The Girl  

 The following is the story I wrote about the tv show " Due South". All
characters, names, titles, and all other related items are property of
Alliance and CBS. I did not create them; however, this following story is
mine. I wrote it and the main plot idea is mine. Please ask permission
before you use it for any purpose other than reading. 

 *********************************************************************** 

 The following is rated PG. There is some mild violence, and some material
that may be considered inappropriate for young children. 

 ************************************************************************
"The Girl" 

 By : Ashley Calvert 

 ************************************************************************ 

 Part One 

 The girl in the alley rummaged through her backpack, looking for the
cigarettes she was sure were in there the day before. Her back was turned
towards the road, and she didn't see the man approaching behind her. He
coughed. He was a younger guy, in his mid-twenties. He was tall and
greasy, an obviously scummy guy who was badly in need of a shave. 

 "Hey." He coughed again, grabbing the girl's attention. "Oh, hey John,"
the girl replied casually, continuing to search through her bag. 

 "So do you have it?" 

 "Look John, I still don't have your money, okay? Just leave me alone." 

 He grabbed her shoulder with a startling grasp. "What do you mean, you
don't have it? You know Tony needs it." The girl stood up and faced him
with surprising courage. 

 "Hey, I can get it to you, no problem!" John grabbed her neck with his
large hand and slung her against the wall. 

 "You said you would have it." The girl's face turned pink under the hold
of his hand. 

 "I'm telling you, I can get it to you, I just need some time." She
coughed, pretending she didn't realize he was choking her. "That's all."
The man slapped her cheek pitilessly. The girl stood rigid, not about to
cave in under fear. 

 "I need the money NOW," he growled. The girl gasped for air, then took
the man by surprise. She kicked the him in the shins, so he consequently
released his grip on her throat. Not stopping there, she took a flawless
punch at his face. He cursed at her. The girl grabbed her knapsack and ran
for the sidewalk. The man didn't hesitate or think about his actions, and
immediately pulled a pistol out from underneath his belt. He fired once,
but missed her. He recocked his gun. The girl didn't look back, just
turned out of that alley and kept on running. She didn't stop until she
reached a desolate corner, hopefully out of view. She slid down the brick
wall into a sitting position, put her face in her hands, and began to cry
softly. 


**************************************************************************


 Part Two 

 "So you and Caroline go awhile back, huh?" Ray grinned. 

 "Yes, since the seventh grade." Fraser replied. Ray gave a smiling cough
that implied that he knew Ben and Caroline had a fling. Fraser, on the
other hand, stared straight-faced at his friend, which implied that Ray
did not know what he was talking about. They both didn't say anything for
a minute. 

 "So will you help me find her?" Fraser queried. 

 "Sure, why not? Sounds like fun." Ray responded with a grin. "Great." 


**************************************************************************


 Part Three 

 "Are you sure we should try the school? I don't think we could find
anything there." Ray remarked. He took the last bite of the candy bar in
his hand, and tossed the wrapper into a nearby trash can. 

 "Well I don't see what harm it could do," Fraser replied. "I don't see
where else we have to look, unless we could find anyone who knows her." He
stopped abruptly from his steady walking pace and listened intently. "Ray-
did you hear that?" His ears perked at the sound he knew he had heard. It
was a gunshot. 

 "What?" Ray inquired, not really wanting to know. He had heard it also,
but figured it best if he didn't handle it. Fraser began to run down the
sidewalk, looking for the spot where the two gunshots had occurred. Ray
groaned, and started to jog behind him. Fraser stopped in front of an
alley, covered with walls of spray paint-designs. He saw a teenage girl,
probably around fifteen or sixteen, crouched on the ground, holding her
hand over her arm. 

 "Are you all right?" He questioned, carefully leaning over her. The girl
winced. 

 "Damn, yeah, I'm okay. Sorta." Fraser gently removed her hand from her
arm, only to discover a patch of blood trickling down her sleeve. 

 "You were shot!" He exclaimed. "Who did this?" he asked, pulling out a
handkerchief to stop the bleeding. 

 "I don't know," the girl replied, eyeing Fraser's movements. "Ow!" 

 "Sorry. I don't think this is anything major, but you should go to the
hospital to get this properly bandaged. Do you need some help?" Fraser
asked, helping her to her feet. 

 

 

 "No, I'm alright. He barely hit me." She looked into his face. "Well,
thank you." Ray, who had been watching from the sidewalk, cleared his
throat. Fraser eyed something that evidently had fallen out of the girl's
pocket, and was lying on the ground. It was an open wallet. He bent down
to pick it up, and couldn't help but notice a card almost falling out that
read "E.J. RAMIS". He handed it to her. 

 "You're E.J. Ramis?" Fraser cried, half asking, half stating. "Your aunt
asked me to look for you." E.J. readjusted her position on her arm. 

 "Did she? Well, I'll be on my way now," she said hurriedly, deciding to
try and make her way past Ray. 

 "Hold on one second," Ray said, blocking her path. "Why don't we go get
your arm patched up? C'mon, we'll talk." 


**************************************************************************


 Part Four 

 E.J. Ramis pulled her sleeve down over the medical tape that was now over
her arm. The doctor looked at her. 

 "You're lucky," she said. "That bullet barely swiped you." Yeah, lucky,
whatever, E.J. thought to herself. Fraser helped her off the examining
table. 

 "I told you it was nothing," she said to whoever was listening. "Is it
alright if I can just go home now?" she said, walking into the waiting
room. She picked up the three coats off the coat hook and handed two of
them to Ray and Fraser. 

 "Yeah, no problem." Ray said. He opened the door. 

 "Oh, Fraser," E.J. said, as if suddenly remembering something. "Can I
borrow a couple bucks? For bus fare?" Fraser pondered this question
carefully. "I ride the bus alone all the time, if that's what you're
thinking," she added. 

 "Sure." Fraser pulled three (thankfully) American bills out of his pocket
and handed them to her. 

 "Thank you kindly," she said to him. Ray stopped in his tracks. 

 "Huh?! What did you just say?" This question surprised E.J. a little. 

 "I said thank you." 

 "No, no you didn't. You said Thank you kindly." E.J. stared at him,
bewildered. "Have you two met before?" Ray asked. E.J. and Fraser looked
at each other. "Aw, forget it." 


**************************************************************************


 Part Five 

 Fraser turned another page in his book. He was sitting on his bed,
Diefenbaker loyally at his side. Dief yawned. Fraser stood up to get
himself a glass of water, but a knock came at his door. He opened it, and
found E.J. standing in front of him, staring at her feet. She wrapped her
arms around her stomach. She didn't look up at him. 

 "E.J., hi! Please, come in," he said to her. She nodded and stepped
inside. Fraser detected something was out of place. "What's wrong?" 

 "It's Caroline," she mumbled. She looked up into Ben's face. "She's
gone." 

 ***************************************************************** 

 " I mean- you know- My house was completely destroyed! It was- it was
almost *upside-down*. And it's all my fault." 

 "Oh, don't say that," Fraser comforted. "Now let's just think for
awhile." E.J. nodded. She didn't like her aunt in the least, but it was
still a little scary for her to see her home trashed like that. She still
wasn't quite sure if she should tell Ben that one of the biggest
loan-sharks in the business had been the ones to ravage her tiny house.
She decided just to talk about something else. 

 "Hey, cool dog," she said, pointing to Dief. "Thanks, he's a wolf."
Fraser paused. "How did you find me?" 

 "I saw you come in the building this morning. I just asked the tenant
what room number you were." That was partly true; she really only
remembered the Mountie hat coming out of the building, and took a risk at
asking the tenant if it was the same guy. 

 "A wolf, huh? I never saw those in pet stores." 

 "Diefenbaker saved my life awhile back." 

 "Cool." She stared at the floor. She didn't want to bring up this
question, because she felt she had no right to burden such a kind man. But
still.... "What should I do?" she said out loud. "I have no where to go."
Fraser was no idiot, and knew what she was aiming at. 

 "I suppose you could stay here," he suggested. "After all, I am close
friends with your aunt." E.J. looked at him and smiled. 

 "Thanks," she said. " Thanks a lot." 

 *********************************************************** 

 "You sleep on the *floor*?!" she sqwaked. 

 "No, not all the time." 

 "Yeah, but you actually give up your own comfy bed to a wolf!?" 

 "It's just the polite thing to do, occasionally." 

 "Whatever..." She looked down at the wolf by her side. He smiled happily.


 "Will you please excuse me for a moment? I'm going to brush my teeth,"
Ben said. E.J. nodded. Give up the bed....to a *wolf*. Still, she had seen
stranger. She looked down at Dief. 

 "I'll flip you for it," she suggested. Dief barked loudly at her. 

 *********************************************************** 

 

 Ben Fraser slept comfortably next to the bed that night. On the floor, on
the other side of the same bed, slept E.J. Ramis. 


**************************************************************************


 Part Six 

 Ray Vecchio and Ben Fraser were driving in the Riv, going to Caroline's
house to investigate. Dief, who had been sitting bored in the backseat,
found an unusual interest in something on the carpet behind Fraser's
chair. 

 "Benny..."Ray said, trying to get his attention, "Why're you so quiet
today? No story of the Inuit to be shared?" Fraser looked up. 

 "What?" he said, not really listening. 

 "Never mind." 

 "Oh, I think this is the neighborhood," Fraser said, and they made a
sharp turn. Dief continued watching, his eyes fixed firmly on the floor. 

 "Do you hear that?" Fraser asked Ray. Ray's ears perked. 

 "Yeah, I do hear something." Ray answered. They both listened carefully.
It was kind of a squeaky, gasping sound. 

 "PCHOO!" the carpet exclaimed. Both Fraser and Ray whipped around, only
to see a fifteen-year-old girl, crouching behind Fraser with her hands
holding her head down. The car came to a quick stop. E.J. slowly looked
up, and forced a smile. 

 "Um....hi?" she said quietly. 

 "What the hell are you doing in my car?!" Ray demanded, trying not to
laugh. It really wasn't that funny, yet...... 

 "My oh my!" E.J. exclaimed, pulling herself onto the backseat. "Look at
the time. Must dash." Ray hit the lock on the door, locking E.J.'s door as
well. 

 "Do you always hide in the backseats of people's cars, or is this a
first?" Fraser chuckled. 

 "I just needed a ride, that's all." Ray rolled his eyes and snickered. 

 "I had no idea it was that hard to ask." 

 "Well, then is it okay if I ride with you to my neighborhood?" 

 "No. Get out of my car." E.J. started to turn the handle on the door, but
Ray cried, "I'm joking! It's all right, I'd just appreciate it if you'd
tell me next time." E.J. nodded and got out of the car. Fraser rolled down
the window, and E.J. peered into it. "Why didn't you ask?" 

 E.J. shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know," she replied, and started to
walk away. "Thanks for the ride!" she called back. Ray and Fraser watched,
slightly bewildered. 

 "Sometimes that girl worries me," Fraser said. 

 "She downright *frightens* me," Ray replied. 


**************************************************************************


 Part Seven 

 "John, come on....why don't you have my money?" The older man said. 

 "Tony, I'm telling you the truth!" John cried. "The girl still has it."
Tony growled at him. 

 "Then go get it." 

 "I tried, I swear! She says she doesn't have it. I tried to *persuade*
her, but she hit me." Another man came up behind Tony. He pouted
sarcastically. 

 "I can't believe you got beat up by a little kid!" the man said, pointing
to John's fading black eye. 

 "Hey, shut up!" John yelled at Shawn, shoving him angrily. Shawn shoved
him back. 

 "Hey, hey, HEY!" Tony bellowed, separating the two men with himself. Both
John and Shawn stopped dead in their tracks and just glared at each other.
"Jordan, c'mere." A third man appeared next to Shawn. 

 "Yeah?" he grunted. 

 "I want you and John to find that girl. She's a pest with no money." Tony
demanded. 

 "But Tony, she's just a kid." 

 Tony's eyes burned through his. "Do you think I care? Huh?! Now go find
that rugrat!" 


**************************************************************************


 Part Eight 

 E.J. put her pen down, folded the note, and placed it on Fraser's kitchen
table. 

 #Fraser- I'm sorry that I bothered you, and I hope that you'll forget
about me. I wanted to let you know that I'm fine, I just have a lot of
stuff that needs to get done. It's just that.....I owe the Black Dragons a
lot, evidently. I'll be just fine. Thanks for everything. -E.J.# 

 *********************************************************** 

 Ben turned the key in the door to his apartment. Greeting both Ray and
Ben at the door was faithful Diefenbaker, wagging his tail. 

 "Hey, Dief! Good boy," Ray said. Dief whined in agreement. Fraser placed
his hat on the table and cocked his head at a note with his name written
across it. He unfolded it. 

 "What's that?" Ray asked. 

 "It's a note from E.J." Fraser replied. 

 "Yeah, she probably has a crush on you." Ray smiled. Fraser remained
silent as he finished reading the note. 

 "Who are the Black Dragons?" he wondered out loud. Ray groaned. 

 "Oh, no...she's not involved with them, is she?" 

 "Yes, she says that she owes them." Ray buried his face in his hands. 

 "They're a gang. A very LETHAL gang. You definitely don't want to get
mixed up with them," Ray replied. 

 

 "Why?" 

 "They're a group of loan sharks. How could she have come in contact with
them?" 

 "I don't know, Ray." Ben paused. "We have to help her." Ray gave Ben a
Look. 

 

 "No Benny, see WE don't have to do anything. YOU can report this to the
police. WE can stay out of it." 

 "I think we can help." 

 "No, I don't think we can." 

 "I think that a civilian is in danger, and it's our duty to provide aid."


 "I think WE should just stay out of all of it." 

 "Ray, this is an urgent matter!" 

 "Benny, I think for you, this is a personal matter." 

 "It most certainly is not!" Fraser protested. "I apologize, but if
someone is in danger, it is my duty to assist and protect." 

 "Yeah, yeah, Mountie's honor." Ray muttered. "I just don't want you
getting hurt, that's all." Fraser raised his eyebrows. "Not that we
haven't been through that before." "So you won't help me?" 

 "Benny....why don't you let someone else handle this? The Black Dragon's
aren't any old gang. These guys are cruel. They're vicious." 

 "I'm not going to do anything for myself. I'm doing it for E.J. And
Caroline." 

 *************************************************************************


 Part Nine 

 E.J. woke up groggily the next day. Instead of waking up to the hidden
alley she was sure she had fallen asleep in, she found herself in a
warehouse. It was familiar.... She sat straight up. She was now wide
awake, eyes wide open. She was tied by her wrists to a lead water pipe
standing vertically next to her. She recognized this place she was in. It
was the Black Dragon's desolate hideout. Her vision was blurry, and her
head ached. As she looked up and her eyesight quickly focused, an
all-too-familiar face peered into hers. 

 "Hey, Cookie! Long time no see!" Shawn grinned malevolently at her. E.J.
glared at him. 

 "Why are you doing this to me," she croaked at him. Shawn resumed pacing
back and forth again. 

 "Tony's mad, you know." 

 "What are you, the barbaric henchman?" 

 "You know you owe us money." 

 "No, my father owed you money. I don't owe you jerks anything." 

 "Hey Jordan, c'mere!" Shawn called. Jordan promptly arrived by Shawn's
side. "Go find Tony, all right?" Like an obedient dog, Jordan left again.
"You remember when you were a little kid, Elizabeth? When you almost put
the Dragons out of business?" E.J. grinded her teeth together. Being tied
up was one thing, but when someone called her Elizabeth, or heaven forbid
Elizabeth-Jane, they were just asking for trouble. She thought back to
when she was eight, when her father was found missing, just disappeared.
She remembered the police that came. She remembered telling them
everything she knew, including her father's connection with the Black
Dragon's. Her father had always told her almost everything, which is why
the Dragon's had carried a grudge for so long. And now this. 

 She knew the Chicago PD had been trying to bust the Black Dragon's for
years, but had never been able to fully prove anything. Thus the
disappearance of Robert Ramis was a total disaster. 

 "So? Aren't you still operating today?" 

 "We're in debt, Cookie." 

 "I swear to God, if you don't stop calling me that I'm gonna kick your -"


 "Listen, Elizabeth-Jane, I know you can help us." At the sound of this,
E.J. let out a low grumble. She cleared her throat and raised her head,
not giving the slightest ounce of respect towards the scumbag. 

 "Yeah? What do you want me for?" Tony walked to Shawn and E.J. He cleared
his throat. 

 "I believe you have a key to a certain safety deposit box, belonging to
your father. That box has our money, and you have the key." 

 "I know you know that, dipstick. You trashed my own home looking for it,
remember?" 

 "Where is the key?" 

 "I don't have it." E.J. said this staring him straight in the eye, not
blinking. Tony raised his hand to her, and with a swing smacked her cheek
with a strong hand. E.J. didn't flinch, just sat with her eyes fixed on
him, glaring. 

 "I can't help you, Tony, just let me go." Tony hated the mind games E.J.
was so good at. He despised them. Not wanting to control himself, he
pulled a switchblade out of his pocket and clicked it out. He held it to
her neck, but E.J. didn't budge. She sat still and calm, not moving. 

 "Dammit, kid....." He clicked the blade back in and shoved it back into
his pocket. Inside, she breathed a sigh of relief. She guessed she had
been the only person in the world to ever make Tony Benetti back down. But
she still had no idea how to get out of there- alive. 


**************************************************************************


 Part Ten 

 " All right, here we go," Elaine said. She was a friend of both Ray and
Fraser, and was a Civilian Aid. " Benetti, Anthony," she read off the
computer screen. " Hmm....he was arrested 15 years ago for attempted
murder, and also charged with breaking, entering, and theft. Nice fella."
Fraser looked down over her shoulder. 

 

 "I'm just trying to find the position of the Black Dragon's central
locale," he informed her. 

 "Do you remember the Robert Ramis case eight years ago?" 

 

 "No, what was that?" 

 "A famous lawyer wound up missing; his body was never found, but he was
presumed dead. Benetti was thought to be involved because the police found
evidence that Ramis owed him thousands of dollars." Elaine told him.
#Ramis.....that must have been E.J.'s father that disappeared#, Fraser
thought to himself. That explained a lot. 

 "Can you please see if you could find anyone who might know him?" 

 "Sure," Elaine replied, clicking away at her keyboard. "Here's something
you might be able to use," she said. "The case file. It should have the
names of everyone involved with the Robert Ramis disappearance, and a
couple people who know Benetti. The man definitely has friends." 

 "Great! Thank you kindly, Elaine." 


**************************************************************************


 Part Eleven 

 Fraser looked along the outside area of the old warehouse, looking for an
inconspicuous way in. Going around the back he found two empty dumpsters,
next to a window without any glass. He carefully peered through the
window, but all he could see was boxes, obstructing his view. He noticed
these small boxes were standing on metal shelves, leaning against the
window. He cautiously pushed two stacks of boxes to the side to see more
easily. Now that he could observe the inside, he took note of two men,
talking with each other at the far end of the building. He looked around,
but he could not see E.J. The two men stopped talking briefly, then walked
away. Taking advantage of the situation, Fraser slid through the small
window, and instantly got down on the ground to make sure that no one
would see him. After confirming this, he commenced his search. 

 There were stray boxes everywhere, providing good cover for Fraser to
duck behind. He eventually made his way to the front of the building,
where he saw E.J. She was asleep, leaning against the pole that her hands
were tied to. He was about to go over to her, but an older man, slightly
older than Fraser walked by. Fraser crouched behind a large crate until
the man was out of sight. Fraser quickly walked to E.J. and kneeled next
to her. Before he had the chance to wake her, she whispered at him without
even opening her eyes, "Get out of here Fraser, they're gonna see you." 

 "Trust me, the coast is clear." he whispered back. She opened her eyes.
They expressed slight fear and anxiety, but she smiled at him. She was
glad he came, anyway. 

 "I'm going to get you out of here," he murmured quietly. 

 "I have a knife in my back pocket," she told him. Fraser retrieved it and
opened it up. "How did you find me?" she asked him as he began to saw
through the knot. Before he could open his mouth, Shawn walked across the
grated flooring on the rafters above. Fraser ducked under a pile of nearby
boxes until he passed. 

 "It's quite a long story," he whispered as he resumed slicing away at the
thinning rope. The rope broke, releasing the girl. She rubbed her sore
wrists, and Fraser closed up the knife and handed it back to her. They
stood up. 

 "Come on, let's just get the hell out of here," she said in a low voice.
Fraser nodded and took a step to lead the way out. "Hey, do you hear
that?" Fraser stopped in his tracks and listened intently. 

 "I think the police have arrived," Fraser commented. 

 "How'd they know something was wrong...?" E.J. thought to herself. "Well,
forget it. Let's go find them!" she whispered. She moved toward the front
way out. 

 "We can't go out that way. We'll be seen." Fraser remarked. "We have to
try and get out the back way." E.J. nodded in agreement. 

 "Lead on," she told him softly. Fraser began hopping from box to crate,
carefully concealing himself and E.J. The familiar metal shelves were
about thirty yards away, and Fraser slowed his pace as he checked the area
to make sure it was clear. He turned around to face the girl. 

 "Do you still-" Fraser was interrupted by a man holding a gun to his
neck. He took Fraser by surprise and threw his arm over Fraser's
shoulder's. 

 "E.J., *run!*" Fraser cried out. E.J. took off in a run. 

 The man who was holding Fraser in his grasp called out, "SHAWN!"
Immediately, Shawn grabbed his gun and fired at the girl. E.J. stopped
running, choked out a startled cry, and collapsed. 

 "No!" Fraser shouted. His cheeks burned. He elbowed the man behind him in
the stomach with a startling blow, kneed him in the chest, and punched him
out. Shawn hopped down off the stair he was standing on and pointed his
gun at Fraser. 

 "Nice try," he muttered. He cocked his gun. Shawn felt how great it was
going to be, now that all the Dragon's problems would be solved. He smiled
on this as he wrapped his finger around the trigger. 

 

 "Not so fast." Ray Vecchio held his gun to the man's neck. "Gimme the
gun." Shawn groaned in disbelief, but without turning around he handed Ray
the gun. "You all right?" he asked Benny. Fraser nodded. 

 "But, E.J...." he spoke softly. Walking past his friend, he slowly passed
a couple other police officers to get to E.J. She rolled over and stood
up. Fraser, startled, jumped a bit. 

 

 "If you play possum, they stop shooting every time." She grinned at
Fraser. 


**************************************************************************


 Epilogue 

 Outside of the warehouse stood about five or six police cars, all with
officers assisting in the arrest of Tony Benetti, John Cameron, and all of
the other Black Dragons. E.J. watched from the side, leaning against the
wall of the warehouse. 

 "Nice job, kid," Ray said to E.J., walking to where she and Fraser were
standing. 

 "Wasn't me," she smiled, looking at Fraser. "I only got them to stop
shooting." Fraser smiled. 

 "Ray," he began, "how did you know to come?" 

 Ray grinned. "I can't leave you alone for a second,"he laughed. "Elaine
told me where you were headed." 

 Fraser blushed. He looked at Ray, but something in the background caught
his attention. Fraser looked past Ray, where he saw a familiar looking
face leaving the building. It was a woman being escorted by an officer.
Fraser squinted, then walked past Ray and E.J. to her. They both turned
around to see where he was going. 

 "Who's that?" Ray asked to no one in particular. E.J. laughed. 

 "Huh! That's my aunt!" she said. Ray grinned. 

 "I knew it." 


**************************************************************************
*** 

 The End