Standard Disclaimer: due South and it's characters belong to Alliance. I just use them for fun. Hopefully they will return to their world unharmed and ready for other people to play with them.

WARNINGS: PG Romance Drama Viloence

PAIRING: Fraser & Thatcher.

Originally posted to RedSuitsYou@onelist.com - March 2000.

Unfinished Business

Fraser watched Thatcher as she talked to Lt. Welsh. With every angry nod and curt reply, her chestnut hair gleamed and bobbed. The red suit that she wore hugged every curve of her body. Letting his gaze travel downward, he stared at her calf. The matching red shoes she wore sent a tingle to his groin. She always wore heels and he loved how those heeled shoes made her calf muscle stand out. Those beautiful legs suddenly turned and moved toward him.

"Fraser!" His head snapped up to meet her angry glare. "I was talking to you!" "Uh...yes Sir...I...well..." "Forget it. Good day Lieutenant. Fraser, come with me. We have some disciplinary action to discuss." "Yes Sir." Welsh gave him a sympathetic smile as he closed the door to his office.

As they walked out of Welsh's office and into the bullpen, Ray Vecchio watched the pair from his desk. Thatcher looked pissed and Fraser looked like a love struck schoolboy following his teacher. *Yeah, I bet the Dragon Lady could teach Benny a thing or two if she'd thaw out.* He yelled across the room to Fraser. "Hey Benny! Where you goin'?" Ray stood and followed them as they made their way out of the bullpen. Thatcher gave him a disgusted look as he trailed them. "'We' are heading back to the consulate to discuss Constable Fraser's actions today."

Ray reached out and grabbed Thatcher by the arm and pulled her to a stop. Fraser gave Ray a warning look as Thatcher glanced at his hand and then looked into Ray's face. Her voice was cold. "Kindly remove your hand from my arm." Ray released his hold, but met her angry stare with one of his own. "You know, you need to lighten up a little. He save two kids today because of his 'actions'."

"I know that, but in the process he disobeyed my direct orders and I will not tolerate insubordination." She looked at Fraser who kept his face emotionless. Ray's sarcastic voice got her attention. "I thought you were into insubordination, but I don't think that's Benny's cup of tea. Maybe you should try good old fashioned dating first." "Constable, come with me." Ray could see that he had hit a nerve. Thatcher was now seething mad at him. She turned and strode away from him.

Fraser hesitated and ran a thumb over his brow. "Ray, please do not antagonize the Inspector any further." "Aw come on Benny, she likes it rough. You should know that." Ray leered suggestively and chuckled as Fraser's cheeks turned a pleasant shade of pink. "Fraser!" They both looked down the hall to see Thatcher standing with her arms crossed. "I have to go Ray." Ray patted Fraser on the shoulder. "That's O.K., I'll pick you up at five. I know you'll be out front." Fraser allowed a slight smile to appear. "That I have no doubt of." Thatcher yelled again. "Fraser!"

Fraser turned and walked down the hall and joined Thatcher. They both disappeared around the corner. Ray shook his head as the red clad pair walked away. "Why he likes her, I'll never know." As he turned and walked back to the bullpen, he heard shots fired. He felt a chill run down his spine. "Benny?" The whispered name was on his lips as he began to run down the hall. The shots had come from the same direction that Fraser and Thatcher had just gone.

Fraser followed Thatcher down the hall and towards the exit, her angry steps causing her rear to bob provocatively. He lost himself in observing her posterior region. She suddenly stopped and he walked right into her. "Fraser!" He backed away and tugged at the collar of his serge. "I'm sorry..." "Haven't you been paying attention to me?" "Yes Sir...in a way." He caught himself and tucked his head down. *Oh dear.*

Thatcher observed Fraser's embarrassed posture. *Why that sneaky...he was 'looking' at me.* She felt a slow warmth spread through her body. Why did he have to be so....appealing? When Fraser looked up at her, he found that she was staring at him, a small smile was on her red pouty lips. "So, you have been paying attention to me?" He smiled weakly and tugged nervously at his earlobe. "In a sense." She shook her head slightly and bit her lip.

Fraser could feel those swift current of emotions running through him as he looked at Thatcher. The want and longing were sometimes overwhelming. Now was one of these times. *Take a chance. The worst she can do to you is put you on sentry duty for the rest of your life.* Looking at his watch, Fraser licked at his lower lip, not noticing how Thatcher's eyes greedily followed the small movement of his tongue.

"I was thinking...perhaps we could go to lunch before we return to the consulate." "Lunch?" "Yes Sir. There's a small Italian bistro only a few blocks from here. The lasagna is almost as good as Mrs. Vecchios." "You're suggesting that we have lunch together?" "Yes Sir." Fraser took a deep breath, waiting for her response. She stared back at him. *Oh go ahead Meg. What could it hurt? Take a chance.* "I accept."

Fraser blinked in surprise, but he quickly recovered his composure. "Lunch would be nice Fraser, considering we have a lot of work to do once we get back." He smiled and walked forward, holding his arm out to her in a gesture of a gentleman. She hesitated briefly before looping her arm through his. She smiled at him and they walked contentedly to the door and out onto the steps...and into a nightmare.

A suspect struggled with an officer, disarming the officer he shoved the cop away from him and wheeled around. He saw the two figures in red stepping out of the building. One obviously in a uniform. Without hesitating, he drew the gun up and pulled the trigger, watching the man in red jerk back and slam against the closed doors. It only took a second to happen. He then trained the gun on the woman in red. Just as he was about to pull the trigger a second time, a pain flared through his back and chest. Then darkness.

Thatcher heard the doors click shut behind them, turning her smiling face from Fraser, she froze. A man with a gun had it pointed at them. She heard the gun shot and felt Fraser's arm pull away from hers as he fell. She heard him hit the doors behind them. Now the gun was pointed directly at her. Bracing herself, she prepared to be shot. She flinched when she heard the gun go off, but there was no pain. She watched as the gunman's face went blank. Dropping the gun, he sank to the ground. It happened in only a matter of seconds and it seemed to all move in slow motion, but as she turned to look at Fraser, time sped up. "Ben!" Dropping to her knees, she tried to access his injury. *Gunshot wound to the chest...still breathing...have to stop the blood flow.*

The half of the door that Fraser wasn't blocking, pushed open and Ray Vecchio stepped out with his gun drawn. "Ray, help me!" His eyes took in the scene before him. A suspect lay dead, surrounded by uniformed officers. His eyes followed to the voice that cried out to him, seeing Fraser at his feet and Thatcher frantically undoing his Sam Browne and serge. "Oh my God." It came out as a silent whisper, but that changed to a yell. "Someone call an ambulance!"

Thatcher's fingers deftly undid the leather straps and buttons, cursing under her breath at the complexity of the uniform. Pulling the jacket back, she saw the red stain spreading slowly through the material of the white henley that Fraser wore beneath the itchy red jacket. *Shit!* Vecchio pulled out a handkerchief and pressed it against Fraser's chest, watching it quickly turn red like the shirt beneath his hands.

As he applied pressure to wound, Fraser's eyes fluttered open. He focused them directly on Thatcher. She saw the pain in them as she returned his gaze, his hand sought out hers and tightly squeezed it. "I'm sorry...I ruined lunch." His choked apology made her want to scream. This wasn't supposed to happen. Trying to keep calm, she spoke to him, her voice slightly quavering. "That's quite all right Fraser. We can do lunch another time." His grip on her hand tightened as he grimaced in pain, taking a ragged breath he closed his eyes.

When he reopened them, his focus shifted to look above her. He blinked one, then twice. The surprise was evident in his voice. "Dad?" Ray's head jerked up from looking at Fraser's face to where Fraser was staring above Thatcher. No one was there. He remembered the stories about people who were dying. How they would see loved ones who had already died and were there to greet them. To help them cross over to the other side. Ray panicked.

"Benny! Look at me! Your dad's not here, he's dead. Benny!" Fraser didn't look at him, he began talking to the empty space above Thatcher. "Dad? What are you...doing here?" Each word was labored, every breath seemed to be an effort. Bob Fraser smiled down at his son. "I'm here to help you son." "Am I dead?" Ray looked at Fraser's confused face. *Oh my God.* He grabbed Fraser by the shoulder with his free hand and shook him slightly. "Benny, don't look at your dad, look at me. You're not dead, you're not going to die. I won't let you!"

Fraser glanced at Ray and then back at the ghostly image of his father who continued to smile down at him. "The yanks right son. You still have a bit of unfinished business to take care of." Bob Fraser nodded down at Thatcher, kneeling below him. "I still don't have any grandchildren you know." Ray was shocked to see a small smile appear on Fraser's face. His panic grew along with his memories of the stories he had been told. "Benny, you're not going to die!"

Fraser slowly turned his head back to Ray, giving him another small smile. "Yes...I know Ray. My Dad said...I'm not going to die...I have unfinished...business..." Fraser weakly squeezed Thatcher's hand as he turned his head to look at her. She smiled shakily, blinking back tears. "You'll be fine Constable." He nodded slightly before his grip on her hand relaxed and he closed his eyes. "Benny? Come on Benny, don't leave me. Damn it! Where in the hell is that ambulance?!"

Thatcher shot an angry look at Ray and snapped at him. "Would you please calm down!" "Calm down? He's dying! Don't you even care?!" Thatcher's voice grew soft as she ran her hand gently through Fraser's hair. "He's not going to die." Ray watched her, shocked to see that Fraser wasn't the only love struck Mountie.

An hour later, Ray sat in a stiff plastic chair in the waiting room of the hospital. Thatcher sat a few seats down from him. She was fidgeting with the blood-soaked handkerchief that he had used to try and stop the blood flow from Fraser's chest. *Why did she keep that?* The way she twisted it and held it in her hands showed how worried she was. If he was ever going to get through to her, now was the time. "You love him don't you?" It was a statement, not a question and it caught her off guard.

"What did you say?" "You love Benny don't you?" She quickly looked away. "My concern for Constable Fraser is purely professional." "Bullshit!" Her head snapped back to look at Ray. Her eyes narrowed in anger. "How dare you!" "No! How dare you! Every time I watch Benny and you, I can see it. He loves you, but you're too busy being the 'Inspector' so you ignore him. It wouldn't look good for someone in your position to lower herself to his level." "You have no idea how I feel, so I would appreciate it if you would kindly mind your own business."

"Benny is 'my' business." Ray took a deep breath before continuing. *I have got to knock some sense into her.* "What if he dies in there?" He watched Thatcher turn pale and her eyes blinked in shock. "If he dies, can you honestly say to yourself that you won't regret it?" Thatcher tightly clasped her hands around the handkerchief. "I would regret losing Fraser, he's...he's a fine officer." Ray rolled his eyes.

"You are as bad as he is! Every time I ask him how he feels about you, he avoids the question. What is with you two? He loves you, you love him. Just admit it!" Thatcher turned her back to Ray and remained silent. He stood and looked down at her in disgust. "You are one cold bitch!" As Ray turned and walked down the hall, she leaned back against the wall, a tear running down her cheek. *No, I'm not cold. When I'm near him I can still feel the heat from his kiss. But I can't be with him. I can't do it. I can't give him what he wants...can I?*

Ray's words tumbled over and over in her mind for the next hour. *He loves me.* She repeated it, thinking of what Fraser had said while he lay bleeding on the steps of the twenty-seventh precinct. *He has unfinished business. He means me.* Hearing footsteps, she raised her head and opened her eyes to see Ray approaching her. He held out a cup of coffee, his expression guilt ridden.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have jumped on you like that." She could feel the anger rising in her, her chest tightening. All she wanted to do was grab that cup of hot coffee and throw it in his face. Instead she took the cup from him and inhaled it's aroma. Taking a sip, she looked into the cup. "Thank you for the coffee." Ray rubbed the back of his neck, feeling uncomfortable. He didn't want to stay here with Thatcher, but he didn't want to leave her alone.

"Um...my Ma and some other people are waiting down in the main room. Why don't you come and sit with us?" The last thing Thatcher wanted to do was be surrounded by people. She didn't know if she could keep her defenses up. "No thank you." "I kinda told the nurses to have the doctor come there to let us know how Benny is doin. Come sit with us." "I really don't have much of a choice then, do I." Standing she followed Ray down the hall to the main waiting room.

There were more than a 'few' people there. She saw Ray's mother and two sisters, Huey, Dewy and Welsh and a few other people she didn't recognize. She ignored all of their curious looks and sat in a seat off in a corner by herself, effectively sending out the message that she wanted to be left alone. She could feel the eyes of Ray's sister Francesca staring at her from across the room. When she returned her gaze, she was surprised to see anger and...jealousy?

Quickly dropping her head down, she picked at the material of her dress. Thatcher tried thinking of what life would be like without Fraser. Every day she would come to work and find hot coffee and a fresh croissant on her desk. Reports would disappear from her desk and then reappear later, completed and ready to send back to Ottawa. No matter how much she ordered him to do menial tasks, he never once complained. He never questioned her orders. She smiled at that thought. He never questioned her, but Fraser sometimes 'forgot' what she said if it didn't fit in his definition of justice. He was unique. And if he died, her life would be empty without him. She knew she had feeling for him, but did she really love him? Looking up, her heart skipped a beat as a surgeon came walking into the room.

"Family of Benton Fraser?" The doctor took a few steps back as everyone jumped up and rushed toward him. Ray calmly pushed his way to the front of the group. "I'm Ray Vecchio, I'm listed as next of kin." The doctor took one look at the group of worried face and smiled to himself. This Benton Fraser was certainly loved by many. "Mr. Fraser is doing well." Thatcher felt her legs go rubbery, but she locked them in place and stood straighter. She didn't want anyone to see her being weak. *He's going to live!*

The doctor continued speaking as his eyes looked over a chart in his hands. "We removed the bullet and repaired the internal bleeding. He's a very lucky man. A few centimeters to the left and he wouldn't have made it." Ray cut him off. "Can I see him?" The doctor seemed to weigh the request in his mind and shook his head no. "He's still under anesthesia. We have him in recovery right now, so you may want to wait to visit him when they take him to his room." "No thanks, I'll see him now if you don't mind."

Ray stared at the doctor, hoping that he would get his silent message. Either let me see him or you had better be ready to hear some yelling. "Fine. Follow me." *Good, the docs a mind reader.* Ray hugged his mother and shook his head at Francesca who was openly crying in relief. "I'll be back in a bit." Ray saw Thatcher's pale face staring at him. He knew she wouldn't ask to come with him. "Can she come with me?" Ray gestured at Thatcher and saw Francesca glare at him. "She's his superior officer." The doctor nodded his head yes and they followed him down the hall.

She could see Fraser laying on a gurney pushed back against a wall. He looked more like a cadaver than a living human being. His normally pale skin, was now a parchment white. He had an iv. stuck in his hand and a heart monitor was hooked up to him. His chest was heavily bandaged. He looked vulnerable. Nothing like the strong figure that set her emotions on edge.

Ray backed off, letting her get closer to Fraser. Standing behind Thatcher, he began giving her mental nudges. "So I guess you're relieved. I mean you won't be needing to train a new constable to pick up your dry cleaning." Turning her head slightly, she glared at Ray. He only smiled back at her. "Ya know, if you don't want him, there's plenty of women who do." "Like who?" "Oh! So you 'are' interested." She cringed. "My interest are purely..." "Professional. Yeah I know. Save it for your boss when he's visiting the next time. I know the truth." "You 'know' nothing."

"Uh huh. What would you say if I told you that if you didn't make up your mind soon, you might as well forget it?" Thatcher sighed. "Forget what?" "You know, he's not gonna wait forever." He pointed at Fraser. "My sister wants him bad. She's been workin' on him for two years now. If you don't want him, tell him. Let someone else have a chance at 'em." "Your sister? With Fraser?" Her voice sounded incredulous. Ray smiled at her.

"Yeah, 'my' sister. I've been keepin' Frannie away from Benny as much as I can, but I can only do so much. She's wearin' down his resolve. If you let him go..." Ray snapped his fingers. "Benny's as good as hers." Ray suppressed the smile he knew was threatening to come out. He had an idea that Fraser liked his sister, even if she was loud, but he didn't know if he was that serious about her. He shivered at the thought of Fraser and his sister together. *What a mess that would be.*

Thatcher's face on the other hand, told him exactly what he had hoped he would get from her. Panic. *I think I finally shook up the Dragon Lady.* "Detective Vecchio?" "Yeah?" "Do you really believe that...Fraser feels something for me?" *Yeah, he'd like to feel something on you, I'm sure of that.* "I know he does. He loves you, but he won't tell you unless you let him know how you feel first. He's afraid of getting hurt again." Thatcher had a brief image of the woman named Victoria Metcalf flash through her mind.

She moved closer to Fraser and lightly rested her hand on his cheek. It was cool to the touch. Ray watched Thatcher gently touch Fraser, her concern and love for him plainly visible on her face. *She's hooked!* "Look, I have to go and see which room they're puttin' him in and I want to let everyone else know how he's doin. Can you stay with him until I get back?" Her answer was a soft "Yes." Ray smiled as he walked away down the hall. She was more than hooked. *Boy will Benny be surprised when he wakes up!*

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