Across the Great Devide Prologue pt1      Across the Great Devide
Prologue pt1

 by Laurie Strode

  

 Author's website:
http://www.angelfire.com/weird2/lauriestrodeisa0/index.html

 Disclaimer: I don't own anything, and thank god I don't or all of us
would be screwed. 

 Author's Notes: I'd like to thank my beta, doesn't mean I will. :P

 Story Notes: Spoilers for pilot and entire series. A 'cover video' can be
found at my music video page:
http://www.angelfire.com/electronic2/ps2gamers/indexlaurievid.html 
There isn't much mention of the CSI crew in this part, that of course will
change for part 2.

 

 

 "So you see Captain, the bomb wasn't really a bomb, it was just some play
dough. And look, they had this remote control, but it doesn't do
anything." Dewey demonstrated the non-bombness of the bomb by pressing the
button. But, of course, the building blew up. Knocking everyone on their
feet. 

 "Oops." 

 Lea got up and helped Kowalski to his feet. 

 'How in the hell did I get here?'  

 It all started when a man with kayaking experience passed her up for a
promotion. She was so angry with him, but at the same time he just lost
his father, which made her pity him, but not that much. 

 She didn't have much, but she did have the job she wanted, and he took
that away. She lost it all one day she was pulling over someone for a
traffic ticket. She worked in a decent sized town. Not as small as any of
the towns Fraser worked, but she knew most of the people there. She pulled
over a man she actually didn't know and proceeded to write him a speeding
ticket. The next thing she knew she was on the ground in the snow with
three bullets in her stomach. She should have died, and was left with all
three, still in her. 

 She gave him menial tasks, like sealing 500 envelops, and standing on
sentry duty, but after a while it was no longer payback, it was just plain
mean. So she stopped. She gave him the same jobs she had to do, every task
split 50/50 between them. He of course didn't say anything about the
change in his work and she wanted to thank him for it. 

 Over the first year little was said between the two. Of course once and a
while he would drag her on a case involving him and his 'partner' Ray. He
said it was because he needed someone with her skills. Making coffee was a
skill? She complained every moment she could about it, saying she had
better things to do. But of course she didn't, she was just saying that so
they couldn't know that she really knew no one in Chicago. She didn't
actually bring anything dyer to the group. She mostly, at least in her own
minds eye, cracked wise ass jokes with Ray, then made fun of his 'Je ne
sais quoi'. She, like Benton, had no permit for any guns in the States so
she of course was useless in the gunfire that almost always ensued. 

 The second year was when something weird happened. She started to join
Benton and Ray without being invited by Fraser. It wasn't one of those
awkward situations where someone invites himself or herself along and you
really don't want to be there, it was almost the opposite. Both men never
brought up the fact that Fraser didn't ask her to come anymore; more they
all accepted that she was part of the team, which was weird for her. No
one really liked her before, mostly because at first glance she seemed
cold and distant, which was of course for self-preservation. She may have
never spent days in the woods, or licked things off the floor, but she did
know about survival. They were the musketeers, actually stooges would be
more accurate, but then of course something happened. Or actually someone
happened. 

 #&#&#&&#&#&&#&&#&#&&#&#& 

 Victoria. 

 It all started when Fraser promised he would be there to play pool with
the boys. I remember because Ray looked over to me after and was about to
say something until I beat him to the punch. I said something along the
lines of, "Don't worry, surrounded by so much testosterone, you know I
seriously don't want to be here. You guys have a nice time doing manly
things, like belching the ABCs, I will be home, having fun." 

 Which was a lie of course. Ok, not every Canuck is Fraser, we do on
occasion lie. But I didn't want that awkward, 'uninvited even though you
were never invited in the first place' conversation. But then Fraser
didn't come. I don't see why Ray didn't ask me for the money to buy the
food, I guess he might feel bad about not inviting me then asking me for
money for it, but I understand sometimes they just want the guys. 

 Fraser was late for work, which I didn't mind. He is my friend; I want
him to be happy. And by that smile that was plastered on his face when he
came in, I could tell he was. But then he made the cardinal mistake. I
don't know about where he is from, but where I come from they have this
thing called 'Bros before Hos'. Obviously Fraser didn't get the memo. 

 And then Deif got shot. Thats something I admire about Ray, he can be
totally pissed off at Fraser, but then something like Dief getting shot
happens and he totally forgets the anger. Heck he gave Fraser's girlfriend
a place to stay. Then the shooting of the clown guy happened, and IA
interrogated all of us. I of course was asked if I knew Ray and Fraser's
plans, which I promptly answered, 'Plans to what? Marry?' They then
decided that I must be in on it. 

 After the questioning Fraser went to the 'canteen' as he called it, while
most Chicagonians would just call it a 'break room'. Ray nervously
twitched for a moment then said that maybe he should get something. Of
course because I felt useless like always, I volunteered to go. As I
approached I heard Fraser. He was talking, to no one. That didn't surprise
me, he did that a lot at the office, but what he did say made me stop in
my tracks. 'Do you want to know something? I mean you never saw who she
was. You never saw her when she was angry, you never saw her when she was
frightened, you never saw her when she was brave or when she was petty.
You never saw her.' He paused, then went on, 'No she didn't, She deserved
you. I'm not going to make the same mistake. Victoria is in trouble....
Now, she scares the hell out of me. I don't even know if I can help. But I
know I need to be here and I know who she is.' 

 I soon left, I... there are no words for what I felt. And when I saw him
running after the train I couldn't stop him. I just stood there. Half of
me doesn't know what came over myself. But a part of me wanted him to be
happy. Screw what was right, the law, even Ray. My friend was so desperate
to love, to be loved. I just let him go, and in the process let him get
shot. It was my fault and I knew it. 

 I stopped talking to Ray, I didn't go and see Fraser in the hospital, I
didn't deserve their friendship. But then Fraser was lucid, and awake, and
Ray started to leave messages on my answering machine practically begging
me to go to the hospital. In one of his later messages he cussed me out,
calling me names even I didn't know. 

 Twelve minutes later he left me a message saying, and I quote, 'I'm
sorry. Just... Please come to the hospital. Please Lea, for Benny.' Ray
has never begged me to do anything. Ever. I just couldn't say no. Well I
didn't actually have to respond since it was a message on my answering
machine, but I went to the hospital. I was lucky it was a time when he was
asleep. I scratched Dief on the head and sat in his chair. I looked out
the window for a while, looking at the trees... Ok, I was looking in the
windows, waiting for Benton to wake up. Forty minutes passed and I decided
to leave, I was at the door when I heard him, 

 "Lea?" 

 I walked back over to his bed and back into his sight. "Yeah. You were
sleeping. I sat for a while, but I didn't want to wake you." 

 "I'm awake now." 

 "I noticed." I nodded. I didn't know exactly what to do, tell him how
sorry I was I failed him? 

 "You came." 

 "Thats why you're the smart one. I hear Ray comes here a lot." 

 "Yes, he does." 

 "Well, I didn't want to come when he was here, you know all that guy
stuff you guys gotta be doing. And, three is a crowd, you know that kinda
thing." 

 "You are never a crowd. Wait, I mean you are never what makes a crowd...
I mean-" 

 "I know what you mean. Thanks. So how have you been? They aren't
mistreating you, are they?" 

 "No." 

 I snap my fingers in mock dissapointment. "Darn." 

 A long while passes before either of us says anything. 

 "I'm sorry." I say, suddenly not able to look him in the eyes. 

 "You have nothing to be sorry for." 

 "I do. I.... I .... I saw you; I know you were running to be with her. I
should have stopped you. I didn't. I betrayed Ray, the force, my duty,
even you. I should have stopped you, I should have done anything other
than what I did, and now because of it Ray shot you and here you are. All
because I couldn't help you when you needed it the most...... I should
go." 

 I practically raced out of that room, hearing Fraser calling after me,
but I knew he couldn't chase me and I just ran. 

 I then didn't get as much messages from Ray, I actually got a lot from
Fraser. He asked me to come by again, just to talk. I soon caved again,
feeling I owed him a heck of a lot; the least I could do was do as he
asked. This time I wasn't as lucky, he was fully awake and looked as
though he expected me. Damn you Benton Fraser. I smiled as best as I
could. 

 "Hey." 

 "Lea, I've been thinking a lot about what you said. I've come to a
conclusion. You're a moron." 

 "Excuse me? I'm a what?" Ok, I was, and I knew it, I just didn't want him
to say it out loud. 

 "You can't be held accountable for anyone else's actions." 

 "I can be held accountable for my lack of action." 

 "Lea, no one expected you to do anything. You aren't responsible for
anything either Ray or I did. You may feel bad about not doing anything
but no one is going to blame you for anything that happened. We are too
busy blaming ourselves." 

 "Oh, so you're too busy blaming yourselves you have no time to blame me?"


 "Exactly." 

 And that was the end of any discussion on Victoria, or the events that
happened because of her. Ray and I started to talk again, and things got a
lot better. Ray told me they needed someone to help them re-build Fraser's
Dad's Cabin. Of course that turned into a disaster, it left Fraser over
Ray's shoulder, me caring all the bags, and Dief leaping through the
woods. 

 The rest of the year was odd, as usual. We got a new Inspector, who made
me stop hanging out at the 27 so much, and stopped Fraser from wearing the
uniform he liked. I of course used the defense that when I am off duty I
can liaise my head off as private citizen. She ended up giving me a
warning, while she fired Fraser. Oh, yeah. She liked him. 

 At first I can say he absolutely hated her. But then something happened,
I don't know what exactly, but she apparently warmed up to him. Warm
enough to make out on top of a moving highly explosive train. Which leads
me to my next, very scary point. 

 Apparently when Fraser was talking to no one he was actually talking to
his father. Buck accidentally told me he was seeing him too when we were
making our way to find Fraser and the Inspector. I hadn't actually seen
the dead guy, but it was freaky nonetheless. 

 But the worst part of the year was when Fraser and Ray got in that fight
over the publicity. I felt like a child in one of those ugly divorce
cases, being pushed and pulled by their father and.... well father. Not
that I look to Fraser and Ray as my fathers. Just that they were in an
argument and every time I tried to say anything both shushed me. 

 I started to get mad as well, I may be a third wheel, but this wheel has
feelings Damnit. Then we had that freaky fight thing, without seeing each
other, I guess we just knew how the other was going to respond. Then Ray
and Fraser were tied to the same bomb, while I got my own. Lucky me. I was
still tied to the two idiots that couldn't get along! 

 I can't help but love the look the Inspector gave us as we walked into
that courtroom. They finally untied me to them, which didn't help any,
cause we all still had bombs on. Of course we got out of that, because we
are alive now. 

 But on another disturbing note, Fraser got amnesia and hit on every woman
at the precinct. He even said something to the effect that it was bad he
didn't sleep with the Inspector. A bank-robbing woman, who killed her
partner, then leads you around breaking all your ties to everyone in
Chicago so you can runaway as outlaws I get. Wanting to sleep with the
Inspector I don't, at all. 

 The next year, well considering that odd is normal for us, this was extra
freakily weird. A man that looks and acts nothing like him replaced Ray.
Fraser went on a quest for the holy ray trying to prove this guy wasn't
the real Ray, and ended up actually liking the guy. Me on the other hand,
well I didn't actually like him all that much. 

 It was like he expected to be one of the gang; it took me almost a year
to warm up to Ray Vecchio and Fraser, what made him think I would just be
all buddy buddy within a few days? I didn't come by as much, and Fraser
got angry with me for not giving the new guy a shot. 

 Then he got really angry with me. I just accidentally on purpose didn't
go to Ray's birthday party. He lectured me that my not going could give up
the game, and hurt the real Ray Vecchio. I don't actually remember having
a real argument with Benton, and if they were anything like this one I
would. Even now, looking back at it, I still can't believe we screamed at
each other like that. Of course we didn't see each other for a while,
which oddly enough made Lieutenant Welsh talk to me. After that happened I
went over to Fraser's. He opened the door and was actually surprised to
see me. 

 "Hello Lea, what brings you here." 

 "Umm... Ok, I don't like fighting with you. You and Vecchio, you guys are
the only friends I have here, without you I'm alone. I'm not saying I'm
sorry, or that anyone besides me was right, I'm just saying.... God I
don't know what I'm saying. I.... I miss you. Having Ray gone is bad
enough, but being without you too, its just that much worse." 

 Fraser crossed his arms in front of himself and with one of those boyish
looks he always had said, "I know, me too." 

 "So what, we agree to be not wrong or right?" 

 "Yes. That is as long as you give Ray a chance." 

 "Ok, I'll try." 

 So then I gave Ray a shot. We never got along all that well, but we tried
at least, which seemed to please Benton. When Vecchio and I teased it was
nothing like what this Ray and I did, we went for blood. All right,
figurative blood, but blood none the less. I didn't like him, and he sure
as hell didn't like me. 

 Then I went to Vegas for vacation, when I came back, well I didn't expect
what happened to happen. I came back and I heard from Hewy and Dewy (aka
the duck boys) that Benton had died. At first I didn't know what to do. So
I did the one thing that everyone else was doing, I was going to see it
for myself. I saw him lying there, lifeless. 

 I felt so sick; I felt like I wasn't even standing there, I felt numb. I
was pushed to the back of the room where I sat in one of the empty pews.
I've never really cried. Not in front of people anyway, another survival
skill, and there I sat tear after tear just coming out silently. The last
friend I had in Chicago was gone. I've only had three friends in my entire
life. One was lying dead in the casket in front of me. 

 Frannie came running up in a wedding dress; and well, that convinced me
never to go on any vacations. Frannie was getting married? She started to
scream, then there was this gun thing then the weirdest thing happened.
Fraser just jumped up. I watched as everyone in front of me fainted. I
wished I could've fainted. I think I was too shocked by what was happening
in front of my face. 

 I got up and quickly ran out before anyone noticed me. The last thing I
needed was to be seen sitting in the back of the room bawling like a baby.
I went home and curled up in my bed. One of my worst fears just happened
that day. 

 The doorbell rang and I got up and went to see whom it was. Fraser's red
serge showed through the peephole. I guess he decided not to change from
his burial shroud. I opened the door and went to making dinner not saying
a word to him. 

 "I remember you came back today. How was your vacation?" 

 "Alright. I went to Las Vegas; saw a friend and a show. We saw a couple
of ball games, you know, the usual. I bet you boys had fun while I was
away. Well don't bother me with the details, it would probably be belching
and talking of girls anyway. You gonna stay?" 

 "Do you mind? Dief was wanting to see you after your trip." 

 "He wants the present I got him." I went over to my bag and got out the
stuffed white tiger and handed it over to the wolf. 

 "And before you start whining, yes they both signed it." I looked over to
Fraser who was shaking his head at the wolf. 

 "You didn't have to do that you know. He should get used to the fact-" 

 "Do you want your present too?" 

 "You got me something?" 

 "Well I thought you might be jealous if I got Dief something and not you.
Apparently I was right." I walked over and gave him the wrapped present.
He looked down at it and touched the wrapping paper a bit. 

 "You are going to open it, aren't you?" 

 "Yes. I just... I thought you would be too busy to buy anything-" "Ahhh.
You sir, are trying to get information out of me about my friend." 

 "I would never dream of interfering on your privacy.' I smiled a bit and
replied, 'Hnn. Well I guess you wouldn't want me to talk about him then." 

 "Its a he?" I laughed. 

 "Yeah." I went back to making dinner. 

 "So.... What is he like?" 

 "Hummm.... He likes bugs, has a doctorate in Entomology. He rides roller
coasters, and gets this twinkle in his eye whenever someone says the word
'experiment'. He also is a huge baseball fan." 

 "And.. He is..." 

 "What?" 

 "Just a friend?" I looked over at him genuinely perplexed. 

 "What would make you ask a question like that?" 

 "It was Ray's idea. I tried not to pay any attention to it, but I must
admit I'm curious to know." He looked back down at his present, playing
with the wrapping paper again. I began to make dinner again a little angry
with him. 

 "And why do you care?" 

 "You're my friend. I just... You haven't said all that much about
yourself over the years, I wanted to know more about you." 

 "You know, I know how you feel. I would like to know some information
about you. Like.... Hmmmm.... What can I ask about.... Oh, yeah. How about
why the hell didn't you tell me anything about you pretending to be dead?"


 "So that was you." 

 "Yeah, it was. You scared the crap out of me Benton! I thought you were
dead! You don't think that maybe that might be something I'd want to know
about?" 

 "I'm sorry to have scared you. My intention was to solve the case Ray and
I were on, I didn't ever expect anyone to find out about it, let alone
you. And you were on vacation. I wanted to call, but Ray said you might
be... otherwise occupied." 

 "God! If I didn't know any better I'd say you were jealous. You.... lets
just forget about it Fraser." 

 "Lea... Are you going to just leave it at that? Forget, and that's it? I
want to talk to you about who you are, who your friends are and you just
pretend you didn't hear it. God forbid one of your friends wants to
actually know you." 

 "We've known each other for years Fraser, you know who I am." 

 "I don't. I know nothing of your upbringing, your schooling, just
anything about you. You know if I was asked what your parent's names were
I wouldn't be able to answer. Or if you had any brothers and sisters. You
maybe alone, but its of your own doing. You build these walls and let no
one past them." 

 "You're one to talk! You talk at length about everything that has
happened to you so you can cover up the stuff you don't want anyone to
know. Like Victoria, and how in some deep down twisted way you loved her.
Not only that, but you knew she was going to pull you through the wringer
and a part of you wanted it, and in a really perverse dark part that you
don't want to even acknowledge you liked it. You needed it." 

 I look in his eyes and I realize exactly what I've just said. "Benton,
look I'm sorry. You're right. I put up walls. I shouldn't. I should trust
you enough to be able to say anything to you. Randy and Marge." 

 "Who..." 

 "My parents names. That is if they've avoided that whole misunderstanding
with the nice tax people. I don't have any brothers or sisters. I don't
actually ever talk to my parents. I talk to my Nanny every Sunday. I went
into the RCMP because I wanted to show them I could do something that
didn't involve money. And although it isn't the best pay in the world
that's not the reason you have a job like this in the first place. And my
friend, he's not just a friend. He's... I don't exactly know how to put
it. Is that enough for now?" 

 "Of course." 

 "So are you going to help me? You can make the salad." 

 "Alright.... How do you make salad?" 

 "Funny. Oh look, Iceberg lettuce. Have you two met before? Maybe on an
ice flow somewhere. Wait, you haven't opened your present yet." 

 "That's alright. I'll open it later." 

 "You're crazy, you know that?" 

 "Actually it is a possibility. There seems to be some incidents in the
family... well that's not important now. What is important is what exactly
are you making?" 

 "Something Ma Vecchio taught me. Don't worry, it won't kill you.... At
least I hope it doesn't. It is a possibility." 

 &#&#&&&#&&#&#&#& 

 She waits until a smile forms on her friends face before she begins to
laugh as well. 

 Time went by and partnerships were tested. The one between Kowalski and
Fraser particularly, especially when they handled a case involving pirates
and the dead men of the Robert Mackenzie. Ray punched Fraser, Fraser
punched Ray, they made up while sailing in a vessel, which was an exact
replica of the HMS Bounty. Things were certainly back to normal. 

 &#&#&#&&#&#&&#&#&&#&#&&#& 

 Then Fraser asked me to do a favor for him. Which wasn't weird at all.
The only thing that was weird about it was he said it was urgent. So I
took it very seriously. My one mission, get one dozen red roses. 

 So I grabbed a cab and went to the florist shop I knew. I was lucky to
buy the last roses he had, and grateful he kept them fresh. But once I got
outside the shop I heard an old lady screaming so I looked to see a guy
trying to steal her purse. 

 I ran after the guy, roses still in hand, and followed him through the
worst allies in Chicago. Once I caught up to him I grabbed the old lady's
purse and pulled it away from him the flowers flew over the fence and into
the street where the street cleaner ran over them. 

 "Awww fuck," I exclaimed as the man tried to squirm away from me. After
returning the purse and purse-snatcher to the right people I headed to the
closest phone booth to try to find another florist. I waited for the guy
to get done yelling, hanging up, then calling again which took about
thirty minutes. I went for the yellow pages, but once I got to the FL
section they were all torn out. 

 I decided to call information, but of course they only gave me the name
to the place I had been already. I decide my next course of action was to
get a cab, which I did, and ask for them to drive to the nearest flower
place. When I got there the guy offered me a deal, if I could get some ice
for the cooling system and bring it back within half an hour he would give
me the roses for free. 

 I took the deal, mostly because I was too stupid not to, and also I
didn't have that much money to afford it anyway. So I ran to the nearest
supermarket, which ended up being a mile and a half away and waiting in a
line with 8 people in front of me. I finally got out of there and knew I
wouldn't make it if I ran back so I spent the last of my money on a cab
back to the flower shop where I delivered the now melting ice to the happy
florist. He gave me the roses and wished me luck with my 'guy'. I was too
exhausted to refute what he had said so I left and made my way back to the
consulate which was 7 miles away. 

 As I finished the first two miles of my trek I was crossing one of the
many Chicago bridges when I saw a woman in her twenties looking like she
was going to jump. I sat next to her on the bridge, the traffic to my
back. 

 "Hey." I started, having nothing else to say. 

 "I hate my life." I wanted to ask her who doesn't, but I knew that would
get us nowhere so I kept my mouth shut. 

 "What's wrong?" 

 "You want to know what's wrong?" 

 That's when the girl went too far. She reached out and grabbed my
flowers, tore them up, then threw them in the lake. 

 "Love is what's wrong! I hate all people in love!" 

 I could only watch in horror as the flowers went floating down further
and further. That was it. I just snapped. I pulled her up by the hair and
threw her in the first taxi I saw. 

 I threw whatever I had left at the driver and said, "To reality, and step
on it!" 

 He smiled like he understood me and left. I walked off the bridge with a
sense of power, which was taken away quickly by the thought that I just
lost the flowers. Not only that, but I had no more money to buy any. 

 I walked most of the way back until I just had to sit down. It was at an
old abandoned house near the consulate where I saw it. The place was
covered with various weeds, but more importantly wildflowers. I picked
them and used my hair tie to keep them together, they weren't roses but at
least they were flowers. 

 I walked up the steps and cautiously walked into the consulate. Once I
was sure no one was there I quickly walked into Benton's office and placed
them on the desk. 

 I took the files that needed to be done and finished them in a closet
upstairs. After a couple of hours I went back downstairs and started
filing them when I heard Fraser talking to Thatcher. I put my ear to the
door and heard what they were talking about. They were talking about the
Inspector having a kid, and Fraser helping in that department. Shocked
isn't the word for what I felt, especially when she let him down by saying
she wanted to adopt. 

 For a moment I felt sorry for Benton, that of course only lasted a moment
because the next thing he said was that he found the flowers. It was bad
enough that I got flowers for the Inspector, but for him to say he found
them!! 

 He walked to his office and the Inspector went home right away, flowers
in hand. A few seconds later Fraser walked out of his office. 

 Would I be polite and just let him get over the Inspector's rejection, it
would be the decent thing to do. Screw that, I was pissed as hell. 

 "Hey Ben'in, I hope the flowers were okay, I had an accident with the
roses," I said sweetly. 

 "Ah, yes they were fine, thank you. How much do I owe you."? 

 "I really couldn't take your money." 

 "No, I insist." 

 "The only way you could ever pay me back is in blood, sweat, and tears.
Damn you Fraser!!! You know what the hell happened to me today? Then you
go and tell her you found them. YOU FOUND THEM!!!" I started to poke him
in the chest with my finger repeatedly. 

 "You do know that the conversation between the Inspector and I was
private, so anything you overheard-" 

 "Don't worry Fraser, I wont tell anyone about your rejection. Just
everyone that has a phone. Do you think I should start with A or Zed?" 

 "I really wouldn't like for you to-" 

 "Fraser, next time you want to buy flowers for a girl, don't have me pick
them up for you. I know you were born next to Santa's workshop, but you
see, here in reality you don't ask one woman to buy flowers for your
sweetheart!!!!! It's a very big faux pas." 

 "She's not my-" 

 "This is me Fraser, if you say what I think you're going to say I will
strangle you myself. I'm going home now. LOCK UP!!" I slammed the doors
and went home, my anger never cooling. 

 &#&&$&#&#&#&#&##&#&##&##&&#&##&##&# 

 Fraser stood where he had been since she started to poke him, up against
the wall, afraid to move. She always seemed to be angry at him for one
thing or another. Of course, he had only fought with her a total of maybe
four times, while his fights with both Rays seem to be every day. He
decided to write her advice in his journal, so he wouldn't ever make the
mistake again. He had been writing them ever since he started to read his
Father's. 

 Of course, she wasn't right in her accusation that Inspector Thatcher....
He had to do something, even if he had done nothing wrong. He couldn't
have this interfering with their professional relationship. 

 He was in luck, of course, because the next day everything was forgotten.
Actually, everything but the fact that he wouldn't be asking Lea to get
flowers for him. 

 That year people were beaten, interrogated, put into walls; things a
regular cop would go through. That was until there was a case involving
nerve gas. 

 That was when everyone went their separate ways. Fraser and Ray went on a
quest to find the hand of a guy named Franklin. They went with every
intention of not coming back until they had found it. It became their holy
grail, they just never realized that the more time they spent searching
for it the less it became about the hand. It became about the quest, about
a real-life adventure. That was their real reward, not some decaying, and
old, frozen hand. They may never have realized it, but Lea did. The
letters she got from Fraser proved it to her. At first he wrote every
month, but it soon became every six months. He stopped sending letters.
Every six months, Lea received two leather bound books, both hand-written
by Fraser, himself. 

 Lea stayed at the consulate for about a month before she left for Las
Vegas. She was happy there, although it was really too hot for her. She
soon adjusted and found herself quite content at her new job there. 

 Some are meant to teach. The words they say bring inspiration into young,
passionate minds. Just by speaking, they can touch something so deep
inside it gives a person goosebumps. That is why Welsh stayed where he
was. Although some of the students may have not been the brightest, he
drove them. It's what he was meant to do. And yet this man sits behind a
desk, in an office that no one had ever cleaned in the past ten years,
drinking coffee that tasted more like sludge, because some heroes are
unsung. That's the way he preferred it. He has always kept in touch with
Lea. He found that, as soon as Fraser and Kowalski left, the others
followed their example; leaving he and Lea. He knew that was the way of
life, but it broke his heart to see these people he once knew, become
strangers. He knew Brighton well enough to know she would want to keep in
contact. So over the years, they have talked and become much closer than
they were before. 

 Vecchio went off to Florida and got married to Stella Kowalski, Ray
Kowalski's ex-wife. They owned a bowling alley for about a year, then
turned it into a club that received much more revenue. Vecchio stayed in
Armani, and was happy that nothing else ever touched his skin. 

 Hewy and Dewy, aka the duck boys, opened up a comedy club. Lea and Welsh
came by every Friday night for a long time, but stopped coming by after
the duck boys didn't seem to care if they came or not. The comedy club
grew, and soon they found themselves buying another club, then another.
They ended up with seven, and all of them did really well. 

 Inspector Thatcher went up in rank and found herself in the middle of
over throws of multiple dictators. A little while later, she...
accidentally became too violent in an interrogation and found herself an
Inspector again. Not only that, but at her old job in Chicago, she went
through four deputy liaison officers the first month. 

 Renifeild Turnbull tried to run for public office, but soon found himself
run over by a bus. Francesca Vecchio decided to help him recuperate. Her
children knew him as 'Uncle Ren'. But 'Uncle Ren' turned into 'Daddy' in
about 8 months. Francesca became a cop soon after that. She says to this
day she couldn't have done it without the help of Welsh, Lea, and the
occasional encouraging letter from Fraser and Kowalski. She is now
partnered up with Elaine Besbris. Elaine turned out to be one of the
youngest to pass the detective exam, and helped her partner follow suit
nine months after her. 

 Maggie McKenzie changed her name to Fraser after she returned to the
Yukon, and was happy to finally know her real father. Although he rarely
showed himself to Benton, Bob Fraser decided to become much closer to his
daughter. Just because he was dead didn't mean he wasn't going to spend
time with his little girl. Maggie followed a case to Las Vegas and soon
found herself used to the heat. She stayed there, not a block away from
Lea. 

 People move on, it's a fact of life. But these people would soon find
that they really didn't have that option. 

End Across the Great Devide Prologue pt1 by Laurie Strode:
laurie_strode22@yahoo.ca

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