Merry Christmas, everyone!

The following story contains no angst and no h/c, but it does contain lots of sappy moments, and more than one instance of two men making love with each other. If either of those things offends you, please read no further.

Once again, I don't own these fine young men, Alliance does. I most certainly do not mean any offense or harm by my little story, and will make no money from it.

Rated NC17.

WHITE CHRISTMAS

"Merry Christmas, Benny." Ray Vecchio said with an eager, pleased grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. He was holding a wrapped Christmas present.

"Isn't it a little early for Christmas gifts, Ray?" Ben asked. It was the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and Ray was at Ben's apartment for dinner. Ben had spent the holiday with the Vecchio family, and had come home with more leftovers than usual. Ben had invited Ray over for dinner this evening to help him and Dief finish them off.

"You need to open this present early, Benny."

"Why?"

"Just open it." Ray said. He looked excited and a little nervous.

Ben smiled back at him and tore the wrappings off the present. He opened the box and paused in surprise. Inside the box were two airplane tickets to Yellowknife, one in Ben's name and one in Ray's. They were scheduled to leave on December 21 and return the day after New Year. Ben looked up at Ray.

Ray smiled at him. "I've always wanted to spend Christmas in the armpit of the frozen north."

"You want to go to the Territories for Christmas?"

"Yeah. You know what Christmas in Chicago is like, you've done it for the last 4 years. Now it's my turn. I want you to show me Christmas in the Territories."

"But Ray, your family..."

"My family is staying here, Fraser." Ray grinned. "That's another reason we're doing this. I want to spend Christmas together, just the two of us. Well, three counting Dief."

"But Ray, I know that spending Christmas together is very important to you and your family."

"We will, Fraser. Kind of. We'll have a family party a couple nights before we leave. You know, have dinner, open presents, it'll be great."

"Are you sure?"

"Sure I'm sure. Are you kidding? Two Christmas celebrations? Ma will be in her element."

Ben smiled as he thought about spending Christmas with Ray, alone in his own country, his own home. But that brought something else to mind. "Ray, where will we stay?"

"Your Father's cabin, of course."

"Ray, that cabin barely exists anymore."

Ray smiled at him. "It will soon, Benny. I've taken care of that, too."

"Excuse me?"

"I called your friend Eric. It turns out that everyone in his tribe knows that cabin used to belong to your Father and now belongs to you. And apparently between you and your Dad, the Tsimshian people owe you about 100 favors, and they want to start re-paying you. They got a bunch of the villagers together and they're going to repair the cabin. They're even going to put in a bathroom."

Ben had been watching Ray closely as he spoke, but he suddenly turned away and walked to the window. Ray felt his heart sink. Was Benny upset? He knew they had planned to re-build the cabin together, but the fates seemed to be against that happening. It had seemed like a good idea to have the cabin ready and waiting for them to celebrate Christmas. He crossed over to Ben and put his hand on his shoulder. "Benny?"

Ben turned to face him and his eyes were filled with tears. "I can't believe you did that."

Ray was dismayed. "Benny? I'm sorry. I thought..."

Ben interrupted him by taking his face in his hands and kissing him; a loving, passionate kiss. When at last they had parted- and Ray could breathe again- he asked Ben "So you're not upset?"

Ben grinned. "Do I seem upset?"

"Well, no."

"How could I be, Ray? This is the best Christmas present I have ever received. I can't believe you did that for me."

"I'd do anything for you, Benny."

Ben smiled and stroked Ray's hip. "Oh, I can't wait to get you alone up north."

Ray smiled back at him. "It looks like my Christmas wish has already come true."

The airplane- and Ray, Ben and Dief- had actually landed at their intended destination in one piece. They had collected their luggage and four wheel drive vehicle, complete with chained snow tires, and were driving to the cabin.

"It's awfully cold out there today Benny." Ray said.

Ben shot him an amused glance. "Yes, Ray."

"So, Fraser, what is the average temperature here this time of year?"

"Well, in fahrenheit it averages about 20 to 30 below."

"Zero?! It's going to be 30 below zero?!!"

"Yes, Ray."

"Why didn't you mention this to me before?"

"I thought you would have checked into it, Ray."

"Well I didn't"

"Don't worry." Ben smiled at him. "I'll keep you warm."

Ray smiled back at him. Ben wondered if this would be the appropriate time to mention that they would only have about 5 hours of sunlight a day, then decided it wasn't.

They came to the crest of a hill, and the cabin appeared below them. Ben hit the brakes. "My God." He breathed.

His Father's cabin had been torn down and completely replaced. The new cabin was substantially larger, with a porch running across the front and along the left side of the house. New pine trees had been planted in front of the cabin.

They sat staring at the cabin for a minute. "Come on, Benny." Ray said quietly. "Let's go check it out."

Ben nodded and smiled and they drove down the hill and parked in front of the barn. As they got out of the car, Diefenbaker began barking joyfully and took off at a dead run. Ben grinned after him.

"Where is he going?" Ray asked.

Ben shrugged. "Exploring. Hunting."

"How far will he go?"

"Oh, he'll cover kilometers. Don't worry, we'll see him shortly after dark."

"He'll be able to find his way back?" Ray asked. Ben laughed.

"Of course, Ray. He's an Arctic Wolf. He has excellent tracking skills. He'll be fine. Come on, let's go see the cabin." Taking Ray's hand, Fraser led him inside.

The front door opened onto a large living room, the rear wall of which was dominated by a large stone fireplace. Ben walked over and ran his hand slowly over it. He then turned and surveyed the room slowly. The room had been completely furnished, and a large braided rug covered the center of the hardwood floor. Ben smiled at Ray, then went over and opened a door leading off the living room. Behind it was the bedroom. The two men entered and looked around with much interest.

This room also had a fireplace, although smaller than the one in the living room. Ben noticed that there was only one bed in the room, and that it was a double. He looked at Ray, blushing. Ray chuckled.

"Ray, did you tell Eric..."

"No. But I guess I didn't have to."

"No, I guess not." Ben opened a door next to the fireplace and found the bathroom.

"Indoor plumbing!" Ray said gleefully. "And look!" Crossing over to the sink, he turned on one of the taps. "Hot water!"

"How..." Ben started.

"A solar hot-water heater. There's one in the kitchen, too. Come on, let's go see!" Smiling at his lover's enthusiasm, Ben followed Ray into the kitchen. It was fully equipped, including a large wood burning stove. The kitchen had also been fully stocked with food.

"Wow!" Ray said. "A real icebox! I've never actually seen one before!"

Ben smiled at him. He walked back into the living room and stood looking around. Ray followed him.

"Benny?" He asked a little nervously. "What are you thinking? Do you like it?"

Ben smiled and wrapped his arms loosely around Ray's waist. "Yes, Ray. I think it's absolutely wonderful. I think *you're* absolutely wonderful. Thank you."

"You're very welcome, Benny." He kissed Ben, a light kiss that quickly deepened, Ray's tongue teasing at Ben's lips, which opened willingly, allowing Ray's loving invasion. Ray pulled away slightly.

"Come on, Benny. Let's go check out the bed."

Hand in hand, the two men walked into the bedroom. They stopped at the side of the bed and Ben tried to remove Ray's sweater, but was hampered by the fact that Ray was at the same time trying to unbutton Benny's flannel shirt. Finally, they managed to coordinate their efforts and were standing before each other bare chested.

Ben smiled and ran his fingers lightly through the hair on Ray's chest. Ray drew him in for another lingering kiss. Ben reached behind him and, fumbling, threw back the covers on the bed, then let himself fall backwards onto the bed, pulling Ray down on top of him. Ray rolled them over so he was lying on the bottom, with Ben draped loosely over him. Suddenly, Ray pulled away.

"Benny!" Ray said in apparent shock.

"What is it, love?"

"There's something wrong with this bed! It's soft!" He bounced up and down slightly. "My God, Benny! This bed is comfortable! What is going on here?!" A huge grin split his face.

Ben grinned back. "Lucky for you it is soft." He moved to lay fully on top of Ray, trapping Ray's body beneath his; kissing him while rubbing their groins together. Ray sighed happily, managing to work his hands between their bodies enough to unfasten Ben's belt. He quickly unsnapped and unzipped Ben's pants, and pushed both pants and boxers down past his knees.

"Roll over, Benny." Ray gasped, and Ben obligingly moved so that he was once again on his back, Ray now straddling him. Ray reached down and stroked his lover's already hardening cock. Ben gasped at the touch, then sighed in pleasure. He reached up and unbuckled Ray's belt, but Ray removed his hands. "Not yet." He said.

Ben moved his hands to Ray's face, pulling Ray's head down to his cock. Ray smiled and obliged his lover, running his tongue lightly and quickly over it, feeling the cock jump in reaction. Ray smiled at Ben, who looked up at him, pleading mutely. Ray ran his tongue over Ben's cock again, pausing to explore the tip, swirling his tongue over and around it.

"Ray, please!" Ben gasped, and Ray, taking pity on his lover, took the length of the cock into his mouth and began sucking gently.

Ben actually whimpered, bucking his hips gently. Ray reached out and firmly grasped Ben's hips, and Ben brought his hands around to clutch at the back of Ray's head. "Oh, God, Ray! Please!!" Ben gasped again.

In response, Ray stopped sucking and lightly nipped the penis in his mouth. Ben moaned helplessly and his arms dropped from around Ray's neck to lie limply at his side. A grin spread over Ray's face, and he allowed Ben's cock to slip from his mouth completely. "You like that, Benny?"

Ben gave an inarticulate half moan, half plea.

Ray ran his fingers lightly over Ben's cock. "What do you want, Benny?"

"Please!" Ben managed to gasp out. "Please, Ray!!"

Ray smiled at him, then grasped Ben's cock lightly, running his hand gently up and down the shaft. He then bent and ran his tongue over it. He continued his ministrations, alternating between his hand and his tongue, until Benny was moaning constantly and writhing beneath him.

From long experience, Ray could tell when his lover was near the edge, and he took Ben's cock back into his mouth and began sucking again. With expert timing, Ray nipped the cock again at the exact moment his lover came, and Ben screamed and went completely limp beneath him.

Ray swallowed slowly, enjoying as always the wonderful taste of Benny. He then lay down next to Ben and took him into his arms, pulling the covers up over both of them. He lay there contentedly, gently stroking Ben's back. After a few minutes, Ben stirred, and dazed blue eyes opened and looked up at Ray.

"Hi, sweetheart." Ray smiled, brushing the hair off Ben's face.

"What in the hell was that?" Ben whispered.

"Well, Benny. I just wanted our first time in the new cabin to be memorable."

"You damn near killed me."

Ray chuckled softly. "Sorry, love."

"That's OK. I liked it."

Ray laughed again, and Ben reached out and began stroking his hip. "Ray?"

"Hmmm?"

"You're still partly clothed."

"Yeah. Do you want to do something about that?"

"Yes, I do. Give me about a day and a half, though."

Ray had rarely felt so flattered.

It was after midnight, and Ray lay in bed, in Benny's arms, happily content in the place halfway between sleep and wakefulness. He and Benny had spent the rest of the day becoming more comfortable in the cabin; unpacking and exploring the cabin in further detail. They had made a delicious dinner- it turned out that Ben's skills at cooking on a wood stove far surpassed his skills with a gas stove.

After dinner Ben had given Ray his first lesson in walking in snowshoes, a skill he was apparently going to need the next day when they went out to cut down their own Christmas tree. Diefenbaker had shown up halfway through the lesson, and the three of them had gone for a walk together.

It had been full dark by then, but they had been able to see very well by the light of the stars. It had been absolutely beautiful. The sky was filled with more stars than Ray had ever seen in his life. The snow around them was crisp and white and absolutely pure; and the trees had seemed to be reaching up towards the heavens. It was freezing, and rather desolate, but very peaceful and beautiful. He was beginning to see why Benny loved it here so much.

Ray smiled and let himself drift closer towards sleep. He woke a little more, though, when Benny gently disentangled himself and got out of bed. Ray still lay there contentedly, figuring Benny was just going to the bathroom; but then he realized that Ben was getting dressed.

"Benny?" He asked sleepily, "What are you doing?"

"Sssh. It's OK, love. Go back to sleep."

"Where are you going?"

"I have to go start the engine on the car and the snowmobile and warm them up."

"Why?"

"They will freeze up if I don't."

"I'll help you."

"Don't be silly, Ray. I can do it. You stay there. I won't be gone long."

Ray was almost asleep again when Ben came back into the room. Ben threw another log onto the fire, then shed his clothes and got back into bed. Ray rolled over and hugged him.

"Geez, Benny!" Ray said, coming wide awake. "You're freezing!"

"Oh." Ben said in consternation, "I'm sorry." He tried to draw away, but Ray pulled him back.

"Get over here." Ray pulled the blankets tightly over him and hugged him closer, rubbing his hand up and down his arm.

Ben sighed and snuggled his head onto Ray's chest. "Are you having fun so far, sweetheart?" Ben asked.

"I really am." Ray said. "We've been here a whole day, and I haven't had to eat one nightcrawler yet."

Ben laughed. "It does help if your plane doesn't crash in the wilderness." He said teasingly.

Ray lay quiet for a minute, then he shivered. Ben's arms tightened around him. "Are you OK, love?"

"Those aren't exactly my fondest memories, Benny." Ray said. "God, I was so scared."

"I couldn't tell you were scared." Ben told him. "You did fine, Ray. You found the river, didn't you?"

"I don't mean that, Benny. Well, not just that. It's just... you looked so bad, Benny. And you kept getting worse. I didn't know what to do for you, and I was so afraid. I thought you were going to die." Ray's voice broke, and he drew a shaky breath.

"Oh, Ray." Ben said, his own voice heavy with emotion. "You did take care of me. You saved my life."

"Oh, come on Benny. I didn't do that much."

Ben sat up on one elbow and looked at his lover in surprise. "Ray, what on earth do you mean?"

"Benny..."

"Ray. You lead me through the wilderness when I couldn't see; and when my legs stopped working you literally carried me through the woods- for miles and miles. To say nothing of the fact that you gave me all the water." Ben paused, carefully searching his rather hazy memories of that time.

"My God, Ray. That's literally true, isn't it? You gave me all the water. You didn't take any for yourself, did you?"

"No, Benny." Ray said reluctantly, "I didn't."

"Ray, why..."

"For God's sake, Benny! You were injured, OK? Not to mention that you were severely dehydrated. So yes, I let you have the water."

Ben stared down at him for a moment longer, then leaned down and kissed him. "My God, Ray. I owe you so much."

"Benny, you don't owe me anything."

"I owe you my life. I owe you my happiness."

"Benny..."

"And no matter what you say, I am going to spend the rest of my life paying you back."

Ray pulled Ben back down to lay on his chest and held him tightly. "I love you, Benny."

"I love you, Ray. I love you so much."

Soon the only sounds in the room were the quiet crackling of the fire and the soft breathing of the two men.

It was Christmas Eve, and Ray and Benny were putting the finishing touches on the Christmas tree. Ray had to admit that it was absolutely beautiful. They had taken nearly a full day finding it; snowmobiling to a promising-looking section of woods, then strapping on their snowshoes to examine seemingly every tree in the North West Territories at close range.

Just as Ray was becoming completely discouraged, they had found their Christmas tree. Both men had spotted it at the same time, and known it was their tree. They had cut it down together, tied it to the back of the snowmobile, and carefully towed it home.

Ben had brought in boxes of ornaments from the barn, and when they opened them, he had been delighted to see that for the most part, they were intact and in good shape. Fraser had also insisted they make an old-fashioned popcorn and cranberry garland. That had taken an entire, frustrating, night. When Ray wasn't poking himself with the needle while threading the cranberries, the popcorn was crumbling and falling off the string. By the time he had finished he had been swearing in a mixture of Italian and English that had Ben laughing. Finally, they had hung the garland on the tree. It looked absolutely wonderful, and Ray felt a surge of accomplishment and pride.

They had then hung the ornaments on the tree. Most of the ornaments were from Benny's childhood, and Ben had told Ray stories of past Christmases while they decorated the tree. Ray had listened eagerly. It was so rare that his lover talked about himself that Ray cherished the times when he did.

Ray opened the last box of ornaments and pulled out a hand-made garland of paper circles that had been glued together. It had originally been green, but the color had faded and the paper was brittle. Ray smiled and held it up. "Did you make this, Benny?"

Ben smiled. "Yes. When I was seven. I made it in school."

"And you kept it all these years?"

"No. My Grandmother did."

"Really?" Ray smiled. 'You know, Grandma,' he thought to himself, 'you had your moments.'

He hung the garland very carefully on the tree. "There. Now it's perfect."

Late that night, the men were sitting in front of a crackling fire, admiring the tree and talking. "It's a shame we couldn't put lights on the tree, Benny."

"I know, but without electricity, it's impossible. Some people use candles, but I think they're too large a fire hazard."

"Yeah." Ray agreed. "I guess having the cabin burn down would really put a damper on our Christmas."

Ben laughed, then glanced at his watch. "Look, Ray. It's 12:04. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, love." The two men shared a kiss.

Ray grinned at his lover. "We'd better get to bed and go to sleep so that Santa Claus can come, Benny."

Ben smiled. "Is that what your Mother used to tell you, Ray?"

"Every year."

"And did it work?"

"Every year. Well, until I was eight."

"What happened then?"

"That's when I stopped believing in Santa Claus."

"Really."

"Yup. Anthony Lettieri told me the truth on the way home from school one day. I punched him in the face and called him a liar. Then I went home and asked Ma and she told me the truth. I must have cried all night."

"Oh, poor Ray." Ben smiled and ran his fingers lightly over Ray's cheek.

"Yeah. The next day I went up to Anthony and punched him again."

Ben laughed.

"What about you, Benny?"

"What about me, Ray?"

"How did you find out the ugly truth?"

"Oh. I figured it out for myself when I was six."

"You did? How? Did you read it in one of your Grandma's library books?"

"No, Ray. Of course not. I knew that Santa was magical, and if you sent him a letter he would bring you what you asked for. My Mother had died just a few months before, so I sent Santa Claus a letter asking him to bring me back my Mother. And then every night after my prayers, I would ask him again, to remind him. I thought that Santa could hear wishes, kind of like God hears prayers. Anyway, Christmas morning arrived and my Mother didn't come back; and I knew then that Santa wasn't magical after all. From there, it wasn't difficult to figure out the rest."

Ray could almost feel his heart breaking in his chest. "My God, Benny. That is one of the saddest things I have ever heard. Life isn't fair sometimes, is it?"

Ben looked at him. "I wouldn't say that, Ray."

"Excuse me?"

"Do you know what I wanted most in my life, Ray? The one thing I wanted more than anything else?"

"Yes. To be a Mountie."

But Ben shook his head. "No. You. I wanted you Ray. At first I just wanted to be your friend. But as we spent more and more time together and I began to really know you, I discovered that I wanted so much more than just your friendship. I wanted to kiss you and hold you and make love to you. I wanted to have romantic dinners with you and dance to a corny love song on the radio with you. I wanted to spend a boring Sunday afternoon with you reading the paper and doing mundane chores and arguing over who was going to do the dishes and who was going to take out the trash. I wanted to be able to tell you how very much I love you. But most of all, Ray, I wanted to hear that beautiful voice say the words 'I love you' to me. And by some miracle that I can't even begin to understand, you love me too. And now, here we are, at Christmas, in this cabin, in Canada; and I have you all to myself. So please, Ray. Don't ever tell me that life isn't fair."

Ray found it impossible to speak past the sudden very large lump in his throat, so he leaned forward and gave Ben a kiss. Ben gave him a beautiful smile, and Ray found his voice. "I love you, Benny."

The look of pure happiness that lit up Ben's face was enough to make Ray's heart ache. Ben drew him back in for another kiss, then pulled away.

"Show me Ray." He whispered. "Make love to me; show me how much you love me."

Ray laid Benny down on the rug and kissed him tenderly and thoroughly. Reluctantly, he pulled away. "Don't move, Benny. I'll be right back."

Going into the bedroom, Ray got the lubricant from the nightstand drawer, and pulled the pillows and a quilt from the bed and brought them all back into the living room. Ben was sitting up and removing his shirt. "Hey! What are you doing?" Ray asked indignantly.

Ben laughed. "I don't want to waste any time." He tossed his shirt onto the floor, then pulled Ray down and rather roughly removed his sweater and threw that on the floor, too. Then the men were fumbling with each other's belts and zippers, and before long they were kneeling before each other in nothing but their boxer shorts.

Ben unbuttoned the waistband of Ray's shorts, then slipped his hand inside, massaging his lover's cock. Ray sighed and buried his head in the side of Benny's neck, nipping it gently. Ben drew his hand out of Ray's boxers and slipped them off his lover. Ray gave his lover a quick, devilish grin, then ripped Benny's boxer shorts off him in one swift movement.

Ben drew Ray into another deep kiss, pulling their bodies together so flesh met flesh, grinding his groin into Ray's. Ray moaned and pulled away. "Benny," he said breathlessly, "if you want me to last for much longer, you'd better stop that."

Ben grinned at him; then took the tube of lubrication. Squeezing a generous amount onto his fingers, he applied it thoroughly to Ray's cock. Perhaps a little more thoroughly than was strictly necessary, but Ray didn't complain. Finally though, he reached down and removed Ben's hand. "I'm warning you, Benny." He whispered raggedly. Ben smiled and laid down on one of the pillows, pulling Ray down on top of him. After a kiss that was entirely too brief for Ray's liking, Ben pulled away. He smiled up at Ray and then rolled over onto his stomach, drawing up onto his knees.

Ray took a deep breath, trying to bring himself under some kind of control. He took some of the lube and smoothed it in between Ben's ass cheeks, taking the opportunity to slip a finger inside the opening. Ben gasped sharply, and Ray smiled and added a second finger, slipping them in and out slowly. Ben pushed back against Ray's fingers. "Please, Ray." Ben gasped. "Now!"

Ray obeyed instantly, removing his fingers and laying himself over his lover's back. He eased his cock into Fraser; then began to thrust gently, as deeply as he could. But it was not as deep as Ray would have wanted. He could never be deep enough inside his beautiful lover. Blindly, Ray reached around and grasped Benny's cock in his hands and began stroking it gently in time with his thrusts.

Ben gasped, and wrapped one of his hands over Ray's, increasing the speed and strength of the stroking. In response, Ray began thrusting harder and faster into Fraser, loosing all sense of control, as well as any sense of where he ended and Benny began. Ben drew in a deep, sharp breath and managed to gasp out "Love you, Ray." and then he came, spilling his hot seed over both their hands.

"Benny, I lov-" the words broke off into a strangled gasp as Ray, too, came, emptying himself into his lover. He collapsed limply over Benny, and lay there panting for a few moments before rolling them both on their sides. They lay there, Ray still inside Benny, and waited for their hearts to resume something like a normal pace.

Finally, Ray pulled out of and away from Benny, and Fraser gave a small moan of disappointment. Ray grinned slightly. "I'll be right back, love." He whispered.

He went into the bathroom and returned with a warm, damp washcloth and very thoroughly and lovingly wiped down his lover. Fraser lay there, sighing happily under Ray's ministrations. When he was done, Ben pulled him in for a gentle kiss. "I love you, Ray."

"I love you too, Benny." Ray went into the bathroom and cleaned himself up. When he returned, Fraser was sound asleep on the quilt. Ray smiled down at him and went and got another quilt from the bed. He returned and sat next to Benny, just watching him sleep for a long time. "God, he's beautiful.' He thought to himself, reaching down to stroke his face. Finally he lay down with his head on Benny's shoulder, covered them both with the quilt, and let himself drift towards sleep.

A sudden grin crossed his face. He had no idea what the present was that Benny had for him under the tree; but it could not possibly be better than the gift he had just received. Ray's last thought before sleep claimed him was: 'We need to make this an annual tradition.'

The End