Ben and Ray's Excellent Adventure   Ben and Ray's Excellent Adventure
 
 It wasn't very late, but Ray was tired... It was only three days since
he'd left Detroit, and it seemed like he'd no sooner set foot in Chicago,
than he'd been whisked away from his family, friends and colleagues and
put on a plane, and then... Well, he was tired. A huge, jaw-cracking yawn
forced its way out of him.
 
 His companion smiled at him. "Perhaps you should get some sleep, Ray."
 
 "Well, maybe." Ray leaned confidentially towards Ben, keeping his voice
low. "Ya know Benny, when I was undercover, I dreamed about this..."
 
 "You did?" Ben looked pleased, but also a little surprised.
 
 "Sure." Ray's arm swept a wide arc, indicating their idyllic
surroundings. "Being out here, miles away from anyone... the stars, the
campfire..." He leaned a little closer. "You. Me. One sleeping bag."
 
 He was pleased to notice that the pale cheek so close to his lips 
 flushed a little. He nibbled experimentally on a conveniently located
earlobe.
 
 "I'm glad." Ben spoke in a hushed whisper and turned his head so their
lips almost touched.
 
 Ray smiled possessively. "There's just one thing, Benny..."
 
 "Yes, Ray?" The Mountie's eyes were almost closed, his lips parted
expectantly.
 
 Ray sighed. "Isn't he going to cramp our style a bit?"
 
 Ben's eyes flew open. They both turned to look at Constable Renfield
Turnbull, sleeping innocently on the other side of the campfire. "Oh! 
 Yes... I suppose he will."
 
 "Why is he here, Benny?" Ray's voice was almost unnaturally patient.
 
 Ben looked at him in faint surprise. "I told you why, Ray. For
protection."
 
 "Who the hell does he need protection from?"
 
 "No, no..." Ben hesitated slightly. "Turnbull's here to help me protect
you." 
 
 Ray choked. "Are you crazy? We don't need him here. We can send him back
in the morning."
 
 But the Mountie was adamant. "Ray, not all of the men you investigated
were arrested. Some of them may come after you, and since Lt Welsh
couldn't spare anyone to help, Turnbull volunteered to assist me in
protecting you. It was very generous of him. He took leave to come with
us, you know."
 
 "Is that why you got me out of Chicago so fast my head's still spinning?"

 
 "Well, yes. And also..." Ben looked a bit doubtful... "ah... never
mind... The important thing is, that you could still be in danger, until
the last of those criminals are rounded up."
 
 "Benny..." Ray's voice was pleading.
 
 "No, Ray. I'm sorey."
 
 Ray glowered. "Well, goodnight then." He crawled into his sleeping bag,
still fully dressed, and turned his back on his lover.
 
 *
 
 Breakfast was a very silent affair. Ray was blatantly sulking. Ben was
too busy pouting to be able to talk much. And Turnbull, after two years as
Meg Thatcher's undermost underling, had developed the kind of survival
instincts usually associated with small furry rodents. He did his best to
blend into the background. Even the campfire seemed so be trying to skulk
under the wood it was supposed to be consuming. Dief watched it all with
some anxiety.
 
 He was beginning to regret his decision to go undercover with Ray. True,
he'd decided that Ray would need him more than Fraser, but it was obvious
the young cousin who'd temporarily taken his place had not had enough
experience in the care and maintenance of humans... And this was the
result. His two packmates were totally ignoring each other's existence.
Well, he'd just have to do something about that. He whined softly under
his breath.
 
 It wasn't really Dief's fault... the whine was pitched so softly that
nobody, least of all himself, could hear it. But every time he whined, the
irritation level around the campfire went up a notch until the coffee
wasn't the only thing that was simmering.
 
 Finally Ray's patience, never very robust in the first place, snapped.
 
 "So, what are we gonna do? Sit around here for three weeks?"
 
 Ben looked at him dubiously. "Well, Ray..."
 
 "...coz I gotta tell ya Frasier, this place is really boring."
 
 "Well, yes, Ray... but..."
 
 "And I don't wanna go tramping all over the place." Ray folded his arms
rather militantly and leaned back a bit.
 
 Ben sighed. "I had thought..."
 
 "I dunno why we can't just check into a nice motel somewhere quiet." 
 Ray almost growled the words. "And he..." He threw a glare in Turnbull's
direction... "...can go home."
 
 Turnbull shrank in on himself a little and said nothing. Ben cast a
reproachful glance at Ray.
 
 "Now, Ray... I told you why..."
 
 Ray muttered darkly and popped a stick of gum into his mouth. Ben opened
his mouth to comment and thought better of it.
 
 "Another coffee, Ray?"
 
 "No. Just tell me what we're gonna do." Ray heaved a long-suffering sigh.
 
 Ben brightened. This couldn't fail to interest Ray. "Well, Ray, 
 there's an Inuit story..."
 
 Ray groaned dramatically and toppled over backwards.
 
 *
 
 "...and then the hunters..."
 
 Ray immediately tuned out again. The hunters were boring. And stupid. The
Raven was running rings around them and they were too dumb even to notice.
 
 In spite of himself, Ray was beginning to enjoy this trip. The sun was
shining, but it wasn't too hot. The air was fresh, and he wasn't having to
pretend to be some scumbag mobster. He watched Benny's butt as they walked
single file down the almost invisible track and decided that there were
compensations to being stuck out in the wilderness.
 
 Ben stopped suddenly and Ray almost ran into him. Ben glanced back over
his shoulder and they exchanged smiles before Ray remembered that he was
supposed to be sulking.
 
 "Yeah, what?"
 
 Ben smiled again. "I thought we could stop here for lunch, Ray."
 
 'Here' proved to be a small clearing on the banks of a tiny stream they'd
already crossed half a dozen times as it meandered around the countryside.
It was perfect for a romantic picnic, except for the presence of Turnbull,
still mostly silent, behind him. Ray shrugged the backpack off his
shoulders, dropped to the ground, and lay with his eyes closed while the
other two men bustled around organising lunch. He fell asleep.
 
 A gentle kiss on his lips woke him. Ray opened his eyes and smiled up
into Ben's face. "Hello, handsome prince."
 
 "And you're Sleeping Beauty?" Ben's eyes crinkled slightly at the
corners.
 
 Ray smiled smugly, then yawned. "Where's Turnbull?"
 
 "Gathering berries. Dief's gone with him." Ben's voice was suspiciously
innocent.
 
 Ray frowned slightly. "Isn't it the wrong time of year for berries?"
 
 "Oh! Well, I suppose they'll be gone for a while, then." Ben leaned down
for another kiss. His tongue probed delicately, then pulled back
hurriedly. "Ray, why are you chewing nicotine based gum?"
 
 *
 
 This time it was Constable Fraser who was sulking. Turnbull hunched his
shoulders and tried to keep as much of a distance as possible, given that
the clearing was only a couple of metres across. This wasn't at all what
he'd expected when he'd volunteered to help Constable Fraser and his
friend. Nor had he really expected to find out exactly how friendly the
pair actually were. When they weren't fighting...
 
 Constable Fraser was telling one of his incredibly long-winded and
pointless Inuit stories, totally ignoring the fact that Detective Vecchio
wasn't taking the slightest bit of notice. It was the same one he'd
started this morning, and it was beginning to look like it was going to
last all day. Something about a party of hunters getting lost, or losing
something...
 
 The wolf was watching him intently. Turnbull hurriedly gave it the last
piece of his sandwich. He hadn't found any berries, and rather suspected
he'd been sent on a wild goose chase. If it hadn't been for the fact that
he'd come back to find his two companions fully dressed and not speaking
to each other, he would have been absolutely sure of it. It really was too
bad. If Constable Fraser was that way inclined, he could have done much
better than to get involved with Detective Vecchio... there was always
himself, for example... younger, Canadian, a fellow Mountie, and much more
handsome... gosh, there was no accounting for taste!
 
 *
 
 It was only mid afternoon, but Ben decided it was time to call a brief
halt. Ray was looking quite tired, and it was only their first full day
out, after all. There was plenty of time to do what they had to... and
even if they didn't, well, that didn't really matter, it was all just an
excuse to get Ray out of Chicago. He was beginning to feel worried about
Ray, he was really very moody. Probably because of that nicotine gum. He'd
been shocked, really, to discover that Ray had taken up smoking. It had
been necessary, of course, while he was undercover. Ben just hoped he'd be
able to give it up as quickly as possible.
 
 "...so the Raven said to the hunters... Ray did you hear anything just
then?"
 
 "Yeah. I heard you telling some stupid Inuit story." 
 
 Ben caught his arm. "No, no... something in the undergrowth." 
 
 "Where?" Suddenly, Ray had a gun in his hand. Then he realised Ben and
Turnbull were staring at him. "What? You never seen a gun before?"
 
 Turnbull looked away hurriedly. 
 
 Ben looked reproving. "Ray, is that legal?"
 
 "Of course it isn't legal! So what? Do you think I'm gonna come out here
without a gun? After last time?" Ray glared menacingly at him.
 
 Ben backed off hurriedly. It was obviously time to be soothing. "Well...
I suppose it's all right... Oh my, look at the angle of the sun. It'll be
dark in a few hours, we'd better get camp set up."
 
 It took about half an hour to set up camp, even with Ray spending most of
the time staring suspiciously into the bush around them and jumping at
even the slightest sound. All through the process, Ben kept up his story,
hoping the sound of his voice would soothe Ray, even though it seemed to
be having just the opposite effect.
 
 "...the hunters were very upset, and cried out to Amaroq..."
 
 Ray interrupted, not for the first time... "The Virgin Mary? Benny, what
the hell is a bunch of Inuits doing with a statue of the Virgin Mary?"
 
 Well, at least that proved he was listening. "Well, Ray, a number of
Inuit are Catholics. There was a lot of missionary activity in the north
in the Eighteenth Century, you know."
 
 "No, I didn't know. What do I care about missionaries? Or Canadians, for
that matter."
 
 Ben tried not to feel hurt. It didn't help when he intercepted a
sympathetic look from Turnbull. Oh dear... were they being that obvious? A
silence fell over the small clearing as Ben wondered whether he should
build a campfire and start some coffee for Ray. Although considering how
hyper Ray was getting, camomile tea might be a more appropriate
beverage... except that Ray might get violent if he was forced to drink
it. Perhaps he should just confiscate that gum. He decided, morosely, that
the risk of violence would be even higher if he did that.
 
 The strained silence was beginning to get on his nerves. Up until now,
he'd never really thought he had nerves, but they were there all right,
and becoming dangerously stretched. 
 
 He stood abruptly. "I think I'll just go and find that stream. It can't
be far away, and we'll need some water." 
 
 As he'd expected, it was only a ten minute walk from the campsite. Ben
filled the water flasks and straightened, stretching the kinks out of his
back. It was a lovely spot, one of many tiny clearings they'd come across
on their travels. He wondered whether it was worth trying to convince Ray
to come for a walk. Perhaps a little time alone together....
 
 A twig snapped quietly on the other side of the clearing, and a familiar
footfall alerted Ben to Ray's presence behind him. He didn't turn. After a
moment warm lips brushed across the nape of his neck. Then a sigh gusted
hot breath where the lips had touched.
 
 "Aw... Benny... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be like that. I'm just a bit
on edge, ya know?"
 
 Ben turned and enveloped Ray in a huge hug. He felt too tense, too thin.
This time Ben didn't draw back from the kiss. There were worse things in
life than kissing a nicotine flavoured Ray... like not kissing him at all.
When it ended, they clung together, while Ben slowly covered Ray's face
and neck with gentle kisses. He began to feel that helpless, lost feeling
he always got at moments like this. When he was with Ray. At first it had
bothered him, but he'd learned to welcome it.
 
 Ray sighed again and leaned tiredly against him while Ben stroked the
back of his neck slowly. 
 
 "You need to relax a little, love."
 
 Ray laughed softly. "Yeah? Why don't we just lie down for a while?"
 
 Ben smiled. It was good to have the old Ray back for a moment. "Why not?"
 
 "Well... it might not be such a good idea. I haven't got anything on
me... they're all back at the campsite."
 
 Ben reached into his back pocket and pulled out a slim foil-wrapped
packet. He held it up between his fingers and smiled that demure little
smile that always drove Ray crazy with lust. After that, words seemed a
bit superfluous.
 
 *
 
 They'd been gone an awful long time. Turnbull had a pretty good idea why
that might be, but still... what if there really was someone following
them? It was his duty to make sure Constable Fraser and Detective Vecchio
were safe. Once he'd come to that decision, there was no turning back. If
the situation turned out to be what he thought it was, he could always
make a discreet retreat.
 
 It was ridiculously easy to follow their trail. Detective Vecchio had
even dropped a pack of that gum he was always chewing. Conscientiously,
Turnbull picked it up and dropped it into his shirt pocket. A moment later
he slipped between a couple of bushes and found himself on the 
 edge of a small clearing. He gulped.
 
 Oh golly... he hadn't really expected that. Obviously, his imagination
wasn't sufficient to encompass every possibility. Turnbull stared
mesmerised at the two bodies, one milk pale, the other a rich olive,
entwined very intimately together. As he watched, Detective Vecchio drew
back and Constable Fraser... oh dear... rolled a condom onto... oh! He
averted his eyes hurriedly.
 
 Unfortunately, it wasn't possible to close his ears to the quiet sounds
coming from the other side of the clearing. His heart pounding, Turnbull
took a quiet step back and sank down behind a bush. Now the two figures
were even more intimately entwined than before... absent-mindedly,
Turnbull unwrapped a stick of gum and popped it into his mouth.
 
 *
 
 Next morning, as they were breaking camp, Ben was frowning. It had been a
wonderful night... he and Ray had laid their sleeping bags side by side
and, as soon as Turnbull had begun to snore softly, they'd moved together
and cuddled all night. Ray's head had still been resting on his shoulder
when he woke. No, it was Turnbull who had prompted the frown. He wasn't
behaving normally. Even though Ben was of the opinion that the words
'normal' and 'Turnbull' didn't belong in the same sentence, this was
unusual even for him. If he didn't know better, he would think that
Turnbull was sulking.
 
 "Hey, Benny! You never finished that Inuit story yesterday." Ray was
certainly in a good mood this morning.
 
 Ben smiled coyly. "I must have got distracted Ray. Do you want to hear
the rest of it?"
 
 "Yeah, why not?" 
 
 Turnbull brushed past them with a muttered "excuse me" and led the way
out of the campsite.
 
 They looked at each other, then shrugged. 
 
 "Well, Ray... where was I?"
 
 Ray frowned. "Uh... something about that statue. And that guy...
Ama-something."
 
 "Oh, yes. The hunters cried out to Amaroq, but the Spirit of the Wolf was
offended, and turned away from them... After you, Ray."
 
 *
 
 When they stopped for lunch, even Ben had to admit they were lost.
Allowing Turnbull to take the lead had been a mistake. Ray munched
unenthusiastically on a muesli bar and peered over Ben's shoulder at the
map. It was all a bunch of meaningless squiggles as far as he was
concerned. And Benny was going to use this map to find a lost statue of
the Virgin? What a joke.
 
 "What's that?" He pointed at a black dot.
 
 Ben looked back over his shoulder with a smile. "It's a town, Ray."
 
 "Runamukluk?"
 
 "No, that's just silly, Ray." Ben giggled slightly. "It's Tsiigehtchic."
 
 "Oh... of course." Ray grinned. "Why didn't I think of that? Can we go
there? Maybe get a coupla steaks?"
 
 "Well..." Ben frowned doubtfully. "We really ought to avoid any populated
centres, Ray."
 
 Ray briefly considered sulking, but he was just feeling too happy. "You
could go into town and I could wait for you..." He let his voice trail off
hopefully.
 
 Ben began to fold the map up. "We won't get there until the day after
tomorrow. Not at the rate we're moving. I'll think about it."
 
 "I'd like to go there." 
 
 They both jumped. It was almost as surprising as if one of the trees had
spoken. 
 
 Turnbull flushed. "Well, I would." His bottom lip stuck out.
 
 Definitely sulking. Ben and Ray exchanged significant looks.
 
 *
 
 Ben chased Ray between the trees and caught up with him less than twenty
metres from their campsite. He pushed him up against the nearest tree and
claimed Ray's forfeit. He was almost getting used to the taste of that
gum. 
 
 After only two days, Ray was already starting to relax a little. Of
course it helped that they were able to get away by themselves for a while
every afternoon and just ...enjoy themselves... Like now. He was brought
back to reality with a jolt, when something struck his shoulder, dousing
him with wetness. 
 
 Ray's reactions must be catching... they were both behind the nearest
bush before Ben had time to gather his scattered wits. Ray checked him
over anxiously, but he already knew he wasn't hurt. Ray lifted something
off his shoulder and held it out to him. The shredded remains of a very
wet condom.
 
 A small round object flew through the air and landed near his left foot
in another burst of wetness. Ben looked at Ray in bewilderment. A rustling
in the bushes indicated their attacker's presence. It had to be Turnbull,
who else would do this?
 
 "Turnbull. Stop this immediately!"
 
 A giggle came from the bush. "No! I won't. You can't make me!" 
 
 Ben frowned. "Constable, that's an order!"
 
 "You can't give me orders. I'm on holiday. So there!"
 
 Ray tugged at his sleeve. "He's got you there, Benny. Let him have his
fun."
 
 "But Ray..." Ben blushed. "He might destroy all our... ah... supplies."
 
 Ray grinned. "Nah. Believe me, Benny, his arm'll get tired before that
happens. Or he'll run out of water."
 
 Ben turned to stare at him, his eyebrows shooting up. He wondered how
many condoms Ray had brought with him. At that moment a surprisingly
well-aimed condom hit the side of Ray's head with a soggy splat.
 
 Ben kept a straight face. "You go to the right, Ray, and I'll go left."
 
 "You got it."
 
 Once he realised they were trying a pincer movement on him, Turnbull fled
precipitately, with Ben and Ray in hot pursuit. He didn't have much of a
start on them, but panic must have lent him speed... they were almost at
the campsite before Ben managed to capture him with a flying tackle. 
 
 It didn't end there. Turnbull continued to struggle, until he'd wriggled
around to face Ben. He flung an arm around his attacker's neck and Ben
found himself being thoroughly Frenched. Outraged, Ben pushed him away and
stood up, his face considerably flushed, to meet Ray's remarkably tolerant
gaze. Turnbull lay on the ground giggling happily.
 
 Ray grinned sardonically. "You got something ya wanna tell me, Benny?"
 
 Ben cleared his throat and grimaced. "Yes, Ray. It appears that Turnbull
has been, ah... borrowing from your supply of gum."
 
 "He's WHAT?!" Ray's face darkened alarmingly. 
 
 Ben grabbed him as he lunged forward.
 
 *
 
 They didn't make good time the following day. By late afternoon they were
still at least an hour's walk from Tsiigehtchic, by Ben's estimation, and
it had been a particularly annoying day. Both Ray and Turnbull were by
turns jittery and surly, and liable to snap at him if he so much as tried
to tell a little Inuit story to pass the time. It seemed as though one of
them heard something in the undergrowth every ten minutes or so and Ray
had had to be restrained from firing into the surrounding bushes on
several occasions. At this rate, Dief would be lucky to survive the
journey. 
 
 Ben decided to call a halt. They could continue into Tsiigehtchic
tomorrow and make an easy day of it. They set up the campsite without much
difficulty, though neither of his companions really had their minds on the
job. Ben looked up from building the campfire to see two pairs of eyes
watching him expectantly. Three pairs, if you counted Dief. Last night,
after an acrimonious discussion, Ben had confiscated the gum and was
doling out one stick each, every two hours. He sighed, it was only an hour
and a half since he'd given them their last ration.
 
 "All right! But no more until after dinner."
 
 "But Benny, that's hours away..." Ray's voice was developing a distinct
whine.
 
 He handed out two sticks to each of them and tried not to shudder at the
sight of them cramming the gum into their mouths. Five minutes later, it
was hard to believe they were the same people. Well, at least there was
one compensation...
 
 "Ah... would you like to go for a walk, Ray?"
 
 Ray brightened. "Sure, Benny." 
 
 *
 
 It didn't take long for them to find a place where the trees had drawn
back from the stream, which had spread out into a small pool. Ray caught
Ben's speculative look.
 
 "What?" Ray glared at him suspiciously.
 
 Ben smiled winningly. "I was just thinking that we could go for a swim,
Ray."
 
 "No way! It'll be freezing in there."
 
 "Oh, I doubt that, Ray. It's a lovely day, after all..."
 
 Ray grinned lecherously. "I don't mind helping you get undressed."
 
 Even with Ray's help, it didn't take Ben long to strip. Ray watched
appreciatively as he waded into the stream then dived under. When he
surfaced, in mid-stream, Ben rolled onto his back and called out to Ray 
 again.
 
 "Come on in, Ray. The water's fine."
 
 He sure looked good, but Ray wasn't about to be easily persuaded. "Are
you kidding? I'm not gonna freeze my balls off!"
 
 "Oh, I don't think it'll come to that, Ray." Ben stood up. The water only
came to mid thigh. His cock looked a little shrunken, but his balls seemed
OK.
 
 Ray started to take off his boots. "You better let me take a look at
that, Benny."
 
 *
 
 It wasn't difficult, after all, to get Ray into the water. Ben simply
wrapped his arms around Ray and pulled him close, ignoring the yelp as
Ray's warm skin came into contact with his own, chilled and wet from the
stream. He silenced his lover with a kiss and toppled over, pulling Ray
into the water with him. 
 
 Ray came up sputtering. "Damn it, Benny! Gimme some notice next time."
 
 Next time? Ben smiled. "Certainly, Ray." He pulled Ray close again and
they floated downstream a little. 
 
 They found a spot, just a little way from where they'd entered the water,
where the stream was deeper, warmer, and quite still... discreetly
screened from the riverside by a small overhang. Perfect. 
 They got down to some serious smooching.
 
 A wild yell from the bank above their heads was not sufficient warning
for the body which sailed over their heads and cannonballed into the water
just beyond them. Turnbull surfaced with another yell and began to gambol
around them like a long, slender seal pup.
 
 Ray groaned. "Turnbull's found where you stashed the gum."
 
 "That does appear likely, Ray." Ben ducked a gout of water splashed in
his direction by Turnbull.
 
 Ray growled under his breath. "I'm gonna kill him."
 
 "Now, Ray..." Ben started after him, overshot his lover and ended up in
the arms of a surprised, but unfortunately pleased, Turnbull.
 
 It wasn't easy getting away from Turnbull. He seemed to have developed an
extra set of arms and legs that he wanted to wrap, octopus-like, around
Ben's body. Ray was no help at all. He dog-paddled around them laughing
semi-hysterically and yelling indiscriminate encouragement. Ben managed to
get free and almost made it to shore before Turnbull caught up with him.
Then he found himself wrapped in eager young 
 Mountie, his mouth captured and determinedly held hostage. Turnbull had
definitely been into the gum, the taste of it was almost overpowering.
 
 Ben pulled free at last, to find Ray standing a few feet away, watching
them critically.
 
 "Ray, I'm sorey... I..."
 
 Ray shrugged. "Maybe we should just give him what he wants."
 
 Ben stared at him in shock. Turnbull seized his chance for another kiss,
and then Ben felt Ray's familiar presence at his side. Another pair of
lips brushed lovingly against his throat, and a hand cupped his buttock.
It didn't seem to bother Turnbull that Ray was joining in. Ben shrugged
mentally and decided that he might as well go along with it. He slid one
arm around Turnbull's waist, the other around Ray's, and returned
Turnbull's kiss with more enthusiasm.
 
 It was quite... interesting... to have two slender bodies pressed against
his, two mouths devouring his skin, four hands caressing him. Two eager
cocks... oh! He pulled back suddenly, feeling a little overwhelmed. Ray
grinned at him and Turnbull stared adoringly. Then Ray took his hand and
dragged him towards the shore. Well, standing in knee deep water wasn't
exactly the best place to make love, he supposed. They tumbled to the
ground on a little patch of soft grass and resumed their necking.
 
 Ben supposed he ought to be quite flattered to be the centre of
attention. Certainly, it felt better than he could ever have imagined, to
have both his nipples sucked at the same time. He began to run his hands
lightly over the bodies pressed so deliciously close against his own and
felt Turnbull respond with a little squirming motion that, not
coincidentally, pressed his cock hard against Ben's thigh.
 
 Ray shifted higher against him and took a handful of hair to draw his
head back, exposing his throat for a thorough oral examination. With a
little moan, Ben twisted slightly so their cocks slid against each other.
 
 Ray lifted his head for a moment. "Oh, yeah... Benny..." 
 
 He glanced down at Turnbull, whose face was still buried against Ben's
chest, and stroked his wet hair gently. It was a curiously tender gesture,
Ben thought, considering Ray had never seemed to do more than tolerate the
younger man. The sight of Ray's long elegant fingers stroking over
Turnbull's head, across his shoulders, down his back, sent shivers of lust
through Ben. It didn't seem to matter that he was touching another man.
Those beautiful fingers slipped between Turnbull's buttocks and the young
Mountie sobbed with pleasure. Ray's eyes meet his, and then Ray smiled
slightly and drew Turnbull up to kiss him deeply.
 
 The three of them shared a long look and then Turnbull began to nuzzle
Ray's chest in turn. Ben kissed the base of Turnbull's throat, drinking in
his scent, learning him as he had learned Ray's scent when they first
became lovers. He ran his hand down the long slender body and let it rest
lightly on Turnbull's hip, then turned his head to suck at Ray's peaking
nipple. His cheek brushed lightly against Turnbull's, and for a moment he
was jolted by the unbelievable intimacy of what they were doing.
 
 But, in the end, that simply didn't seem to matter. They pleasured each
other with a quiet intensity, continually shifting the focus between the
three of them, sharing themselves equally, until the penultimate moment.
Ben felt the change in Ray's breathing and knew instantly what it meant.
That knowledge sent a shaft of hunger through him and he reached for Ray,
almost completely forgetting Turnbull in that moment.
 
 "Ray... oh, God..." He reached over to the pile of their clothes,
fortunately nearby, and found amongst the scattered garments one of the
foil wrapped condoms. 
 
 It was the work of only a second to rip the pack open and extract the
condom. Ben was peripherally aware of Turnbull watching, apart from them
at that moment, as he rolled the condom down over Ray's proud erection,
caressing him as it went on. Ray shifted between his legs, lifting them
over his shoulders and entered him with exquisite care. He moaned, needy,
aching... and arched his back, pushing deeper onto his lover.
 
 Green eyes devoured him, feeding off his pleasure, feeding it too. He was
lost in them, until a gentle, alien touch brought him back a little.
Turnbull's blue eyes studied him seriously and Ben reached out to touch
him. The younger man bent down to kiss him and then continued the journey,
slowly down over his body until his lips hovered uncertainly over Ben's
cock. A long-fingered hand gently pressed Turnbull's head down and warm
lips engulfed him.
 
 He cried out then, he thought, but immediately fell silent again. He
couldn't touch Ray very easily, so he allowed his hands to roam over
Turnbull's body, drawing him closer. Another scent here, musky and male,
but also uniquely Turnbull... Ben touched the tip of his tongue cautiously
to the tender cockhead, then sucked gently. A shuddering sigh, and a
renewed assault on his own cock, indicated Turnbull's pleasure. They both
began to suck in earnest and this, combined with the bulky intrusion of
Ray's smooth fucking, sent Ben into a rapid spiral of release.
 
 Ray was still inside him, still hard... then he was withdrawing. Ben made
an inarticulate protest with what little strength was left to him and
opened his eyes. Ray was still kneeling between his thighs holding
Turnbull loosely against his shoulder, stroking his cock while the younger
man's head was thrown back in ecstasy. It sent an aftershock of desire
through Ben just to see it. But Ray was watching him, not Turnbull... Ben
pushed himself up on one elbow and reached for them. 
 
 Turnbull opened his eyes and stared dazedly as he was drawn down, with
Ray at his back, to lie alongside Ben. Ray reached across his body to Ben
and they enclosed him completely in their arms. Ben could see Ray moving
with rhythmic smoothness against Turnbull's body, his cock gliding along
the cleft of his ass. The younger man moved with the gentle thrusts, his
own cock pressing insistently against Ben's belly. 
 
 With a rush of tenderness that surprised him, Ben cradled Turnbull's head
against his shoulder and held him as his gasps reached a crescendo and his
body convulsed. Ray's voice joined the soft outcry... Ray's eyes, quietly
satisfied, met his own, then closed, and Ben stroked the shorn head
lovingly. 
 
 *
 
 The flames had died, and all that was left were the smouldering embers of
the campfire. More than enough heat on a mild Fall evening. Benny was very
quiet. Turnbull had been too, until he'd crawled into his sleeping bag
half an hour ago. Ray sighed.
 
 "You wanna catch some sleep, Benny?" He kept his voice quiet, though he
suspected Turnbull wasn't asleep.
 
 Ben started slightly. "Oh... I suppose that's a good idea Ray. We'll
reach Tsiigehtchic tomorrow and there'll be quite a lot to do."
 
 "Yeah." But when Ben began to get into his sleeping bag, Ray stopped him
with a touch.
 
 "No, Benny. Like this." He unzipped his sleeping bag and laid it right
out.
 
 Ben flushed slightly, but he opened his own and laid it over the top of
Ray's. They shed their outer clothes in silence and slipped between the
two bags. Shortly thereafter their underwear joined the small pile of
clothes. 
 
 Neither of them was really concentrating, and Ray was uncomfortably aware
of the deep silence from the other side of the campfire.
 
 "Benny?" He kept his voice to a whisper. "What we did this afternoon...
does it bother you?"
 
 Ben's voice matched his own. "Well..."
 
 "It's not like... well, I just thought... I dunno what I thought,
really."
 
 "It's all right, Ray." Ben stroked his cheek. "I was... is what we have
not enough for you? You would tell me wouldn't you?"
 
 Ray was absurdly moved. "Hell, Benny, you're all I need. I don't know
what came over me. I guess I felt sorry for the kid. I know how it feels
to want you and feel like there's no hope of ever getting you."
 
 "Oh." Ben seemed surprised. "I never knew you..."
 
 "Of course I did." He planted a kiss on Ben's lips. "I never thought
you'd want me. And I liked what we did today, OK? That doesn't mean I want
to keep on doing it. At least, not once we get our lives back together...
D'you think he's still awake?"
 
 The change of subject didn't take Ben by surprise, as he'd thought it
might. 
 
 "I'm sure of it, Ray. Should we invite him over, do you think?"
 
 Ray shrugged. "If I was him, I'd be feeling pretty left out right now."
 
 "I suppose so." Ben pushed himself up a little. "Turnbull? Would you like
to join us?"
 
 "Are you sure?" Turnbull sounded very forlorn, and very uncertain.
 
 Ray grinned up at Ben. He turned his head towards Turnbull. "Sure. We
wouldn't ask if we weren't. C'm'ere."
 
 Turnbull obeyed with commendable haste. He shed his clothes and joined
them in the warm nest. None of them seemed inclined to do more than fool
around a little, and soon they were asleep in a comfortable tangle of arms
and legs.
 
 *
 
 So this was Tsiigehtchic. It wasn't quite what he'd expected... a tiny,
but bustling township spread along a narrow road miles from anywhere.
Constable... Benton was buying some supplies in the little store. Meat for
Detec... for Ray, and probably Dief. Fresh fruit. And, Turnbull suspected,
another supply of nicotine gum. Just in case he forgot, Turnbull had taken
the precaution of getting a half dozen packs himself, from the gas
station. He popped another stick in his mouth.
 
 It was already afternoon, but then they'd made a late start. Turnbull
blushed slightly. Never in his wildest dreams had he imagined doing the
things he'd done yesterday with Benton and Ray. Even what they'd done this
morning, before Dief's complaints had forced them out of the nest of
sleeping bags, had been quite... A woman passing by glanced at him
curiously and for a moment he was convinced she knew exactly what he'd
been thinking.
 
 "G.. good afternoon, ma'am" He was starting to feel quite flustered.
 
 Benton had impressed on him that they should keep a low profile, avoid
drawing attention to themselves while they were in Tsiigehtchic. After
all, Ray was still in danger from hardened criminals, who just might have
followed them here... He became convinced that the two men sitting outside
the liquor store were watching him. Perhaps he should go join Benton and
warn him. Like a startled hare, Turnbull bolted across the road. He never
even saw the tow truck.
 
 *
 
 It was taking them one hell of a long time, Ray thought. Benny had been
absolutely certain they were no more than an hour away from that one-horse
town whose name sounded like somebody sneezing. But here it was nearly
dark and there was still no sign of them. Dammit, he should have kept his
big mouth shut. He didn't really need meat. What if there was somebody
from the Mob hanging around, just waiting to catch them out? Ray began
pacing again, while Dief watched anxiously.
 
 When the sound of approaching feet finally drifted towards him, Ray felt
correspondingly annoyed.
 
 "Where the hell have you been? Do you have any idea..." His voice trailed
off at the sight of Ben half supporting Turnbull on one side, with a
backpack slung over his other shoulder. "What happened to you?"
 
 He hurried forward to relieve Ben of Turnbull's weight. The young man was
battered and dishevelled, and looking very sorry for himself.
 
 "He walked in front of a tow truck. Luckily he wasn't badly hurt." 
 Ben's voice was exasperated.
 
 Turnbull pouted. "It swerved. It did!"
 
 "Yes. To avoid you." Ben sighed. "He'd been chewing gum again. I've cut
him off."
 
 Ray exchanged a sympathetic glance with Turnbull as he lowered him to the
ground. He draped a sleeping bag around him. "I'll make you some coffee."
 
 "Oh, yes please." Turnbull brightened considerably.
 
 Ben frowned. "I'm not sure that's a good idea. He might have concussion."
 
 "You think so?" He knelt in front of Turnbull and studied his face and
eyes. "What day is it?"
 
 "I can't remember."
 
 "Neither can I." Ray grinned. "He's OK, Benny. Lighten up."
 
 Overruled, Ben folded his arms across his chest and sulked.
 
 *
 
 This situation couldn't be allowed to continue. Drastic action was called
for, Ben decided. He waited until Turnbull and Ray were both asleep and
searched every stitch of clothing, every container, every pocket of their
backpacks. He even got Dief to help him. Now he had every stick of gum the
camp contained. The only question was how to dispose of them. If he buried
them, he wouldn't put it past Ray to dig them up again. It would have to
be the river.
 
 *
 
 The next couple of days were a nightmare. Ray and Turnbull refused to
speak to him. They made almost no progress on their quest, partly because
Turnbull was too stiff and sore to walk much, but mainly because both men
were gibbering wrecks. He'd had to threaten to handcuff Ray to stop him
walking into Tsiigehtchic to buy more gum. He hadn't wanted to do that,
the handcuffs had been brought for a much more pleasant purpose, but there
was no likelihood of that happening now. Ray wouldn't even sleep on the
same side of the campfire with him. At least he wasn't sleeping with
Turnbull either, but at night Ben could hear them whispering to each
other, pointedly excluding him.
 
 He was beginning to think that his companion's nervousness was starting
to affect him too. He simply couldn't shake the feeling that they were
being watched, though he found no evidence of snoopers. Dief was on edge
too, though the wolf always was when Ray and he were at odds with each
other. For the dozenth time he decided it was just his imagination running
away with him.
 
 "Hey Benny."
 
 He looked up at Ray rather uncertainly. "Yes, Ray?"
 
 Ray shifted from foot to foot. Ben suppressed a sigh. He'd thought the
worst of it was over, but Ray was looking very nervy.
 
 "Uh.... I thought maybe we could go for a walk?" Ray smiled shyly at him.
 
 Ben looked across the clearing to where Turnbull was dozing, with Dief
curled up beside him. The bruises on his face were starting to fade, but
he still looked very battered. He probably wouldn't be interested in
joining them...
 
 "I'd, ah... I'd like that very much, Ray." Tentatively, he returned the
smile.
 
 Ray grinned. "Cool."
 
 *
 
 "Three weeks." Ray's voice was bitter. "Three weeks tramping around in
the middle of nowhere, for this?"
 
 Ben looked at him uncertainly. "Well, yes Ray. But it is an artefact of
historical value."
 
 "It's a mess. That's what it is." 
 
 Turnbull patted him on the shoulder, then withdrew his hand hurriedly
when Ray glared at him. "But it was good fun, wasn't it, Ray?"
 
 "Good fun? You call being bitten by a million mosquitoes, falling off
cliffs and going through nicotine withdrawal good fun?"
 
 Ben cleared his throat. "Now, it was only one small cliff Ray. Don't
exaggerate."
 
 Ray ignored him. "For this." 
 
 They all looked at the statue. It was nothing more than a three foot high
vine covered lump. If it hadn't been for the badly weathered, but still
distinguishable hand protruding from the vines, they could have walked
right past it without noticing.
 
 "Well, perhaps if we clear away the vines..." Ben beamed hopefully at the
two men.
 
 "Yeah sure." Ray turned away and sat on a log. "You can clear away the
vines."
 
 Turnbull exchanged a glance with Ben. "Right-o! Let's get started."
 
 Ray sat and ignored them. He fidgeted. He paced. He even tried his
patented "you wanna come for a walk, Benny" routine and got an abstracted
grunt in reply. Dief gave him a sympathetic look and wandered off into the
bush.
 
 A sudden flurry of activity caught his attention at last. The two men
stepped back, exchanging puzzled looks.
 
 "Ah, Ray? Could you come here please?"
 
 Ray sighed. "Now what?"
 
 "Well, it's just... um..."
 
 He wandered over and took a look at the now uncovered statue. It must
have been made of plaster, he guessed. A lot of it had worn away, but it
was still possible to see the remains of some platinum blonde hair, a bit
of the face, and a pair of highly pointed, conically shaped breasts. A
grin spread itself across Ray's face.
 
 "So, Benny... how old is this Inuit story anyway?"
 
 Ben frowned. "Well, I first heard it a year or two before I came to
Chicago. But it's impossible to tell how old a story is, Ray."
 
 Ray thought a bit. "Let see... it'd be the Blond Ambition tour... and
that was about, um... oh, '89, '90?"
 
 Turnbull and Ben were staring at him, totally bewildered.
 
 "Madonna, Benny. The singer. She was on tour around then. Those Inuit
boys must have been fans. We've been running all over Canada looking for
some cheap souvenir." He started laughing.
 
 "But..." Ben looked at him helplessly.
 
 A faint click from behind Ray sounded very loud in the sudden quietness.
 
 "You mean I've been following you all this time for nothing? Now I'm
really pissed." 
 
 They all stiffened. Ray turned slowly. "Hi, Angelo. Wish I could say it
was nice to see ya. But it ain't."
 
 "Mutual, I'm sure." Angelo waved the gun slightly. "Get over with your
friends."
 
 Ray shook his head. "Uh hunh... why should I make it easy for you?"
 
 Angelo simply grinned. The gunshot was loud in the small area. 
 Turnbull dropped to the ground clutching his leg.
 
 "Dammit, leave them alone! It's me you want, OK?" Ray thought about
jumping Angelo, but there was no chance, and he wasn't quite ready to
throw his life away. If he could just keep the bastard talking... "He OK,
Benny?"
 
 "It's just a flesh wound Ray." Ben looked up from where he knelt at
Turnbull's side.
 
 "Now why should I let your boyfriends live, huh? You think I liked
watching the three of you get it on? Or listening to those stupid stories?
It's a fucking miracle I didn't shoot you all days ago."
 
 "Yeah, but they're Mounties. You kill them and every Mountie in Canada
will be after you."
 
 "I let them live and they'll come after me. I'm not that stupid. Nice
knowing you guys." Angelo lifted the gun slightly.
 
 Shit! Ray got ready to launch himself, but he didn't give himself much of
a hope. Maybe Benny could get him before he had a chance to fire again. He
hoped so. 
 
 He didn't have to find out. A snarl and a streak of white fur heralded
the arrival of the cavalry... Dief snatched at Angelo's wrist, bearing him
down. Angelo got off just one shot before Ray jumped him. He wrested the
gun from the other man's nerveless grasp and knelt on his chest, only then
becoming aware of the fact that there was no backup from Ben. 
 
 "Watch him, Dief."
 
 The wolf snarled, baring his fangs at the terrified Angelo and Ray was
free at last to look. Ben was on the ground too, just pushing himself
upright. A trickle of blood threaded its way between fingers clutched
tightly around his upper arm.
 
 "Benny?"
 
 "I'm fine Ray. The shot went wild. I was just unlucky."
 
 Ray sank down onto his haunches, his heart pounding. "How the hell are we
going to get out of here with you two hurt, and a criminal to watch? We're
dead."
 
 Ben smiled reassuringly. "Not at all, Ray. Tsiigehtchic is only a half
day's walk from here. I'd suggest we wait till morning though. Ah...
there's some handcuffs in my pack."
 
 "There is?" Ray smiled sweetly, then frowned. "Whaddaya mean a half day's
walk? We've been walking for weeks."
 
 "Well yes, Ray, but not in a straight line. We've been quartering the
search area."
 
 Ray exploded. "We've been walking in circles?"
 
 Ben nodded warily. It looked like the handcuffs were definitely out of
the question...
 
 *
 
 There was nothing like the air here. Ray took a in deep lungful of smog
laden air and released it. "Geez, it's good to be home, Benny."
 
 "It certainly is Ray." Ben smiled, happy for his friend and lover. Now if
only everything had gone to plan at this end... He caught Det. Dewey's eye
and received a brief nod in reply.
 
 "So, where's my baby?" Ray had been eagerly anticipating this reunion all
the way back from Canada.
 
 Ben indicated with his hand. "Out in the parking lot, Ray."
 
 "Great!" And Ray was off.
 
 Following at a more leisurely pace, Ben passed by Det. Huey's desk.
 
 "You got a replacement car, Fraser? How did you manage that?"
 
 Ben paused for a moment. "Oh. Well, I didn't actually find the car
myself. I asked Det. Dewey to find one for me."
 
 "You asked Dewey?" Jack Huey frowned. "Was that wise?"
 
 Ben's eyebrows shot up. "Why not?"
 
 "You do know Dewey's colour-blind don't you? He only got into the Force
by faking his eye test."
 
 Ben felt his jaw drop. Oh dear. "Excuse me..." He hurried after Ray.
"Ray! Can you just wait a moment..."
 
 He was too late. The car was out there all right. In absolutely perfect
condition, just as he'd asked. Ray was staring at it with his mouth open.
Ben seriously thought about running for it.
 
 Ray managed to close his mouth. Briefly. "Benny, why is my car red?"
 
 Ben swallowed a sudden obstruction in his throat. "Uh... I'll just go ask
someone... excuse me."
 
 "Benny?! Benny, you get back here! Benny!"