checkingfrombehind   

Standard Disclaimer: due South and it's characters belong to Alliance. I
just use them for fun. Hopefully they will return to their world unharmed
and ready for other people to play with them. 
 
 

WARNINGS: NC17 Romance 
 
 

PAIRING: Fraser & Thatcher 
 
 

Sequel to 'Ice Queen'. 

 

Special thanks to my beta Meg Fraser (Jen LG - RSY listmom). 

 

Originally posted to RedSuitsYou@onelist.com - March 2000. 
 
 Checking From Behind Icecat62 
 
 

 Thatcher stepped out of her office and looked down the hall. A small
smile made it's way to her face as she saw Fraser standing with his back
to her, talking to Turnbull. Her eyes settled on his butt. She mentally
peeled his jodpurs off, the vision of that tight pale rear with the water
from the shower running over it filled her thoughts. She shivered in
delight, remembering the feel of his skin as her fingers ran over his ass.
Fraser must have sensed her penetrating stare, because he turned to look
at her. A slow blush crept up his face as he noticed where she had been
staring. His blush deepened in color as she hungrily gazed at his crotch.
Fraser gave her a shy smile as he tucked his head down. *He may be shy,
but at least I know he can get over it with the proper stimulation.* 

 Striding down the hall toward him, she let her face mold itself back into
the consummate professional that she was. Stopping directly in front of
Fraser, she glanced at Turnbull. He was looking at her and then back to
Fraser's flushed face. He grinned, but it faded as she turned her head to
glare at him. Without breaking eye contact with Turnbull, she spoke.
"Constable Fraser, I need to see you in my office please." Her tone was
curt and dry. "Turnbull...sentry duty...now." She felt a sense of
satisfaction run through her as Turnbull cringed slightly at her words.
"Yes Sir." Turning smartly on his heal, he walked down the hall away from
them and out of the building. 

 She walked away from Fraser and headed back toward her office. She
listened to Fraser's booted heel walking directly behind her. She couldn't
resist adding an extra sway to her hips for his benefit. Sitting behind
her desk, she looked up at him. He stood stiffly at attention waiting for
her to speak. "Fraser, you can relax." He moved from his stiff stance to a
relaxed parade stance. "Fraser...I said you can relax." He gave her a
puzzled look. "I am relaxed, Sir." Pushing the hair back from her face she
gave an exasperated sigh. Fraser continued to look at her, his head cocked
to the side. "Is there something wrong?" 

 "Yes there's something wrong. I asked you to relax and you're standing
there like a cadet on review." Fraser nodded his head slightly in
agreement. "I don't mean to sound disrespectful, but if I recall after
our...contact...in the..." He cleared his throat nervously. "You requested
that we remain professional while we are on duty." She squinted slightly
as she thought. "Yes, I did say that, but we're in my office and there
isn't anyone here. You can relax." He shifted from foot to foot. "Define
relaxed." 

 She rested her head in her hands and then suddenly stood. Walking quickly
around the desk, she stood only inches from his face. "Relaxed means you
don't have to be so stiff." Grabbing him by the cross strap of his Sam
Browne, she pulled him against her. "Relaxed means we will remain
professional outside of this office, but when that door is closed you may
act as though we were off duty. Do you understand?" 

 "Yes Sir." She glared at him and tightened her grip on the leather strap.
"Understood...Meg." He smiled and leaned down to kiss the tip of her nose.
Smiling back, she reached up and pulled his head down to hers for a slow
lingering kiss. 

 Once she released him, she walked back and sat behind the desk once more.
He still stood in front of her desk at attention, but she could see by the
set of his shoulders that he was completely relaxed. *Damn that man has
great posture.* Picking a pencil up, she began to rolled it between her
fingers. "Fraser...I was wondering...would you care to come over this
evening and watch the game with me?" She found herself holding her breath.
After their locker room antics, Fraser hadn't gone home with her that
night after dinner. It was a mutual decision that it would be better if
they didn't spend the evening together. All they had ended up doing was
groping each other to death in her car before he had finally gotten enough
control over himself to go up to his apartment. Alone. It had been all she
could do that night to not leave her car and follow him. Now she anxiously
waited to see if he would accept her offer to come to her apartment,
knowing full well that their being alone together could lead to further
physical interaction. 

 "The game?" "Yes Fraser...the Leafs are playing the Blackhawks. I have
cable and thought that maybe you would like to come over this evening and
watch it with me. We could analyze their passing." His small smile told
her what she wanted to know even before he answered her. "I believe that I
could come over tonight...to study the plays." "Good. The game starts at
seven thirty-five. You can come over anytime before that." She smiled at
him before composing herself back into Inspector Thatcher. "Dismissed."
Fraser's posture immediately stiffened. "Yes Sir." Turning, he walked out
of her office, feeling 'that' stare on his backside again. 


 

 Ray Vecchio picked Fraser up from the consulate and was driving him back
to his apartment. He could see that his friend was in a good mood, but he
also knew that Fraser wouldn't tell him why. *Time to butt in.* "Hey
Benny, any reason for you being in such a great mood?" "Mood, Ray?" "Don't
play stupid with me. Yeah mood. You seem pretty happy tonight. What, did
Thatcher ask you out on a date or somethin'?" 

 Fraser's head snapped to look at him, cutting off his teasing smile. Just
as quick, Fraser looked forward once more. Once Ray recovered, he grinned
broadly, his voice incredulous. "She asked you out?! The Dragon Lady and
you are goin' on a date?" Fraser cracked his neck and didn't answer him.
Ray continued smiling as he stared at him. "You've gone out with her
before haven't you?" Fraser turned his head to look out the passenger
window. 

 Ray started laughing loudly. "You dog you!" His laughter quickly stopped
as he realized that Fraser had been hiding the fact that he and Thatcher
were involved. *Hey wait a minute!* "I can't believe you! You've been
seeing her and you never told me? Don't you trust me? Am I not your best
friend?!" Fraser turned to Ray, seeing his hurt expression. "Ray...we...I
mean Meg and I..." "Meg?!" Fraser sighed. This wasn't going very well. 

 "Meg and I have only been out together once." "Oh yeah? Where?" "At a
hockey game and dinner." "You took her to a Black Hawks game?" *Oh dear.*
"No...we play on the same team. We went out to dinner afterwards." "Wait a
minute! You 'play' hockey? Since when do you play hockey?! You don't tell
me shit!" "I'm sorry Ray, I didn't think you would be interested in
knowing that I play hockey." "I'm hurt Benny. You don't tell me anything."


 They drove in silence for a few minutes before Ray spoke again. *I'll fix
his ass.* "So how many times have you done it with her?" "Ray!" Fraser
stared open mouthed at him. Ray's eyes widened in shock. He was only going
to torment Fraser, but this bit of information was bigger than he had
expected. "Oh my God! You've had sex with her, haven't you?" Fraser turned
a bright red. "I can't believe you! You had sex with Thatcher!" Ray shook
his head and grimaced. "That is gross, Benny." 

 Fraser fidgeted in his seat, looking down at his clenched fists. "There's
nothing wrong with it Ray." "Ah ha! You admit it! You had sex with her!"
Ray began laughing as Fraser dropped his head down further. "Dear Lord."
"I wasn't really sure, but since you say you did...well you don't lie."
Ray snickered again. "So you two have finally crossed the line haven't
you?" Fraser refused to answer him. "Aw come on Benny. I happy for you
O.K.? I mean, you need someone. Why you picked Thatcher is beyond me, but
I guess everyone has different tastes." 

 Fraser closed his eyes and counted to ten. "Ray..." "O.K., I won't say
another word. Just be careful. I don't want you gettin' hurt." "She's not
going to hurt me, Ray." "Uh huh. She's your boss, she can hurt you." Ray
pulled the Riv in front of Fraser's apartment building and put it in park.
Fraser quickly opened the door and got out. "Thank you for the ride Ray."
"Aw come on Benny, don't be mad." The door closed in Ray's face. As Fraser
walked up to the building, Ray rolled the passenger window down and yelled
out to him. "Give Meg a kiss for me!" Laughing, he drove off. 


 

 Thatcher picked up a bag and pulled some magazines out. Looking around
the room, she spread them out on the coffee table by the sofa. She gazed
around her apartment. It was spotless. It was lifeless. The magazines were
all new ones that she had purchased at the grocery store on the way home.
The rooms were tastefully decorated, but it appeared as if no one lived
there. And she had to admit to herself that it was true. She didn't live
here. She existed. 

 Walking to the kitchen she began making some popcorn. *Extra butter.* For
some reason she remembered that Fraser had mentioned once that he liked
extra butter on his popcorn. As the popcorn heated up, she went back to
the living room and turned on the pregame show. Nervously looking at her
watch, she began to fidget. Fraser would be there soon. The door bell rang
startling her. *Damn it!* Taking a deep breath, she went to the door. She
ran her fingers through her hair and adjusted her sweatshirt. *Shit!
Bra...I forgot to wear a bra!* She danced slightly in place. Should she
run to the bedroom and put her bra back on or should she just forget about
it? 

 Looking through the peep hole she smiled. Fraser stood there patiently
waiting for her. She knew he would wait several minutes before he would
ring the doorbell again. Always the gentleman, he wouldn't incessantly
ring it to annoy her. *Forget the bra.* Taking another deep breath, she
opened the door. Fraser gave her a shy look and held out a small bouquet
of flowers to her. "Good evening Meg." Taking the flowers, she smell them
and ushered Fraser into the apartment. "Thank you Ben. They're beautiful."


 She watched him as he took off his leather jacket. He was dressed
casually. A pair of old faded jeans, hiking boots and a black turtleneck.
As she looked at him, she felt like purring. She could smell the warm
leather of the jacket and she could smell him, that clean woodsy smell
that was uniquely his. *Hell...he could make rags look good if he wore
them...but I'd rather see him wearing nothing.* She felt her face turning
hot as she continued staring at him. When she looked into his eyes, she
felt a wave of embarrassment. He caught her ogling him again. 

 She frowned. *What is that smell?* "Oh no!" Shoving the bouquet of
flowers in his hands, she ran to the small kitchen. The popcorn was
burning. Grabbing the pan she flung the flaming contents into the sink and
turned the water on. "Shit!" Fraser cautiously entered the kitchen. "Do
you need any help?" "Um..yes...could you put the flowers in a vase for me?
There's one in the corner cupboard." By the time he had the flowers
arranged, she had thrown out the charred remains of the popcorn and was
starting on a fresh batch. 

 She could feel him looking at her as she moved around the small space.
When she went to reach past him to get a bowl from a cabinet, he didn't
move out of her way, forcing her to brush up against him. She could feel
the heat from his body and felt herself growing warm. *Calm down Meg.
You're not seventeen.* "Um...excuse me...I just need..." Leaning against
her, Fraser reached above her head and pulled a bowl out. Handing it to
her, he gave her a small smile. She smiled in return. It looked as if the
game was already beginning in her kitchen. *Two minutes for interference,
Ben.* 

 Once the popcorn was buttered, they went back into the living room and
sat on the sofa next to each other. Grabbing the remote, she turned the
volume up. Fraser sat the bowl on the coffee table so that it was between
them. The game came on and to Thatcher's disappointment, Fraser paid more
attention to the game than he did to her. He made comments about shots and
passes as he mechanically ate the popcorn. She watched as he brought his
butter coated fingers to his mouth and popped a kernel of corn past his
lips. A sly smile came to her face. 

 "Ben...your fingers are all buttery." He ignored her and jumped in his
seat as one of the Leafs took a shot on net. She slid over so that she was
sitting against him. As he reached for the bowl again, she grabbed his
hand. He gave her a curious look as she brought his hand up to her face.
When she began to slowly suck and lick the butter off of each finger, she
smiled inwardly. He was no longer watching the game. He was holding his
breath as his eyes followed her lips and tongue. When she suckled his
index finger, he smiled. 


 

 Leaning forward, he pulled his hand from her face and kissed her
butter-flavored lips, feeling them slide against his. When her warm
velvety tongue touched his, he greedily sucked it. Thatcher pushed Fraser
away from her so that he lay back on the sofa. He gave her a questioning
look. With a wicked smile on her face, she reached down and calmly undid
his jeans. Pulling the zipper down, she reached a hand into his jeans and
grabbed his semi-erect penis. 

 "It looks like the game has gotten you a bit excited Ben." He grinned at
her, but he blushed as she pulled his length free from it's confinement.
Thatcher had a thoughtful look on her face, which was replaced by a
teasing smile. "Fraser, can you help me here?" He gave her a blank look.
She tugged at one of the belt loops on his jeans. "A little help if you
would Constable." A look of comprehension finally appeared on his face.
"Ah." 

 Lifting his hips, he pulled his jeans down to mid-thigh. Thatcher looked
exasperated as she released him and then yanked his boxers down. "That's
better." Grasping him again, she chuckled as he pushed back slightly on
the sofa. Letting her eyes run over him, she was pleased to see him
blushing again. "You know Ben...the butter on the popcorn was nice don't
you think?" He looked confused. "Yes..." 

 Taking her free hand, she held it up, looked at it, smiled at him and
then she dipped that same hand into the near empty bowl of popcorn. His
eyebrows went up as she swirled her hand in the bowl before bring it out.
The greasy shine of the butter coated her hand. Wiggling her eyebrows
suggestively, she let go of him with the one hand and replaced her hold on
his now swollen member with the buttered hand. Sliding her fingers up and
down, she let the butter coat his entire length. She took her time when
she palmed the head of his penis and rolled it around, making sure every
surface of the sensitive organ was glistening with butter. 

 Without giving him any warning, she dipped her head down and began
sucking at the tip, letting her tongue run over and under the rim of his
head. She heard his sharp intake of breath the moment she did it. Taking
her time, she began to move her mouth over him, taking him in and sucking
at him with long hot pulls as she would move away. Her head bobbed in a
slow rhythm, her hair teasingly brushed his tight stomach. When she gently
cupped his balls and softly rolled them in her hand, a low moan erupted
from deep within his throat. 

 His hands wound through her hair, gently pulling and tugging at her to
stop. She could feel him tightening beneath her lips' caress. His voice
was a strained whisper as he spoke to her. "Meg...please stop." She
ignored him and continued her lazy assault on his turgid flesh. "Meg..."
This time he didn't wait for her to answer or ignore him. Placing a hand
under her throat and on her shoulder, he pushed her away from him. She
looked into his eyes seeing what she knew he was seeing. A figure with
dark eyes, breathless with desire. 

 He pushed her back and crawled on top of her, leaning down he placed soft
kisses on her lips and throat. As they kissed, they stripped each other of
their remaining clothing. A shirt was tossed haphazardly over the sofa
arm, pants joined the magazines on the coffee table, boots clunked noisily
to the floor. Pulling back from a passionate kiss, he looked down at her
as he pushed her legs apart and settled between her. She pushed against
him, feeling the hardness between her legs that she wanted within her. 

 "Ben...do you have anything handy?" "Um...they're over in my jacket."
With an embarrassed look, she reached under the sofa and pulled a Lucky13
out and gave it to him. He smiled at her and shook his head. "Always
prepared for a sneak attack, Meg?" "I wouldn't call this a sneak attack.
It would be more like...war games." He sat up and rolled the condom on. He
moved between her legs, gently pushing against her entrance and as he slid
into her, she gave a sigh of pleasure. 

 Their coupling soon became frenzied. Hot kisses and bites were exchanged,
hands roamed over heated flesh. With each thrust of his hips, she brought
hers up to meet him. Suddenly he slowed their pace down, surprising her.
Clasping her hands above her head, he nuzzled and kissed her neck. Pulling
back, he stared down at her as he smoothly entered her warmth. She could
see his love for her which each touch of his body against hers. It was
something that she had never seen before and she welcomed it. She knew
that there would be no more empty nights alone in this apartment. 


 

 Reaching up, she took his face between her hands and drew him down for a
gentle kiss. He stiffened in her grasp and she felt him cum as he thrust
into her, with each push, she could feel his release. His look of ecstasy
was soon followed by her own as he continued moving inside her, in deep
smooth thrusts. Staring into her eyes, he smiled softly and gave her
another kiss. As he moved to pull out, the announcer's voice screamed out
from the television set. "He shoots! He scoooorresss!" Fraser slid away
from her and they both began to giggle uncontrollably. Thatcher shook her
head and gave Fraser an evil look. "I know you're thinking the same thing
that I'm thinking." He didn't answer, but he squeezed in behind her on the
sofa and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist as he laughed. "I
thought so." 

 Thatcher felt a strange feeling of contentment settle over her as they
went back to watching the game. Fraser was gently caressing her stomach.
As he kissed the back of her neck, she stretched against him. Taking a
nervous swallow and a deep breath, she blurted out a question that had
been on her mind the entire evening. "Ben...would you like to move in with
me?" He stopped kissing her neck and lay still. *Crap! I knew I shouldn't
ask him. It's too early.* He shifted a bit. "Here?" 

 Twisting around to face him she gave him an exasperated look. "Yes, you
moron! Where else do I live?" She cringed when she realized what she had
yelled at him. *Shit.* To her surprise he smiled and nodded his head yes.
"Yes, I'll move in with you. Not yes, I am a moron." She gave him a weak
smile. "Sorry." Fraser suddenly frowned and looked concerned. *He's
changing his mind already.* "Do they allow animals here?" Laughing softly
she felt herself relax. "I'm sure they'll make an allowance for you." His
low chuckle was followed by her being held tightly and hugged to his body.


 "No, I'm, talking about Diefenbaker." Feigning surprise, she began to run
her hands down his back as she spoke. "Yes, they do allow dogs. I'm sure
we can pass him off as a husky." "Meg, we can't lie..." "Do you want
Diefenbaker to be here or not?" When he didn't answer her, she smiled.
"You and your pet 'husky' will be allowed to move in." They settled back
again, but she could tell that Fraser wanted to say something else. She
sighed and touched a finger to his nose. 

 "What's wrong?" He gave her an uneasy look. "Are you certain about this?
They'll eventually find out about us in Ottawa. What will happen when that
occurs?" Laying her head on his chest she trailed a finger over a nipple,
smiling as it hardened under her touch. "I don't know what will happen.
We'll have to deal with it I guess. After all, what can they do to us that
could be worse than being posted in Chicago?" He pushed her back, to see
her grinning at him. 

 "Meg, I'm serious. This could affect your career." "I am serious." She
sighed. "I'm tired of worrying. I want to get on with my life. I can't
worry about something that I have no control over. We'll deal with it when
they question us about it." Resting her head against his shoulder, he
stiffened up again. "What now?" "It's nothing." "Fraser if you don't tell
me what's wrong..." She reached a hand down and tightly grabbed his
crotch. His answer was rapidly spit out. "I'm not looking forward to
telling Ray this news and could you please let me go." She snickered and
released him. 

 "What does Vecchio have to do with any of this?" "He figured out that we
are involved and he teased me about it this morning." "So tell him it's
none of his business what you do." "Meg, Ray is my best friend..." "Are
you moving in with him?" He looked at her and squinted. "No." "Are you
sexually involved with him?" Fraser's eyebrows shot up. "Dear Lord no!"
"Then there's no problem." "But he will..." "Ben...shut up. Ray will get
use to this. I know he doesn't exactly...like me, but he'll learn to
tolerate me." "He doesn't hate you, he just doesn't know you." 

 They settled back and watched the teams skate across the screen. Her mind
really wasn't on the game. She smiled as she thought about her current
position. She was lying naked on the sofa in her living room with her
equally naked junior officer watching a hockey game. If someone would have
told her a month ago that she would be doing this, she would have laughed
in their face. Now that it was a reality, she couldn't believe that they
hadn't done it sooner. All of those empty nights could have been like
this. She brought his hands to her face and kissed them, feeling a light
kiss placed on her neck in return. This was life at it's simplest and
best. 

 She felt another soft kiss on her neck and then her hair was brushed back
to be followed by several kisses trailed along her skin. Each kiss made
her shiver. Leaning back, she pressed against him. His lean body wrapped
itself around hers, an arm around her waist, a hand caressed a breast.
Arching against him, she let out a moan as the hand that cupped her
breast, trailed between her legs to caress her sex. Reaching back, she let
her fingers lightly stroke his cheek and when she touched his lips, he
took her fingers into his mouth and suckled them. "Ben..." 

 He continued caressing her with his lips and fingers. She tried to turn
and face him, but he held her tightly in place. He whispered in her ear.
"We don't have to rush Meg. We have all night." Another moan, louder this
time, came from her as she tightened. A finger slid into her moistness and
then pulled out, only to be replaced by two. His thumb gently rubbed
against her small pearl and she tightened again as she pushed against his
hand. Hot kisses on her shoulder and neck added to her pleasure and she
felt herself peak, the convulsions of an orgasm flowed through her. She
cried out his name and clutched at his arm to stop. 

 Panting, she tried to twist out of his grasp to face him and was once
again held in place. He held her tightly against his chest, his breath hot
against her back. She felt him slide his hardened length between her legs.
She froze as he gently pressed himself against her opening. Without even
thinking, she opened her legs further, giving him better access and he
pushed into her heat. He held her against him as he rolled his hips
against her ass. 

 She inhaled sharply as he began to thrust against her, her wetness
letting him move in and out of her with ease. This time the whisper in her
ear sent a chill down her spine. "I love you, Meggie." As he smoothly
pushed into her, she twisted her upper body so that they could kiss.
Tongues touched and lips caressed flesh. This was what she wanted. Fraser
and herself together like this. They moved against each other like they
had been lovers forever. 

 Rolling her beneath him, he held her by the hips, letting his hand caress
her back and ass. His thrusting grew more urgent as he came within her.
She could feel each pulse and throb in time with his moans. His breathing
was heavy as he continued to move into her, not stopping until she cried
out again in her own pleasure. He quickly pulled out and lay back down,
taking her into his arms. Laying her head on his chest, she smiled,
wondering what Ray Vecchio would think if he could see them now. 


 

 They curled against each other and returned to watching the game.
Thatcher grinned, a teasing tone in her voice. "I think you should go to
the penalty box." "Excuse me?" "Trigger...two minutes...checking from
behind." She snickered. Fraser's voice was tinged with laughter. "That was
not a check Meg, that was...several pushes. I wouldn't be penalized." "No,
but 'I' was penal-lized." Fraser groaned. "I never knew you had such a
sick sense of humor." "There's a lot about me that you don't know. Are you
sure you want to move in with me?" 

 She held her breath. She was joking, but she really didn't know what his
reaction would be. "Yes, I'm sure. Are you positive you want 'me' moving
in. You know as much about me as I know about you." They snuggled tighter
against each other. "Yes, I'm sure. We can get to know one another. It's a
rather unusual way to do it, but I believe it's the right way." 

 Reaching up, Fraser pulled the quilt from the back of the sofa and
covered them. Thatcher picked up the remote and turned the volume of the
television down. "We've missed most of the game Meg. I don't think our
study date has been all too successful." "I wouldn't say that. I got a lot
of personal interaction with my line mate. We did work out." She felt a
light kiss placed on her shoulder as Fraser wrapped an arm possessively
around her waist. They lay quietly together, their breathing slowing, eyes
struggling to stay open. Before the third period was over, they were fast
asleep. 


 

 When he awoke, Fraser blinked his eyes several times, trying to clear his
vision. He felt a warm body in his arms. It all came back to him. He was
with Thatcher, his commanding officer. Another thought made him smile.
This was how he would wake up from now on. Holding her in his arms,
feeling warm skin beneath his fingers. He gave her a kiss and watched as
her eyes fluttered open. A slow smile came to her face as she looked at
him. 

 "Morning Ben." "Good morning Meg." She stretched. "What time is it?"
Looking at his watch, Fraser stiffened up. "Oh dear. It's almost five." He
began to sit up, but Thatcher held him down. "Where are you going?" "I
have to get back to my apartment. Ray will be expecting me to be there. He
usually comes by around six to pick me up." 

 She shook her head and laughed. "Call him and say you already have a ride
to work." She laughed harder when Fraser gave her a shocked look. "I can't
do that. He'll know." She grinned. "He'll know what?" "You know." "No, I
don't Ben." He hesitated and then lowered his voice. She could see that he
was obviously embarrassed. "He'll know that we..." He gestured at her
naked body. 

 Thatcher gently laid a hand on his cheek. "So, he's going to know that we
had sex. I think when you move in with me, he'll be making the assumption
that we'll be doing 'this' a lot." He blushed at her comment, but he did
manage to smile. "Yes, I do believe that is highly likely that we will be
doing that." 

 She watched him as he got up from the sofa and walked out to the kitchen
to use the phone. Sitting up, she rested her chin on her arms, letting her
eyes roam slowly over his body as he punched in Vecchio's number. She
started laughing when he turned to look at her. He blushed a bright red
when he saw how she was staring appreciatively at his naked form. He
turned his body slightly, trying to hide the object that she was giving
the most attention to. He called out to her. "Meg, please stop staring at
me." 

 She stood and walked slowly toward Fraser, noticing the way he was
staring back at her as he began talking on the phone. "Hello Ray?
Yes...well...no there's nothing wrong...no...I'm fine..." Thatcher pressed
her body against his and wrapped her arms around his waist. "What Ray? Oh,
I'm sorry. Well...no you don't have to pick me up this morning. No I am
not sick." Fraser sighed and then gasped as Thatcher flicked her tongue
out and licked one of his nipples. "No...I'm fine Ray...really...yes, I'll
see you later this afternoon. Yes...fine...goodbye." 

 Fraser hung the phone up and gave Thatcher a worried look. "He knows Meg.
I can tell by the way he was laughing on the phone." Letting a hand trail
down his back, she pulled him tightly against her, clutching his ass in
her hands. "Are you going to tell him, you're moving in with me?" She
reached up and kissed him. "I...Meg...Ray will tease me to death." "It
won't be easy Ben, but it will be worth it don't you think?" Fraser hugged
her to him. "Yes it will be worth it." 


 

One month later... 


 

 "Meg! Have you seen my jersey?" Fraser was digging through the closet,
looking for his jersey and socks. The Wolves had a game in a few hours. *I
know I washed them and hung them here.* Thatcher looked into the bedroom
and grinned. All she could see was Fraser's ass and feet sticking out of
the closet as he frantically dug though it. 

 "I put them in my bag." Fraser backed out of the closet and fell to the
floor, giving her a pained look. "Meg...I've asked you not to do that.
Your equipment..." He quickly closed his mouth and reached in the closet
to grab his boots. He leaned against the bed as he laced them up, feeling
her stare at the top of his head. "What about 'my' equipment?" He
cautiously looked up and took a deep breath. "There's no way I can be nice
about this Meg. Your equipment reeks." He stood and walked to a dresser to
pull out an R.C.M.P. sweatshirt. He pulled it on or at least he tried to.
He had managed to push one arm halfway through a sleeve before his arm
stopped. He had one of Thatcher's sweatshirts. Yanking it off, he folded
it and put it back. Digging further down in the dresser he took another
sweatshirt out. He checked the tag before putting it on. While he did
this, he and Meg continued talking. 

 "What do you mean, my equipment reeks? Excuse me, but your bag isn't all
that fresh." "I'm not the one who doesn't air out their equipment after
each game. How many times have you left your things in the bag and just
pulled them out to wear the following week? When was the last time you
even bothered washing your equipment? When was the last time you washed
your jersey?!" 

 "Oh be for real Ben! Who washes their equipment?" "I do." "You would."
Fraser stared at her for a second and shook his head. "The pros have their
equipment 'and' jerseys washed after each game." She crossed her arms and
smiled smugly at him. "Might I remind you that 'we' are not
professionals." Fraser looked exasperated. "That doesn't mean we have
to...stink." "If you think I 'stink' then why don't you wash it for me?" 

 She walked out of the bedroom, hearing him follow her down the hall.
Smiling, she went to the equipment bags by the door. Unzipping her bag,
she dug through it and pulled out a wrinkled jersey and rolled up pair of
socks. She tossed them back at Fraser who managed to catch the jersey,
with the socks landing at his feet. He held the jersey up to his face and
quickly thrust it away. "Dear Lord!" She snickered. "It's not that bad." 

 Fraser gave her a dirty look as he folded the offensive smelling jersey,
snatching the socks from the floor he went to his bag and neatly packed
them in. "Please Meg...don't ever put my gear in your bag again." "Fine.
You can wash your own next season." "I'll do that. I'll wash 'all' of
'our' gear next season...after 'each' game." "I bet you will." She leaned
over and kissed him before walking over to sit on the sofa. 

 Fraser double checked his bag, making sure that he had all of his
equipment. Unlike half of the team, he had never forgotten a piece of his
equipment because of his thoroughness. He smiled when he felt her staring
at him again. He was finally getting use to the idea of Thatcher
constantly looking him over. Glancing up at her, he felt the hairs on the
back of his neck rise. Something was wrong. He got up and walked over to
the sofa, to sit beside her. 

 He could feel his chest tightening. Something really was wrong, because
now she wouldn't look at him. Taking one of her hands in his, he spoke
softly to her, afraid of what she might say. "Meg...what's wrong?" She
glanced up at him and quickly looked away. "Nothing." "It's not nothing
Meg. Something isn't right." She clasped his hand tightly. 

 "I wasn't going to tell you until after the game, but I guess you should
know. I went to the doctor earlier this week...and I have the results." He
felt himself grow cold as she spoke. She looked like she was on the verge
of crying. Every fiber in his being was on edge. What if she were sick?
What if she were going to...die? He held his breath, waiting for her to
continue speaking. 

 She turned to look him directly in the eye. "I'm four weeks pregnant. I
calculated that it occurred the night we watched the game. We didn't use
anything that second time. Anyway...I wasn't going to tell you, but I
thought I had better do it. You have to promise me, you won't play any
differently tonight." She looked at his face. He was shocked, she knew he
would be, but she also saw relief written on his handsome features. The
relief was soon replaced by a stubborn look. 

 "You're not playing." She stared back at him with her mouth open, feeling
the anger build inside of her. "What?!" "I said you're not going to play
tonight." She was too angry to see the unshed tears in his eyes. "I am so
playing tonight! How dare you say that to me! Don't you think I've thought
this over? I talked to my doctor and she said it would be all right for me
to continue playing up to my third month." *Barring complications.* Before
Fraser could respond, she continued. 

 "Tonight is our last game before playoffs. I'll be missing part of next
season because I'll be big as a house by that time. I'm playing tonight
and I'll be skating in the playoffs and there's nothing you can do about
it!" Her chest heaved with emotion. She couldn't believe that Fraser of
all people would have reacted like this. She moved to stand, only to have
him reach out and hug her tightly to him. His voice was a horse whisper. 

 "I'm so sorry Meg. I thought you were going to tell me that you..." He
held her tighter as he placed his cheek against her hair. She hugged him
back, feeling the confusion and anger slowly give way to understanding.
"You thought I was going to tell you that I was going to...die?" His nod
of yes brought a relieved laugh from her. She rubbed a hand down his back.
"No, I'm not dying." Pulling away from him, she was startled to see a tear
had tracked it's way down his face. 

 Reaching a hand out, she wiped it away with her fingers. "So you're not
upset with me being pregnant?" He gave her a shaky smile and shook his
head no. "Are you?" "I thought I would be, but I'm not. I'm ready for
this." She looked at him and smiled again. "I have been for some time." He
smiled back at her, remembering their inadvertent discussion on the matter
a few months ago. "Meg, are you sure the doctor said that it was safe for
you to play?" Brushing a hand though his hair, she looked seriously at
him. "If my doctor had told me that I couldn't play, you wouldn't see my
equipment by the door. I'm not going to take any unnecessary risks with
our baby." 

 He hugged her again, this time laughing softly. "We're going to have a
baby." Thatcher snickered. "A wolf cub." Diefenbaker who had been laying
on a chair across the room from them, lifted his head, cocking it to the
side. She started laughing at him. "No Diefenbaker. I'm not having a
wolf." Dief snorted once and curled back up. 

 They leaned back on the sofa hugging each other. Resting her head on his
shoulder she sighed. "If Ottawa doesn't know about us now, they will when
I begin filing my medical claims." "What do you think they'll do to us?"
Thatcher patted his chest. "I think we have more important things to worry
about." He placed a hand on her stomach and smiled. "I should think so."
Covering his hand with her own she snickered. 

 "Yes this is important, but I was referring to tonights game. We had
better get moving or we'll be late. I want to do some extra stretching
before I dress." As she stood, Fraser scooped her up and hugged her again.
He placed his lips against her ear, causing her to tuck her head. "Promise
me you won't get into any fights tonight." "Ben..." "Promise me." She
sighed. "I promise, I won't punch anyones lights out. You have to promise
me, you won't tell anyone that I'm pregnant. I'll make the announcement
'after' playoffs." 

 "You really should tell them." "And have Don try and bench me? No thank
you. Now could you please put me down. We have to go." The moment Thatcher
went to pick up her equipment, Fraser grabbed it from her. "What do you
think you're doing? Give me my bag back!" "You can't be lifting this."
Grabbing the straps, she yanked the bag away from him, falling to the
floor in the process. The bag lay across her chest. Fraser yelled at her,
clearly in a panic. 

 "Meg!" He heaved the bag off of her and leaned over her, his eyes wide
with concern. "Are you all right?" Shoving him back so that he landed on
his ass, Thatcher stood up and angrily grabbed the bag, throwing it across
her shoulders. "Of course I'm all right you moron! I'm pregnant, not
incapacitated!" She yanked the door open and walked out of the apartment,
leaving him sitting on the floor. Her voice yelled at him from the hall. 

 "Fraser! Come on! We're going to be late." Shaking his head he picked up
his equipment bag, seeing Diefenbaker calmly looking at him from across
the room. "Not a word out of you mister." Taking a deep breath, he picked
the keys to Meg's car off of the small table by the door. In her haste to
leave, she forgot them. He smiled knowing that she now had to wait for him
to open the trunk before she could put her bag in. 


 

 Skating across the ice, Thatcher felt the familiar thrill run through
her. The cold air, the smooth feel of the ice beneath her skates, the
sounds of pucks being hit by wood. This was where she belonged. A familiar
figure skated up along side of her. "So Rat, you ready to kick some ass?"
"When aren't I?" He tapped her in the shins with his stick and laughed.
"Yeah, you're always ready." Don gestured towards Fraser who was shooting
at the goalie. 

 "What's the matter with Trigger? He seems kinda jumpy." "Um...he's just
keyed up. You know... the playoffs and everything. He's not used to it."
"Well tell the guy to relax. He's acting kinda nuts." *Nuts?* She took a
second look at Fraser. He was shooting on net, which wasn't unusual for a
warmup, but the way he was doing it was not normal for him. Fraser always
skated in a leisurely manner, taking smooth and easy wrist shots on the
netminder. Now he was skating hard and slamming slap shots at the goalie. 

 Rolling her eyes, Thatcher skated over to stand behind him. "Ben." He
twisted around to look at her. "Calm down." He leaned down to her so that
their cages touched. "I'm trying to. It's just...I don't want anything
happening to you." "Nothing has changed. Good God, I'm only four weeks
along. It's no bigger than a lima bean. Nothings going to happen. If you
don't calm down, I'll have a little chat with Don and he'll take you off
my line. Do you understand me?" Her tone was sharp and commanding. It was
the same tone of voice that she used on him at the consulate and it got
the desired effect that she hoped for. Fraser immediately straightened up
and backed away from her, obviously irritated. She would rather have him
miffed at her, than worrying. "Understood." "Good. Now let's go win this
thing." 


 

 As soon as the puck was dropped, Thatcher could tell that this was going
to be a close game. That put her in an attack mode. She hadn't made it to
the position of Inspector in the R.C.M.P. by being a softy. She forgot all
about the consulate, Fraser and her pregnancy. Every thought centered on
getting the puck in the net. 

 Taking a pass from Fraser, she shouldered past an opposing player.
Skating to the top of the circle she let go a wicked wrist shot . Raising
a hand, she did a little dance on the blades of her skates as the twine of
the net snapped back. As she circled around the net, she felt and elbow
slam into her ribs, sending her crashing into the boards. "Son of a
bitch!" She pushed off of the boards ready to strike out at the player who
hit her. She saw who the bastard was. Kyle McDermot, the Viper's star
forward and her worst nemesis. Every game they played in always resulted
in a scuffle or two between them. Just as she reached out to punch him,
another Wolves player slammed into McDermot, sending him to the ice. 

 That same Wolves player proceeded to jump on McDermot, punching him
repeatedly in the chest and ribs. "Fraser!" Thatcher jumped on his back,
pulling with all her might on his jersey without success. She quickly
locked an arm around Fraser's neck, choking him. He stopped punching
McDermot as she pulled him backward, yelling at him. "Stop it, Ben!" She
was joined by Don, who grabbed Fraser's by the shoulder. "Knock it off
Trigger!" 

 Looking into Fraser's face she saw something she hadn't expected. Rage.
He was seething mad and out of control. Grabbing him by the front of his
jersey, she screamed in his face. "What in the hell is wrong with you?!"
His face immediately went blank and he looked dazed. She shoved him away
from Don and the downed McDermot, who was clutching his chest as he rolled
around on the ice in pain. She repeated her question as she pushed him
again. "What is wrong with you? Are you crazy? You could get suspended,
you idiot!" 

 The ref skated up to them both. "You, twenty-seven, in the box. Five
minutes for fighting, ten minute misconduct." Fraser looked at the ref and
didn't move. "I said in the box now!" Thatcher glared at the ref. "He's
going!" She grabbed Fraser by the front of the jersey, watching him look
at her hand as she pulled him forward. "What were you thinking, huh?" He
shook his head slowly. "I don't know." He stumbled into the penalty box
and sat down, giving Thatcher a confused look. "What do you mean, you
don't know? Because of you, we're shorthanded." She slammed the penalty
box door shut. Shaking her head, she skated over to Don who appeared to be
arguing with the ref. 

 "He elbowed her after the goal. You saw it was intentional. He was trying
to hurt her. He should be out of the game!" McDermot who had been helped
to his feet by a teammate skated by them, smiling as he went to the
penalty box. The ref shook his head. "Two minutes for elbowing." Don
opened his mouth and was cut off by the ref. "Would you care to join your
teammate? I could give you an unsportsmanlike penalty?" Don gave the ref a
dirty look and skated away. Thatcher followed him back to the bench. 

 They sat next to each other as the second line took the ice. They had to
take a breather before going out to kill the penalty. "You all right Rat?"
"Yes, I'm fine. He caught me off guard. Usually he hits me before I score.
He must be getting slow." She grinned at Don who started laughing. "Yeah,
you're just fine. If you were hurt, you'd be cursing his entire family." 

 Thatcher wasn't surprised when they killed off the three minutes
remaining on Fraser's penalty. They ended up juggling their lines until
Fraser's ten minutes were up. Luckily for them, it happened early in the
first period. When he finally skated out of the box and came to the bench,
the score was still one to zero. She could see the question in everyone's
eyes as Fraser made his way down the bench to sit next to her. Everyone on
the team knew that they were involved, but Fraser had never reacted like
this before. They had seen Thatcher checked into the boards and Fraser
hadn't done anything stupid like he had today. As soon as he sat down, Don
nudged him. 

 "O.K. Trigger, what's the deal? Why'd you go looney tunes on McDermot?"
Fraser looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry, it won't happen again."
"Uh...that's not an answer Trigger." "I'd rather not discuss it, thank
you." Don turned to Thatcher. "Rat?" "I'll tell you after the game." She
looked directly at Fraser. He cautiously looked at her as she stared him
down. She spoke to him in a low voice. "If you ever pull a stunt like that
again, you are 'off' the team." To her surprise, Fraser gave her a cold
look in return, stood up and made his way down the bench to stand at the
gate. *Oh no you don't!* 

 She stood and shoved her way down the bench, drawing curious looks from
her teammates. As soon as she reached Fraser, she grabbed him by the front
of the jersey and yanked him down onto the bench. "Just where do you think
you're going, Constable?" He narrowed his eyes. "We are not on duty and I
will not have you acting like this toward me." "Excuse me, but you're the
one who's acting inappropriately." He appeared to relax a bit. "I did over
react, but it was not intentional. What if he had hurt you?" He turned his
head away from her and took a deep breath. "Ben..." She sighed. "We'll
discuss this after the game, do I make myself clear?" Fraser stood and
looked down at her, his face an emotionless mask. "Yes, Sir." 

 Don yelled at them. "Hey you two, we're up!" Fraser jumped the boards
before she had a leg over. Joining the play, he took the puck and flipped
a pass to Don who let go a shot that went wide of the net. Thatcher
scrambled after the puck and saw McDermot heading straight toward her.
With a wicked grin, she ducked past his attempted check and took a shot on
net. She watched as the goalie's glove appeared out of no where and
snatched the puck out of the air. "Shit!" 

 No matter how hard they tried, the Wolves couldn't get another puck in
the net. Thankfully the Vipers couldn't score on them either. They ended
up winning the game on Thatcher's lone goal. After going through the
handshake line where she smiled sweetly at McDermot, she looked back at
Fraser as McDermot came by him in the line. He avoided shaking Fraser's
hand and cursed at him. Thatcher mumbled under her breath. "McDermot, you
are a loser." 

 As she headed toward the bench to grab her sticks, Don came up and tapped
her in the butt with his stick. "Another game winner Rat. Nice job. Now
can you tell me what Trigger's problem is? That wasn't normal." She
hesitated and then decided against telling him. "I'm sorry Don, but I
really don't want to discuss it now." Don looked her over, seeing the
tired expression on her face. "Problems on the home front?" She pursed her
lips and didn't answer him. 

 She followed Fraser off the ice and grabbed him by the jersey to stop him
from going to the locker room. Just as she was about to yell at him,
another voice yelled out. "Benny!" Ray Vecchio was walking over to them, a
big smile was on his face, but it faded as Fraser snapped at Thatcher.
"Will you stop doing that!" Fraser looked surprised at himself. He blinked
a few times before taking a step back from her. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean
to yell at you." 

 Thatcher slowly unsnapped her helmet and held Fraser's eyes with her's as
she took the helmet off. Running a hand through her sweat soaked hair, she
tried to block out the fact that Ray Vecchio and half of her team was
watching their exchange. "Ben...I'm not going to break." She took a deep
breath. "When you lived in the Territories, did the women there sit in
chairs and do nothing? What did they do?" Her tone of voice was biting and
sarcastic. 

 Ray squinted in confusion at Thatcher. Why in the hell was she talking
about women from God knows where? When she snapped at Fraser, half of the
group jumped. "Answer me!" Fraser looked down at his skates and then back
at Thatcher, a slight smile on his lips. "The women would go about their
daily tasks as if nothing had changed." "And..." "And when the time came,
they would go and have their child and resume their tasks after giving
birth only hours before." She nodded. "I believe that this is settled now.
Am I correct?" "Yes, Meg." 

 Fraser walked over to Thatcher and hugged her. Don looked at them
thoroughly confused. Ray on the other hand had his mouth open in surprise.
"Wait a minute! You're pregnant?!" Thatcher sighed and tucked her head
against Fraser's chest. Fraser smiled at Ray as he held her and Don
finally had the light bulb come on over his head. "You're having Trigger's
kid? Wait a minute! You played tonight and you're pregnant?! What in the
hell is the matter with you Rat?!" Ray looked at Don and then at Thatcher
and Fraser, mouthing the words rat and trigger with a confused look on his
face. 

 She lifted her head to see everyone staring at her in shock. With a tired
sigh, she stood up straight and gave them a defiant look. "I am 'four'
weeks pregnant. I am 'not' an invalid and I have clearance from my doctor
to play up until my third month. I 'will' be playing in the playoffs. Are
there any questions?" Ray spoke up. "Yeah. Why in the hell do they call
you two, rat and trigger?" Several players in the group snickered.
"Benny?" Fraser's face slowly turned red. "Uh...well..." Thatcher rescued
him. "He'll tell you later." 

 Ray looked from Thatcher to Fraser and then back at Thatcher again.
Fraser removed his helmet and gave everyone an embarrassed look. "I'd like
to apologize for my actions this evening. I didn't mean to lose control
like that." Don shook his head. "Hell, you had a good reason to freak out
like that..dad!" Fraser gave them a shy smile and hugged Thatcher, who
rolled her eyes. The players walked by them and patted them both on the
back, congratulating them. 

 Ray just stood there stunned. The Dragon Lady was pregnant. And Fraser
was the father. He shivered involuntarily. He knew that Fraser would make
a good father. He was good with his sister's kids. But Thatcher? He was
jolted from his thoughts by a sweat soaked pair of Mounties. "Ray, we're
going to go and get showered. Would you care to join us for dinner? We're
going out to eat with the team." Ray was amazed. "You two hang out with
them?" Fraser and Thatcher gave him confused looks. "Yes, Ray." 

 Here was another shock for Ray. The two stiff Mounties hanging out with a
bunch of loudmouthed hockey players. *Go figure.* "Sure...why
not...Trigger." Fraser turned red again and gave Ray an uneasy smile. He
watched as Thatcher and Fraser walked into the same locker room. One that
was separate from the other players. Running a hand over his head, he
smiled. Fraser would regret his invitation to ask him out to dinner. He
had a ton of questions to ask him and Thatcher. And the first one would
be...why in the hell did everyone call them rat and trigger? 


 

Visit my Francesca & Benton Website! (It has other fic too.) 

http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Satellite/3635/index.html