strong m/m content, some language, rated PG-13
(Standard, all-purpose disclaimer) All pre-existing characters are the property of the creators and producers of "Due South." No copyright infringement is intended. All new characters and situations are the sole property and responsibility of the author.
This is the fourth part of the series I've been working on, which I've decided to give the umbrella title of "The Hours and the Days." My eternal gratitude goes to anyone who knows what that's from, because I can't remember. I know it makes the overall title pretty long, but I figured I had to do something to indicate that these stories are connected.
The title of this installment was going to be "In the Midnight Hour" and it had a completely different plot, but I was working on a Halloween PWP that kept getting longer and longer ... so I readjusted my plans and here we are.
by Katrina Bowen
So many choices, so much variety ... It was no good. Ben shook his head in mild despair and grabbed several bags of candy off the shelf at random; he'd been trying to think of a kind that Diefenbaker wouldn't like, but he found that was akin to trying to think of a kind of air he didn't like to breathe. It was an impossible task.
Furthermore, when he'd asked if it wouldn't be better to hand out fruit or something healthy, Mrs. Gamez had smiled her calm, motherly smile and told him that passing out anything but candy was a very good way to have an interesting variety of pranks played on him, and that most of them would come from her own children. Ben took what satisfaction he could from putting the Milk Duds back, and he went to pay for the rest of the candy.
Walking home, Ben briefly considered getting a pumpkin for a jack-o- lantern -- but no, that was taking the whole thing a little too seriously. Handing out candy was one thing, and he was perfectly willing to take part in the custom, but there was no reason to get completely carried away with it.
Actually, this would be his first real Halloween in the United States, since last year he and Ray had spent the holiday running all over Chicago looking for a murder witness and he hadn't gotten back to his apartment until well past noon the following day. He had, in fact, entirely forgotten what day it was. While he hadn't precisely dwelled on missing it -- for that matter, he was unaware he'd even been looking forward to it until afterwards -- Ben was still surprised at the vague sense of regret he felt when he realized Halloween was over. His partner had laughed and told him not to worry about it, there was always next year ...
Unfortunately, Ray was scheduled to work the late shift tonight, so they couldn't be together this Halloween ... well, there *would* always be next year, he reflected as he walked in the front door of his apartment building. Other Halloweens with Ray and other holidays with Ray. He found the thought unexpectedly comforting. All the same, though, he wished Ray would be with him that night.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Mustafi." Ben paused in the entryway to greet his neighbor. "How are you today?"
"Ah, Constable Fraser. Fine, I'm just fine, thank you. You have your Halloween candy?" The older man peeked into Fraser's bag and looked up, surprised. "You didn't buy Milk Duds? Diefenbaker will be very disappointed."
"He'll be disappointed anyway -- he's not getting *any* of this." Ben knew better, but he didn't see any reason to discuss it with Mr. Mustafi; it was an issue he and Dief had to work through together. Some things between a man and a wolf simply had to remain private.
"Oh, of course not. Three bags?" Fraser nodded. "Yes, that's about right ..." He looked up. "You do realize that no one will be coming by after nine o'clock or so?"
Ben raised his eyebrows. "That seems a bit early -- I thought it would go on much later than that."
Mr. Mustafi seemed uncomfortable. "It's just -- well, Halloween always ends early in this building for some reason. I was going to tell you about it last year, but you weren't here, so there didn't seem much point ..." He seemed on the verge of saying something more; instead, he patted Ben on the shoulder and said, "Just don't plan on opening the door to anyone after ten or so, all right?"
There was a warning in Mr. Mustafi's voice, but for the life of him Ben couldn't figure out what it was for. So he just smiled agreeably and said, "All right." Smiling weakly in return, Mr. Mustafi gave Ben's shoulder one last pat as he walked out the door. Ben shrugged and went upstairs.
**********************************************************************
"Diefenbaker!" The wolf growled deep in his throat, but jumped down from the kitchen chair. Ben shook his head in dismay and moved the nearly empty bowl of candy away from the edge of the table. "You know, it's bad enough that you won't stop eating this, but you have to learn to draw the line *somewhere*. I realize you don't care what it's doing to your health, but I hope you feel thoroughly guilty, taking candy out of the mouths of children. Is that any way to behave?" Dief looked slightly ashamed, but he was still eying the candy.
To be honest, it was getting well past nine; and as Mr. Mustafi had warned, there hadn't been any trick or treaters for a little while. Fraser didn't see any reason to point that out to the wolf, however. "You know, Mario and his friends wanted to dye your fur black and tell people you were the Hound of the Baskervilles, but I told him you wouldn't like it. I *could* see if he's still home ..." Dief whined and went into the corner, curling up on his rug. Ben nodded, satisfied. "That's more like it. And how you manage to chew the wrappers off is something I'll never understand ..."
He turned around at a knock on the door. "There, you see? Now don't you wish you'd left some more?" He picked up the candy and looked pointedly at the wolf, who buried his head between his paws and refused to look at him. Opening the door, he adjusted his line of sight to child height and said, "And what do we have here ...? Oh. Hello, Ray." A little sheepishly, he raised his eyes.
Ray grinned at him. "Trick or treat, Benny. And if you don't know by this time what I have there, you haven't been paying as much attention as I thought."
Ben pulled Ray into his apartment, taking a quick look down the hall. It was empty; apparently all his neighbors were either out or spending a quiet evening at home. Well, Mr. Mustafi had warned him that it would be quiet by nine o'clock ... Closing the door, he said, "Very funny, Ray. It's just that I wasn't expecting to see you. I thought you were working tonight?"
"Nah." Ray took the bowl of candy and started rummaging through it. "Ricker needed next Tuesday off, so he and I traded." He added, with a casual air that didn't fool Ben for a second, "Besides, I hate working Halloween."
"I see." Ben tried to hide his smile.
"Well, I do. Too many freaks running around out there -- I'd rather be inside where it's safe." He glanced around the apartment. "So where's your jack-o-lantern?"
"I didn't see any reason to make one" Seeing Ray's disappointed expression, Ben went on defensively. "It seemed wasteful to carve up a pumpkin simply to put a candle inside, keep it one night and then throw it out. Not to mention messy -- Ray, have you ever really *looked* at the inside of a pumpkin? It's all ... gooey."
"Yeah, but that's the best part ... well, I see Dief beat me to the candy. Big surprise there, huh?" Ray held up a Tootsie Roll with tooth marks in it. Before Ben could object, he unwrapped it and tossed it to Dief, who sat up and snagged it neatly out of the air.
"Ray, please."
Ray looked at him contritely. "Sorry, Benny. I didn't know you wanted it. But I'm not gonna try to take it away from him." He hung his coat by the door and went over to the couch, seating himself comfortably and looking up at Ben. "You still haven't said you're glad to see me, ya know."
Grinning in spite of himself, Ben followed him. He leaned over Ray. "Very well, I'm glad to see you. And you're certainly in a good mood tonight."
"I know. Wanna find out if you can put me in a better one?" He hooked an arm around Ben's neck, pulling him down for a long kiss. To steady himself, Fraser rested one knee on the couch; he braced one hand against the backrest and used the other to start toying with the buttons of Ray's shirt, releasing them slowly. While he was doing that, Ray slid his hands, still cold from the October air, under Ben's sweatshirt to stroke the smooth muscles of his back.
When they separated, Ray grinned up at Fraser. "So what do you want to do tonight?"
"Oh, I don't know. What do *you* want to do?" Ben raised his other leg so he was kneeling astride Ray's body. He pushed Ray's shirt off his shoulders, leaning down to nuzzle along his collarbone, finally coming to rest at the hollow of his throat.
Ray started to nibble his way along Ben's neck. When he reached his ear, he flicked his tongue at the lobe and whispered seductively, "I asked first."
"So you did. Well, seeing as it's Halloween and all, we *could* tell each other ghost stories. It would be ... appropriate." He cupped Ray's face in his hands and slowly kissed his eyes, trailing his mouth to Ray's willing lips.
Ray pulled away long enough to ask, "What, you're telling me the Inuit have ghost stories?"
Breathlessly, Ben said, "Oh, they have any number of tales involving spirits of the dead."
"You know what, Benny? I don't wanna hear any of 'em right now." Ray tangled his hands in Ben's hair and pulled him down again.
"Understood ..." Ben started at a knock at the door. He looked down at Ray apologetically. "Don't go anywhere, all right?" He straightened and went to the door, grabbing the candy on the way. Still in the corner, Diefenbaker whined, the fur on his neck bristling. Ben looked at him and muttered, "Oh, please. You've had more than your share already tonight." Opening the door, he looked up and down the hall; it was completely deserted.
With a shrug, Ben closed the door and went back to the couch. As he rearranged himself around Ray, he said, "There wasn't anybody there. It must have been a prank."
"Benny ... this is Halloween, remember? If it's some kid playing a prank, he's gonna --" The knock resumed, a little harder. "He's gonna be back. I'll handle this, okay?" Ray moved Ben aside and got up, rebuttoning his shirt on the way. Yanking the door open, he said, "All right, you little --" Again, there was no one there. Ray looked at Ben, reluctant admiration in his eyes. "Whoever this kid is, he's *good*." He closed the door and leaned against it. "I'll get him next time."
Ben crossed to stand beside him, looking at Dief uneasily. The wolf was huddled on his rug, trembling, eyes tightly closed. "Ray, take a look at Diefenbaker, would you?"
Ray glanced over to the corner. "That's some sugar rush. How much candy did he eat tonight?"
"A pretty fair amount, but I don't think it was enough to have *that* kind of an effect."
"Maybe one of the neighbors --" This time, the pounding on the door was almost strong enough to make Ray lose his balance. Before the vibrations stopped, he had the door open and was staring at ... nothing at all. Ray stood there, gaping at the emptiness. Ben reached around him to close the door, at the same time putting an arm around his waist to firmly draw him to the center of the room.
Still staring at the door, Ray nodded slowly. "Okay, I admit it. *This* is a little weird."
"Agreed." Unwilling for some unnamed reason to let go of Ray, Ben pulled him over to Dief. They crouched beside the wolf, who flinched violently when Fraser touched him. Opening his eyes warily, Dief whined and crept between the two men. "I had a very strange conversation with Mr. Mustafi this afternoon --he told me not to open the door after ten o'clock or so. I thought it was odd, but I didn't put much stock in it. But now -- Ray ... I don't like this."
Ray snorted. "You're not the only one. So what's your theory?" Ben stared at him blankly. "Come on, Benny, knock it off. You always have a theory."
"Not this time, I'm afraid." Ben eased himself to a sitting position against the wall, Dief halfway in his lap. After a moment, Ray settled himself beside them.
"So what do we do now? You still up for those ghost stories?" Instantly regretting his attempt to lighten the mood, Ray rested his head against the wall, staring at the door. He jumped a little when Ben's arm went around his shoulders. "Sorry," he murmured as he slid an arm around Fraser's back in return. He buried his free hand in Dief's fur; the wolf jerked, then slowly relaxed as Ray began scratching his ears. "Benny, what the hell is going on here?"
Ben opened his mouth to answer; realizing he didn't have one, he just looked at Ray and shook his head.
They sat like that for several minutes, each wrapped in his own thoughts, both staring at the door. Finally Ben said, "Should we answer the door the next time it happens?"
Ray looked at him sharply. "You're assuming there *will* be a next time."
"And you're assuming there won't be?"
"Hell, for all we know it really *is* some kid screwing with us, right? I mean, one year at Halloween me and my cousin Al convinced Frannie and Maria that there were zombies coming to get them. We got some mannequin parts from a junkyard and buried them in the back yard, poured fake blood over the whole thing ... my folks almost killed us for digging the whole place up and scaring the girls. Frannie wouldn't sleep in her own bed for a month ..." He realized he was rambling and shut up, turning back to the door.
"Actually, Ray, I tried something similar when I was a child. But I had to make the dummies out of pine branches and moss. You'd be amazed how long it took to make them." Ray looked at him in disbelief; Ben shrugged and went on. "I'm afraid they weren't the most *authentic* looking zombies, but it was the best I could do with the limited supplies I had on hand."
"Oh, yeah?" Ray grinned. "Who were you trying to fool, anyway? Sea otters? A herd of caribou? Or were you just getting even with the polar bear who ate your boots?"
"Ray, you seem to have the misconception that the Territories are completely uninhabited. That's not true at all. For example, in the latest census Inuvik had a population of --" He broke off abruptly and tightened his grip around Ray's shoulders.
Ray had heard it too -- a faint scratching at the base of the door. After a few pounding heartbeats, he said, "Okay, you told me there's still rats in this building. So that was a rat, right?"
"Obviously. It *must* have been a rat, of course." Ben agreed. But he didn't show any indication of going to check.
When the sound wasn't repeated, Ray shook his head and blurted, "Fraser, this is nuts. We're both scaring ourselves to death over nothing here."
"You're probably right. But my grandmother used to tell me a story about ... well. I suppose that's not entirely relevent. I'll just skip to the end. You should never assume a cave is empty, and you should never press your luck."
"Yeah, well, my grandmother used to say --" he jumped at a gentle rapping on the door. "*Fuck* this." Shaking off Ben's arm, Ray climbed to his feet and crossed to the door. Miserably, Dief watched as Fraser rushed after the detective; he closed his eyes again and let his head sink back to the floor.
Overtaking him, Ben grabbed Ray's arm as he started to reach for the doorknob, pulling him back. Pressing Ray against the wall, he spoke softly and intensely. "Ray, I'm perfectly willing to concede that there's probably nothing out there. I'm sure you're right, I'm sure it's most likely a Halloween prank."
"Good. Then let go of me so I can beat the shit out of whoever's doing this." He started to push Ben aside.
Ben twisted both hands in Ray's shirt, holding him in place. Continuing as if Ray hadn't spoken, he went on. "But I also know that I'd be much happier if you *didn't* open the door tonight."
Ray stared at him speechlessly, then exploded. "Damn it, Fraser -- isn't it bad enough you decided to live in some dump with rats and lousy plumbing and bums in the lobby? You gotta live in the one apartment building in Chicago that's got its own built-in ghost? I told you to move God *knows* how many times --"
Surprised, Ben pulled back as far as he could without letting go. "You're blaming this on me? Ray, that's -- that's completely irrational."
"Maybe." Ray leaned closer and said, "But I'm not the one who doesn't plan on opening the door until morning, am I?" Ben glanced away, and Ray said more gently, "Benny, there is nothing out there. Trust me, it's just some kid or something. Besides, you've been living here almost two years. If the place really was haunted, don't you think one of your neighbors woulda mentioned it before now, something like 'Hey, Fraser. Seen the ghost yet?' "
"What about Dief's behavior?" Ben demanded. "Have you ever seen him act like this?"
"Come on, Benny. You told me that he ate a lot of candy, right? It's just indigestion or something."
"But Mr. Mustafi said --"
Ray put his hand on the back of Ben's neck. "Yeah, you told me what he said. Maybe he believes it. Maybe he was jerking you around. Maybe it's his idea of a joke. I don't know *why* he said it, Benny."
Ben took a deep breath. "All right, Ray. I agree, it's -- well, irrational. But as a personal favor to me, I'd still rather you didn't open the door for a little while yet."
"Look --" Ray was ready to keep on arguing, but Benny had that big- eyed Mountie look ... he sighed. For whatever reason, Fraser was thoroughly spooked. "Okay, fine. We'll do this your way."
Shifting his grip so his arms were draped loosely around his partner's shoulders, Ben smiled. "Thank you, Ray."
"Yeah, yeah," Ray said ungraciously. "You realize I'd still rather go out there and pound on whoever's doing this, right?"
"Maybe later."
As Ben pulled him back to the couch, Ray started laughing. Ben looked at him suspiciously; but before he could say anything, Ray said, "Ya know, I was trying to think of some way to make sure you'd be too scared to sleep alone tonight ... looks like someone beat me to it. Too bad, though -- you're gonna miss out on all the traditional Halloween stuff."
"Oh, not necessarily. I *did* hand out a considerable amount of candy, after all. Besides ..." Ben started working at Ray's buttons again. "Does moaning and groaning count as traditional Halloween stuff?"
Ray pushed Ben down on the couch. As he followed, he said, "Only if you do it right. Here, you'd better let me show you ..." They both stiffened at a noise in the hallway.
After a few moments had passed, Ben put his arms around Ray's waist. He said firmly, "I didn't hear a thing. Did you?"
"Nope." Ray leaned down to kiss him. "Happy Halloween, Benny."
"Thank you kindly, Ray."
The End