Rating: G

Category: Romance

Set following "Flashback" with the 3rd/4th season not taking place, in other words, the real Ray Vecchio is still around.

PWP

Episode related

Note: Andrea Corr is the lead singer of the Irish family band The Corrs.

Title and lyrics from The Corrs song "When He's Not Around", written by The Corrs and featured on their albums Talk on Corners (Atlantic/143 Records/Lava 83106-2) and Talk on Corners: Special Edition (Lava/143 Records/Atlantic 83164-2)

I think the second verse is especially appropriate for OFM. This is my first piece of DS fanfic, so please be kind.

By CJD (e-mail address: avonleapei@hotmail.com)

As Meg Thatcher dressed for work to the sounds of The Corrs' "When He's Not Around", one thought kept running through her mind.

"He is returning today."

The Canadian Consulate in Chicago's Deputy Liaison Officer, Constable Benton Fraser, was returning to work today after a month's vacation in Canada to rest following a fall and temporary amnesia.

Meg still could not believe how much it had upset her when she discovered he remembered nothing of the Egg and Train incidents. After leaving Fraser and Vecchio in Fraser's office, she'd told Turnbull to hold all her calls and had gone back to her own office, closed the door, and laid her head down on her desk and cried. It had been even worse when he left after requesting a month's vacation to recover and work on his father's cabin with Vecchio. Meg had never had a problem with insomnia in her life, but for the last month, she had gotten no more than 4 hours of sleep a night. Sure, it was fun that her lack of sleep gave her another reason for snapping at Turnbull, but she soon realized what the problem was: Fraser was not around.

Meg finished dressing and shut off the CD player as she headed out of her room.

"Yup," she thought as she picked up her purse and coat, "Andrea Corr certainly knows what she is singing about."