest or judge to make it official, but I don't think we need one," said Ray. "As far as I'm concerned, we're married. Partners in life. Forever."

"Forever," echoed Benny. He took his partner into his arms and the two of them were soon fast asleep.

END

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