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Author's Notes: The song Ray quotes is "Walking In Your Footsteps", by the Police.

Story Notes:

Their footsteps echoed strangely in the huge exhibit hall. Fraser tipped his head back to look at the half-lit, shadowy skeletons of gigantic beasts who'd walked the earth so very long ago. Nothing is forever, he thought.

Ray scuffed his boot against the marble floor and chuckled to himself quietly. When Fraser arched an inquiring brow, he said, "Just remembering a song by the Police."

"I would assume you're referring to the musical group, not the law enforcement agency?" Fraser asked mildly.

"Yeah." Ray tipped his head back and let out a slow whistle. "Amazing to think these guys used to rule the earth, ya know?" Under his breath, he sang something that sounded like, "Hey mighty brontosaurus, don't you have a lesson for us."

"They're not actually called brontosauruses anymore, Ray," Fraser said, settling into his teaching voice. "The original specimen was a mistaken combination of an apato--"

Ray scowled. "It's still a brontosaurus to me, Fraser. I don't care what they call it."

Fraser smiled a little. "Well, you may be right, Ray. Dr. Robert Bakker is attempting to have the brontosaurus recognized as a legitimate dinosaur."

Bouncing a little on his toes, Ray explained, "We used to go to the museums every year on school trips. The Field Museum was the best. Museum of Science and Industry was kinda boring. We only went to the Shedd Aquarium once, I don't know why that was. Anyhow. I thought that the name 'Field Museum' was, I dunno, the type of museum. Like you'd have a science museum and a field museum. Didn't realize till I was older that it's just the name of the old rich guy who gave the money to build this place. Kids, huh, they're not too bright." He grinned at Fraser, who found himself, as always, smiling back.

"So, we went to the Field Museum on a school trip when I was in sixth grade, and I was head over heels for The Stella. She was kinda doing this dance-- pull me closer, push me away-- come to think of it, she did that dance all the time we were together. Anyhow, we wandered off a little from the rest of the group and she let me kiss her in the Jurassic Age. First time we ever kissed." Ray was still looking up at the apatosaurus skeleton.

Fraser watched him, mentally tracing the delicate lines of his throat, wishing he could run his palm across the short-cropped hair at the back of Ray's head.

"So. A song by the Police and a kiss from the Stella. It'll always be a brontosaurus to me, Frase." Ray bumped his shoulder against Fraser's, smiling mischievously.

Savoring the pleasure of Ray's casual affection, Fraser replied, "Understood."

end

End Brontosaurus by Alex SisterWolf: alex@badb.net

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