Rated: NC-17 for m/m loving.
Disclaimer: No one here belongs to me, more's the pity.

In the Woods
by Sylvie Grenon

Benton Fraser slowly zipped open the tent flap and warily looked outside.
It had been another sleepless night filled with strange noises and rustling
outside the tent. Several times during the night he and Diefenbaker had
wandered around the perimeter of their campsite, trying to locate the
source of the disturbances, which seemed to be coming from several directions,
and once he could have sworn he'd heard Ray's voice, faint and pleading,
though he chalked that up to an overactive imagination.

Ray had been missing since the previous morning, incredibly enough leaving
no trail that Fraser or his wolf could find; he had simply vanished.
Of course, that might have something to do with the fight the two had
had that morning; Ray was not an 'outdoors' person at the best of times,
and the fact that they had somehow gotten hopelessly lost in the woods
had made the street- tough Chicago cop almost panic.  Fraser himself
was filled with remorse; he was supposed to be the expert on wilderness
survival, and yet he seemed to be making a habit of leading his inexperienced
partners astray in the woods.  Of course, having come across that clearing
with the odd stick-men formations had been enough to spook even the unflappable
Mountie.  So now he was faced with two possibilities, each one less appealing
than the other: either Ray had left him in a fit of pique, refusing to
trust his lover any further, or he had fallen prey to whatever had been
following them for the last few days.

Now, gazing into the bright morning sunlight and the now innocent-looking
clearing, he felt a sigh of relief begin deep within him, only to be
cut off in a sharp gasp as he glanced down at the ground directly before
him.  Specifically, at the neatly-wrapped bundle of sticks that had been
placed there sometime during the night.

A sudden movement at his side made his heart stop for a second, then
Dief whimpered in concern, nosing the package nervously.  Steeling himself,
Fraser willed his trembling fingers to move, and he untied the twine
binding the sticks together, parting them to reveal a small leather pouch
concealed inside.  With some trepidation, he opened the pouch, turning
it upside down and dumping its contents onto the ground.

His lover's silver bracelet glimmered in the sunlight.

*************************

Ray Kowalski was awakened abruptly by a loud, panicked scream.  His eyes
flew open in time to see Fraser bolt upright, crying out "Ray!" in an
agonized voice, as horrified shudders wracked his body.

Concerned, Ray sat up, placing an arm around Fraser's bare shoulders,
whispering as gently as he could, "Fraser? Ben?", rubbing the man's back
with what he hoped were comforting strokes. Fraser turned to stare at
him with wide eyes, then a shuddering sob escaped him and he buried his
face in the crook of Ray's shoulder.

"Ray! Oh, Ray," he whispered, his arms encircling the slender cop's body
and holding on tightly. "It was horrible.  We were lost in the woods,
and you disappeared, and there were noises, and your bracelet..."

Ray listened to his lover's narration with growing understanding.  "Geez,
Ben, that movie must've really scared you. And I thought *I* was the
one who was gonna freak out again." 

Fraser took a few calming breaths.  "Yes, well Ray, I believe I have
a theory about that."  

Ray hid a grin.  Fraser must be feeling better if he was going into lecture
mode.  "What would that be, Professor Fraser?"

Fraser ignored the teasing sarcasm.  "Well, seeing as we were brought
up in very different environments, we each have very different places
which we consider 'safe'.  For you, your bedroom; for me, the woods."

Ray nodded in comprehension. "So when we watched the Exorcist, I freaked
'cause all the bad stuff happened in the kid's room."

Fraser seemed pleased with his lover's intuitiveness.  "That's right,
Ray.  And since the horror of the Blair Witch Project was set in the
woods, it... well, it 'freaked me out', as you would say." He lay back
on the bed, breathing evenly now, though still shivering a bit.  Ray
smiled as a sudden thought hit him.

"Gee, Ben, I seem to remember what we did to cure this kind of fear last
time."  He winked suggestively at his lover, gratified to see the man's
cheeks turn that delightful shade of red.  Ray was glad they had fallen
asleep naked; that was quite the time saver.  Before Fraser could respond
to his suggestive comment, Ray pounced.

Fraser jumped slightly as his rapidly wakening erection was unexpectedly
engulfed in a deliciously warm, wet heat.  He moaned as Ray's magical
tongue worked its way around his shaft and up to the moistened tip, all
the while applying a gentle suction that drove the Mountie almost out
of his mind.  He suddenly noticed that Ray's hands were not exactly idle,
either:  one was toying with Fraser's nipples, gently rubbing and tweaking
the hardened buds; the other massaged and caressed his things, moving
upwards towards his tightening balls, deft fingers fondling the flesh
as the hot mouth sucked, and sucked, and Fraser arched his back, crying
out, spilling his seed in wild spurts into his lover's waiting mouth.

Fraser's head swam in a haze of pleasure and contentment until he became
aware of the light rasp of Ray's stubbled cheek on his, as his lover
wrapped his arms comfortingly around him. "All better now, Ben?" Ray
all but purred.

He smiled fondly at the man. "Oh, yes, Ray, much.  Thank you kindly."

Ray shrugged. "Well, now we're even."

"You know, Ray, as much as I enjoy these... recuperative sessions, I
think that for the sake of our cardiac systems, we should probably refrain
from renting any more horror movies." 

"Yeah," Ray had to admit, "you're probably right Benton-buddy."

When they were satisfactorily snuggled under the covers once again, Ray
spoke up. "Hey, whadya think about renting Dudley Doright?"

"I think it's time to go back to sleep Ray."

"Yeah, yeah, understood." 

And the two slipped back into sweet, dreamless sleep.

The end.
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