Black eyes, I don't need 'em.
Blue tears give me freedom. . .
Oh, yeah.
Oh.
Positively never goin' back.
I won't live where things are so out of whack.
No more rollin' with the punches.
No more usin' or abusin'.
I'd rather die standin', than live on my knees,
beggin' please, no more.
Black eyes, I don't need 'em.
Blue tears give me freedom.
Black eyes are behind me.
Blue tears 'll never find me now.
Uh-uh, whoa.
Definitely found my self-esteem.
Finally, I'm forever free to dream.
No more cryin' in the corner.
No excuses, no more bruises.
I'd rather die standin', than live on my knees,
beggin' please, no more.
Black eyes, I don't need 'em.
Blue tears, give me freedom.
Black eyes are behind me.
Blue tears'll never find me now. . .
I'd rather die standin', than live on my knees,
beggin' please ,
beggin' please,
beggin' please,
Ha.
Black eyes, I don't need 'em.
Blue tears give me freedom.
Black eyes are behind me.
Blue tears'll never find me now.
Oh, they'll never find me now.
It's all behind me, they'll never find me now.
Find your self-esteem and you're forever free to dream.
Ray and Ben were going over a report on the case they just
finnished, and Ray had yet to receive a new assignment from Welsh yet.
They were a bit bored;filling out the many forms was rather
like doing a book-report in grade-school. But, they soon would've both
given anything to have the boredom back. . .
Gino: Hey, ex-bro-in-law!
Ray: (looks up sharply)What are you doin' in town?
Gino: That any way to greet me?Aren't ya gonna introduce me to
the boy-scout over here?
Ben: (stiffly)I am a constable in the Royal Canadian Mounted
Police.
Gino: Yeah?Gino Perilli.
Ben: Benton Fraser.
Gino extends his hand to shake Ben's, but Ray knocks it out of
the way.
Gino: Just tryin' to make friends, Ray.
Ray: (coldly)My partner doesn't want to be friends with the likes of
you.
Suddenly, Francesca came up with 2 small paper bags in her hands.
Francesca: (walking over)Hi, guys I brought you some---
Gino: Hello, Francesca. Long time no see.
Francesca: What are you doin' here?
Gino: I missed you.
Francesca: Yeah, well ya seen me. Now, scram!
Ray: You heard her;move!
Gino: Without hearing my news?
Ray: (eyes narrowing)News?
Gino: I'm a corporate exec. now. I got a new office, and a new
secretary. At the "Louglin" firm.
Francesca: (weakly)That's where I work.
Gino: Yeah, you were in the secretarial pool, so I requested you
specifically, babe.
Francesca's eyes grow huge.
Gino: Just like old times, eh?
Francesca: Sure. . . I quit!
Gino: You can't---
Francesca: I can do whatever I want;didn't my brother tell ya to
leave?
Gino merely shakes his head & walks out.
Ray: (puts a comforting arm around Francesca's shoulders)Uh, why
don't we all go for a ride, huh?
Francesca nods, and he motions for Ben to follow them. In truth,
he felt the people in there had seen more than enough, and
knew she wouldn't want them to see her cry, which was very likely coming.
Ray drove, Ben sat in the back with Diefenbaker, and Francesca
sat in the front seat, head leant against the window, huddled
into herself.
Ray: Frannie?
Francesca: Hmmm?
Ray: Don't worry, he won't. . . I won't let him. . .
Francesca: I know;I almost wish I'd told ya the first time.
You'd've have stopped it.
Ray: (tightly)Yeah, he'd've never touched you again.
Francesca: I. . . I was just afraid to.
Ray: You didn't think I could protect---
Francesca: No, I knew you could. I just didn't want you to think
less of me, and I didn't want you to go to jail or something
because of a mess I got myself in.
Ray: It was never your fault. Okay?
Francesca: Yeah, I know that now, but. . . I was 18 when we got
married. And, he definitely knows how to make a gal feel
worthless.
Ben: (eyes narrowing)I. . . Francesca. . . He hit you?
Francesca: Yeah. . . He was always sorry, and it was always the
"last time". After about a year, I finally made it the
really last time.
Ben was completely speechless. He hadn't a clue how anyone
could hurt Francesca. It put a pit of rage in his stomach that he couldn't
swallow. His thoughts then went to the helplessness Ray
must've felt when he realized, too late to do anything. . .
A bit later, they were at Ben's apartment having takeout.
Francesca: I don't know what I'm going to do;how can I afford to
really quit?
Ray: (shocked)You can't honestly be considering working for that. . .
scum?!
Francesca: No, but. . . Where can I work?
Ben: Well. . . perhaps there is an opening at the consulate?
Ray: Benny, ya sure about---
Francesca: Don't you have to be Canadian?
Ben: (smiles)Not for a secretarial position. I can pick my own,
if I want one.
Francesca: What about the one you have now?
Ben: I don't have one now. . . But, it would be more convenient
to have someone to take messages and fill out forms for me. . .
Francesca: Ben, that's really sweet, but. . . You're not just
creating a position for me, are ya?
Ben: Nonsense, Francesca. I honestly am supposed to have one, I
just never had time to hire one.
Francesca: Well. . . okay!
Ray: (gives Ben a grateful look)Um, stay clear of the Dragon
Lady.
Francesca: Oh, I don't think we'll have any problems.
Lt. Thatcher: Constable!My office!Now!
Ben: Yes, sir.
Francesca: (smirks)Sir?
Ben: Well. . .
Francesca: Go. . . but, it fits. . .
Ben suppressed a smile and went into her office.
Ben: Is there a problem?
Lt. Thatcher: Yes, Constable, there is.
Ben: Oh?
Lt. Thatcher: Your secretary is incompetent!
Ben: I beg your pardon?
Lt. Thatcher: You heard me.
Ben: Now, see here. Francesca is a truly capable woman. She has
been a secretary for 3 years now, and does a darn good job of it. She
took all my messages, typed some things I needed done, which
freed up my time to work on my caseload.
Lt. Thatcher: (sullenly)She messed up my message.
Ben: Forgive me, sir, but Ovitz is your secretary, Francesca is
mine. I would appreciate you not giving her his workload.
Lt. Thatcher: Very well, Constable. But, next time you wanna hire your
girlfriend, check with me?
Ben: But---
Lt. Thatcher: Dismissed.
Ben: Understood.
Before he could leave, though, from the other side of the door
they heard a horrific crash, and a scream issued from Francesca.
When they rushed out there, they saw her huddled on the floor,
her fist closed to her chest.
Ben: (rushing to her in concern)Francesca?
Francesca: (tears streaming down her face)They're from him. . .
Ben: Let me see your hand.
He takes her hand, expecting to find a cut, but instead finds a
small card, saying "Congrats on your new job, princess. See
you soon. "
Ben: (scooping her up)Come on, Francesca. I'm gonna take you
home.
Lt. Thatcher: Constable---
Ben: Ovitz can clean it up;I have to take Francesca home.
With that, he leaves, cradling Francesca protectively to his
chest, ignoring the shocked looks from Lt. Thatcher.
Ben: (stalking purposefully intot he station)Ray?
Ray: Hey. . . Somethin' wrong, Benny?
Ben mutely hands him the card, and his eyes narrow and flash with rage.
Ray: Like hell he'll "be seeing her"!
Ben: I thought you should know.
Ray: (nods)Thanks, man. . .
He grabs his coat & stalks out towards the Riv, followed by
Ben. They speed over to Francesca's old firm, and he angrily
punches the buttons to Gino's floor. He sees him standing over a
young woman at a secretary desk, and smiling.
Ray: You son of a. . .
Rather than finnish that statement, he opts. for lunging at him,
knocking him down and beating him on the ground.
Ben: Ray?
Ray just ignores him, and keeps beating him bloody. Ben finally,
(afraid of Ray being brought up on charges)pulls him off.
Ben: Ray!Stop!Getting arrested won't help you protect your
sister!
Ray slumps back relunctantly, but it didn't stop him from
trembling with rage.
Ray: (pointing at him)If you ever, and I mean ever come near her
again, nothin' or nobody will stop me from killing you. (starts
walking out)C'mon, Benny.
Ben: Be with you in a minute Ray.
Ray: (over his shoulder)Yeah, okay. (walks out to wait)
Gino: (grins)Your partner there always did have a temper, but,
you seem more sensible.
Ben: (coldly)If you ever approach Francesca in any manner, I
would be hard pressed to remember my "sensibilities".
(he stalked out)
Three days past, fairly uneventful, and not a word from Gino.
Francesca sat in her room, sitting on her window-seat, staring at the
rain streaking the window. It was a boring Saturday. Ma,
Maria, Tony, and the kids were all visiting her Aunty Sela for a
week, and Ray was catching up on some paperwork at the office.
She remembered the first time Gino. . . Man, that was the first
time in years that she'd called him anything other than "the pig".
. . even in her head. . . She was broken out of her
reverie by an insistant seeing an all too familliar car pull up
in the drive. . . She raced downstairs to put a chair at the
door, but, it was too late. As she made it to the end of the
staircase, Gino kicked the door in.
Gino: My princess. . .
Francesca: (flatly)Don't. Don't ever call me that again.
Gino: (walking towards her)I missed you, baby.
Francesca: (backing up)No;stay away from me.
Gino: How can you say this to me, Frannie?We belong together. . . You
never had it as good as with me. . .
Francesca: You nearly ruined my life.
Gino: Come on baby. . . (reaches out and grabs her)You know you
missed this. (grabs her and kisses her roughly)
The clock chimes and Ben adjusts his hat, and walks off from
sentry duty. He glanced at his watch, and thought maybe he could
catch Francesca for lunch. He figured she would probably be
home;he only had 1/2 Saturday duty as a result of a. . . heated
conversation between himself and Lt. Thatcher. It wasn't that far a walk
to the Veccio's, even though it was raining. . .
Ben comes to the house to see the door kicked off the hinges, and then
was horrified to see "the pig" on top of Francesca on the stairs,
raising up to backhand her. Gino was shocked to
feel someone grab his wrist in mid-swing, and pull it behind his
neck, yanking him off the ground and nearly dislocating his
shoulder.
Gino: What the---
Ben just grabbed him and decked him. He hit him again and again,
even after he couldn't get up, he just hefted him back up by the
shirt. Finally, he was standing over him, trembling with rage.
Ben: No more warnings, Perelli. You will never come near her
again.
Gino: Help me;he's crazy.
Ben just grabbed him and cuffed one hand, cuffing the other to
the pole outside. He called the station, and Lt. Welsh sent over
Ray and a couple of uniforms to pick him . Ben looked at
Francesca, still lying on the stairs, trembling, shirt torn. . .
He went and knelt by her. . .
Ben: (gently, whispering)Frannie?
Francesca wraps her arms around his neck, and buries her head
into his chest, sobbing quietly.
Ben: (soothingly)Shhh. Shhh. You're safe now. . . You're safe. .
. I am so sorry. . .
Francesca: No. . . you. . . you saved me. . .
Ben: (voice raspy with unshed tears)I'm sorry he got to you. . .
Suddenly, Ray rushed in, and saw his sister in Ben's arms.
Ray: (alarmed)Frannie?
Francesca: (raises her head up & brushes the tears away from
her
cheeks)Hey, Ray.
Ray: Ya okay, sis?
Francesca: Yeah. . . I'm okay. . . he didn't. . . he didn't. . .
Ray: (cupping her face)Oh, babe. . . Don't you worry he can't get near
you ever again. . . This time he won't. . .
Ray's eyes glistened as he pulled her into a warm embrace, and
she felt safe for the first time in days. She knew they spoke the truth.
It was over this time. . . this time for good. No more
black eyes, no more blue tears. . .
The End