Author's website: http://www.geocities.com/elves_on_speed/

Disclaimer: Det. Stanley Raymond Kowalski, Chicago P.D., - Cst. Benton Fraser, RCMP, - and everyone else in Due South belong to Paul Haggis and Alliance Atlantis.

Author's Notes:

Story Notes: Set at the end of 'Burning down the house'.

This story is a sequel to: Encounters, part 1

ENCOUNTERS
part 2

by
elf boy

The door to the men's washroom closed with a bang. He spun around, menacingly lifting a finger at Ben. It was almost the end of his shift and he was tired. Ray really didn't need this. "What did you just say, Fraser?!"

Ben Fraser casually leaned against one of the wash basins. "I said, I gathered evidence against you for Lieutenant Welsh, to prove you're not Ray Vecchio. I must apologise that he didn't brief me earlier, but this is not entirely my fault. However, now that all misconceptions have been cleared up..."

"You're conspiring against me?"
At first this Mountie guy had seemed decent to work with, he had even pulled him out of Lake Michigan, after Ray had driven Vecchio's burning Riviera right into it. Good job Vecchio was in Las Vegas and not there to see his beloved car and his family home go up in smoke, all in one day.

This transfer to District 27 was supposed to give Ray a fresh career perspective. A new start. But now Ray was beginning to regret it. He had poured his heart out to Ben, but wasn't it just typical that the man hadn't even listened to a word he'd said? Not even one friendly encouraging word. Should have brought on a big red warning sign. Why was it that lately Ray always ended up feeling like a dunce?

Ben was looking slighly bewildered at such accusations. "Quite on the contrary, I had to convince myself that you were indeed trustworthy. And Lieutenant Welsh had reinforced my belief in you as a decent and honest policeman."

"So what's your point, now that we're all clear that I'm obviously not the real Ray Vecchio."

Ben smiled. "I've been wondering all day, whether you'd recognise me. I certainly remember you - you're Stan!"

"Ah,...ya what?"

"I met you in Roscoe's Tavern almost precisely two weeks ago. You gave me the number of your cellular with the prospect of receiving a phone call from me, after we'd exchanged...intimacies." He fell silent, rubbing his eyebrow.

"Oh Jeez," Ray said, "you're the Canuck blow-job."

Ben threw him an indignant look.

"Crap!" He turned away from Ben, to hide his face slowly turning a deep shade of pink. And to give one of the doors to the stalls a good kick. "Fuck, this was never meant to happen."

"As a gentleman, I would of course never divulge any information about this little interlude to anyone," Ben tried to reassure him.

"How was I gonna know that I was gonna be working with ya? Damn, why the hell didn't I get the cop vibe from ya when I saw ya in Roscoe's!"

"Well, actually I am with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, as Lieutenant Welsh should have informed you."

"Oh, same difference!" Ray said. "The point is I shouldn't have been fucking ya in the first place - 'cuz now ya see, we have to work together."

"Does it make you uncomfortable that we kissed?"

"Kissed?? That's the least of what we did."

"You performed fellatio on a staff member of the Canadian consulate," Ben remarked with a little smirk, "in a public bar, if I may add." It had been quite exciting.

"Oh, this keeps getting better."

"You did quite well, actually."

"Shut up, Fraser," Ray waved his arms in the air. "I don't wanna hear any more about it. It shouldn't have happened and now we have to make the best of this weird situation."

"I do not find it awkward, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I was even going to phone and ask you to meet again."

"Stop! No, Fraser," Ray took Ben by the arm and pulled him further away from the stalls, toward the windows. He whispered to him, as if instructing a child, "now we are both gonna go away and forget about this whole thing at Roscoe's, okay?"

"If that's what you want. I do have to say that I am slightly disappointed that your feelings were not genuine."

"They were genuine, but that's not the point, is it," Ray said incredulously.

"So why are you asking me to forget about it?"

"Dontcha have any work ethics up there in the Northwest Areas? Partners don't go screwin' each other."

"I believe 'Northwest Territories' would be the phrase you were looking for, if you are referring to my previous assignments. Granted, with convicts...it is inadvisable to get involved as it would induce a certain bias toward the object of your affections..." Ben felt heat rise in his face and cleared his throat. "...but among colleagues if there is genuine attraction, then why not? It wouldn't be the first time that I have..."

"I don't wanna be stood in the men's room, discussing the pros and cons of sex between colleagues, okay? I have a truckload of forms waiting to be filled out before the end of my shift. We're gonna end this discussion right here, okay?!"

"As you wish...ah, Ray."

"Good."

"This however does not in the slightest change my feelings toward you," Ben added.

Ray gave a long sigh, closed his eyes, rubbed them and then walked out of the washroom without sparing Ben another glance.

After a quick dinner, which Ben had insisted on paying for, they sat in silence in the almost deserted office, finishing the paperwork on the Greta Garbo case. Ray tried to read up on the evidence, taking notes, going back and forth between Francesca Vecchio's computer and his paper files. What he really wanted was to go home and mope.

All day long, Ray had stolen glances at Ben, sitting there in that...grotesque...red uniform jacket, something that made him look like he worked in a sideshow. That tight uniform with the silly baggy pants. Now Ben was wearing a flannel shirt and incredibly tight jeans, but that didn't help Ray either. He thought back to the night at Roscoe's, when he had driven Ben crazy with desire. Ray had wanted to crawl under his skin. So irresistable... Nothing like the other guys that Ray usually picked up from bars. Someone, who would get a hard-on from just watching Ray's ass as he moved around the squad-room. Someone, who actually wanted to spend some time and get to know him. Even if he had a strange way of doing it, going behind his back like that. Ben was totally up for it. But surely, Ray couldn't just go and... Could he?

Suddenly Ben spoke. "There is one piece of evidence that is still slightly nagging me."

"Uh-huh," Ray said flatly, taking another mouthful of coffee.

Ben got up from his chair and started pacing the office. He turned and leaned over Ray's desk and tilted his head. Smiling, of course. And way too close to Ray's face.

"Yeah, what?" This adorable, handsome man was impossible to work with. A distraction. And slowly driving him nuts with his questions and detailed observations and parading that body under his nose all the time. Something splintered. Ray discovered only too late that he had chewed all the way through his pencil.

"Ray, are you alright?"

"What? Yeah, I'm good. What is it?"

"I need you to come with me," Ben said conspiringly.

Ray didn't care anymore. He followed Ben down the hallway into... - the supply closet??? Ben quietly closed the door behind them.

"Fraser?"

"Yes?"

"Why am I stood here in the supply closet with the lights out?" Surely Ben wasn't trying to come on to him in here? Either his partner was a fast mover or this was about something entirely different.

"I need to ask you something."

Ray was getting exasperated. "Just spill, will ya!"

"You implied earlier on, that when we met at the tavern you did have feelings towards me."

"Fraser, I thought we'd talked about this," Ray said, rubbing his face and running his hand through his blonde spikes.

"On the contrary, you became upset and told me to stop talking about it."

Ray rolled his eyes and felt for the exit in the darkness. Ben was of course right, this had to be straightened out properly, but now it was just too damn uncomfortable.

"Please, Ray, I must reach clarity over this."

Ray turned and leaned back against the door. "Okay, yes," he began, "I did like you. Very much. I still think you're pretty hot. If we weren't both working in this rat hole, I'm sure we could be happily humping away," he said, finding it difficult to keep his voice down. He didn't feel so good. This was just typical, a one in a million chance of finding a guy who actually liked him and he couldn't even take that chance. At least he owed Ben an explanation. Ray slid down against the door, down to the floor. Finally he spoke. "I'm...afraid, Fraser," he said almost inaudibly. "You haven't seen my file, have you?"

"Not yet, but I'm sure once Lieutenant Welsh makes it available to me..."

"I haven't had much luck lately," Ray said. "I'm a good cop, but d'you know why they offered me a fresh start? People can't handle a gay cop. They think it's weird, intimidating... I dunno." Ray rubbed his forehead. "Truth is, Frase, I don't want to make my life any more complicated than it already is."

"I understand. There are other considertations, though."

"Like what?"

"Your personal happiness, for example. I believe it is possible..."

"Ah no, Frase. Don't give me this pop-psych bullshit."

"Sometimes it's better to be open with people. I really like being around you."

"Yeah, something clicked with us, didn't it," Ray said, his voice sounding a little sad. "You know why I'm scared? I want to be honest with the other guys here, but I can't. I wanna get on with everyone, but I know that I won't. That's what makes my life complicated."

"One step at a time." Ben carefully crouched next to Ray. He dropped forward onto his knees, took hold of his partner's arms and brought his face closer. So close that it made Ray shiver. "I know you were annoyed with me earlier on, but I want to make things right between us again. May I...?"

"We're at work." Ray knew that was a really weak argument against Ben's seductions.

"We're in a supply closet," Ben stated matter-of-factly.

"We're in a closet all right," Ray muttered under his breath. "Yeah, okay, just a little kiss..."

Ben's lips touched Ray's, gently. Just when Ray thought he would stop, Ben became more enthusiastic and Ray became very turned on.

"Fraser,..." It was Ray's turn to get embarrassed.

"Will you join me for a drink at Roscoe's after we finish here?"

Ray laughed. "I give up."

Ben reached for the string of the ceiling lamp. For the first time he could see Ray's face, holding an expression somewhere between hope and fear. "Is that a yes?" Ben smiled, turning to catch Ray's eyes.

Ray's palms felt clammy. He knew Ben wanted an answer. Surely, he wouldn't be so cruel to turn down a friendly offer like this? Ray could pretend it was only another night at a bar. He would worry about everything later. "Yeah okay Frase, I'll come out with ya."

End Encounters, part 2 by elf boy: elves_on_speed@yahoo.co.uk

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