The spotlight clicked on to reveal Ray standing in the center ring. As the expectant audience's eyes focused on him, he felt like he should have a whip and ringmaster's outfit, but he just wore his street clothes. Whatever, the show had to go on, and he'd gotten by on attitude before.
"Ladies and gennelmen, boys and girls, welcome to the greatest show on earth! We are proud to present... The Amazing Fraser!" The spotlight clicked on to the second ring, to reveal Fraser wrestling with criminals. "He leaps tall buildings in a single bound! Will lick *anything* ya put in front of him and tell ya exactly where it's been! Communicates with a wolfen familiar he claims talks back to him and who even obeys him sometimes! He's so perfect he doesn't even sweat, people! Ooh and ah at his astounding feats!" Then all the lights went out, leaving him in the dark. "Hey! Who didn't pay the electric bill?"
When the light flashed back on the center ring, hulking men in police uniforms and whiteface clown makeup held him motionless no matter how hard he fought. Ray Vecchio smirked at him. "Hey, tough guy, remember me?"
"Where's Fraser?" Ray asked.
"Not too bright, are you? He wasn't ever yours. Never. You were just a pale replacement for me, and he was too polite to say so. Did you really think he loved you? Well, you learned better at the hotel, didn't you? Now you can't use him as your ticket in here, and you can't use my name anymore either. There's only one Raymond Vecchio, and that's me. You can't trade on anyone else anymore. So you give me one reason why we should let you stay."
"What?" The clown policemen forced his head up and into a headlock. Damn, but he hated clowns. They were so creepy.
"You got a talent? *Any* talent?"
"I'm a good shot." When Vecchio snickered, Ray snarled, "When I have my glasses on. I dance. I can swill bad coffee all day. I--" To his horror, Ray couldn't think of anything else. "I'm a good cop!" he spat.
"Whatever you say. Hey, wait. I've got it." Vecchio smiled widely, playing to the audience, before he pitched, "Ladies and gentlemen, I present... The Chameleon! Man of a hundred roles! Player of underworld figures and cops who are out playing underworld figures! Yet this enigma has a greater, horrifying mystery within him! Can you guess what it is?"
Ray felt his captors' fingers claw at his jawline. He struggled harder, especially when he felt something painfully tear away.... They ripped off his face, leaving nothing at all. No eyes, no nose, no mouth. He couldn't even scream.
"Underneath all those roles, there's nothing at all!" Vecchio's eyes gleamed. "No one there!" And the audience applauded.
"Ray!" Fraser said.
Ray's eyes opened to a field of cold white. And Fraser. He ran his gloved hand over his face and felt everything where it was supposed to be. Dream. Just a dream.
They were in deep in the middle-of-nowhere Canada on Muldoon's trail. At least Fraser said they had the trail, and Ray had to trust in that.
He didn't think he'd survive the hike. And if he did, he didn't think he'd survive Fraser leaving. He knew what his dream meant. No place for him, no one for him, no one to be. Maybe the wilderness would give him a cleaner end. At least he'd go out for a good cause.
"Are you all right, Ray?" Fraser looked so worried, and he already had enough on his mind without worrying about his partner.
Ray put on a smile. "I'm fine, Fraser. Up and at 'em. Muldoon isn't gonna catch himself."
*********************THE END************************
More Viridian5 stories can be found in The Green Room at http://members.tripod.com/~drovar/viridian/
Fandoms represented: due South, X-Files, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie, Two Guys and a Girl (was Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place), Once a Thief, Angel, X-Men, Doctor Who