Disclaimer: I don't own em, and I'm not making any money from them, sigh, so please don't sue.

Author's Notes:

Story Notes: Note: This is in response to the "Lap-dancing challenge" that I set. I thought it only fair to have a go at it myself! The challenge was to fit these seven things into a Ben Fraser/Meg Thatcher fic: -
1. Ice. (not our fav Queen of Smut <BG> the stuff you put in drinks)
2. Sleepless in Seattle.
3. Meg being stubborn and determined, but having to give in.
4. Ben scooping Meg into his arms.
5. Embarrassment.
6. Lap-dancing.

Inspector 'Meg' Thatcher was sat at the computer in her office. There was a knock on the door. "Yes!"

The door opened a fraction and Detective Ray Vecchio stuck his head in. "Erm, hello Inspector! Can I have a word!"

Surprised, Meg looked up from her computer screen. She was even more surprised and suspicious when Vecchio smiled at her. Narrowing her eyes she asked, "What do you want?"

Coming into her office Ray closed the door. "Just wanted to see how yer settling in, ya know, in Chicago!"

Meg wasn't buying that. "Really! Cut the bull Detective! I've been here two years and in all of that time you haven't exactly been hospitable! I'm a busy woman Detective, tell me what you want or leave me to get on with my work!"

He stood in front of her desk and played with his hands. "Okay. I know we've not exactly seen eye to eye, but I well..." It was killing Ray to have to ask this woman for help. "I sort of, ya know..."

"You sort of what?" Meg folded her hands in front of her and looked at him expectantly. She was really enjoying watching him squirm.

"I sort of need yer help!"

"You need my help?" Meg smirked.

"Yeah, yeah, don't rub it in, will ya!"

"Oh, well, if you're going to be impolite about it then..."

Ray cut her off, "Okay, okay, look, I'm sorry. I really do need yer help."

"What is it?"

"Alright, hear me out first before ya say no! I'm working on this case and I need a woman to go undercover. But the woman's gotta be experienced and at the same time she can't be one of the Chicago PD coz her cover'll be blown. So that makes you the only one left. I need ya to do some lap-dancing for me?"

Meg blinked her eyes. "I beg your pardon?"

"Okay, that didn't sound right! What I meant was I need for yer to go undercover tonight at this lap-dancing club! When yer there I need for yer to record some stuff for me!"

Meg's eyebrows shot up again. "Er, I mean, record some stuff what the guys who own the club say. Ya know, wear a wire! So will ya do it?"

Meg laughed in his face. "You're not serious?"

"Yeah."

"This has got to be some kind of American police joke, right?"

Ray shook his head. "Look, if ya don't believe me ya can phone Welsh up!"

"Right, I will." Meg picked up her phone, dialled the police station and asked to speak to Lt. Welsh. To Meg's surprise, Welsh confirmed Vecchio's story. Meg put the phone down and stared at Ray.

"So? Will ya do it?"

"No way."

"So you'll think about it?"

"Oh, yes, I'll think about it until hell freezes over."

"Look, I know it's a lot to ask, but we really need ya to do this. The whole case rests on it."

"I'm sorry Detective, but there is no way I am lap-dancing."

"Look, what can I do to persuade ya?" Ray really hated having to beg to The Dragon Lady. His body twitched with having to plead with her.

"There's nothing you can do."

"Oh, come on! Stop being so stubborn. There must be something I can do to persuade ya? Free Bulls tickets?"

"I don't like the Bulls. I prefer baseball."

"So ya want baseball tickets then?"

"No. I'm just not doing it. There's nothing you can say to change my mind, and that's that."

"Alright, ya give me no choice, I didn't wanna have to say this but I'm gonna. What if I said, are ya sure ya won't do it, not even if I said I'd tell everyone I come across and Fraser himself, that ya wanna go down on him?"

Meg gasped. "You wouldn't?"

"I would."

"But it's not true. I'm his Superior Officer."

"Yeah, yeah, change the record. It is true and I know Fraser'll believe it, I'm his best bud."

"You wouldn't dare!"

"I would."

Meg looked at him hard. "You would, wouldn't you."

"Oh, yeah."

"He wouldn't believe you."

"Wanna risk it?"

Meg glared at him. She said through gritted teeth, "What do I have to do?"

Meg sat in her office watching a video of "How to Lap-dance" that Vecchio had given her. How she hated that Chicago Detective! There was a polite knock on her door. "Who is it?"

"Constable Fraser sir."

Shit! Meg quickly turned the video off. "Come in." Fraser came into her office and stood to attention. "What is it Fraser?" He glanced over at the video player. Damn, he never missed anything!

"Sir, would it be all right if I leave early tonight?"

Wanting to get him out of her office, actually out of the consulate so he wouldn't have a chance to stumble across what she was watching and why, she quickly said, "Er, yes. Yes, all right Fraser. Dismissed."

Fraser looked surprised that his request had gone so smoothly. "Is everything all right sir?"

"Erm yes. Why shouldn't it be?"

"No reason sir. I just wondered that's all." His gaze started to move over to the video casing to 'learning lap dancing.'

Noticing, Meg dived for the video cover. "Sleepless in Seattle."

"I beg your pardon sir?"

"The video, it's 'Sleepless in Seattle.' I'm er, seeing that it works before giving it to er to a friend."

"Ah!" Fraser gave her a strange look before leaving her office.

When Fraser left, Meg breathed a sigh of relief and sank into her chair, "That was close!"

That evening, Meg stood in the dressing room of the Lap-dancing club. She was wearing a red strappy dress with a split up each thigh; black stockings and red high-heels completed her outfit. The tiny wire Ray had given her was tucked in an intimate place. Ray and some other members of the Chicago PD were sat in a nearby van listening.

The manager came into the dressing room and leered at all of the women. "Hmm! We have a new act tonight." He grinned leeringly at Meg and rested his hand on her buttocks. Meg had to fight down a strong impulse to punch his grinning teeth. I can't believe I'm actually doing this, Meg thought for the millionth time.

Meg walked into the bar, saw all of the perverted men and thought, shit! What am I doing here? The explicit music started to play. Meg froze. I really can't do this! This is madness! I'm gonna kill Vecchio! Thinking of Vecchio telling Fraser that she wanted to 'go down on him' Meg shook herself, thought this was the lesser of two evils and began to dance.

Provocatively moving around the tables she made her way to the table that was occupied by the manager and the owners. Just as she suspected, the manager leered at her and pointed to his lap. "Come and dance for me honey!" Forcing a smile, Meg played her part and sat on his lap.

While she moved her body erotically against him, she was stopped from feeling like throwing up by the knowledge that she was capturing their conversation with the wire. Soon they would be busted.

Fraser sat hunched in the van with Ray, Huey and Duey. Ray started to chuckle, "Man, Thatcher's actually pulled it off!"

Fraser looked at him sharply. "I beg your pardon Ray?"

"Oh, yeah, ya don't know do ya! Thatcher's gone undercover as a Lap-dancer. Isn't it hilarious?"

Fraser went white. "Are you serious Ray?"

"Yeah. It's better than any joke I could come up with about her! It's true alright."

"Ray, how could you?"

"How could I what?"

"How could you get Inspector Thatcher to do that!"

"Hey, whoa! She's just undercover that's all."

"And if they catch her?"

"Relax Fraser, they won't." Fraser actually glared at Ray. "Hey! Benny, come on it's just an assignment!"

"Why did you ask Inspector Thatcher to do it?"

"Coz she was the only one available."

"Did she...erm...how did you persuade her?"

"With a lotta hard work, I can tell ya. A little blackmail goes a long way!"

"You blackmailed her?"

"Er did I just say that! Er no, noooo you don't think I'd do that do you!" The look Fraser gave him told him he did think Ray was capable of such a thing.

"Ray, what did you say to her that could possibly make her do this?"

"Hey, what is this, the Spanish Inquisition!" Fraser gave Ray a hard look and exited the van. "Where ya going?"

"To the club."

"Ooh, so that's it! Ya wanna watch?"

"I'm not even going to dignify that comment with an answer Ray."

Fraser's eyes landed on Meg at the same moment as hers landed on his tight jeans and brown leather jacket. Meg momentarily froze. OMG! How embarrassing! I'm never gonna live this down! This is the most embarrassing moment of my entire life, and that's saying something!

Fraser's mouth fell open and he just stared. She looked so sexy. She was all over the guy and Fraser wanted to kill Ray with his bare hands at that exact moment. He couldn't stand his Meg to be doing this. Okay, she wasn't exactly his Meg, but they had a sort of unspoken understanding between each other. "Do you want a drink sir?" A waitress asked.

"Erm, what?"

"Would you like a drink?"

"Oh, erm, yes please."

"What of?"

"Iced water please." Not taking his eyes off Meg, Fraser slumped into a chair at a nearby table.

Knowing she had the information the Chicago PD wanted, Meg rose from the manager's lap. "Where ya going baby?"

"Erm there's a new client over there," she nodded in Fraser's direction. "I think he wants me to dance for him!"

"Forget him, stay here."

Fraser heard the conversation and the look of displeasure on Meg's face. He was getting ready to intervene on Meg's behalf. "I really should go over there!" Meg insisted.

"I said, stay here."

Meg stood anyway and approached Fraser. The manager followed her. Another Lap-dancer got in the manager's way, and smiling the young woman linked her arm through his and pulled him back towards his table, obviously in the aim of lap-dancing for him there.

The waiter brought Fraser's iced water as Meg reached his table. Meg looked Fraser in the eyes and slowly sat on his lap. She started to dance sensually on his lap. Fraser thought he was going to pass out, the heat was intense. Especially when she rubbed herself against him and his soldier stood to attention. He reached for the drink, guzzled some down and then poured the ice over his face to cool himself down.

Meg smiled smugly at the effect she had on him. She was going to enjoy this while it lasted. She was undercover after all; nobody could accuse her of doing anything wrong, it was all part of her assignment! Honestly!

The erotic dance was curtly interrupted as the manager grabbed Meg's arm tightly, pulled her to her feet and slapped her backside with his other hand. "I told ya to stay with me. And when I tell ya to do something, ya do it."

Fraser was on his feet. "Get you hands off the lady!" Fraser told him. At the same time, Meg wasn't standing for anymore, she kneed the manager in the groin.

"Ow! You bitch!" He let go of her arm.

"Are you all right?" Fraser asked Meg. She nodded.

The manager caught his breath and moved to slap Meg across the face. Fraser growled loudly and caught his arm. "Don't even think about it!" Fraser then elbowed the manager in the ribs.

Turning to Meg, Fraser gave her his jacket and said, "I'm getting you out of here." Fraser scooped her into his arms and carried her out of the club.

Meg gratefully rested her head against his chest. "Thank you, for what you just did. Not that you had to! I had the situation under control. But thank you..." she looked at him and gave him an amused smile while adding, "Benton Bear!"

He ducked his head a little in embarrassment at realising he had actually growled and she had heard him. Meg allowed herself slight satisfaction knowing she wasn't the only one to be embarrassed tonight.

The End

End Day and Night by RedDragon: RedDragon@manutd.com

Author and story notes above.