From: "Amanda A   

Title: "To Protect and Serve"
 Author: Amanda A. Tikkanen
 Rating: G
 Pairings: None
 Spoilers:If you know Fraser has Dief and they are in Chicago, you're
golden.
 Teaser: Dief's everybody's friend. We'd like to keep him around for a
 while.
 Disclaimer: Not mine. All Recognizable characters belong to Alliance
 Entertainment and Paul Haggis.
 Authors note: No Beta. Sorry. All things that look like typos and errors
 are not. They were lovingly placed for your amusement. This came to me
 suddenly while looking for K-9 info. Thanks to Sher, Jim and Deb for the
 help titling this thing. Feedback is greatly appreciated at
 atikkane@online.emich.edu or uberpest@hotmail.com.
 
 Dedication: To King, Callahan, Caesar, Sabre, Charlie, Ismar, Rondo,
Ralph,
 Kai, Copper, Ajax, Laser, Rocky and all the K-9s and Police Service Dogs
who
 serve us every day for little more than a little more than a bowl of
kibble
 and a pat on the head. Especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice
for
 our safety. We salute you.
 
 *~*~*~*~*~
 "No, Fraser, you've got to keep the blindfold on, it's a surprise,"
 Detective Ray Vecchio led his unofficial RCMP partner through the bullpen
of
 the 27th precinct by a wrist.
 
 "I don't understand, Ray. What's going on?" Fraser asked. He tried to
 figure out the situation on his own, categorizing every sound, every
smell
 that came to him. The rustle of papers on Elaine's desk, the squeak of a
 chair long in need of replacement, dog nails on the floor. Stale coffee,
 old take-out boxes, dogs. Dogs in the plural. One was Dief, the others
were
 a trio of German Shepherds.
 
 Something was afoot. And the Precinct's K-9 division was involved
somehow.
 
 "Ray, what are you up to?"
 
 "You'll see," Ray responded, then aside to someone else, "Ready?" Someone
 mumbled an affirmative and ray pulled the blindfold from Ben's eyes.
 
 Ben winced slightly at the intensity of the overhead lights. Once his
eyes
 refocused he noticed Ruffus, Margo, Rebel and their handlers, the
 K-9's. Joining them was his own canine partner, Diefenbaker. In front of
 Dief was a package, obviously containing a garment of some type.
 
 The tag read "To Fraser and Diefenbaker. From all of your friends"
 
 "What's this all about?"
 
 "Open the present and find out," Ray answered without actually providing
any
 information.
 
 Ben squatted to Dief who was already nosing at the package. "What do you
 think it is anyway?"
 
 Dief yipped and wagged his tail. He wanted to know what it was too. Only
 he couldn't open it.
 
 Fraser carefully removed the paper wrappings to reveal a jacket. It was
 much like the one he used for his sled dogs when on the trail and it was
 deeply cold. The difference was this jacket was made of ballistic nylon--
a
 canine bulletproof vest.
 
 Fraser didn't speak for a minute, so Ray spoke up.
 
 "We suddenly realized Dief was the only one on the crew without a flack
 jacket."
 
 "But, Ray, he's not on your force. He's not even a Canadian Police
Service
 dog. He's the wrong breed. They won't let him be official."
 
 "So, he still needs a jacket. So we got him one."
 
 "You got the department to pay for a dog that isn't even your dog?"
 
 "Nope. We figured the RCMP wouldn't front the cash and we weren't
allowed.
 So, since we all like Dief so much, we took a collection and got him his
 own. I mean we had to. We know how much he means to you. And all of us.
 We couldn't lose him. He's one of our own."
 
 Ray looked closely at Fraser, and noticed something slightly out of the
 ordinary with Fraser's face.
 
 His eyes were lined with red; on the verge of tears.
 
 "You okay buddy?"
 
 "Yes, Ray."
 
 Ben patted Dief on the head. Looking around at all the others there he
saw
 how much his friendship meant to the others. Wiping a tear from the
corner
 of his eye he spoke.
 
 "Thank you."
 
 *~*~*~*~*~
 
 The end.