Standard disclaimer: Characters belong to Alliance, not to me. I make
no money from this. All I have is two cats.

You Are So Beautiful
--------------------

Benton Fraser lay in bed with his lover, Ray Kowalski. Leaning forward,
he pressed a kiss on to Ray's forehead. "Have I ever told you how beautiful
you are?" he asked his love.

"Me? Beautiful?" asked Ray in astonishment. "Fraser I'm the one with
bad eyesight, not you. You're seeing things."

"What I am seeing is a beautiful man who happens to be my best friend,
my partner and my lover."

"Fraser! You're unhinged. I am *not* beautiful. Now you, on the other
hand..."

Fraser shook his head sadly and pulled Ray closer to him. "Ray, you are
beautiful, inside and out. I don't know any other word that would fit.
Your beauty is so obvious to me ... I don't know why you can't see it."

Ray sighed. "Okay, well, you think I'm beautiful 'cause you love me.
I can live with that." He snuggled in to Fraser's embrace.

"I do love you, Ray, and you know that I do. But I thought of you as
beautiful before I even knew that I was in love with you."

"I was right. You're unhinged."

"Why do you say that?" asked Fraser, his voice sounding sad to his lover's
ears.

"Because it should be obvious to anyone with eyes that I am *not* beautiful.
I'm skinny. I wear glasses. I have experimental hair that won't behave
no matter what I do to it. Fraser, you're so good-looking...compared
to you, I'm nothing."

"Why must you compare yourself to me, Ray? We're not competing. We're
simply different. For example, you're fair; I'm dark. That doesn't mean
that I am better looking than you, or that you are better looking than
I." 

"But, Fraser, you got women falling all over you all the time. I don't."

Fraser lay his hand along Ray's cheek. "Then they are the ones who are
blind, not I." He kissed his partner gently. "And I love you."

"I love you too, Fraser."

"Then will you believe me when I say that you are beautiful? I would
never lie to you."

"I'll try. It might take a while for it to really sink in, though," said
Ray.

"Then I will just have to keep reminding you. You are beautiful,
my Ray."

"So are you, Ben. So are you."

END