Ok, who else thought the ending of SOME LIKE IT
RED was a tease?:->  I loved it!  Ray telling Fraser what a nice looking
woman he'd made.  Then the teasing that Fraser wasn't his type and then
when asked he described the type he liked and it sounded like a certain
mountie we all know and love.  Fraser's hurt response to Ray asking what
his plans were for after work getting that great response "Nothing with
YOU."  "Don't get in a snit!"  I still laugh thinking about it.  Well
it inspired me to write this latest story  " ...WELL YOU'D BETTER GO
CATCH."  I've been hitting you all with dramatic stories of late and
you're 'due'  a lighthearted one for a change. This one takes up that
same night after the events in SOME LIKE IT RED.

"... WELL YOU'D BETTER GO CATCH IT"

It was around 12:30 in the morning, an exhausted Ray had
finished up his report on the events at St Fortunata's girl
school late that night.  He'd just gotten home an hour ago
and to sleep a little after that.  But now his peaceful
slumbering was shattered by the cellular phone ringing on
the bed side-table.  Ray didn't open his eyes or move his
head, just one hand reached out blindly groping for the
intrusive object.  Placing it to the ear that was not melded
to his pillow, sleepily he spoke into the mouthpiece. "'lo
Vecchio."  He couldn't quite make out the voice on the other
end, which sounded slurred, not making any sense and
giggling.  He thought he heard it say, "Is your
refrigerator running?", but it was badly garbled.  In
annoyance he was about to hang up thinking it was a crank
call, until he recognized that giggle, and he started to
become more awake with concern. "Fraser?  Is that you?  Are
you ok?  Where are you?"  The strange sounding mountie on
the other end was annoyed at him for not playing his game
with him. "No Ray, yur s'posed to say... s'pose t'say
'Yesss'. Or am I s'pose t'say that?"  This behavior was very
unlike Fraser. "Benny what's wrong with you?  Have you been
drinking?"  The voice on the other end was perplexed.  "I
don't r'mber.  Oh yeah.  Dragon lady gave me a glass of
glendur.. glenflora.. glenda... I knew a Glenda once...  I
named my pet otter Glenda... poooor Glenda.  I see her every
time I take off my shirt."  This last part was said with a
drunken melancholy.  Ray had never seen his friend drunk, or
for that matter take a drink, not even one glass or sip.

Ray was fully awake now and worried about his friend. "Benny
where are you?  I'll come to you.  Ok?"  The voice on the
other end sounded happy at that bit of news. "'kay Ray.
I'm... well... I don't know where am right now...  I'm
lossss."  His voice sounded a bit panicky at not knowing
where he was. "Don't worry Benny.  I'll find you.  Just
describe what's around you.  I'll try to locate you that
way."  A more confident sounding Fraser replied. "So'kay
Ray.  I have my compass.  Juss go..."  Fraser gave some
coordinates that made no sense whatsoever to Ray.  "Humor me
Benny, describe what's around you, ok?"  "'kay Ray.  There's
a big BIG building and then some little little ones nearby.
There's a traffic light with pretty blinking red and yellow
lights on, like a crisssmasss tree.  Then... I don't know
what that is.  Oh yeah, now I 'member..." - he giggled -
"... its a church."

At first the descriptions had him thinking he'd never find
Ben, then he latched on to the church Benny just mentioned.
"What's the church's name Benny?"  Fraser was quiet for a
minute, then started spelling "B I N G G O .. Oops...  just
one 'g' Ray...  Where was I?  T O N I G H T.  That's a
strange name for a church Ray?  Wonder why they changed the
name to that from St Michael's?"  Ray had been getting
exasperated when he realized what Fraser was spelling, but
breathed a sigh of relief when his friend finally gave him a
clue to his whereabouts.  There was a phone booth across the
street from St Michael's, the church run by Fraser's and his
acquaintance Father Behan.  "Benny I know where you are.
Stay put ok?  I'll be there in a few minutes."  Ray couldn't
help but shake his head and smile resignedly, when he heard
the next words. "Ray I don't want to stay in this box no
more, its making me clustrafobig."  He compromised with him.
"Then stand next to it ok?"

While he'd been talking with Fraser this whole time, he'd
been getting dressed rapidly to go to his friend.  He was
still talking to him on the phone as he made his way out the
door, because Fraser wouldn't let him hang up.  "Ray, its
lonely here.  I don't want to be here.  No one to talk to."
Reassuring his friend as he turned the ignition on, "I'm on
my way Benny.  I'll stay on the line with you."  Fraser got
drunkenly sappy on him. "You're my bess fren.  I love you
Ray."  Ray was amused and touched by this at the same time.
"Yeah, well I care about you too Benny.  Else why would I
drag my butt out of bed at this hour to pick you up?"
Fraser was happy. "You care about me Ray?  Thass nice...
You're nice... Hey watch this..."  Ray couldn't help but
laugh. "Benny I can't see what you're doing."  The voice on
the other end responded in a way that made it sound like the
next words were the most logical argument to counter what
Ray had just said, "Oh, then tell me how come I can hear
you?"

He was relieved when he finally turned the corner of the
street where St Michael's was and there was Benny standing,
across the street from it like he'd thought, with the phone
to his ear, but the chord stretched out so he could move a
little bit out of the booth.  He pulled up along the side of
the curb.  Ray said into the cellular phone, "Benny, turn
around.  I'm here now."  The smile that lit up Ben's face
when he saw him was dopey but heartwarming.  Benny certainly
was an amusing cheerful drunk, unlike...  Ray's mood changed
briefly as bitter memories snuck in from having had an
alcoholic father.  He quickly got out of the car and moved
to Fraser's side placing an arm around his friend's waist
and Ben's arm around his shoulder.  When he went to do this
Ben squirmed slightly at his touch. "Ray that tickled."
"Sorry Benny."  "So'kay.  I liked it."  Definitely a happy
drunk - too happy - Ray decided.  He wasn't used to drunk
people telling him that they loved him or that they thought
he was nice or smiled with such joy when they saw him or
liked his touch.  His father certainly never did any of
those things the many times Ray scraped him off one barroom
floor or another and sobered him up, if he could.  Ray
cringed at the memories of his angered father fighting him
when he tried to bring him home.  Fraser was so different,
he actually wanted to go with him and passively let Ray
place him in the car.  Settling his friend into the
passenger seat, he then went round to the driver's side and
soon they were headed for Fraser's apartment.

Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Fraser studying
him intently, without saying a word.  Suddenly he felt a
finger run lightly down his nose from the bridge to the tip.
It startled him. "Benny?!  Hey I'm drivin'.  Don't do that!"
Fraser tilted his head to the side, one eye closed, thumb
out like an artist, to look at Ray's profile.  "I like your
nose Ray.  Its got character."  An amused Ray responded.
"Thanks Benny.  And I like your nose too."  Fraser started
to play around with touching his own nose and moving it
around, eventually coming to a decision. "No, I like your's
better."  They'd made it to the apartment complex, all the
while there Fraser kept studying him, periodically making
strange - yet somehow flattering - comments about his
features, almost as if he were describing or planning a
piece of artwork, with Ray as his subject.

Inside his friend's apartment now he escorted a weaving as
he walked Fraser over to the bed and sat him down.  Kneeling
down in front of him he removed his boots.  Then he started
on his friend's pants, unhooking the suspender clips to them
and removing them, until Ben was in his underwear.  He then
started to undress his friend out of that uniform jacket to
make him more comfortable.  That's when he felt fingers at
his shirt undressing him as well.  Grabbing at them quickly
and pushing away the hands that had already amazingly
managed to swiftly undo a few of his own buttons.  "Benny
stop that."  He was starting to feel uncomfortable now.
What was going on here?  Ben looked hurt and puzzled by his
words and actions.  "But I thought?  Well you were
undressing me.  I'm sssurry Ray."  Ben's eyes reflected
shame and were quickly cast down.

Fraser was starting to look a little green around the gills
now.  "Ray, I don' feel so good."  He'd barely gotten the
words out when Ben threw up.  Ben looked miserable and Ray
felt disgusted, but slightly sympathetic, as he whined out.
"Yuck!  Benny!  That's more clothes of mine you've managed
to ruin."  Ben's soulful repentant blue eyes looked deep
into his own. "I'm ssssurry Ray."  He forgave him easily.
"Its ok Benny.  I know you didn't do it on purpose.  You
really didn't do it on purpose, right?"  Ben nodded, but
then a flash of a devilish half-smile peeked out, which he
couldn't quite conceal.

Benny had fared better than he had, at least the uniform
jacket and pants had been spared.  Ray ended up having to
remove his own shirt, which left his chest bare.  He hadn't
put on an undershirt in his haste to get to Benny earlier.
The way Ben was watching him when he took it off, really
made him feel awkward.  But he pushed the feeling to the
side, internally saying, *Naw.  I'm imagining things.  He's
just drunk.*, and continued with the task at hand.  He
finished cleaning up his friend, the bed and himself as best
he could.  When he leaned over too close to Benny at one
point, he felt a feather light tracing of fingers over the
shrapnel and bullet scars on his chest near his shoulder, a
gentle whisper went along with it. "Those were for me."  Ray
shivered pleasurably and sucked in a breath in response to
the seductive touch and words, but then pulled himself away
quickly, angry at himself for actually liking the way Ben
just touched him.  Responding quickly a shaken Ray moved
away from the bed.  "Yeah, well at those times I thought you
were worth it."

Going rapidly over to Ben's dresser, he pulled out one of
the flannel shirts there and put it on himself.  It was too
large for him, and hung loosely on his thin frame, but it
was better than nothing right now.  Ray was afraid of the
way things were going between himself and Ben.  Ben was
definitely coming on to him in his drunken state.  It
worried him.  Probably left over from their teasing comments
to each other when Fraser had been undercover dressed as a
female teacher at St Fortunata's.  Had he really danced with
Benny?  Disco at that, he reminded himself and shuddered.
Then those comments he'd made to Fraser about his making a
nice looking woman and Ben's hurt response when he said he
wasn't his type.  They were joking around weren't they?  He
wondered now if Benny had been hinting at something more
than that.  Ray was confused enough with his love life with
women, let alone having to consider one with a man.  Was he
even considering it?  *Naw.  Maybe?  Naw.*  END PART 1 OF 2  

Ben wasn't thinking or acting clearly right now and Ray was
sure he'd be upset by his behavior when he sobered up.
Fraser was smiling at him. "Ray I always knew you were a
flannel man deep down." and he fell back on his pillow
giggling at what he thought was the funniest thing he'd ever
said.  Ray closed his eyes briefly, shaking his head and
sighing.  "Benny just go to sleep already will ya?"  Ben had
that mischievous smile again. "Can't."  "Why?"  "Cuz you're
not here."  "What?  I'm standing right here."  "No here."
and he patted the bed next to him.  Now that was a definite
invitation and Ray wasn't about to take up the offer.

"Benny I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but you're
drunk.  How much did you and Thatcher drink of that
Glendorlan stuff?"  Benny looked hurt, then scrunched up his
face in concentration as he worked at the mental challenge
his friend just gave him.  He was petulant and his fingers
came up close to his eyes as if measuring something, "I'm na
drunk.  I only had one teensy tiny teeny little glass.  She
made me.  She wazzz sooooooo sssad.  Her friend stood her
up.  But now that I think of it, could swear I was drinkin'
it, but never ssseem to empty."  Benny's pointer finger came
up and swung around a bit in confidence.  "Now I r'mber.
She muss have been toppin' off my glass when wazzen lookin'.
Dragon lady she'zzz sneaky.  She also kizzzed me and then...
then I didn't want to do... 'you know'... and then... then I
called you.  You take care of me."  "Yes I do."  "Thankz
kind Ray."

Ray was steamed at what he heard happened to his friend
tonight.  He knew what Thatcher was like, he didn't dub her
with the nickname "Dragonlady" for nothing.  He could always
sense there was some kind of attraction between her and
Benny.  He knew Ben pretty well.  Ray had to admit to
himself that Ben was a very attractive man.  Women were
always trying to seduce and manipulate him.  Most of the
time he didn't seem to realize it - Ray did - but when Ben
did notice, it made him uncomfortable.  Women scared him
when they came on so strong - like Ray's own sister Frannie
- but he was too polite and naive to respond back strongly
that he wasn't interested or just didn't like that approach;
he had a hard time standing up for himself in situations
like this.

Ray was seriously considering having a 'little chat' with
Thatcher tomorrow, because he knew Ben would never do it for
himself.  She'd definitely overstepped her bounds as
Fraser's boss.  He'd threaten her with a sexual harassment
case for what she'd done to Benny tonight.  He figured she
filled him full of that expensive liquor, thinking she'd get
part of her investment returned in another way.  Ray didn't
like the thought of Thatcher treating Ben like a gigolo.
His angry thoughts were interrupted.  "Ray I still don' feel
good."  Ray recognizing that tone and look was there in a
flash with a bucket just in time.  He sat next to his
forlorn looking friend with his hand first at the back of
his head, then it was rubbing his back.  "That feels nice
Ray."  He stopped immediately, realizing what he was doing.
"Please don't stop Ray."  Ray moved further away from his
forward friend. "Ben you don't know what you're saying.  YOU
ARE DRUNK.  And you don't smell too good right now either."
Ben winked at him. "We can always take a shower Ray."  Ray
was at his wit's end.  "Ugh!  Benny just give it up already,
ok?  Believe me you wont be happy about what you're saying
to me now when you sober up in the morning.  Capeesh?"
Fraser looked annoyed. "Ray you are such a pooper party..
party poofer...", he was laughing at himself trying to say
'party pooper' and soon after finally fell asleep, which
made Ray very thankful.  He made himself as comfortable as
possible, which wasn't very, on his friend's camping bedroll
and mat, which he unrolled next to the bed.  He didn't want
to leave his friend in this state and knew from too much
experience that Ben would wake up feeling terrible in the
morning.

The morning light streamed in through all the windows,
waking Ben up unpleasantly.  Ray had already been up and
about the apartment for about an hour, having showered and
groomed earlier and was now busily working in the kitchen on
a special concoction to help his soon to be hurting friend.
A couple of minutes ago he peeked over when he heard noises
of discomfort at the sorry state Fraser found himself in.
Fraser had been lying in the bed, eyes squinting, then
throwing one arm over them in an attempt to lock out the
pain the light was causing him.  When his cure-all was
ready, Ray entered the bedroom.  "Good morning Prince
Charming.  Here drink this."  Still not quite ready to face
the daylight or Ray he didn't move to take the proffered
glass.  Fraser still had his eyes covered with one arm, but
the other waved towards Ray as if to say go away and take
that with you. "I don't want to drink anything EVER again.
Never.  Never.  Never again."  Ray grabbed hold of the
waving hand and placed the glass in it, with his hand
holding both glass and his friend securely together.  "It'll
help.  Its a secret Vecchio family recipe that'll put the
spring back in your step in no time.  Trust me on this.
Unfortunately its one thing I know more about than you."

Fraser sat up a little on the bed, face scrunched up and
blue eyes just slits as he brought the funny colored thick
liquid towards his nose to sniff at it first.  He didn't
like the look or the smell of it too much, but seeing Ray's
stern face over the rim forced him to taste it.  He
tentatively took a sip, then smiled. "It smells and looks
worse than it tastes.  Its not as bad as some things I've
put in my mouth before.  Its better than I thought it would
be."  Ray handed him some aspirin to take with it.  "I
didn't ask for a gourmet review Benny.  Just drink it!"
"You're awfully grouchy this morning Ray."

Ray hadn't gotten enough sleep, the floor he'd been sleeping
on had been hard and to top it all off he still didn't feel
right about what happened between them last night.  "Well
Benny you did wake me up in the middle of the night to give
me a crank call.  You did throw up all over my shirt, so I
have to wear this thing - which is not my style at all - it
was considerate of you to wait until we were out of the Riv
though.  Then you said all those weird things to me.  I
slept on your floor... And you wonder why 'I'm' grouchy?!"

Fraser winced at his friend's tone, which was joining the
din in his throbbing head, but still seemed to sincerely
mean his next words.  "Sorry Ray.  Thanks for looking out
for me.  Alright you can be grouchy if you want to be.  Just
please do it quietly alright?"  Ray couldn't stop himself
from smiling, "Don't worry about it.  Just don't make this a
habit ok?".  Fraser shook his head dejectedly. "You don't
have to worry about that.  My drinking days are over."  With
that said he finished the hang-over remedy Ray gave him and
made his way to the bathroom to clean up.

A short time later a more human looking towel wrapped Fraser
came out looking through his dresser for clothes.  Ray tried
not to pay attention to the fact that his friend was
practically naked in front of him and how that was starting
to make him react.  It would be so easy to just go over and
slip that towel off.  Ray shook his head to clear it of that
type of thinking and decided it was time for him to leave.
"Ah Benny, if you're ok now, I'm gonna get going.  Do you
need anything?"  Fraser turned to him, clothes piled in his
hands now. "Yeah, actually, an explanation.  Last night was
a bit of a blur and well... um... I seem to recall...
well... never mind..."  The opening was there now.  Ray
debated with himself whether or not to jump this latest
hurdle in their friendship.  His curiosity got the better of
him.  "Never mind what Benny?  You're my closest friend, you
should know by now you can talk to me about anything."

Fraser was turning a bit red and there was discomfort
written all over him as he asked. "Ray did we... this is
silly... I must be imagining things... forget it."  Ray had
a feeling he knew where this was leading.  "What Benny?"  He
swallowed hard then managed to get it out. "Did we 'you
know'.  I seem to recall my touching your chest and...
well... not acting in a proper manner towards you." Fraser
looked so worried and serious he couldn't help but use his
quirky sense of humor as a way of handling the awkwardness.
"Benny I'm hurt you don't remember.  Of course we d..."
Before he could finish, Fraser's shocked expression and
words tumbled out. "Ray, I'm so sorry.  I behaved just as
badly to you as Thatcher did to me.  Please forgive me."
Ray let him off the hook. "Forgive you for what?  Nothing
happened.  You didn't take advantage of me and I'd never
take advantage of you when you're drunk.  I'm not that big
of a jerk."  Fraser gave Ray a suggestive questioning look.
"Would you take advantage of me when I'm sober?"  Ray came
to a decision then.  "Only if you wanted me to."  Fraser
came so temptingly close to him then, warm breath touching
his ear whispering seductively, "I want you to."   Ray was
right, it was so easy to just slip that towel off.  

THE END