"Now, just look here, Fraser!" Ray stopped in the middle of the street, dragging his partner to a halt by grabbing an arm and digging in his heels. "Ya can't just brush me off like that. We're partners aren't we? So that means you gotta TELL me when something's bothering you."
Ben stared at him dubiously, clearly unconvinced. Ray fumed. He wasn't prying, he had a right to know after all. Whenever Fraser got into this kind of state something bad happened. Somebody got hurt. Usually the Mountie, which was bad enough, but sometimes it was Ray and that gave him the right to know what was going on...
It was a stand off. Ben's bottom lip was stuck out just about as far as it would go. Ray put on his meanest "don't mess with me" look and stared him out. Luckily, there weren't too many people on the sidewalk.
Finally Ben's eyes dropped and he shrugged rather sulkily. "Well, since you insist on knowing, I'm gay."
Ray's jaw dropped. In the last week, he'd thought of various possible causes for Benny's latest snit, from being put on extra sentry duty, to Victoria coming back to Chicago. None of the scenarios had involved Benny coming out to him.
"Oh..." He tried to pull himself together and suddenly remembered THAT scene from "Ellen". "...uh, well, that's great, Benny. I guess." He managed a weak smile and tried desperately to think of something else to say. Something that didn't involve stupid questions like "so, how long have you been gay?".
Benny was eyeing him doubtfully. "And I'm in love with you."
It was one of the few times in his life that Ray Vecchio was completely lost for words.
The uncomfortable silence was broken by a high pitched scream from inside the building beside them. Ray could have sworn there was a look of relief on Ben's face as the Mountie dived past him and into the building.
"Hey, Benny! Get back here! You can't just... aw geez!" Ray went after his friend.
Inside there was a wide flight of stairs and a row of dingy looking offices. Ben was speaking to a distressed looking woman outside one of them. As Ray came towards him he tipped his Stetson to the woman and ran down the hallway. Ray followed. Towards the back of the building, not much to his surprise, Ray saw another, narrower, stairway. Why did this always happen to him? Why was it that when the Mountie was around they always ended up chasing the bad guys across the rooftops? Why couldn't they just chase them along the streets like a normal cop would?
Well, at least he was a helluva lot fitter than he had been before Benny came to town. Now, he could just about keep up with the Mountie. He plunged up the stairway behind his friend. Just catch the guy and then they could go back to that conversation he'd interrupted. Yeah, THAT conversation... or maybe it would be better not to go there.
The first sign that this wasn't going to be your usual "chase the bad guy and apprehend him" (usual by Benny's standards...) kind of scenario, was a tidal wave of cardboard boxes crashing over the pair of them. Luckily the boxes were empty, but it slowed them both down a bit. By the time he and Benny has cleared a way through them and got to the top of the stairs, the perp had got onto the roof and disappeared. Just like Ray had expected.
Of course a little thing like that wasn't going to stop Super Mountie. He looked around the empty rooftop, grabbed Ray's arm briefly, pointed and ran off. With a muttered "why is this my life", Ray followed.
At first it was pretty easy. After all, Ray was getting used to this kind of stuff, after nearly three years. They were in some kind of warehouse district and most of the rooftops were at the same height (or close enough) and not too far apart. Then they came to some weird, gothic looking pile, two stories higher than the warehouse they were standing on top of, and with a steeply sloping, shingled roof.
"Aw, Benny, he can't have gone up THERE!"
Ben looked at him. "I'm afraid so, Ray. Look. You can see where his foot has smudged the soot on this wall."
Ray followed his pointing finger, but couldn't see a thing. "Well, I'm not going up there."
"As you wish." Ben shrugged and began to climb up the rough brick surface of the wall.
"Bennnneeee...!"
Of course the Mountie took no notice. Ray sighed sharply, pulled his shirt sleeves up a bit and began to climb after him.
It wasn't so hard, after all. Not after three years of physical fitness training, Mountie-style. Ray reached the roof with a certain sense of satisfaction. Not that he was ever going to let Benny see that. He glanced around and realised how very high up they were, and how very steep this roof was...
"Benny are you SURE he came this way?"
Ben looked at him in some surprise. "Oh yes, Ray. See there? That shingle's been disturbed very recently. It's not weathered at all."
Great. Loose shingles. He followed Benny out onto the sloping roof.
They made it about three quarters of the way up the roof before it happened. Ray was only surprised it didn't happen sooner. Slightly above and to the right of him, Ben's foot slipped suddenly and Ben dropped face down onto the shingles and began to slide. Ray had been expecting this. He'd placed himself strategically, next to a pipe that ran all the way to the top of the roof. He grabbed the pipe in his left hand, flung himself flat and reached out his right arm to grab Ben as the Mountie slid past.
Luckily, it worked. The pipe held. He was able to get a grip across Benny's back. And he didn't pass out from the frantic beating of his heart. They didn't move for a moment.
Then Ben lifted his head and smiled shakily. "Thank you, Ray."
"Any time, Benny." Ray could out-cool Benny any day, and wasn't afraid to prove it.
Ben found a foothold after a bit of fumbling and they resumed the climb. The crest of the roof, Ray was pleased to discover, had a flat, narrow, walkway. They made good time across it, and when they got to the far end, Ray could see the perp in the distance, for the first time. They were gaining on him.
But first they had to get down to the next roof top which, predictably, was two stories below... aw geez!
He caught Ben's speculative glance. First at him, and then at what looked like a pile of old mattresses a long way below them.
"Oh no, Benny! I am NOT gonna do that. No way."
Ben didn't bother arguing. He just held out his hand and smiled. Much to his own surprise, Ray took it.
He yelled as they jumped. He yelled all the way down. He yelled as they landed in the bouncy pile and slid to the safety of a solid, mercifully flat, rooftop. He took Ben's hand again to get himself upright, because his knees were still a little rubbery, and grinned at his friend.
"Don't EVER ask me to do that again."
Ben gave a demure little smile and didn't answer him.
Up ahead, the sound of breaking glass indicated their quarry had run into some trouble. Ben turned unerringly in the direction of the sound and ran.
It looked like he'd fallen through a skylight. Ben perched on the brink for a moment then dropped down through the same hole. Peering cautiously over the edge, Ray saw him roll and come back up to his feet in one smooth movement. He sighed.
"Here I come, Benny!" He dropped and Ben caught him securely, steadied him and then let go.
"Over there, Ray." And Benny was off again.
Ray wondered just how much this guy had stolen. Ten dollars? Twenty? Maybe he was big time, maybe it was as much as fifty dollars. Why did he always let Benny do this to him?
More stairs. Going down, this time... well, at least that was an improvement. They emerged onto the street and the perp was just disappearing around a corner. He was only about half a block ahead of them now. Great. They nearly had him. But when they rounded the corner he was gone. A quick survey showed three possible escape routes. Damn!
Of course the Mountie was showing no signs of giving up. He trotted down one alley while Ray took the next. Nothing. But the third didn't look any more promising. They met back at the main alley. Benny was frowning. Good. Maybe they could give up this stupid chase.
An outburst of screaming in the distance. Ben raised his eyebrows and they both took off. It seemed to be coming from the big warehouse at the end of the alley that Ray had checked out. They raced down it and through the door, then pulled up short.
"Oh dear!" Ben hurriedly raised a hand to cover his eyes. His face was almost exactly the same scarlet colour as his uniform.
Ray looked around appreciatively at the bronzed and muscular men in their togas and the extremely well endowed women in nothing at all. They were the source of most of the screaming. There were at least half a dozen cameras, twice as many lights, and assorted film crew in various stages of bemusement. Ray decided he was enjoying himself. He caught a flurry of movement on the far side of the huge set and grabbed Ben by the hand, dragging him along behind. Ben's other hand was still firmly covering his eyes.
"You can look now, Benny."
Ben dropped his hand. "Oh, thank God!"
Their quarry was determined and resourceful, but they were gaining steadily on him now. They dived into and out of various warehouses and small factories to the astonishment and sometimes delight of the staff. One enterprising young woman managed to tackle the Mountie long enough to steal a kiss and Ray took the opportunity to reward her with another. They plunged into a fragrant steam-filled room and nearly skidded out of control through a scalding puddle of spilled curry and rice. The harassed chef screamed at them in some unknown language and Fraser politely tipped his Stetson and replied briefly in the same language. Then they were through the kitchen and outside again.
They'd lost him again. Ben skidded to a halt and closed his eyes, tilting his head to one side, and frowning in concentration.
"Benny what WAS that language?"
"Shh, Ray!" Ben frowned again and inhaled deeply, then his eyes opened. "This way."
Ray followed him down yet another alley. "Benny!"
"Oh, it was Urdu, Ray." They paused at another corner, briefly. "Left, Ray."
"You KNOW Urdu?"
Ben flashed him a small grin. "Well, only a few phrases, Ray. You see there was a book..."
"...in your grandmother's library. Why could I not guess? How do you know where he's going? I can't hear anything."
"Neither can I Ray. I can smell him... wait." They stopped again and Ben retraced his steps a few yards then turned down an alley they'd already passed.
Ray caught up. "You can SMELL him? Are you crazy? You're not a wolf."
"Well, no... but in this case, I can manage without Dief's help. Can't you smell it? A faint whiff of curry. He must have spilt some on himself when he overturned that pot. It's a very distinctive blend of cumin and nutmeg. There's also a hint of..."
"All right! I get the picture! Let's get this over with." Ray could see at the end of this alley was a slightly more populated street. That ought to slow their perp down. Of course it could also slow them down.
They burst out of the alley in time to see the other man bowl over a pedestrian and then run straight into the arms of a uniformed police officer. The cop took one look at the balaclava, the canvas bank satchel and the gun and knocked him to the ground. As Ray and Ben watched, from a distance of less than a hundred yards, the man they'd chased across half of Chicago was arrested by somebody else.
Ray could feel an explosion coming on. Ben obviously could too, he grabbed Ray's arm and dragged him back into the alley out of sight. Ray leaned against the wall panting while Ben watched him, alert for any sign of danger.
Once he'd caught his breath, Ray's sense of ill usage deepened. Ben was still the picture book perfect Mountie. Well, OK, maybe his hair was a little tousled... Ray looked down at his crumpled and stained silk shirt, at his pants with the left knee torn out. And back at Ben, who was fractionally straightening his lanyard. How the hell could a balding Chicago cop with a voice that had a nasal quality compete with that? He scowled at Ben and saw him tilt his head to one side and raise his eyebrows inquiringly. Looking insufferably cute.
Ray's incipient explosion moved a step nearer. "What is it with you Benny? How come you always end up looking like you just walked out of a dry cleaners, and I..." he indicated himself with a sweep of his hand.
"Does that bother you, Ray?" Ben considered this new information.
Ray straightened and stared at the Mountie indignantly. "Of course it does, Benny! How many of my clothes do you have to ruin before that fact sinks in?"
"I'm sorey, Ray. I didn't mean..." Ben's voice trailed off. He reached over and lifted something green and slimy looking off Ray's sleeve and stared at it thoughtfully.
"DON'T TASTE THAT!"
Ben looked surprised. "Of course not, Ray." He lifted the disgusting object and smeared it deliberately across the front of his spotless tunic.
Under Ray's open-mouthed stare he dropped it to the ground and thought some more before wiping his hand on his jodhpurs.
Ray burst out laughing. Suddenly it seemed the most exquisitely funny thing he'd ever seen in his life. He laughed so hard his eyes filled with tears and he could hardly stand up. When an arm came around his back and held him against a firm Mountie body, he simply clutched at the lanyard, crumpling it, and howled.
Finally the laughter subsided. He pulled away slightly and looked at his friend. "Aw geez, Benny, what am I gonna DO with you?"
Two minute dimples appeared, one at each corner of Ben's mouth, and the blue eyes twinkled slightly. "Kiss me?"
So he did.