Taking Care of Benny    Taking Care of Benny by Iris M Gray

 Author's webpage: http://victoria.tc.ca/~wy236/fic.html

  

 <PRE> 

 Taking Care Of Benny
 by Iris Gray
 Sequel to "The Way That I Love You" 

 

 Ray Vecchio was a happy man. His partner was being released from the
hospital today, two weeks after the frightening day when Ray had arrived
at the ER to find Fraser suffering from being beaten to within an inch of
his life. His fear that he would lose Benny had prompted him to confess
his hidden feelings for his partner - "his" Mountie - which, to his joy
and relief, were returned in full. Ray could tell that several people were
watching him as he strolled down the corridor to Benny's room. He imagined
that his relationship with Fraser had inspired some jealousy among the
nursing staff. After all, even when he was covered in cuts and bruises,
Fraser was a good-looking guy. And he was Ray's. //My Mountie// thought
Ray. //Wonder why it took me so long to realize it?// 

 Arriving in the hospital room, Ray greeted Benny with a kiss and a gentle
hug, mindful of the Mountie's still-healing ribs. "Ready to go home,
Benny?" Ray asked. 

 "It is not *my* home Ray, it is yours," said Fraser. "And yes, I am
ready." 

 "Fraser, my home is your home. If I'm with you, I'm home - physical
location doesn't matter. " 

 Ben smiled. "I feel the same, Ray," he said. "It will just take awhile
for me to get used to the idea. Our relationship is still very new to me."


 "You think I don't know that, Benny? It's just as new to me as it is to
you. And I still have to figure out what I'm gonna tell my Ma about us." 

 "Why not tell her the truth?" asked Fraser. 

 "Aw, Benny, I don't think I'm ready to deal with the fallout from that
revelation yet. Please understand, it's not that I'm ashamed of our
relationship, but my Ma is really traditional, old- fashioned, you know? "


 Fraser sighed. "I know, Ray. I just don't like the idea of hiding my
feelings for you." 

 "You don't have to hide anything, Benny. Ma knows that we care about each
other, that we're best friends. I don't think any of that has changed. And
I'm Italian, so I'm always hugging and kissing my family and friends." 

 "Very well, Ray. You know that I am very fond of your family, so I hope
they will come to accept us as a couple, in time." 

 "I do too, Benny. C'mon, let's get out of this place and go home." 

 The two men arrived at the Vecchio home to a warm greeting from Mrs
Vecchio. "I am so happy to see you are finally out of the hospital,
Benton," she said. "My Raymondo was so worried about you. We all were." 

 "Thank you, Mrs. Vecchio," said Fraser. "I am pleased to be out of the
hospital. And thank you for taking care of Diefenbaker for me." 

 "Benton, you know better than to call me 'Mrs. Vecchio' ! You are part of
my family! You and Raymond are practically brothers, no? You have no
mother of your own, so I am now your mother. You call me 'mama' or 'ma',
the same as my other children." 

 "Yes, Ma," said Ben. "Thank you kindly." 

 "Come on, fratello mio," said Ray teasingly, calling Benny 'my brother'
in Italian. "Let's find you a place to sleep." 

 "Raymondo, why don't you ask Tony to help you move the bed from your
brother's old room into your room? That way you will have Benito close by,
where you can 'keep an eye on him', as the doctors told you to do,"
instructed Mrs. Vecchio. 

 So Ray and his brother-in-law moved the bed in to Ray's room, and Ray
persuaded Fraser to use it right away to take a nap. Ben still tired quite
easily and needed the rest, so he didn't argue very strongly. When Tony
was out of the room, Ray kissed his sleeping friend, then went back
downstairs to join his mother. 

 "Raymondo," said Mrs. Vecchio. "Come in to the kitchen and sit down. I
want to talk to you about something." 

 "Sure thing, Ma," said Ray, curious as to what his mother wanted to talk
about. 

 Mrs Vecchio sat down at the table across from her son, a cup of tea in
hand. "Raymond," she said, "you love Benton, do you not?" 

 "Sure, Ma. Like you said, he's practically my brother," answered Ray. 

 His mother shook her head. "No, Raymondo, that is not what I mean. I
mean, you love Benton. Like the way you loved Angela when you were married
to her." 

 Ray was surprised, but he supposed he shouldn't be. His mother had always
been very perceptive where her children were concerned. "Yes, Ma, I do
love him. More than I even loved Ange. Are you mad?" 

 "No, figlio mio, I am not mad. Benito is a good man. He will be good for
you, as you are for him." 

 "But the church.." Ray continued. 

 "I have spoken to Father Behan. He was very helpful. He says that not
everyone in the church believes that the kind of love you and Benton have
is a sin. Did you know that they have a support group that meets at the
church, especially for parents of homosexual and bisexual people? He said
it is mainly the 'old fogies' as he called them, who have a problem with
it. I do not wish to be an old fogy!" 

 Ray laughed. "You could never be an old fogy, Ma. But Benny and I have
only been aware of our feelings for a couple of weeks. When did you talk
to Father Behan?" 

 "Ah, Raymondo, maybe *you* have only been aware of them for a couple of
weeks, but I was aware of them for a long time. I saw the way you looked
at him when you thought no one could see. I saw you spend every day and
night at the hospital with him after he was shot. I saw you challenge
Frank Zuko, who has always scared you, just because he hurt Benton. How
could I not know?" 

 "Ma, you're amazing," said Ray, shaking his head. 

 "No, Raymond, I am not amazing. I am simply a mother who loves her son.
Her sons." Mrs. Vecchio sipped her tea, then continued. "As for the
sleeping arrangements, that is up to you and Benton, whether he sleeps in
the spare bed or in your bed. The spare bed is there for appearance - I
didn't know when or if you wished to tell Francesca and Maria, so this
will spare you answering questions. And if you wish to do something other
than *sleep* in your bed - please just remember there are children in the
house. It is no more than I ask of Maria and Tony. But be careful; I don't
think poor Benito will be able to do much until he has recovered from his
injuries." 

 "MA!" exclaimed Ray, blushing furiously. 

 "You think your mother never had a sex life, eh, Raymondo? And where do
you think I got four children? In the cabbage patch?" 

 Wondering if it were physically possible to die from embarrassment, Ray
said, "Ma, I haven't even discussed this ... issue ... with Benny yet. I'm
not ready to discuss it with you!" 

 "Well then, Raymond, I think you had better discuss it with him soon,
don't you?" 

 "Yes, Ma," said Ray meekly. 

 "Good. I am glad we had this talk. When Benton wakes up you may tell him
that I approve of your relationship, so that he has nothing to worry
about. And that I will try to make Francesca behave." 

 "I love you, Ma," said Ray. 

 "And I love you, Raymondo. And Benton, too." 

 

 Later that night, after dinner had been served and eaten with the usual
noisy clamour of the Vecchio household, and after Ben and Ray had done
their share of the cleaning up, Fraser insisted on reading a bedtime story
to Tony and Maria's children. Or rather, telling one. He told an Inuit
tale, of course, and the children were enthralled. Ray watched him from
the doorway of the children's room, almost overwhelmed by the love he felt
for this man. He was glad that his family accepted Benny so easily, even
if they didn't know the extent of the relationship between them. Ray
wanted Benny to know what it was like to have a family, a real family with
a mother and sisters and nieces and nephews. Sadly, neither of them had
good relationships with their fathers. Fraser's father had been absent for
most of his childhood, and Ray's father had been a violent alcoholic.
Above all, though, Ray wanted Benny to feel safe. He wanted Benny to know
that Ray would not abandon him, that he would always have a home here. 

 When the children had fallen asleep, Ben joined Ray in the bedroom. As
they began to undress, Ray saw Fraser preparing the spare bed, and said,
"Benny? You can, uh, sleep with me, that is, if you want to." 

 "I would like that very much, Ray," Benny replied, and slipped into the
bed beside Ray. Ray wrapped his arms tightly around Ben, and the Mountie
was soon asleep in his arms. Ray knew, from the way he felt having Benny
in bed beside him, that they would need to have that talk about sex soon. 

 

 Life continued in a relatively normal fashion for a couple of weeks.
Benny slept in Ray's bed every night. Ray went to work every day, while
Fraser helped Mrs Vecchio with household chores as much as he was able,
and entertained Maria and Tony's children. When he was home, Ray did his
best to take care of his partner, trying to anticipate all the things that
were made difficult by Ben's injuries. They were mainly little things,
such as fastening buttons, cutting his food, or other things that Benny
couldn't do because of the cast on his wrist. The first night that Ray cut
Benny's food for him, his mother noticed, and after that the food was cut
up before it was served. When he wasn't at work, Ray was at Ben's side
almost constantly, urging him to take things easy and not tire himself.
When Fraser started arguing with him, Ray knew he was feeling better. 

 Finally, the day came when Fraser was able to return to work at the
Consulate. Ray felt a lump in his throat when he saw Benny in his red
uniform. Fraser always looked incredible in the red serge, and he seemed
to stand just a little bit straighter when he wore it. 

 "You sure you're ready for this, Benny? Does the Dragon Lady know how bad
you were hurt? She's not going to make you do anything you're not ready
for, is she? 'Cause if she does..." Ray let the sentence trail off. He
remembered the threat he had made to Victoria: 'Hurt him and I'll kill
you.' He was prepared to say the same thing to Inspector Thatcher. No one
would ever hurt his Benny again, not while Ray was still breathing. 

 "Ray, Inspector Thatcher is quite aware of my injuries. She did come and
visit me in the hospital, if you remember. She spoke to the doctor." 

 //Yeah and she almost caught us kissing, too// recalled Ray. Speaking of
kissing... 

 Ray followed Benny to the door. He had tried to get his friend to accept
a ride to the Consulate, but Ray was working a later shift and Ben
insisted that Ray not make a special trip for his sake. He was quite
capable of walking to the Consulate, and, in fact, he wanted to. Being
stuck in the hospital, and then in Ray's house, for such a long time was
making him a bit stir crazy. He needed some time outdoors. "Benny, you
look great," Ray said. Suddenly, he no longer cared if anyone saw them
together. He put his arms around Fraser's neck. "I love you, Benny," he
said, and gave him a goodbye kiss. "And I you, Ray," replied Benny,
returning the kiss. 

 Ray's mother smiled at them and went back to clearing the breakfast
dishes. Maria glanced at them, shook her head like she wasn't terribly
surprised, then ignored them. Tony was already at work. The children
continued racing around gathering their things for school, and if they'd
noticed that Uncle Ray had just kissed Uncle Benny, they just chalked it
up to "grownups being mushy" the way they did when their parents showed
affection in front of them. 

 Francesca, however, was a different matter. 

 As soon as Fraser left, Frannie confronted her brother. "Ray! You just
kissed Frayze!" 

 "Yeah, Frannie, I did. So?" 

 "So???" Frannie spluttered. "SO? So - WHY?" 

 "Because I love him, Frannie. Because I'm *in love* with him." 

 "What - how- when - HOW LONG?" Francesca could not quite form a coherent
sentence. 

 "I don't know, Frannie. Seems like forever. Maybe since I helped him
catch his dad's killer." 

 "And you've been keeping it from me all this time? Is that why you were
so freaked out when I wouldn't tell you if I'd slept with him or not?" 

 Ray sighed. This was going to take some explaining. "Frannie," he
said."Sit down. We have to talk about this, but we can't do it if you keep
screaming at me." 

 Francesca sat. "Okay, brother DEAR, explain to me why you kept the fact
that you are in love with the man of my dreams a secret for so long?" 

 "I wasn't even sure of it myself until a few weeks ago, Frannie. I think
it was when Carver had him tied up in that junked car that I realized how
I really felt about him. And when he was in the hospital, I found out he
felt the same way about me. I never meant to hurt you, Frannie. I never
expected that I was going to fall in love with Fraser. " 

 "Ray..are you and Frayze happy?" 

 Ray smiled. "Yeah, sis, we are." 

 "I guess I've known for a long time that Benton wasn't interested in me
*that way.* I tried to get him to change his mind, but he always treated
me like a sister. Which is really a lot better than most guys I've *dated*
treated me! I do want you to be happy, Ray. And I want Benton to be happy
too. I guess if you're happy together I'll have to get used to
it....eventually." 

 "Thanks for understanding, Frannie," said Ray, giving his sister a hug. 

 Francesca smiled a little sadly. "Well, how can I blame you for falling
in love with Fraser?" she asked. "If I have to lose him to anybody, I
guess I should be glad it's you." 

 "He does think of you as a sister, you know, Frannie." Actually, what
Fraser had said was something like, "All women are our sisters, Ray." 

 "Great, just what I need, another brother," Frannie laughed. 

 Ray was relieved. Everything was out in the open. There was no need to
hide, pretend, or, as Fraser would say, 'prevaricate.' It had been
amazingly easy, and Ray knew he was lucky. Not all families were as
accepting as his was. 

 --- 

 A few days later was Saturday and neither Fraser nor Ray had to work.
Ray's mother and sisters were shopping and Tony had taken the children and
Diefenbaker to the park. It suddenly struck Ray: he and Benny were truly
*alone* for the first time since Benny had been taken to the hospital. He
turned to his partner. Now was as good a time as any to have that 'talk.' 

 "Benny, you know, uh...we've been sharing a bed for a couple of weeks
now...and we haven't uh, done anything, you know...like...sex." They had
held each other, they had kissed, but that was all. 

 Fraser smiled and raised his eyebrows. "Is that a suggestion, Ray?" he
asked. 

 "Well..we are *alone* for at least a couple of hours. And there is a lock
on my bedroom door, just in case anyone comes home early." He got up and
held out his hand to Benny. "How about we go upstairs?" 

 "Excellent suggestion, Ray," replied Ben. 

 They went upstairs to Ray's bedroom and locked the door behind them. Then
they stood and looked at each other. "I've never done anything like this
before, Benny. I don't even know where to start." 

 Fraser reached out and began to unfasten Ray's shirt. "How about we start
by getting undressed?" he suggested. With a grin, Ray began to undo Ben's
shirt as well. The shirts were quickly followed by shoes, socks, trousers
and underwear, until both were naked. Ray's grin grew wider. "Benny, I
thought you looked amazing in the red uniform, but you look even more
amazing now." 

 Benny blushed slightly. "Thank you kindly, Ray. You look very good
yourself." 

 Taking his love's hand, Ray moved to the bed and drew Fraser down beside
him. "I have no idea what we're supposed to be doing, Benny. I've never
had sex with a guy before. But I want to make love to you - with you. Got
any ideas?" 

 "Ray, I have no experience in this - area - either, but I believe that
all we have to do is what feels pleasant. I am certain you know how you
like to be touched, so why don't you show me, and I'll show you what I
like." 

 "I love you, Benny," said Ray. 

 Benny gave Ray one of his rare brilliant smiles. "I know, Ray. And I love
you." 

 No matter how many times he heard Benny say the words, they still
thrilled and amazed him. Benny loved him. He didn't know what he'd done to
deserve the gift of Fraser's love, but he would do anything it took to
keep it, always. His friend, his partner, his lover - *his* Mountie. 

 Fraser traced the path of a tear falling down Ray's cheek. "Ray - what's
wrong?" 

 "I can't believe I almost lost you, Benny. That you might have - might
have died - without my ever having a chance to tell you how I feel." 

 "But, Ray, I already knew," said Benny. 

 Ray looked confused. "How did you know?" 

 Fraser smiled. "You show me every day. From the time you put aside the
forty-one cases on your desk to help me find my father's killers. You
pushed me out of the way and allowed yourself to take the impact of a bomb
blast to protect me. You mortgaged your house to bail me out of jail. And
you remained by my side even after you knew I would have jumped bail to
leave with Victoria. You took a bullet for me in the hospital. You carried
me for miles through the forest after the plane crash. How could I not
know, Ray?" Without waiting for an answer, he kissed Ray full on the lips,
then continued down his body. 

 //Ohmigod, he's *tasting* me!// thought Ray. He wasn't surprised - Fraser
tasted everything, so why not him? And it did feel very nice to be tasted.
Still, he wasn't prepared for the shock of pleasure he felt when Benny
took his cock in to his mouth. "Benny!" he cried out. 

 Fraser stopped what he was doing. "Am I doing something wrong?" he asked.


 "No, no, oh god no, just keep on doing what you're doing. I was just
surprised, that's all.." 

 Benny bent his head and returned to his explorations. Ray whimpered and
moaned as Benny's talented tongue licked him and Benny's mouth sucked him.
Just when he thought he was going to explode, the mouth suddenly moved
away. He looked up at his lover, a question in his eyes. 

 "I want this to last as long as possible," Benny said. He moved back up
until he and Ray were lying face to face, and took the Italian into his
arms. 

 As they embraced, their cocks brushed each other. Both started at the
sensation, then Ray began to move against Fraser. Benny thrust against
him, and they began to move together, timing their thrusts to a shared
rhythm known only to the two of them. Soon they tumbled over the edge,
spilling over each others' bodies and crying out each others' names. 

 When Ray could breathe relatively normally, he said, "I love you, Benny."


 Fraser kissed him softly. "And I love you, Ray," he said. 

 "Y'know, Benny, I think I am going to want a lot more of this." 

 "I will too, Ray." 

 "In that case, I think that you and me should get our own place
together," stated Ray. 

 "But Ray, your family - how will they react?" asked Fraser, concerned. 

 "Oh, Ma won't be thrilled, but she managed when I was married to Ange,
and she'll manage when I'm ... married to you," Ray said, turning over and
removing a small package from the table beside his bed. He'd picked it up
on impulse on his way home from work the day before, and had been saving
it for just the right moment. He opened the bag and handed a small box to
Fraser. "Will you marry me, Benny?" 

 Benny opened the box and found a matching set of gold bands. "Yes, Ray,"
he said with a grin, "I will." Taking one of the rings from the box, he
slipped it on to fourth finger of Ray's left hand. Ray did the same for
him. 

 "There's no priest or judge to make it official, but I don't think we
need one," said Ray. "As far as I'm concerned, we're married. Partners in
life. Forever." 

 "Forever," echoed Benny. He took his partner into his arms and the two of
them were soon fast asleep. 

 END 

 </PRE>