Disclaimer: I don't own these guys Alliance dose i am just looking after them.

Author's Notes: Thank you to my beta ds_Tiff, you mean the world to me and this is a gift to you.

Story Notes: No spoilers, it dose have cancer kid patients but no descriptions of the illness in detail.

That Was The Moment

Ray ran into the hospital singing a tune after parking the car, he was picking up his friend Benton Fraser after he was done with his volunteer work there. He normally didn't as his friend enjoyed the walk back to the Consulate, but today it was snowing very hard and even though the Mountie was born in Freezer-land he was not letting him walk in that in Chicago, no way, no how.

Going the Reception Desk he found out that Fraser was in St John's ward and to just follow the purple line and it would take him there. Ray didn't read the sign that told him what kind of ward it was, he just wanted to get there and see his friend in action before he finished.

To enter the ward he had to press a buzzer which surprised him, but he shrugged it off, a security reason. Entering, he was met by a nurse who made him put on a plastic apron and wash his hands in some foam stuff three times before he was directed to where Fraser was.

Getting to the play-room, Ray stood stock still. The room was full of kids sitting on the floor, or in wheelchairs and tears sprung to his eyes. Some of the kids had no hair and some were wearing hats or bandanas. This was the children's cancer ward. He even spotted a baby not more then a few weeks old with tubes in places where no child should have them.

His attention was drawn to his friend who was behind a table with two wooden puppets and his voice was sweet and calming.

Standing behind the table Fraser held the puppets, "Now boys and girls, shall we sing one of our favourite songs?"

All the children cheered and clapped their hands.

Smiling at them he held the puppets who were clearly part of the song and began to sing...

"Can't you see I love you Please don't break my heart in two That's not hard to do 'Cause I don't have a wooden heart And if you say goodbye Then I know that I would cry Maybe I would die 'Cause I don't have a wooden heart There's no strings upon this love of mine It was always you from the start Treat me nice Treat me good Treat me like you really should 'Cause I'm not made of wood And I don't have a wooden heart"

All the children joined in when the German part kicked in and clapped along as they did so...

"Muss i denn, muss i denn Zum Stadtele hinaus Stadtele hinaus Und du, mein schat, bleibst hier?

There's no strings upon this love of mine It was always you from the start Sei mir gut Sei mir gut Sei mir wie du wirklich sollst Wie du wirklich sollst 'Cause I don't have a wooden heart"

(`Wooden Heart' by Elvis Presley)

Ray had to swallow around the lump in his throat, that had moved him beyond words.

When the song ended Fraser sat on the seat in front of the children and asked, "OK we have time for one more song, what would you like to sing?"

All the children shouted, "The Ugly Duckling!"

Laughing Fraser replied, "Very well."

Looking to a little girl in front of him he spoke, "Milly I think it's your turn to help with this one isn't it?"

Nodding and smiling bigger then Ray ever saw anyone smile, she jumped onto his lap. Her head touched his cheek and all he could see was a tiny few wisps of hair that she had left and yet she was the most beautiful thing that he had ever seen.

Holding her hands Fraser began the song...

"There once was an ugly duckling With feathers all stubby and brown And the other birds said in so many words"

Fraser added the words he had seen in the film and the kids joined in as he clapped Milly's hands together, making her laugh...

"Quack...quack...

Get out of town Get out, get out, get out of town And he went with a quack and a waddle and a quack In a flurry of eiderdown That poor little ugly duckling Went wandering far and near But at every place they said to his face Now get out, get out, get out of here And he went with a quack and a waddle and a quack And a very unhappy tear All through the wintertime he hid himself away Ashamed to show his face, afraid of what others might say All through the winter in his lonely clump of wheat Till a flock of swans spied him there and very soon agreed You're a very fine swan indeed! A swan? Me a swan? Ah, go on! And he said yes, you're a swan Take a look at yourself in the lake and you'll see And he looked, and he saw, and he said I am a swan! Wheeeeeeee! I'm not such an ugly duckling No feathers all stubby and brown For in fact these birds in so many words said The best in town, the best, the best The best in town Not a quack, not a quack, not a waddle or a quack But a glide and a whistle and a snowy white back And a head so noble and high Say who's an ugly duckling? Not I! Not I!"

(`The Ugly Duckling' by Hans Christian Anderson)

And that was the moment, right then and there with that little girl leaning against his friend laughing and so full of love, lost in the magic of the song and the light and love that it brought to his friend's eyes, that was when he fell in love with him, fell in love with every fibre of his heart and soul and he would finally have the courage to tell him how he felt. If these kids could be brave and get through what they were going through, he could do this as they had a battle he knew he couldn't survive.

The End