(*For Shannon,

who wanted the next

installment pronto

when we spoke at the

Chicago House Party.

Fast enough for you,

dear?*)

Coupling: Benny/Ray V.

Rating: NC-17 for a scene of graphic sex.

Category: Drama.

Disclaimer: No, I don't own them, but I'd like to. Alliance does, sad to say.

Comments are welcome on or off-list. E-mail: jeanniemarie@sprintmail.com.

(c) March 25, 2000

*Ray looked over at Benny and the Mountie smiled at him as dawn's golden rays began to illuminate the clearing. He slipped a hand into his companion's, and Benny squeezed his chilled flesh.

April in Illinois could be deliciously warm or wintry-cold, and it seemed to be the latter this Easter morning. Couples and families were scattered around the clearing. They were members of Our Lady of Sorrows, a church that exclusively served the gay and lesbian community. The same-sex couples attending sunrise Mass felt free to hold hands and kiss in front of everyone. The children who attended were accustomed to seeing people of the same gender romantically linked. Ray found it refreshingly liberating.

Father Anthony Cavallo said the Mass with fervent passion as the gold, rose, and orange streaks painted the sky. Ray turned to Benny again and saw the golden light reflected in his hair.

"Man, am I lucky," he whispered.

"Your eyes."

"What?"

Benny's voice was soft, too, so as not to disturb the worshippers. He held out a hand and lightly brushed Ray's lashes.

"The sun is glinting gold in your eyes."

Ray swallowed. Benny's expression was pure adoration. He took the Mountie's hand and kissed the palm.

Benny's eyes shone with happy tears, and they spent the rest of the ritual with their arms around each other.

Everyone stood in a rough circle around the priest Ray was reminded of the circles that he'd read about in Benny's Wiccan books. Benny had promised to find a coven in which they could observe or participate on Beltane, the first of May. Ray was excited and nervous about this upcoming event. The weight of his gold crucifix pressed heavily against his throat. He supposed it was his ingrained Catholicism that did it. The Church taught that Witches were evil. Then again, the Church taught that a lot of things...and people...were evil, including him and Benny for loving each other.

He sighed as he thought of the estrangement with his family. They would be getting ready to go to Mass soon. Maria and Frannie would be helping the girls get into their Easter best, and looking pretty good themselves. Tony would even be dressed up. And Ma...

Ray decided that he didn't want to think about them. He was here, now, with the man he loved. That was all that mattered. He squeezed Benny lightly and listened to the rest of the service.

Rosa Vecchio looked at herself in the mirror. The new hat was pretty, her pink dress was attractive, and yet...

She glanced down at the ruby rosary she held in her gloved hand. The twin was in her Raymondo's possession. She closed her fingers over it. Perhaps this morning was the perfect time to begin her campaign of persuasion. Yes. She would do it.

She smiled as she touched the string of pearls she wore, and went downstairs to call a taxi.

Ray stood at the window of Benny's apartment with his arms folded. He was feeling so good that he even thought this blighted neighborhood looked good this morning. He kept his eyes trained on the street for signs of Benny and Dief, who had gone to the corner market to pick up some fresh doughnuts (Ray's insistence) and other ingredients for a special Easter breakfast. The store owner was Moroccan and so would be open today.

Ray's thoughts drifted back to the hour before they had gone to the sunrise service...

"Mmm, Benny, good morning."

"Good morning, Ray." Benny caressed his lover's bare chest as they awoke in their shared bed. Or cot, as Ray usually grumbled.

Sparkling emerald eyes did some caressing of their own as they took in Benny's mussed hair, flushed cheeks, and dazzling blue eyes. Ray leaned forward and kissed his lover, his arms going around the strong body and pulling him close.

"Mmm, *caro*, you taste delicious," Ray murmured when he could catch a breath after their passionate kiss.

"So do you, Ray. So do you." Benny rolled over to lay atop Ray, pushing his tongue into the Italian's willing mouth. "Essence of Ray would sell quite a few bottles if I could capture it in a bottle."

Ray laughed. "Instead you've captured me?"

"Exactly, Ray."

And Benny moved against him then, rubbing their bodies together as his tongue devoured Ray's mouth. Ray pushed up, their cocks grinding together, their mouths locked in a passion that always amazed Ray. His whole body was afire, tingling with a half-crazed passion that burst with life.

Benny's hand began to stray down and slipped under peachy buttocks...

Ray could feel himself getting hard as he remembered the events of several hours earlier. He smiled at the memory. A passionate Mountie in one's bed was worth a lot of trouble.

He turned at a knock on the door. Thinking that it was one of the neighbors, Ray went over and opened it without a second thought.

His emerald eyes widened.

"Ma?"

"Hello, Raymondo." She cocked her head. "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

Momentarily flustered, Ray stepped aside and she walked in. She had been here a few times before, and Ray saw the way she catalogued the changes that had already occurred here: a shiny new coffeepot on the kitchen counter, curtains to go with the blinds, a knit sweater of Ray's casually tossed over the back of an overstuffed chair. The chair was new, as was the couch. Ray was working on getting a decent coffee table and reading lamp next.

"Ah, would you like some coffee?" Ray's heart pounded.

"Yes, I'd love some."

Ray went quickly to the kitchen and poured a cup, using a white mug that Benny kept for company. He offered it to her, pleased that his hand did not tremble. She accepted it and the chair offered her.

Ray got himself a cup and sat down, too. He drank it, glad that Benny could make a good, strong brew. He needed a pick-me-up right now.

"Ah, Ma, aren't you getting ready to go to Mass?"

"I'll be there." Rosa was serene, perhaps a good sign. She sipped approvingly at the coffee. "Did Benton make this?"

"Yeah."

She set the mug down and removed her gloves. Her work-worn hands caressed the mug, then she looked up and met her son's eyes. "What are your plans for today?"

"Uh, Benny and I are planning some breakfast, then probably a walk in the park with Dief."

"Are you planning to go to Mass?"

Ray was uncertain whether he should say that he and Benny had already attended. Would she consider it an affront for them to go to church, or was she expecting it?

"You should go to church."

Hope leaped in his chest. Was she going to invite him and Benny to go to Mass with the family?

Her next words definitely crushed that hope.

"You should go and ask forgiveness for your sins."

He willed his hand to stop trembling as he pushed away his coffee mug. "Ma, Benny and I are not sinners."

She raised an eyebrow. "This is your chance to start afresh. You should have atoned for your sins during Lent, but Easter morning is perfect to start anew." She put her hand on her son's. "Raymondo, you do not want to go to hell."

Ray nearly laughed. "Ma, I've been told to go there many times. Mostly by Pop, if I remember right."

She sipped her coffee. "He had his faults, but he understood about family."

Ray's eyes widened incredulously. He bit his tongue, otherwise he would say something that he would regret. A knock on the door saved him from trying to figure out what to say next. He got up and opened the door, a torrent of Spanish-accented English washing over him. He turned and said, "Ma, I gotta go see about a toaster. Like I'm Mr. Fix-It or something," he grinned, trying to keep things light.

"Go, and help the lady. I will wait here for you."

Rosa drank her coffee while she waited, but she soon grew restless. She rose from her chair and began to wander around the room, taking in all the changes she had noticed upon her arrival. She noticed that the curtains were a deep, forest-green. They reminded her of her son's eyes. Her lip curled. Did that...man...choose these curtains because of their color?

She felt uncomfortable, and checked out the couch instead. Comfortable and sturdy. A good choice. She bet that her Raymondo had bought this particular piece of furniture. Benton liked to punish himself.

She winced at a sudden image that came to mind. She went into the next room, so flustered that she didn't realize that it was the bedroom until too late.

She gasped as she looked at the bed, but it was simply a cot neatly made up. The blanket was good and serviceable. She marveled at how her son could stand this uncomfortable-looking thing.

Her mouth set in a grim line. Like her nieces and nephews said, she didn't want to go there.

She was just about to leave the den of iniquity when her eye caught a sparkle on top of the trunk a few feet from the bed. Puzzled, she stepped closer, then her eyes widened and her hand flew to her mouth.

Holy Mother of God!

Ray left the Gamez aprtment with profuse thanks ringing in his ears. The toaster problem had been a relatively easy one to fix.

He sighed as he drew closer to 3J. If only the problem with his mother could be the same. He took a deep breath and pushed open the door.

"Ma?"

Maybe she'd left. The kitchen and living room were empty. That left only the...

He took off like a greyhound sprinter and skidded to a halt at the bedroom doorway.

His mother stood in the center of the room, a righteous thundercloud. She was holding a book and suddenly thrust it out at him, her voice trembling with outrage.

"Benton is evil!" she hissed, and Ray saw that the book was Wicca: A Guide For The Solitary Practitioner. His heart sank.

"Ma..."

"He reads such filth! Does he practice this as well? Is he an evil devil-worshipper?"

"No, Ma!" Ray lunged forward to snatch the book out of her hand but she was too quick, yanking it out of his reach. "Wicca isn't evil. It's just an earth religion."

"Pagan nonsense," she spat. "Is that what you do, Raymondo? Lie in your bed of sin with your sodomite lover while he steals your soul?"

Anger blazed in Ray's eyes to match that of his mother's. "You have no right to say such a thing," he snapped.

"I have every right. I am your mother!" She shook her head sorrowfully. "Raymondo, you are letting this...this...demonspawn...lead you straight to hell!"

"Stop it!" Ray clenched his fists. "Stop calling Benny names like that!"

"It's the truth, Raymondo, if you'd only see it," Rosa pleaded.

"All I see is a good, decent man being slandered in his own home!"

Rosa brandished the book at him. "He is a Witch, Raymondo. You know what the Church did to such people in the old days!"

"Burned innocent people," Ray snapped. "The kind of Witches you're thinking of are Christian inventions, Ma. Did you actually read any of that book or did you just decide to get all hot and bothered over it?"

"Read what? Pagan lies?"

"Truths, Ma! Truths like Witches don't worship a devil, but the Goddess and Her Consort God. That Witches revere nature and perform only good magic, because what you send out comes back to you threefold. Not exactly wise to hex someone, is it?"

"You know about this evil?"

"It's not evil!"

"Raymondo, how can you stand there, on this of all days, and say such things! Truly Benton has bewitched you!"

"Ma, that's ridiculous."

She shook her head vigorously, fear shining with anger in her eyes. "You're going to hell!" she wailed.

Ray shrugged. "Maybe, but if Benny's there, I can even take hell."

Rosa let loose a stream of Italian invective, then threw the book on the floor with a contemptous gesture.

"I will not allow your eternal soul to be damned," she said, suddenly calm. Ray fought down the rising fear in his chest. His mother was always at her most dangerous when she was quiet.

"You haven't got a say, Ma. This is my choice. And it's final."

She glared at him and he glared back, then she pushed past him and left the apartment, slamming the door. Ray stood slumped in the middle of the bedroom, then carefully stooped down and picked up the book, running a loving hand over it and then held it to his chest.

Rosa took the steps with amazing alacrity. She reached the street and was greeted by Benny, a sack of groceries in his arm and a smile on his face. Dief wagged his tail in greeting.

"Happy Easter, Mrs. Vecchio..."

The slap sounded loud in the quiet street.

"Don't you dare sully the holiest of days with your sodomite's mouth, Benton Fraser!"

She noted the look of hurt bewilderment on his face with satisfaction as she stalked to her waiting cab. As the cab pulled away, she saw Ray comforting a still-stunned Mountie. Emotions raged in her chest.

She had prayed to God for a sign as to whether or not Benton was an innocent who had been led astray by some unsavory one in his past, or a truly evil minion of the Evil One himself.

She leaned back and began plotting the next phase of the battle for her son's soul that was threatened by the demon with the face of an angel.

She had received her sign.*