LOOKING FOR MAYBERRY

By Sarah Saint Ives

Rating: NC-17

Pairing: Benton Fraser/Ray Kowalki

Status: Complete

Archive: Yes to Peja

Archive Author: Yes

Archive email address: Yes

Series/sequel: Not yet

Summary: Ray and Ben are ready to stop the adventure and settle down.

The first part was originally titled 'Together' and was posted as such.

Warnings: Slash. M/M.

LOOKING FOR MAYBERRY

By Sarah Saint Ives

Every night for four Canadian winter months, they had slept close together for needed warmth. The arctic air had changed their lives and their personalities, but they had visited every corner of the Yukon and the Northwest Territories on a dogsled, their bed a shared, waterproof, eiderdown sleeping bag buried in snow to save them from the raging wind.

They had grown accustomed to one another. They depended on one another. They were comfortable together. They were even comfortable in moments of silence, which, with Benton Fraser, ex-mountie and irrepressible fountain of trivial knowledge, was very rare.

It was Spring, and they had survived the white wilderness too long. The weary dogs trudged into the campground and stopped to glance back at the two cherry-cheeked men seated on the sled.

"Frase....we're here." Ray Kowalski shook his friend, pointed to the office. "C'mon, wake up."

Benton Fraser, who had spent most of his adult life in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, had resigned suddenly to go on this insane adventure with his Chicago cop friend, and now, both men were tired of traveling. They needed to come in out of the snow for a while.

They rented a small cabin and carried in their few belongings. Ben's white, deaf wolf, who was spoiled but intelligent, left the pack behind and accompanied the men into the cabin. With a wide yawn, the wolf critically viewed the interior, decided it would suffice, found a fleece lying in front of the fireplace and fell asleep there.

They built a low fire and sat before it a while, considering their next move. Whether to go back to Chicago or to continue their travels. Settle down, get jobs, be normal....or be nomads, take the risk of freezing in their sleep, of running out of food, of getting sick too far from civilization to make it to a hospital in time....

They both knew they were ready to abandon the nomadic life.

"I don't want to live in Chicago any more." Ray said softly as he sat fire-gazing. "I want to find a small town, you know, like Mayberry, where everyone knows everyone else's name. Where you don't have to fight traffic to get to work and back."

"What kind of work would we do in Mayberry?" Fraser asked.

"I don't know. Sheriff?"

"You want to be Andy?"

"No, maybe Barney." Ray gave him a tired grin. "I'd rather find something completely opposite of police work."

"You mean like....criminal work?"

"No, I mean like....being a farmer."

"That's hard work, Ray, and it's not exactly opposite police work."

"Well, what do *you* want to do?"

Fraser turned toward the fire and drew a deep, contemplating breath. "I don't know, either."

"You want to go back to being a mountie?"

"Well, that's what I thought I would want to do, until the past month, until I realized that you and I wouldn't be partners any more if I resumed my duties as a mountie."

Ray glanced at him briefly. "It would be a lot easier for you to defect to the United States than it would for me to defect to Canada."

"Yes, I suppose it would."

Kowalski opened a can of petroleum jelly and began to rub it on his cheeks and lips, then offered the can to his friend. "Just so we stick together. I don't care where we go."

Fraser lightly applied jelly to his wind-burnt face. "Yeah. Me, either," he agreed.

They were aware of their dependency on each other, and up to this moment, it hadn't bothered them. Now, there was a hesitancy, a bit more thought on the matter spiraling in their frosty brains. Still unwilling to take up the entire issue, they left it undiscussed and took turns in the shower.

Ray sat on the double bed next to the window, his blue eyes on the flickering reflections in Dief's water bowl as Fraser turned down the multiple covers of the other bed closer to the inside wall and the bathroom.

The ex-cop cleared his throat, pausing only slightly before he spoke. "You know, this will be the first night in four months that I haven't slept with you." The statement was made without insinuation or suggestion. Merely stating a fact.

"Yes, it *will* be." Fraser sat down to face him.

Ray met his eyes and they smiled at each other.

"Ray."

"Hm?"

Fraser stretched an arm to touch his knee. "Do you want to sleep with me?"

"Yeah." Ray moved to the other bed, climbed in and burrowed deep beneath the heavy layers of quilts and blankets.

"We won't be needing all this." Fraser decided and pitched all but two blankets onto the unused bed. He rolled in beside Ray and was immediately received in a warm, cuddly embrace.

"Ray?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think we're getting too....ah....comfortable as friends?"

"What do you mean, Frase?" Ray was already drifting off.

Fraser wrapped an arm around him and rested his cheek on Ray's inner shoulder. "Nothing. It's not important. Good night, Ray."

"Nite, Fraser."

"Ray?"

"Hm?"

"Why do you always call me by my last name?"

"Hm?" Not awake.

"You could call me Ben, you know?"

"Ben....yeah, okay." Ray's breathing was getting deeper and more rhythmic.

"Or Benny. The other Ray used to call me Benny." Fraser pushed a strand of Ray's blonde hair off his forehead.

"Okay....yeah. Benny....." Ray began to snore.

Ben sighed and gave up, began to fiddle with his partner's thick hair as he slept. Ray was not disturbed in the least, in fact, the gentle touches seemed to lull him into a more peaceful slumber.

"I love you, Ray." Ben whispered. Lightly, he kissed the sleeping man's jelly-slicked lips.

Ray moaned in his sleep and pulled Fraser closer. With another sigh, the Canadian closed his eyes and went to sleep.

*******

"Gotta get up. Gotta pee." Ray mumbled, disentangling himself from the embrace. He stumbled to the bathroom and Fraser, still half asleep himself, followed to stand guard against predatory animals. In the Yukon wilderness, there had always been the danger of polar bears and arctic wolves. Bare flesh presented animals with the opportunity to hunt, so no one went to the bathroom alone.

It was not until he noticed that Ray was pissing with both hands on the wall over the toilet that they were safe inside, that his guard duty was unnecessary. With an embarrassed but humored grin, Ben turned his back until he heard the water stop.

"Your turn." Ray slipped past him to return to the warm bed, leaving the flushing to Fraser.

When Ben snuggled in with him again, Ray said softly in his ear, "I love you, too, Benny."

The ex-mountie was startled by the words. "You heard me?"

"Of course I heard you." Ray bent to kiss his rosy lips, a gentle, closed-mouthed kiss. "I heard that, too."

Fraser gasped in surprise. "You were awake when I...."

"Yeah, I was awake." Ray kissed his nose. "It was nice."

"It's nice to have you as my friend." Ben said solemnly.

"Bullshit. We're more than friends, Fraser! We haven't been ten steps apart in more than four months! We're obsessed with each other! Somehow, I keep feeling like our whole relationship is just fucked up, that we shouldn't be like this, but I can't stand to even think about my future without you in it. Tell me, is that fucked up, or what?"

Fraser thought about it. "Yeah, Ray. It's pretty fucked up. But I feel the same way."

Ray bent, captured his mouth in another kiss. "Is this bad?" he asked. "Is it wrong?" He kept talking, not about to give the other man a chance to answer. "Because, even if it is, I don't care. It's what I want. I want you, I want this with you, and I don't care how perverted it is, or how messed up it is. I don't care what it makes us. I don't care about anything but you. I love you and I want you. I need you. And I don't want anything to happen to split us up. I would kill anybody who tried to take you away from me. I swear I would, Fraser."

There were tears in the Canadian's blue eyes. "Oh, Ray, I....."

Ray didn't let him finish before he was kissing him again. Arms and legs entwined, lips and tongues danced and dueled. Hands caressed. What was left of the night was consumed in their own personal fire, the one in the fireplace forgotten.

Dief gave them a look, tilted his head to study their strange actions, then hopped into the unused bed and made himself comfortable beneath a mound of covers.

*****

Benton Fraser stomped the mud off his boots on the cheap woven rug just inside the cabin door and hung his dripping overcoat on the wall hook. Diefenbaker didn't bother to wipe his wet paws, merely shook himself, spattering Fraser with ice fragments before making himself comfortable on the fleece in front of the fireplace.

Ray sat up in bed and yawned. "What'd you get?" he asked. "Did you find a grocery store?"

"Yes, I did. I got some instant coffee and stuff to make sandwiches."

"Good. The coffee sounds good."

Fraser set the small bag of groceries on the table and put a pan of water on the propane burner to heat. His handsome face was pale and troubled. "We're almost out of money. We have to get jobs, Ray."

Ray was looking at the fire. "Are there any openings for a grocery store clerk? Because I don't see anything else in this god-forsaken neck of the woods. What are we gonna do, Fraser?"

"I don't know." The Canadian dug their tin cups out of his backpack and spooned instant coffee into them. "Kalusse is forty five kilometers south. There are several businesses there."

"Forty five kilometers." Ray was calculating.

"That's less than thirty miles." Benton solved it for him. "Not far."

"Pretty damn far when you're on a dogsled and the temperature is forty below zero. Don't need any calculator to figure out how cold *that* is, do we?"

Fraser nodded, looking down. "Yeah," he admitted. "Pretty damn far when it's this cold."

"You wanta pack up and head out today?"

"I think it we should."

"Okay." Ray cleared his throat. "How long do we have before checkout time?"

"Until four P.M."

The blonde glanced at his wristwatch. "Still six hours. That means we got some time to relax." He watched his partner pour water into the cups.

"You're coming back to bed, aren't you?"

"I just made coffee."

"Cool. Bring it with you."

Fraser set both cups on the bedside stand and began to strip off his wet clothes. Undressed, he snuggled in beneath the covers with Ray, who gave him a tight hug and a kiss.

"You're cold." Kowalski mused, touching his cheek with the back of his hand. He nuzzled his neck and carefully sucked on his earlobe. "My ice baby."

Ben smiled bitterly at him. "You know.....I have some items I could sell,"

he said.

"Like what? Your mom's jewels in that little package of precious momentos over there? I don't think so. Your rifle? That was your dad's. Those things mean something to you. You're keeping them."

"Nothing will mean much if we're starving to death," Ben said softly.

"Well, you're right about that, but we're not gonna starve. We'll find jobs and make enough money to get back to the states. Things will be okay, Benny." He punctuated his statement with a gentle kiss.

Fraser smiled. "I like that," he said, kissing Ray's cheek. "You really don't mind?"

"Don't mind what? Kissing you?"

"Calling me Benny."

"Why would I mind?"

"Because you were so jealous of Ray Vecchio, and that's what *he* called me."

"I wasn't jealous of him!"

"Yes, you were."

Ray reached over him and got his cup of coffee. "I was *not* jealous. I did get a little territorial when he moved back into his old position."

"You're talking about the job?"

"Yeah, the job." Kowalski sipped at the hot coffee. His voice was muffled by the cup. "And you."

"Why, Ray?"

"I don't know. Maybe because you acted like you loved him."

"I did love him. But not the way I love you."

"I was afraid he would take you away from me."

"I know. I sensed that."

"He married Stella, you know?"

"I know."

"I got the best deal."

Fraser kissed him again. "You're quite sure about that?"

"Yeah. I'm positive. He got Stella. I got you." Ray gave him an insane twinkle and a little laugh. "I definitely got the better deal."

"But he and Stella aren't living in poverty as we are."

"We won't be when we get to Kalusse. I'll get a job and we'll be fine." He set the coffee down again and rolled playfully on top of Fraser for more soft kisses. "I love you, Benny." he whispered warmly. "I would rather die with you than live with her."

"I would prefer that we live, Ray."

"Yeah, me, too. But you get my meaning, right?"

"Yes, I get your meaning."

Fraser closed his eyes as the kisses deepened. His arms wound round his partner's slender frame. Ray's fingers were gently stroking the Canadian's thick, dark hair, which had not been cut since the beginning of their journey. Both men were sporting a longer style.

"I wanna make love to you," Ray murmured.

Fraser drew in a trembling breath. "We should drink our coffee before it gets cold, Ray."

Ray nodded and got off him. Situating himself into a sitting position behind him, his back against the headboard, he handed him a cup of coffee and took the other one for himself. They sat quietly drinking, both deep in thought.

It was half an hour later before the American spoke again.

"Are you scared I'll hurt you?"

"I've never done that before, Ray. Of course it'll hurt."

"I'll be careful."

Benton nodded soberly and set down his empty cup. "Okay."

Almost too hurriedly, Ray's cup joined Fraser's on the nightstand as he slid down beside him in bed. His anxiousness made the ex-mountie nervous.

"Ray, please! Slowly."

Ray took a deep breath and nodded, beginning his seduction with kisses to the ear and neck. "I won't hurt you, baby," he whispered. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too, Ray."

"I can make love to you?" Ray was already humping his hip.

Fraser tried not to be annoyed with him. "Yes. Make love to me. Honestly, Ray, Dief has more self control around a bitch in heat."

Ray didn't care if he was labeled hornier than a sex-craved wolf. This was the single-most romantic experience of his life-time. He kissed Ben ravenously, plunging his tongue deep into his mouth. As he arranged himself between his partner's legs, he reached for the petroleum jelly.

Because the blonde was so frantic, Fraser expected to be practically raped, but the lovemaking was gentle and virtually painless. By the time Ray reached his volcanic orgasm, Fraser was ready to join him. A few strokes later, his was also achieved. He was stunned that their first coupling had been so hot.

"Oh, Ray, that was incredible." he breathed as Ray withdrew from him. "You are very good."

"Then we can do this again?" Uncertainty showed in the blue eyes.

"Yes, later." Ben wondered what was on his mind.

"Good. I just wanted to know. Because you and me....we got something here. This is good, this thing between us. You know?"

"Yeah. I know." Ben ran his fingers through the blonde hair, hoping he was reassured.

Ray kissed him again, very intimately rubbed noses with him, then abruptly got up and went to the bathroom.

Fraser laid still a moment, pondering. "Ray? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine," Ray called. There was a catch in his voice.

Ben got up and peeped in the bathroom door. "What's wrong?" he persisted.

"Nothing." Ray was turning on the shower.

One glance into Fraser's concerned blue eyes and he couldn't pretend any more. "You know things will change between us when we get back to the states."

"Why will things change?"

"I don't know. They just will. We won't be able to sleep together there. We won't be able to make love."

"Why not, Ray?"

"Because there will be people there!"

"You mean in Mayberry? You're afraid the people of Mayberry are homophobic?"

"There is no Mayberry, Benny! Mayberry's a fictional place! Wherever we end up, it's going to be the same. People are going to look down their noses at us if they see us living together, sleeping together....if they know how much we love each other."

"We don't have to tell them, you know?"

"Are you ashamed of this with me?" It sounded like an accusation.

"No, Ray! I love you! What is wrong with you?"

Ray stopped, breathing hard, and stood staring at him. Finally, after much consideration, he reached out to him. "Come get in the shower with me. We'll talk about it later."

Without question, Fraser took his hand and stepped into the shower beside him.

*****

The dog team loped along the solid ice path, air being expelled from their lungs in great clouds of frosty effort. Fraser, guiding the dogs, glanced down at Kowalski, who was seated on the sled. "Do you want to talk about it, Ray?"

The American shrugged. "About what?"

"About Mayberry."

"Benny, Mayberry was a damned show on TV in the sixties! Did you ever see it?"

"Oh, yes. I saw it many times. Mostly reruns, I think."

"Yeah? Who was your favorite character on there?"

"I always liked Aunt Bea. Who was yours?"

Ray repeated the shrug. "I liked the barber dude. I don't remember his name."

"Floyd," Fraser said.

"Hm?"

"Floyd. That was the barber's name."

"You know something, Benny? You know too much."

"It's possible to know too much?"

"Yeah, and you do. You know all these dumb little things like what the fucking barber's name was on the fucking Andy Griffith show thirty-some years ago! You know too much. You never seem to be just.....*human*. Humans sometimes *don't know*, Benny. Did you know that?"

Ben stared at him in confusion. "I know, Ray."

Ray sighed loudly.

"I'm *sorry*, Ray. What's your point?"

"My point." Kowalski had never felt so scatter-brained and unfocused in his life. The wind gusted hard, blowing his parka's hood back. He took advantage of the distraction and replaced it, tied it firmly beneath his chin. Finally, he continued. "I'm not sure I have a point, Fraser. It's kinda hard to talk about it out here in this blizzard, anyway."

"Understood." Fraser shielded his face against the bitter cold and struggled with keeping the sled upright as it skidded along behind the tireless dogs. He wanted to persist, but his partner was right. Conversation should wait until they could speak in normal tones. Screaming into the wind was not the way to make life-altering decisions, and besides, Ben felt physically weak and dizzy.

Days ago, he had felt the weakness developing, but had not mentioned it to Ray. He did not want to worry him. He knew, though, that if they did not settle into a warmer, less destitute life-style soon, that he would not survive.

*******

Kalusse was a gold-mining town with rows of crudely-built shops and stores along both sides of a wide, iced-over road. Other buildings were sprinkled over the landscape, all which looked abandoned. It looked like a frozen ghost town.

Ray stared at the glacial community as the dogs came to a halt in front of

the mining office. "So," he said, sounding ominous. "Does this look like

Mayberry to you?"

"No."

"What does it look like?"

"Like Purgatory," Ben answered distantly. He staggered as he stepped onto solid ground.

Ray rolled off the sled and struggled to his feet. He moved to the front of the pack and began to pet Dief's head. "I'll go see whoever's running the office, okay?"

"Why don't we *both* go see who's running the office?" Ben was dusting off his parka.

After a pause, Ray nodded. "Okay. Come on."

They entered the shabby building, immediately facing an old man at the counter. His face was crooked, but his voice was strong as he greeted his visitors. "Hello, friends! Tell me what I can do for you!"

They approached the counter together. "I'm Benton Fraser, and this is Ray Kowalski. We're looking for work," Ben announced in a tone that attempted to match the old man's cheer.

"Work? Well, since the mine's shut down, there is no work around here."

Their faces fell.

"I could hire one of you....on a temporary basis, of course....to help me clean up this place," the man said, hoping to encourage them. "I can't pay much, but I'll give you a place to stay and food to eat for a few days."

After a peek out the front window, he added, "And food for your dogs."

"Sounds good," Ray said, without looking at Fraser. "Where do I sign up?"

"We will both help you," Fraser said, frowning in Ray's direction.

"I can't afford to pay you both."

"That's all right. I'll work free."

Ray glanced at him, caught the frown and sighed. "Where do we start?" he asked.

"You start by putting your dogs in that shed over there. We can start cleaning tomorrow. There's no hurry. It's been this way for years."

Ben smiled and shook his hand. "Thank you kindly," he said, then turned to leave, stumbling into a pillar. He held on a moment to regain his balance, unnoticed by the other men.

Ray shook hands with the man, oblivious to his partner's condition. "By the way, what's your name?" he remembered to ask.

"Jasper. William Jasper. Glad to meet you both."

Ray smiled and followed Fraser's path out the door.

******

Diefenbaker groused at his ill-treatment, being locked in the shed with the dogs while the men returned to the bigger building. Jasper showed them to a tiny, windowless room and lit a lantern, revealing a battered twin-sized mattress which laid flat on the floor. The bathroom was off to the left, incomplete. No shower or tub was present, only a rusty washbasin and a toilet. It was good enough for their temporary situation.

"I'll get some supper started in the kitchen. You two get yourselves warmed up. Give me about thirty minutes, and you can come eat."

They dropped their bags on the dirty floor as the old man left them alone and began to peel off their wet clothing. They found nails enough to hang everything to dry, then, stripped bare, they unrolled their sleeping bag and spread it on the dilapidated mattress. They snuggled in close for warmth.

"Mmmm, yeah," Ray murmured as the numbness began to subside. His feet thawed, his fingers warmed against Fraser's skin. "This is much better."

"Yes, it feels good." Ben's utter stillness was disturbing.

"What's the matter, Benny?"

Fraser figured it was time to tell him. "I have no energy. I feel totally drained. I don't know what's wrong with me."

"You haven't been eating very well. I saw you give a couple of meals to the dogs. You can't do that in this climate. You have to keep up your strength."

"I've gone without food for extended periods of time before, Ray."

Ray kissed his dry lips, then kissed him again, testing.

"What's wrong, Ray? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because you have a fever."

"How can you tell? I'm still cold. You're still cold."

"Because your lips are hot."

"We have aspirins in my backpack, but I don't believe they'll be necessary." Ben returned the next kiss. "Don't worry about me, Ray."

"Yeah, right. Just tell me to cut out my own heart, cause that's essentially the same thing."

"I'm sorry. I don't understand." His lie was all too obvious.

"You know I love you. You know you mean everything to me. You know I'd die if anything happened to you."

"Ray, please. There's no cause to get upset. I'm fine." Ben was petting his hair soothingly. "The old man is very kind to help us like this."

"Yes, very kind," Ray mimicked. "I wonder what happened to that laterally challenged face of his? I'd hate to go round like that. No wonder he holed himself up here and lives all alone in a ghost town."

"I've lived all alone for months at a time." Ben said, thoughtfully.

Ray kissed him again. "Turn over. I'll warm up your back."

Ben turned his back to him, allowing his partner to spoon in behind him. "I'm tired." he said.

Ray couldn't remember ever hearing the Canadian complain of tiredness before. He hugged him tightly and waited for their bodies to be warm again.

******

They sat at the wobbly wooden table, eating hot canned vegetables from mismatched bowls. Fraser sipped from his over-sized spoon, listening as their host told them the history of Kalusse. It wasn't very interesting, really. In fact, it was very boring, but he tried to appear interested for courtesy's sake. He rested his elbow on the table top, his eyes on the old man's crooked face, and found himself sliding forward into grayness.

Ray grabbed for him, but Jasper made the save, snatching the soup from beneath him as he fell onto the table. Ray pulled him back, studied him, touched his face. "He's got a fever." he said, worriedly. "Damn! I don't even know what's wrong with him. He seemed fine this morning. Now, he's passing-out sick!"

"Sickness can hit a man fast in these parts." Jasper seemed unflustered as he rounded the table to check the unconscious man. "Let's get him up to bed and hope he's not contagious." he said. "I've got plenty of medicines. Don't worry. We'll take care of him."

Ray bent to lift him, and as he stood easily with his friend's limp form in his arms, he realized how light he seemed. "I think he's lost weight," he said. "He's been giving the dogs his food."

"That might just be why he's so sick," Jasper said. "Take him to bed. I'll bring something for the fever."

******

The glazed blue eyes focused slowly on Ray's anxious face. "What happened?" He was naked in the sleeping bag.

"You fainted." Ray answered. He dabbed at the feverish forehead with a wet cloth. "Jasper's bringing something for your fever."

Fraser turned his face away and coughed. He was very pale. "I feel sick, Ray."

"You want a bucket?"

"I'm afraid I'll be needing it."

Ray went for a bucket he had seen in the doorless hall closet, set it within the Canadian's reach. "This came on sudden." he said. "You were fine this morning. You think it could be food poisoning?"

"No. I didn't eat anything."

"You fed your breakfast to the dogs again, didn't you?"

"To Dief. It's important that he remain healthy and well-fed, Ray. If he's undernourished, he can't very well pull the sled."

Ray leaned very close to him, gently nuzzled his ear. "I don't want you sick, Benny. You have to eat."

"I know."

"We're going back to the United States as soon as you're feeling better. I'll help Jasper get this place cleaned up and we're going where I can keep you *and* Dief healthy."

"Are we still looking for Mayberry, Ray?"

"Sure. Mayberry. And you know what? We're gonna live *together* in Mayberry and everyone is gonna know that you're taken. You belong to me. Hands off. And if they got something to say about it, they can tell somebody who wants to listen. Cause I don't. You're mine, and I'm yours, and that's the way it's gonna be."

Ben smiled at him in amusement. Weakly, he caressed Ray's cheek. "I love you, Ray."

"I love you, too, babe." Ray gave him a light kiss. "I want you to concentrate on getting well, now. You hear me?"

"I hear you." Fraser closed his eyes.

******

Fraser woke in the darkened room and found Dief snuggled beside him. "Ray?" he called softly, tuning in for Ray sounds. Ray was not in the room.

Diefenbaker raised his head and licked his master's flushed face, whining and glancing to the door. 'He's with the old man.' Ben nodded in understanding and rolled to face the white wolf, his arms around him. "Will he stay with me forever, Dief?" he whispered.

Dief gave him a hopeful lick. 'I can't promise for the man. *I* will stay with you forever.'

Ben buried his face in the white fur and sobbed.

The door opened, letting in bright light. "Hey, Buttercup!" Ray greeted cheerfully. "Are you feeling better?"

Fraser looked up at him. "Slightly," he answered. "Still very weak, though. Why are you in such a good mood?"

"Because I've been working all morning! Got my blood going! Also, guess what! Jasper had a two-way radio in the shed. I got it hooked up and got through to a base station in a town two hundred kilometers south of here. They're gonna relay a message to my folks for me."

"What kind of message?" Fraser asked.

"The kind that reads 'We need to borrow some money so we can get the hell out of here.'" Ray said, bending to touch his face. "You're still burning up. I wish we could make that fever break."

"Ray, how will your parents get money to us? There's not exactly a Western Union at the A and P down the block."

"They'll send it to Pucket. We just have to get there."

"And Pucket is two hundred kilometers south?"

"Yeah. And there are airplanes there. And a hospital. Right now, with no money, even if I got you to a hospital, we couldn't pay for treatment."

"We're in Canada, Ray. I'm Canadian. Treatment is free."

"Really? Cool." Ray kissed him.

"Are you aware that two hundred kilometers is...."

"A hundred and twenty five miles. I know." Depression was replacing the cheer on his handsome face. "When will you hear from your parents?"

"The guy in Pucket said to try back in an hour."

Fraser ran an idle finger through the grime on Ray's face. "How long is it going to take to finish the cleaning?"

"No time at all. Be done tomorrow. It's not as bad as it looks."

"Good. Then we can be on our way?"

"That's gonna depend on you, Sweet Potato." On his hands and knees beside him, Ray leaned down and rubbed noses with him. "If you're feeling up to it, we'll go."

"Sweet Potato?" Benton laughed. "I think I liked 'Buttercup' better."

"Okay, then, Buttercup it is." Ray kissed him again, then sighed. "I'd better get back to work. Dief will take care of you. If you need me, send him after me."

"I will." Ben was reluctant to see him go. He rubbed Ray's shoulder, raised up for another kiss, which Ray gladly gave him.

"Love you," Ray murmured, tracing the soft lips with a bent knuckle.

"Love you, too," Ben said, sniffling.

Dief licked Ray's face and nosed him away. 'Go on. Go to work.'

"Okay, okay. I know when I'm not wanted." Ray laughed and left the room.

*****

Painful light fell across them again and Fraser lifted his face from Dief's soft fur. "Ray?"

"No, it's Jasper." the old man whispered, approaching him. "Here, I brought you something to eat."

Dief moved aside as the crooked-faced man seated himself beside Ben and touched a brimming spoon to his swollen lips. Ben accepted the soup, but the taste nearly gagged him. The swallow was difficult. "What is it?" he asked.

"It's just soup. It's good for you. When you're sick, nothing tastes very good, does it?"

"No, it doesn't." Ben was feeling queasy. "Please, I can't eat it."

"Come on," Jasper encouraged. "Just a few more bites. You gotta try."

Fraser looked distressed as a second spoonful was coaxed into his mouth. The nausea was getting worse. "I'm going to throw up," he warned.

Jasper handed him the bucket. "I've got some meds that are supposed to help nausea." he offered, holding the ex-mountie's head. "I'll go get them."

As he fell back onto the mattress, Ben tried to catch his breath, found he was mildly strangled. The old man wiped his lips with a napkin. "Turn on your side a minute." he instructed, and began to pound his back.

Benton winced at the pain of the blows, but he could breathe again. "Thank you kindly," he said feebly.

"I'll go get those meds. You have to be able to hold food down or you're never gonna get better."

"*Nothing* will stay down," Ben said. "I'm sure it would do no good to take pills. They would be wasted."

"Not pills." Jasper winked at him. "Suppositories."

Ben looked subdued. "Oh."

"I'll have your buddy bring 'em up and take care of you. I'm sure you'll be a lot more comfy with him doing that for you."

Ben nodded. "Thank you." His voice was low.

"When you can digest food again, you'll start feeling better. I know a little about this stuff. I was a pharmacist for thirty years."

Ben smiled amiably. "Here? In Kalusse?"

"Yes, while the mine was operating."

"May I ask you a personal question?" Ben was pensive.

"You wanta know what happened to my face?"

"Yes."

"An accident at the mine. A lot of my friends died in there, and I went in to try to save them. The ceiling came down and a big section of it split my head wide open. It's a miracle I came out alive."

"Yes, it is." Fraser was awed by the man.

"Split my face from throat to crown. Lucky it went back together as well as it did."

"And your vision is all right?"

"Don't see too well out of the left eye. A few minor problems, but I really can't complain. Coulda been a lot worse."

Uncertainly, Benton's hand rose and touched the crooked face. "Part of the bone seems to be missing here in the left side. That's what makes it lower than the right."

Jasper allowed him to study the asymmetry of his countenance, a half-smile curling his lips.

They both turned as Ray stepped inside the opened door.

Kowalski waved in greeting. "Hey. What's going on?"

Fraser's hand dropped back onto the mattress. "Mr. Jasper and I were talking about the mining accident."

Jasper hurried to get up. "I'll go get those meds. Be back in a little while."

As he disappeared down the long hallway, Ray turned to Ben with a strange little smile. "Were you and Jasper about to get it on?" he asked.

Ben's jaw dropped. "Of course not! I was merely noting that there is bone missing from the left side of his face. He was in a mining accident...."

He was stopped abruptly when Ray crossed the room and kissed him. "I was teasing, Benny. Don't take everything so literally."

Ben nodded.

"You belong to me, you hear? You don't kiss nobody else, you don't make out with nobody else."

"Are you jealous, Ray?" Fraser's blue eyes were sparkling.

"Not of the crooked faced man. But I might be when you get around other people. Just remember that you're mine, okay?"

"I'll remember." Ben patted his cheek. "I belong to you."

"Yeah."

"And you belong to me."

"Well, *yeah*. That's the way it works."

"As long as it goes both ways," Ben said.

Ray hugged him. "It goes both ways, Buttercup." He snickered to himself at the pet name. "And as far as I'm concerned, it's for forever."

"Forever," Ben echoed as he wrapped his arms around him. "Forever's all I need."

*****

Night time brought howls from the dog shed. "They're fine," Ray assured Ben as he cuddled beside him. "They ate a lot today. They're just not used to being locked up."

Dief, being deaf, did not respond to the mournful howls. He was stretched against Ben's opposite side, sleeping peacefully.

"You have wonderful parents, Ray," Fraser murmured.

"Yeah, they're cool. Sending us money to get home on," the blonde agreed. "They think I'm coming back to Chicago."

"We *are* going to Chicago, aren't we? Your apartment is still there. All your furniture and...."

"We'll pack it up and move somewhere else."

"All right. At least we'll get to see your parents."

"Yeah, but we can't tell them about us."

"It's up to you."

"They would never understand this, neither one of them."

"I doubt my father would have, either," Fraser murmured thoughtfully. "He would consider our love a 'perversion'."

"What do *you* consider it, Benny?"

Ben kissed him softly. "Me? I consider it a dream-come-true."

******

Fraser was stronger, still incapable of exertion, but Ray deemed him fit for travel. Bundled inside the sleeping bag, the blonde strapped him to the sled with bungee-type tie-downs and kissed him before he covered his face with a flap of the sleeping bag. He checked the dogs one last time before shaking Jasper's hand in farewell. "I'll give you a radio call from Pucket," he promised. "If you ever wanta come visit Chicago, just let me know. You're welcome any time."

The crooked faced man smiled at him. "I just might take you up on that," he said. "I've never been to Chicago. But didn't you say you were going to live in a town called Mayberry?"

"Nah. Mayberry's a fictional place. That was just a dream. There are no jobs there, anyway," Ray quipped. "Nope. We're goin' to Chicago." He mounted the sled and gave the dogs a whistle, prompting them into action.

Smiling, Jasper watched them until they were out of sight. Then, the crooked faced man faded into the landscape and joined the other ghosts who waited for him at the mine.

-30-