Not Again!	
 Not Again! 
 "Goddammit, not again!" Stanley Raymond Kowalski flung down the piece of
paper. It missed the edge of his desk and fluttered to the floor where
Dief sniffed at it interestedly.
 
 Ben raised his eyebrows slightly. "Is there something wrong, Ray?"
 
 "There sure as hell is!" Ray glared at the Mountie. "It's another love
letter!"
 
 Ben looked surprised. "Well, I would have thought that would be a good
thing, Ray."
 
 "Not when it's signed by somebody called Simon Greenstreet, it isn't."
Ray bent over and rescued the paper from under Dief's nose. He wadded it
up and threw it in the trash can. "Ever since those rumours started, I've
had a letter nearly every day."
 
 Ray returned his attention to the pile of mail in his in tray. "Dammit,
there's nothing but bills."
 
 "And love letters, Ray."
 
 Ray glared at the innocent looking Mountie. "Don't start with me Fraser.
You wouldn't like it, if it was happening to you. I don't care how much
you say it's OK to be gay." He jabbed a finger in the general direction of
the red serge clad chest. "If someone thought you were gay..."
 
 "Well, actually, Ray..." The Mountie smiled at him. "It has happened to
me. That was before I met you, of course."
 
 Ray stared at his friend incredulously. Fraser was such a straight arrow.
He was the last person Ray would have expected to be accused of being gay.
"Really? Someone really thought you were gay?"
 
 "Yes, Ray." Ben's forehead wrinkled slightly. "Well, actually, a lot of
people thought we were gay."
 
 "We? You mean you and Vecchio? Hey do you think that's why...?" He
thought about it for a while. "Nah, I'm pretty sure most of these people
never heard of Vecchio." He shrugged resignedly. "So what happened?"
 
 .........
 
 They blinked in the sudden light as she opened the door. 
 
 "Do you mind, Elaine? We're trying to get some privacy here." Ray's
temper certainly hadn't improved any lately... not like it usually did
when he was in love. 
 
 "It's OK, guys. You really don't have to hide in here... we all know. I
think it's great. You make such a cute couple." 
 
 "Why, thank you kindly Elaine." Fraser smiled politely, then a small
frown appeared between his brows. 
 
 Ray was staring at her with his mouth open. "What the hell do you mean?" 
 
 "You and Fraser getting together. It's so sweet." 
 
 "Who us? You're crazy! Me and Benny? You're out of your mind!" 
 
 "Sure, boys. So why do you spend so much time in here?" Elaine grinned
triumphantly at their stunned expressions and closed the door again.
They'd have to come out of the closet sometime.... 
 
 .........
 
 "Elaine? Elaine thought you were...?" Words failed him. Ray was beginning
to see the Mountie in a whole new light.
 
 Ben looked down at his hands. "Yes, Ray. And then we found out that it
wasn't only Elaine who thought so."
 
 "You're kidding!"
 
 "Uh, no, Ray..."
 
 .........
 
 Ray was leaning his hands on the desk shaking his head. "I don't believe
this..." He straightened. "All right! Hands up anyone who thinks me and
the Mountie are sleeping together." 
 
 Ten minutes later, sitting in the Riv, Ben's face was still brighter than
his uniform. 
 
 "It was your idea, Benny." 
 
 "I still don't think you should have done it quite like that... I can't
believe they all put their hands up..." 
 
 .........
 
 Ray looked at his friend in shock. "They all thought you were gay?"
 
 "Yes. Even Lt Welsh thought so."
 
 "Wow..." It made his own problem seem minor by comparison. Ray made a
mental resolve never to be found in the closet with Fraser. "So what did
you do?"
 
 Ben flushed. "Well, Ray insisted on seeking a second opinion, as it
were."
 
 "Geez, Fraser, what did you do?"
 
 .........
 
 "Come over here, Fraser... what did you want to see me about?" 
 
 Fraser shifted uneasily. "Well, Sir... it's, um, a personal matter... at
least... well it's not exactly... um..." He took a deep breath. "Have you
ever noticed... oh dear..." 
 
 "Get to the point Constable." 
 
 "It's about Det Vecchio..." 
 
 "Oh! Well, I've been meaning to talk to you about that..." 
 
 .........
 
 "You asked the Ice Queen?" Ray was impressed. That must have taken real
guts. He would never have done it in a million years... Maybe there were
worse things than having a few people think he was gay.
 
 "Oh, yes. Ray insisted." Ben pursed his lips slightly. "He wasn't very
pleased with the answer, unfortunately."
 
 "Why? You're not telling me she thought..." 
 
 Ben inspected his fingernails carefully. "She gave me some forms to fill
in so Ray could claim spousal benefits."
 
 Ray choked. It was kinda funny. "I'll bet he didn't like that."
 
 "Well..." Ben hesitated strangely. 
 
 Ray ignored it. The Canadian was always behaving strangely. "So who else
did you ask, Fraser?"
 
 "Oh, just about everyone we knew, actually. Ray's family. My neighbours.
Dief." He shrugged.
 
 The wolf, still sitting by his feet, looked up and growled.
 
 "Did they all think you were gay?"
 
 Ben frowned. "Dief wouldn't discuss it."
 
 "But the others?" Ray really wanted to know.
 
 "Well, Ray's family was delighted." Ben shuddered slightly. "I think his
mother was hoping we'd get married."
 
 Ray made a face. "Wow. And I thought I had problems."
 
 "Well, Ray, you know, I think you could learn something from my
experiences." Ben smiled at him.
 
 "Oh yeah? It don't seem to me like you guys handled it too well."
 
 Ben spread his hands guilessly. "No, we didn't. It created a very
embarrassing situation. I've often thought we could have managed it
better."
 
 "Like what?" Ray was curious now. It wasn't often the Mountie admitted to
any failings. Besides, he was getting sick of all this carry on. Maybe he
could learn something.
 
 "Well..." Ben frowned slightly in concentration. "If we hadn't made such
a fuss over it, people wouldn't have talked so much about us. It was
months before we had any peace... in fact it was very inconvenient when
Ray and I..."
 
 Ben seemed lost in thought. Ray prompted him. "What?"
 
 "Oh, nothing." Ben shook his head slightly. "It seemed like the more we
denied it, the more our friends and colleagues thought we had something to
hide. Ray's family were particularly persistent. We never had any
privacy." 
 
 "So you think if I kept quiet, this would all die down?" He was just
about willing to try anything... if he'd been able to get a date, he would
have flaunted her in front of everyone. But somehow, it seemed like all
his old girlfriends had either moved out of town, or married used car
salesmen.
 
 Ben tilted his head to one side, considering the suggestion seriously. "I
think it would be a more effective option than loud denials, Ray."
 
 "Hey! Hang on..." Ray glared at him accusingly. "What happened to Mr
It's-OK-to-be-gay? Doesn't helping me put paid to these rumours make you
homophobic or something?"
 
 To his surprise, Ben flushed and hung his head. "I'm sorey, Ray. You're
right, of course. I was caught up in my own selfish concerns."
 
 "You were?" Ray was trying to figure out why Fraser would care two hoots
about people thinking he was gay. "You have a selfish reason for not
wanting anyone to think I'm gay?"
 
 Ben nodded, tightlipped. "Yes, Ray. You know how these rumours spread. I
certainly do."
 
 "Well, yeah, but..."
 
 "And I have no idea where he is. He might hear something." Ben caught his
puzzled stare. "Ray. My Ray, that is..."
 
 This wasn't making any sense. "So?"
 
 Ben sighed. "It's always been a problem... I tried reasoning with him, at
first, but it was hopeless. Italians are so... so possessive..."
 
 Ray stared at his partner. He noticed the slight flush on his cheeks, the
pleased little smile that creased the corners of his perfect lips... Ray's
eyes widened suddenly.
 
 "Well, I really must go, or I'll be late back from lunch." Ben stood and
brushed a speck of dust off his Stetson. "I hope I've been of help, Ray."
 
 Ray didn't answer, but Ben didn't seem to expect him to. He watched the
broad red back as it disappeared through the doors of the Bullpen. Nah, it
couldn't be... but he'd said... Ray frowned. It couldn't be... could it?