Body   TIMELESS ECHOES 

Ben had arranged for us to take a helicopter to the cabin, even though I
insisted that I didn't mind the dogsled. It was too noisy in the small
aircraft to talk, and I looked out the window over the sea of majestic
evergreens. Thinking back to Chicago, I closed my eyes. As soon as we had
settled on the plane, I couldn't keep my tears from falling a moment
longer. Ben had held me close as the other passengers boarded, and
whispered soothing endearments in my ear.  

That was almost 12 hours and two air crafts ago, and I didn't have anymore
tears left to give for the friends we left behind. The ground, illuminated
by the lights from the helicopter, took on a familiar pattern and I
realized we were nearing home. It was later in the year than we had
planned, and I hoped we would have enough time to stock up and prepare
before the harsh winter took over.  

Feeling Ben's hand on my thigh, I looked over to see him smiling at me.
Leaning over, I kissed his cheek and watched as he sat back, satisfied.  

When the helicopter's blades slowed enough, Ben jumped down, then reached
up to help me. Dief immediately took off for the woods. The pilot waited
until we were clear, then Ben turned to wave at him as he took off again. 


Ben carried Robert and JC along with one of the diaper bags and I took the
other. I followed him up the stairs, and watched as he faltered mid
stride.  

"Ben?" I couldn't see his face from this angle, but I knew it wasn't going
to be easy for him to come back here after what that woman did to him.	

He didn't answer, but after a moment squared his shoulders and continued
into the cabin. It was pitch black, with the only light coming from the
full moon, and Ben deftly lit an oil lamp illuminating the cabin. I was
surprised when I looked around. Everything we sent ahead had arrived, and
there were boxes piled in one corner of the small cabin. The love seat
that used to be in my living room was against one wall along with a chair,
and basically, it was total chaos.  

"Oh dear" Ben whispered.  

Moving to stand beside him, I sighed. "It looks like we have a lot of work
to do."  

I cleared a spot on the table and motioned for Ben to place the carriers
on it. Both babies had been thankfully asleep for the past 3 hours, and I
knew they were asleep for the night. Stifling a yawn, I lit another lamp
and went to check out the babies room, while Ben stacked wood in the stove
to heat the cabin. It wasn't long before he had a fire going in all three
rooms, and then came up behind me, wrapping his arms around me. I was
still trying to separate crib parts.  

"It's late." He murmured against my ear. "We can wait until tomorrow to
start on this."  

"Where will the babies sleep? The cribs aren't assembled yet." I reminded
him.  

"I've taken care of that." He assured me. Taking my hand, Ben led me out
of the babies room, and into the other bedroom.  

I was taken aback at the site before me. Ben had managed to use two of the
dresser drawers and added blankets to make sleeping places for the babies
who were stretched out in them, but the biggest shock was the double bed
in front of me. I knew we left our bed in Chicago, and I was expecting the
small cot that had been in the cabin.  

"Ben, where did this bed come from?" I asked. It was a beautiful hand
carved wood frame, and I knew this had taken someone a whole lot of time
to make.  

"Do you like it?" He asked me.	

I looked at him wide-eyed, "How?" I managed to say.  

He laughed, and pulled me close. "Nothing's impossible for the woman I
love."	

"You made this?" I asked, still not believing.	

Shrugging, Ben kissed my neck. "I wanted our home to be special."  

"When did you do it?"  

Blushing, he pulled back slightly. "I asked Mr. Lanton if I could use a
small space in the basement of our apartment building."  

I couldn't believe that he went to so much trouble for me. "It's beautiful
Ben, thank you."  

He unbuttoned my sweater and started to remove my clothes down to my long
johns, and I returned the favor for him. I saw him try to hide a yawn, and
smiled.  

"Come on," I pulled him towards the bed. "Even Mounties need their sleep."
Pulling back the big down comforter, I pushed him back onto the bed and
climbed in myself. I waited while Ben put out the lantern and then pulled
me close to him. Snuggling against his warmth, I quickly fell into a deep
sleep.	

I woke the next morning, shivering, and opening my eyes I realized that I
was in the cabin. Looking around, Ben wasn't in bed, and the babies
weren't in the room either. Resisting the urge to snuggle back into the
warm covers, I quickly found my clothes and pulled on my hiking boots. I
had to smile when I looked at he bed again. Ben never ceases to surprise
me. Making it quickly, I headed into the front room but he wasn't there,
and I frowned. Where would he be? Hearing a noise from the other room I
peeked into the babies bedroom.  

Ben was talking to the babies as he assembled the cribs.  

"Later today, we can go out and get some clean, fresh air into your lungs.
The two of you will love living up here. As a matter of fact, this is
where I grew up."  

He must have sensed me behind him, because he stopped talking and turned
around.  

"Good morning." He said and smiled at me.  

I walked over to him and kissed him deeply. "Yes, it is. You're up early."
 

Ben's face lit up. "I wanted to get an early start on the day."  

"We do have a lot to do. Have you eaten yet?" I asked.	

"Yes. I have breakfast warming on the stove for you."  

"You didn't have to go to all that trouble." I protested. Ben stood and
wrapped his arms around me.  

"It was no trouble a-tall. Now I want you to go eat." He ushered me to the
door.  

"But I wa--"  

"Eat." Came the firm reply. Smiling I gave in.	

"All right, I wont be long."  

Going into the front room, I took the covered pot from the stove. Lifting
the lid, I had to smile. Pancakes, eggs and bacon. Finding a place to sit,
it didn't take me long to finish, and then I decided to work on the living
room. I couldn't believe all the boxes in here. I *know* we couldn't have
packed all of this. Luckily, I thought enough ahead to label the boxes,
'bedroom, knickknacks, babies room.' And started to haul the right boxes
to the right rooms.  

When I took a rather large box into the babies room, Ben stopped what he
was doing.  

"Let me take that for you." He said and took it before I could protest.  

I went over to the two cribs that were now completed, running my hand
across the wood.  

"Where would you like to place them?" Ben asked me.  

Looking around the small room, I didn't want them too close to the heater,
but not near the window either. "Why don't we put this one against this
wall, and the other one here. That way they sorta make an L shape."  

Ben nodded. "Consider it done."  

We had to stop often during the day to entertain the babies, and make sure
they were fed, but for the most part, we managed to get all of the boxes
into the appropriate rooms and not quite half of them unpacked.  

I sank into the love seat and leaned my head against the back. Letting out
a sigh, I heard a chuckle and looked over to see Ben smiling at me. He was
making a pot of tea.  

"Tired?" He asked.  

"No. I passed that awhile back." I informed him. "Can I ask you
something?"  

"Anything." Ben carried a tray over to the table and poured two cups of
tea.  

"Where did all these supplies come from? The food couldn't have lasted too
long, and there's quite a bit of other non perishable supplies too." I
said looking at the big sacks of flour and rice, among other things like
canned goods.  

Handing me cup, Ben sat down beside me. "I made arrangements for supplies
to be delivered along with our belongings."  

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" I teased. Taking a sip of tea, I thought
back to the bed. It was so beautiful. A smile crossed my lips.	

"What are you thinking of?" He asked me.  

"Well, I was thinking that we hadn't christened the new bed yet...." I
hinted.  

Ben laughed at me, then leaned over kissing me passionately. "That's
something we need to change then, isn't it?"  

"Definitely." I agreed.  

I let my eyes close briefly, reveling in the feel of being home. I felt
Ben take the cup from my hands and after a moment, strong arms lifting me
into the air.  

"Ben! What are you doing?" I asked as I grabbed him around the neck for
stability.  

"You need to go to sleep." He grinned at me.  

"Sleep, eh? I guess we could both use some 'sleep'." I hinted.	

Ben gently placed me on the bed and smiled down at me. I took the
opportunity to pull his head closer to mine, and gently brushed my lips
against his.  

When he pulled back, I reached my hands up to unbutton his shirt, but had
to stop to stifle another yawn.  

Ben covered my hand with his. "You are going to sleep."  

"I'm not tired." I protested.  

"You're not?"  

I shook my head no. "Not in the least."  

He stared at me for a minute, and I could feel a yawn building. I tried my
best to hide it, but it was no use. Laughing, Ben lay down beside me. "We
have all the time in the world to 'christian' our bed. Now go to sleep."  

Wrapping myself around him, I closed my eyes and sighed contentedly as he
pulled the covers around us.  

**********  

I carried another load of wood inside, and paused after setting it down.
After a week, everything was unpacked and in place, and both Ben and
myself were enjoying the cabin. After chores were done, Ben and I would
spend the rest of the day playing with the babies, and talking. Sometimes
we would read to each other, or I would write in my journal. This was
everything I imagined it would be, and then some.  

I frowned slightly when I thought of Ben leaving. He had to report in a
few days, and Buck was going to pick him up. He promised me that he would
be back by the weekend, but that was still six days without him.  

Ben opened the door behind me, and I smiled at his appearance. His cheeks
were flushed, and eyes were bright. I don't think I had ever seen him
happier.  

"Are you ready?" He asked.  

"For what?"  

"Your shooting lesson." He took down his fathers rifle from the mantel as
he spoke.  

"Ben, I really don't think that's a good idea." I started. All week he's
been trying to get me to take lessons from him, but I didn't feel
comfortable with it. After all, it's not as if someone was going to break
into the cabin.  

He came over and placed his hands on my shoulders, and looked intently at
me. "We've talked about this before. I would feel safer if you knew how to
use this."  

He pulled me to him as he continued.  

"I need to know you will be all right. There are wild animals around here,
and I want you to be able to protect yourself, as well as the babies."	

I knew his argument made sense, and I sighed. "OK, but that doesn't mean I
like it."  

Smiling, he placed his arm around me and ushered me to the door, stopping
long enough to pick up a box of ammo. He led me to the side of the cabin
where Dief was watching the babies as they sat in their carrier. They
looked so cute with their buntings. He had assured me they were good for
30 below.  

Ben had set up pieces of wood about 50 feet away on some rocks, and I
watched as he loaded the rifle. "All right, what you want to do is keep
your muscles relaxed, place the stock of the rifle here," I watched as he
placed it in the crick of his shoulder, and then continued. "You want to
look into both these sites, and once your target is lined up, gently
squeeze the trigger, instead of pulling or yanking. That can cause you to
miss the target." He then fired off a round effectively hitting the wood
off the rock, and I jumped. The loud echo reverberated through the forest.
Smiling at me, Ben replaced the wood again, and walked over to me.  

"I...don't think I can do that Ben." I shook my head as I spoke.  

"I'll be right here with you." He reassured as he stepped behind me.
Tentatively, I took the weapon and placed it up at my shoulder. Ben moved
the stock to its proper position, and wrapped his arms around mine helping
to hold the rifle in place.  

"Good...now look through both sites."  

I took a deep breath and looked through the little holes.  

"Can you see the wood?"  

"Yes." I whispered.  

"Now squeeze the trigger gently." His hands steadied mine the entire time,
and I did as I was told. The sound didn't seem as loud this time, and I
looked, but the wood was still on top of the rock.  

"I missed."  

"Not to worry, it takes practice to hit a target. You're doing fine. Shall
we try that again?" He took the rifle from me and loaded two more bullets
in it. While he did that, I looked over at the babies, but they didn't
seem to be bothered at all.  

After about another hour of practice, Ben was standing to the side while I
lined up the target -- the same damn piece of wood was still there-- and
fired off a round. I lowered the rifle to see the wood, once again, still
sitting on top of the rock. Sighing in frustration, Ben quickly came
forward.  

"Perhaps it would help if I adjusted your sites."  

I glared at him. "You adjusted them three times already. Just admit it, I
couldn't hit the broad side of a barn!"  

He tugged at his ear. "Well, I'm almost certain if you were to aim at the
barn from this distance you would be able to hit it."  

"Face it Ben, I am no good at this." I handed the rifle back to him and
turned to the babies. It was about time for them to eat anyway. Ben
checked to make sure the weapon was empty, and picked up the last of the
shell casings before joining me. He took one of the carriers.  

"I'm sure you'll do better next time."	

"Next time? Isn't my humiliation complete for one lifetime?" I asked as I
headed towards the cabin. The coat Ben insisted I wear was great, but my
feet were just about froze, and I was wearing two pair of socks. Standing
on the snow for that long went right through my hiking boots.  

After we had the babies out of their carriers and settled, I unlaced my
boots and sat on the floor by the stove heater, feet as close as I could
get them. That's where Ben found me when he came back out. He looked down
at me with an odd expression and I shrugged at him.  

"My feet are cold."  

Ben placed the babies behind me on a thick blanket we had on the floor.
They were at the age where they could push themselves up on their hands,
but that was about it. He then came over and sat on the floor beside me,
gently lifting my foot and placing it between his hands.  

"They're like ice!" He said as he rubbed them.	

"They aren't that bad Ben."  

He gave me a sideways glance. "Analise, the snow hasn't even begun to
accumulate yet." Nodding towards my boots he continued. "Those will not
protect your feet from the elements."  

"They were the best the sporting goods store had." I protested, causing
Ben to smile. "Are you laughing at me?"  

"Never."  

"You better not be." I warned.	

"Or what?"  

I pulled my foot from him and lunged, pinning him beneath me. "That's
what. Any questions?"  

"How about requests?" He teased. Laughing, I kissed his forehead. "You are
too slick, mister."  

Ben flipped us over effortlessly and bent forward to kiss me, then laid
down beside me. "You know Ben, this is nice." I said suddenly.	

"What is?"  

"All of this. Being here with you and the babies, away from the city. It's
so relaxing."  

He caressed the side of my face in response, and hearing a noise, we
looked past our feet to see the babies trying to suck on the blanket. "I
think we should feed them." I suggested.  

"Right you are." Ben stood and offered me his hand. I settled on the couch
and started nursing the babies with Ben beside me. He was gently rubbing
JC's head as she nursed, and I rested my head on his shoulder. We sat in a
compatible silence for a while, then Ben stood.  

"Where are you going?"	

Looking at me with concern, he replied "I want to make sure you have a
large enough supply of wood when I leave." He put his coat and gloves on
as he spoke and picked up an ax.  

"Do you have to do that now?" This had been so nice with us sitting
together. It seemed since we've been here, Ben spent a larger portion of
his day chopping wood.	

"I wont be long. Dief, come." Stretching, the wolf walked over to the door
and as soon as Ben opened it, took off.  

********  

I handed Buck a cup of coffee. He showed up last night to pick up Ben, and
they were planning on leaving in a few minutes.  

"Thank you."  

Sitting beside him, I played with the edge of the wooden table. "How long
will it take you to reach Inuvik?" I asked.  

"With the weather nice like this, we should make it by nightfall. In the
winter it takes longer, about a day and a half to two days."  

I nodded as he spoke. "How often do you think Ben will have off?"  

He placed his hand on top of mine. "He'll come home every chance he gets.
I know that boy, and he's just like his father. Nothing could keep him
away from Caroline. The first time is always the hardest. I'll make sure
nothing happens to him."  

"I know."  

Ben opened the door to the cabin. "The sled is ready." He announced, and I
knew that meant it was time for him to go. I walked over to him and
wrapped my arms around him.  

"I'm going to miss you." "And I you." He wrapped his arms around me, and
placed his hand on my stomach. We still didn't know whether or not I was
pregnant, but that didn't stop Ben. "Try not to over do anything."  

Buck stood and moved towards us. "I'll wait for you by the sled." He went
over to the babies and gave each a kiss, then went outside.  

"Did I tell you how much I love you today?" Ben asked as he cupped my
face, tilting my chin upward.  

"Not yet." My voice was saddened and flat, but I couldn't have changed
that if I wanted to.  

He wrapped his arms around me again, and held me tight. "It's only for a
week. I'll be home next Monday." He assured me.  

"I know. Come on," I said as I pulled back. "Buck is waiting." He kissed
me softly, and went over to the babies, picking each up and giving them a
kiss and hug. He then held his hand out and walked me to the door with
him. Looking around the cabin one last time, I knew he was making sure I
had everything I would need for a week. Kissing my cheek, Ben squeezed my
hand and reluctantly let go.  

"I love you." I told him as he headed down the stairs. He smiled back at
me, then strode purposefully towards the dogsled. Dief bound past me and
caught up to Ben.  

I couldn't hear what he said, but I knew he was trying to convince the
wolf to stay behind. After a minute, Dief trotted back into the cabin and
I stood at the door as the two men motioned for the dogs to move, and got
smaller in the distance.  

Long after I couldn't see them anymore, I finally shook myself and went
back inside leaning against the door.  

"Well, I guess I better get used to this." I mumbled to myself.  

Dief snorted at me and rested his head on his paws. "Don't be mad at me, I
told him to take you with him."  

1The wolf ignored me, and I went into the kitchen area and took out my
secret stash of chocolate. Picking a box of milkduds, I leaned against the
counter. "Gee, I guess I'll have to eat these all by myself." I mused. It
was instantaneous. No sooner had I turned around, Dief was sitting in
front of me.  

"Ahh, so now you want to be my friend?" He gave a short bark and I tossed
him a few of the rounded candies. "That's all for now, we got to ration
this until I can get to a store."  

Although Dief whined at me, readily went to lay down beside the babies.  

**********  

Ben called the dogs to halt in front of the RCMP station. Buck climbed out
of the sled, and placed a hand on his back as he stretched. "I'll take
care of the dogs, you go and report in."  

Ben nodded to him, and swallowed as he opened the door. There really
wasn't anything for him to be nervous about. After all, Maggie had been
stationed here, and it's been a very long time since the 'incident' that
sent him to Chicago to begin with.  

The first thing he saw was a constable standing behind a counter and about
five more behind him at various desks. "May I help you?" The man asked.  

Ben stepped forward and smiled. "Yes, I'm looking for Sergeant Peterson." 


"May I tell him who's calling?"  

"Constable Benton Fraser."  

All activity stopped as the others in the room looked over at Ben. He
pretended he didn't notice as the Constable picked up the phone and spoke
quietly. After a minute, he hung it up and looked back at Ben.	

"You can go in. Third door on the left." The man motioned with his hand.
Ben glanced at the name tag he was wearing.  

"Thank you kindly Constable Toomey."  

Knocking on the door, Ben waited until he heard the word 'enter' before
doing so. Walking purposefully to the desk, Ben stood at attention.  

"Constable Benton Fraser reporting for duty Sir."  

"At ease Constable. Do you have your file?" He asked. Ben pulled it out
from under his parka. After handing it to the Sergeant, Ben once again
stood ridged.  

Sergeant Peterson looked at the man over the rim of his glasses. "You can
relax Fraser."	

1"I am relaxed Sir."  

1Peterson let that sink in for a moment, and shrugging it off, skimmed the
file before him. He really didn't need to, all of Fraser's information had
been sent ahead weeks ago, and this was the copy of the file.  

Taking his glasses off, Peterson took measure of the man in front of him.
"First off, I'd like to tell you how relieved I am you were able to bring
your son home. We all looked long and hard for that little guy. How's he
doing?"  

Ben smiled a little. "Fine Sir. His injuries have healed, and he's coming
along nicely. Thank you."  

"Good." The man nodded.  

I've heard why you were stationed in Chicago." The man glanced at Fraser
as he spoke, then stood to look out his window. Ben swallowed nervously.
He knew everyone would know what happened, but what their reaction would
be, he couldn't fathom.  

"I also know that your father was a great man, one of the best. More than
one person has told me you are just like him." Peterson turned back to
face Fraser. "I am willing to let bygones be bygones. You prove yourself
here, and you wont have any problems."	

"Thank you Sir." Ben felt the familiar sense of unease at having to
basically apologize once again for upholding the law, but he knew what the
Sergeant was offering him was a second chance.	

The man sat back down at his desk. "I need to partner you with someone.
Most everyone has a partner already. When Mackenzie left, her partner
decided to transfer to Tuktoyaktuk and one of their men came here. He's a
little...rough, but I think the two of you can manage."  

"Yes Sir." Ben replied, wondering briefly if his new partner would be
anything like Ray and Stan. He was hoping they would develop a rapport. He
watched as the Sergeant punched the intercom button.  

"Send in Lutris"  

Ben paled upon hearing that name. It couldn't be. It wasn't possible.
Taking a calming breath, he waited. Straining to hear approaching
footsteps. It wasn't long before there was a knock on the door. Resisting
the urge to turn, Ben waited.  

"Constable Lutris, this is Constable Benton Fraser. He's going to be your
new partner."  

Ben turned and looked up into the face that he hadn't seen in years. Well,
not since grade 4. He could still vividly recall the look on the boy's
face as he swung that dead otter over his head, right before it struck
Ben.  

"Enhydris, but my friends call me Hyde." The man said as he held out his
hand. "You look familiar. Have we met before?"	

Ben took the proffered hand. Before he could answer, the Sergeant spoke.
"Get to know each other later, right now I need you to show Fraser around,
and get back to work."	

"Yes Sir." The man replied, and motioning towards the door, they both
left.  

Ben followed his childhood nemesis through the building as he showed him
where everything was. He couldn't help but notice the man's manner was
gruff. Some things never change he surmised. After the tour, Hyde looked
over at him again.  

"I know I've seen you before." He looked as if he was in tight
concentration, and after a minute, a smile spread across his lips. "You're
the otter boy, aren't you? I knew I recognized you!" The man laughed.  

Ben schooled his features at the nickname. He hadn't heard it in years,
and hoped he wouldn't hear it again. He had never been as grateful as he
was when his grandparents left Tuktoyaktuk. Now, here it was again.  

"We sure had some good times, didn't we?" Hyde asked him.  

"I don't believe getting struck with a sea otter constitutes a good time,
no." Came Ben's even reply.  

"Don't tell me you still harbor a grudge? That was years ago! Besides,
after they dug all the teeth out of ya, you healed."  

"Can we please drop this?" Ben asked. Hoping that reason was a skill
Lutris picked up over the years. He couldn't believe his luck in getting
stuck with him as a partner.  

Lutris gave him a grin that was just too wide. "Sure Fraser, no problem." 


****  

"Canadian consulate, Constable Maggie Mackenzie speaking, how may I be of
assistance?" Maggie asked as she picked up the phone in her office.  

"Maggie" Ben smiled as he heard his sister's voice.  

"Benton! It's about time you called. We were starting to get worried." She
scolded.  

"I am sorry, I wanted to make sure Analise was settled in before I left
the cabin."  

"How's she doing?"  

"Great. She loves being here. Oh, and she wanted me to say hello to
everyone for her."  

"I'll pass it on. How about you? Do you like your new duty station?"
Maggie asked.  

Ben looked at the people scattered about the office. It had been two days
and hardly anyone would even speak to him, including his new partner.  

Not that they didn't talk about him, more than once he heard his name
mentioned, or Gerrard's and not that he had wanted to admit it, but her
could have sword he heard the word otter once or twice. It was the first
time he regretted having excellent hearing.  

"Ben?"	

"It's fine. I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone."  

Maggie laughed. "You'll love them. Once they start talking they don't
stop. They really are a good group of people."	

Ben glanced around at the stoic group once more. "I'm sure they are."  

Maggie thought now was a good time as any to ask him.  

"Ben, I found parts of a burned file in the lavatory. I know standard
procedure is to shred all official documents. Do you know anything about
this? I wanted to ask you before I brought it up to Inspector Thatcher."  

Ben's chest tightened and he could feel his heart pounding wildly as the
blood rushed to his ears. He had forgotten to go back and get rid of it!  

"Ah&127;yes, I do. It was a&127; personal file of mine. I should have
discarded it properly. There's no reason to ask the Inspector." Ben hoped
he sounded calm.  

Maggie looked down at the burnt papers on her desk. "Ben.. I know the file
had to do with Metcalf."  

"I don't want to talk about that Maggie. She's dead. There's nothing more
to discuss." Ben's voice was low as he spoke.  

The last thing she wanted to do was bring up bad memories for him, but she
needed to know.  

"Do you know what you're saying? This should at least be investigated."
She implored.  

"No!" Ben yelled, then looked around the room and lowered his voice. "Why
can't you just leave things well enough alone?"  

Maggie could hear the pain in her brother's voice, but this wasn't like
him. A thought finally dawned on her.  

"OK Ben, I'll drop it. One thing though, did you even read the file?"
Maggie held her breath, afraid to say anything. The silence seemed to go
on forever. Finally she heard the answer she knew she would.  

In barely a whisper, Ben replied. "No. Please Maggie, whatever it is, just
let it go." The anguish in his voice brought unshed tears to her eyes.	

"I will Ben. I'm sorry." Her voice wavered as she spoke, and she took in a
few deep breaths.  

The papers on his desk blurred and he blinked hard a few times. "I have to
go, my break is over."	

"All right, I'll let everyone know you called."  

"Thank you, I'll call again in a few weeks." Ben hung up the phone and
rested his head in his hands. Why did she have to find the file? A small
part of him, the insatiable Mountie part, wondered what Maggie thought was
so important. No, he wouldn't do that again. She was dead and he wasn't
going to allow her ghost to continue to haunt them.  

The fax machine came to life and Ben forced himself to go over and
retrieve the document. He waited as it slowly came out of the machine. The
picture of a smiling boy maybe four or five years of age came into view.  

His brow furrowed as he ripped the paper from the machine. The bold
letters 'MISSING CHILD ALERT' tugged at his heart as he read the
information. The boy had disappeared yesterday from Alberta...non family
abduction, last seen wearing a red sweatshirt, dark blue jeans, white
sneakers. He scanned the rest of the usual information, then tacked it to
the bulletin board before going to find his wayward partner.  

**********  

Ray pulled up to the curb, ignoring the brightly colored fire hydrant.
Taking a deep breath, he looked at his watch. 4:50 PM. He took one last
sip of his coffee and placed it on the dashboard, not really knowing why
he found himself in front of the Canadian Consulate. Ever since Benny had
that conversation with him three weeks ago before he left, Ray had a
niggling feeling. It was almost as if he cared what happened to Meg. 'Stop
it!' he told himself. 'That's the most ridiculous thing.'  

Shaking his head, he caught a glimpse of red out of the corner of his eye
and for a moment thought it was Benny. He smiled as he watched Maggie. She
seemed to take her post just as serious as Benny had. 'Well' he thought
'there's only one way to find out.'  

Smiling, he walked up to her. "Hi Maggie!" He greeted brightly	

No response. "Hey-- do you get off at five?" Still nothing. He looked at
his watch again. Six minutes till. "Tell you what-- one blink for yes, two
for no, OK?" Although he had an expectant look on his face, he seriously
didn't expect a response and would have been shocked had she blinked.
Sighing, he went into the building.  

He strode purposefully up to Meg's door and was about to knock when he
realized it was ajar. Looking over his shoulder to make sure he was alone,
he peeked into her office.  

Moving silently to his left, he could see her behind her desk. 'When did
she start wearing glasses!?' Looking at some papers on the desk, she
reached out blindly, picked up her coffee mug and taking a sip, made a
face. She sat it back down and he knew it must have been cold.	

Her brought his hand up again to knock when she sat back in her chair,
removed her glasses and rubbed the back of her neck. His fingers curled
reflexively as he watched her hand, and a familiar stirring went through
him when she let out a moan of a sigh.	

He hurriedly took a few steps away from the door. Leaning his back against
the wall, Ray gulped in a deep breath and ran his hands over his face.
'What's the matter with me?' he wondered. 'This is crazy! After all, this
is the Dragonlady we're talking about! The woman who could look at a
starving man and deny him food.'  

He shook himself back into reality. The last thing he needed to do was get
into something he would regret. Just as he pushed himself away from the
wall, Meg's door opened.  

"Detective Vecchio, what are you doing here?"  

1Ray looked at her, not knowing quite what to say. Although she was
somewhat surprised, she didn't sound annoyed at his being here. Maybe this
wasn't such a bad idea after all.  

Meg held her coffee cup tightly in her left hand. She didn't realize
anyone was here, and when she saw him, she almost dropped her favorite
mug. Meg hid her smile at the array of emotions that played across his
face. His discomfort at being caught 'off guard' was somewhat endearing.
The thought shocked her back into reality. 'What am I thinking? This is
Vecchio we're talking about. The man who is the essence of rude, arrogant,
and annoying!'	

Emotions in check again, she stood straighter. "Have you forgotten how to
speak?" She snapped.  

"No I haven't forgotten." he sarcastically replied.  

"Well?"  

"Well what?"  

Exasperated, she glared at him. "What are you doing here Detective?"  

"I wanted to see if you'd heard from Benny." He found himself saying.
'Good save.' He congratulated himself. His smile disappeared when he saw
her shoulders droop slightly and she looked into her cup.  

'Of course that's why he'd be here. Why else?' Meg thought as she stared
at the dark liquid.  

"Meg?" Taking her silence as a bad sign, Ray hadn't even realized he used
her given name. "Did something happen to Benny?" He stepped closer to her.
 

"No, they're fine. He called last week and spoke with Constable
Mackenzie." Maggie picked that moment to walk in.  

"Ah, here she is now. Detective Vecchio was asking about Fraser." With
that said, she turned and went into the kitchen. The swinging door
flopping back and forth in her wake.  

"He called last week. They seem to be settling in nicely." She smiled when
she noticed he wasn't paying attention to her. His eyes were riveted on
the door to the kitchen.  

"Ray?... Ray!"	

His face snapped back over to her. "That's great Maggie." Trying to keep
his mind off of Meg, he clasped his hands together and changed the
subject. "So, you wanna ride?"	

"Thank you kindly Ray, but I have some things I need to do."  

"All right then, when you get finished give me a call and I'll swing by to
give you a ride home."	

"That isn't necessary..." she started, but Ray cut her off.  

"I know it isn't necessary, but I want you to call anyway." Ray's eyes
found the door again. There was something about Meg's demeanor that was
giving him an uneasy feeling.  

"I'm going to get some coffee." He said somewhat as an afterthought while
heading towards the door.  

Maggie smiled knowing coffee was the last thing on his mind. Did he forget
she could see the cup in his car?  

Ray pushed the door open and cringed when it slammed into something . It
was followed by the sound of something breaking and a chain of curse
words. Maggie came up behind Ray and watched as he nervously pulled the
swinging door towards him, slowly revealing a livid Margaret Thatcher.	

Meg couldn't believe it. All she had wanted was a fresh cup of coffee. She
looked down at her coffee soaked blouse, trying to ignore the stinging of
the hot liquid, and the broken shards of her favorite coffee mug. The
hinge on the door creaked and she looked up to see it being slowly opened.
 

Ray was standing there wide eyed and slack jawed. Beyond him Maggie wore a
similar expression on her face. 'This is great-- just great' she thought
to herself. With as much work she had yet to do, she would have to walk
home, change, and come back. That would cost her dearly time wise.  

Meg could feel the anger building from the depths of her soul. Normally
she wouldn't hesitate to lash out and wring that man's scrawny neck, but
that would also take more time than she possessed. Taking a deep,
cleansing breath, she focused on Maggie. Although her shift ended at five,
she knew Maggie was waiting to see if she needed anything else.  

Controlling her voice the best she could, Meg started. "Constable, your
shift is over, you can go home." Her voice was tight, tone even.  

"Of course. I'll just clean this up first..." She moved around Ray, who
was still frozen in place, as she spoke.  

"That isn't necessary." Meg's voice rose from the contained anger she was
feeling. She paused, taking a deep breath and continued in a lower tone.
"I'll take care of this. You are dismissed." She was trying her best to
hide the pain she was feeling. The sooner she could get rid of them, the
sooner she could do something about it.  

"Yes Sir." She quickly turned and headed towards her office. Once they
were alone, Meg stepped over the shards towards Ray. He unconsciously took
a step backwards.  

"I'm sorry." Ray apologized.  

"Thanks to you Detective, my night just became a lot longer." She walked
past him to the front door, opened it, and looked back at him.	

He looked at her for a moment, but knew better than to push his luck. He
took in the pink flush on her cheeks, her shallow breathing, the coffee
stains that saturated the front of her blouse....  

"At least let me help clean this up." He offered.  

She didn't look at him as she spoke. "Goodnight Detective."  

Ray walked outside and slowly headed for the RIV. His mind was in turmoil
as he thought over the past twenty minutes. How could so much happen so
fast?  

Sliding behind the wheel, Ray couldn't figure out what to feel. He had
braced himself for the verbal battle he was sure she would give, even
thinking of responses, and was at a loss when it didn't happen. Another
more disturbing thought played through his mind. Had this happened a few
months ago, he would have been the first one laughing, ready to make sure
she didn't forget the incident for a very long time. Today though, he
didn't feel any need for laughter.  

Sighing, he glanced at the empty hole in the dashboard that used to house
the RIV's lighter.  

"Aww... Benny, why did'ja have to leave?" He hadn't even considered
finding a replacement lighter.	

Meg leaned against the door and let out a shaky breath. She fought back
the tears that stung her eyes as she carefully pulled some of the material
away from her chest. It was a thin top and the scalding liquid soaked
straight thought, offering no protection. She winced as the material fell
back against her skin and willed herself not to think about it as she
headed back to the kitchen.  

Meg was shocked -- and grateful-- to see the floor clean. She hadn't even
heard Maggie. Heading to her office, Meg put her coat on buttoning it
carefully, and picked up her purse. She knew she didn't have burn cream on
hand and cursed under her breath when she realized she would have to stop
by a drug store. Glancing at her watch, Meg hurried out of the consulate. 


01Ray started the RIV and was getting ready to pull away when the
consulate door opened and Meg came out. The emotions on her face took him
by surprise. He was so used to seeing her hide behind that Mountie mask.
He found himself simply watching her.  

She didn't even glance in his direction as she turned and briskly walked
down the sidewalk. Ray pulled closer to her and let down the passenger
side window.  

"Need a lift?" He asked as he kept pace with her, quickly glancing ahead
every few seconds.  

Meg groaned when she saw who was addressing her, and kept walking. "No
thank you, you've done quite enough already."  

'Stubborn!' Ray thought, then smiled. He never had been one to back down
from a challenge.  

"Look, you're in a hurry, and if I give you a ride, you can get back to
the Consulate faster."	

Meg hesitated ever so slightly and Ray knew he had her. He pulled to the
curb and leaned over to open the passenger door. He smiled when Meg
climbed into the seat. She wouldn't look at him, just stared out the
window. Her cheeks were still flushed and he thought of how that suited
her.  

"I need to stop by a pharmacy." She informed him tersely.  

Ray's smile disappeared at her snippy tome. Maybe this wasn't such a good
idea after all.  

It didn't take them long to reach the store and Ray was glad for the
distraction. Neither had spoke since her comment.  

She opened her door and looked over at him. "I'll only be a minute." Her
tone was softer this time and she didn't wait for a reply as she shut the
door.  

Meg went to the first aid isle and started searching for burn cream. After
what seemed like an eternity, she found a few brands and after reading the
labels, decided to get them all. They all had silver as an ingredient
which was good enough for her. She was feeling too much discomfort to sit
there and read everything. Next she picked some gauze pads. Taking them to
the register, she huffed in annoyance at the long line in front of her.  

Trying to take her mind off the searing, stinging sensation, she replayed
the events since Vecchio showed up at the consulate. Meg regretted
speaking so harshly to him after he went out of his way to offer her a
ride... Then again, she also regretted that she didn't go with her first
impulse and wring his neck. After all, it was on Canadian soil, and she
could always say she thought he was an intruder. Smiling at the thought,
the wait became a little more bearable.  

It was finally her turn and Meg set the packages on the counter, then dug
out her wallet while they were being rung up.  

"What's taking you so long?"  

Meg jumped when she heard a voice so close to her ear. Ray was looking
more annoyed than usual.  

"If you have somewhere else to be, feel free to go Detective. I can call a
taxi." Meg snapped back.  

Ray's curiosity got the better of him, and he looked at what she was
buying, just as the clerk stuck the last package in the bag. His eyes
narrowed as he tried to place the name on the one package he saw.  

"Ready?" Meg asked as she walked past him to the car.  

"Yeah, now you're ready." Ray said as he followed her.	

Something about the package he saw was bothering him. He thought it was
something he should recognize. Pulling out of the parking lot, Ray glanced
at the bag out of the corner of his eye, thinking that it would come to
him. Since his ESP didn't seem to be kicking in, he thought he'd try a
more direct approach.  

"So... What did'ja buy?" He asked out of the blue.  

"Excuse me?" Meg stared at him, as if she knew she misheard the question. 


"What's in the bag?"  

She held it closer to her. "That is none of your business, and I would
thank you to keep you curiosity to yourself." "Ahh... I see." Ray smiled
to himself, knowing that she would take the bait. It was the one thing
that Benny always did that never ceased to annoy the hell out of him.  

"What is that supposed to mean?" She demanded. "Nothing."  

 

 

"You obviously meant something by your remark." She turned a little in the
seat, causing the seatbelt to rub across her chest. She stopped talking
and put her head down as she closed her eyes trying to control the pain.  

"Hey.. Are you alright?" Ray's concern took over his curiosity.  

Meg straightened in her seat, and looked out the passenger window. "I'm
fine."	

"You don't seem fine to me."  

"Well I am." She snapped. The only thing Meg wanted to do now was get a
long cool shower to take the heat out of her skin, put the medicine on and
curl up in her favorite pajama's. Well, two out of three isn't bad, she
mused as the thought of having to come back tonight and finish the reports
came to mind. She leaned her head back on the seat and closed her eyes.
The past few weeks had been horrible! Although the new Constable seemed to
be more than proficient at her job, she never really realized how much
Fraser did do at the consulate. She was paying dearly for that oversight
now.  

Ray did a double take when he saw her almost sleeping beside him. He
stopped at a red light and savored the moment, being able to watch her
without her defenses up. Her eyelids fluttered briefly as he watched, and
the thought of feeling her smooth skin beneath his touch....  

The honk of a car horn brought him out of his musings. Muttering, he
pulled forward again. Glancing over at Meg, he was relieved she didn't
seem to notice his mistake. Ray was frustrated with the battle going on
inside of him. One part was telling him to take a chance. He scoffed at
that. He took a chance with Jill, and look where it got him. The other
part, the more logical part was telling him to walk away now before he got
burned.  

Burned! That's it! He looked over at Meg again, and quickly put two and
two together. It was a burn cream. He must have seen the commercial for it
a hundred times. He replayed the events of the last hour in his head. The
coffee dripping down her blouse, her labored breathing that he assumed was
because she was upset, the careful movements she made...  

He knew the coffee must have really burned. Knowing he was responsible, he
wanted nothing more than to take back what happened. Not knowing how bad
the burn was, he wondered whether or not to take her to a doctor. She was
probably like Benny in that regard. She would probably rather hide the
fact that she was hurting, than to let someone help her. He knew if he was
going to find out anything else, that he was going to have to be pushy.
Shaking his head, he realized it was a no win situation. She already
thought he was obnoxious, and to help her, he was going to have to prove
her right.  

*********  

Maggie stood in the doorway of her office, looking around the small room.
She glanced at her desk drawer, the one that held the folder. For the past
week, ever since she spoke with her brother, Maggie fought with her
instincts. Part of her said she should just throw it away. After all, she
promised him she would. The other part of her was telling her if she
didn't dig into this deeper, she would regret it for the rest of her life.
Most probably her brother and his family would too.  

Pacing, she wrapped her arms around herself. But he should know! It's for
his own good, she countered. The turmoil she had been going through was
starting to take it's toll on her.  

Maggie went over to the window and opened it, breathing in the evening
air. Why? Why did everything have to be so complicated? She sat at her
desk and opened the drawer, taking out the manilla folder. Opening it, she
revealed the charred pieces of another folder. Maggie had already gone
over the remnants a hundred times in the past week, with a magnifying
glass. All the information she could salvage she wrote on another sheet.
Maggie had tried to get another copy of the autopsy report, but was told
that it could only be released if her superior officer sent word. Since
that was out of the question, Maggie had to be content with what she had. 


Her phone rang and she reached over to answer it. "Canadian Consulate,
Constable Mackenzie speaking, how may I help you?"  

"Maggie, it's Stan."  

She smiled into the phone as she leaned back in her chair. "Hello." Her
voice was filled with the warmth and desire she felt for this man, and it
wasn't lost on him. "How was your day?" She asked.  

1"Lousy. But it's better now that I am talking to you." came his charmed
reply.	

She twisted the phone cord in her hand absentmindedly as she listened to
his voice.  

"Listen, I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner. We can get Chinese,
take it back to your place...." He let his voice trail off in a suggestive
gesture.  

"I'd love to Stan, but I have something that I have to take care of. How
about a rain check?"  

"Yeah, OK. Hey, you want me to pick you up later?" He asked.  

She smiled again. He was always concerned about her safety when she worked
late. "No, I don't know how long this will take, and I may even just end
up staying here tonight."  

The disappointment in his voice was unmistakable. "OK then...well...if you
change your mind, give me a call. You know my cell phone number, right?"  

"Yes Stan. I'll call you tomorrow" she promised. "Good night Stan."  

"Night" she heard him reply, and gently hung up the phone. Her hand still
rested on the receiver as she looked at the file again. Picking up the
phone, she started her investigation.  

******	

As soon as Ray turned off the engine, Meg opened her eyes and sat up.  

"We're here" Ray stated, his tone lighter than he felt.  

11Meg unbuckled her seatbelt and picked up her purse, the pharmacy bag had
been held tightly in her grasp the entire time. When she went to open the
door, Ray also opened his. He quickly went around to her said and held her
door open for her.  

"Thank you" she managed to mumble. Normally the simple, yet courteous
gesture would have surprised and pleased Meg, but right now she had other
things on her mind.  

"Don't mention it" Ray watched as she started towards the building and
mind made up, shut the door and caught up with her. Meg stopped walking
when she saw him. She was becoming more than a little annoyed.	

"What are you doing?"  

"I'm walking you to your door, what does it look like I'm doing?"  

1Meg started to walk again, shaking her head. Opening the door, she didn't
bother to look at him as she spoke.  

"That really isn't necessary" her reply was curt, and any three year old
could read the message she was sending loud and clear. When Ray still
continued to follow her, she thought perhaps she had over estimated his
comprehension level. Deciding to be more direct, Meg stopped in front of
the elevators.	

"Detective, you have done your good deed for the day. However, I am more
than capable of walking to my apartment on my own." Meg wanted to wipe
Ray's smug smile off of his face as he reached past her and pushed the
elevator button.  

"I'm not leaving until I've walked you to your door" he stubbornly
replied. Then, not being able to help himself, ran a hand over his close
saved hair. "You know, instead of brow beating me, you should feel
privileged."  

Meg's jaw dropped and she knew she was reaching her boiling point.
"Privileged?" Her voice rose another octave. "Privileged? You sneak around
the Consulate, lurking in the lobby, break my favorite coffee mug, not to
mention scalding me with the contents of said mug..." She took a deep
breath as her fury rose. "Ruined a very expensive blouse and managed to
push back a ton of work I have to finish by tomorrow morning. And I should
feel privileged?!"  

She was pleased that he started to fidget and look uncomfortable under her
tirade. She still had her touch. Stepping into the waiting car, she pushed
the button for her floor and stood as commanding as she could under the
circumstances, reveling in her small victory.  

As the doors started to close, Ray took a deep breath and rushed into the
elevator. Meg let out an aggravated groan. "What part of go away don't you
understand?" She yelled at him, then immediately regretted it when she saw
the hurt look on his face.  

"How bad is it?" Ray asked, using the tone he normally reserved for
interrogating suspects.  

Meg blinked a few times, trying to understand what he said. She wasn't
prepared for a change of subject. "What?"  

"I asked, how bad are you burned?"  

The doors opened and Meg marched down the hall. "I'm sure I have no idea
what you're talking about."  

"Do I look like I was born yesterday?" Ray was clearly agitated and it was
reflected in his voice. It was rare he could hold his tongue as long as he
had against a verbal assault such as the one Meg was giving him, and his
patience was just about gone.  

"I know you're burned. I saw the cream in your bag and you admitted it no
more than a few minutes ago. So how bad is it?" He practically yelled as
he lost his control.  

Meg nervously looked down the hallway. "Keep your voice down!" She hissed.
The last thing she needed was another complaint to the landlord about her.
As soon as she saw Ray's face though, she knew she had said the wrong
thing.	

An evil smile started to spread across his features as green eyes conveyed
a promise of blackmail. She hadn't even begun to see his 'loud' yet.  

Trying to diffuse a bad-- about to become much worse-- situation, Meg
babbled out a reply. "I'm fine, really I am. Would you please just go?"  

The stress of everything that had happened started to get to her, and she
blinked rapidly to keep tears from welling up. Her distress wasn't lost on
Ray and he knew he had pushed her too far.  

"I want to know you'll be all right" he thought for a moment and added,
"Fraser would kill me if I let something happen to you."  

Meg rested her head against the door frame. Why was this happening to her?
 

"Meg," Ray stepped closer to her, and placed his hand on her arm. "Prove
to me you'll be OK, and I'll go."  

"How can I convince you? Please...just go. I have a lot to do tonight and
I can't go through this right now."  

"All right, I'll go. Promise me you'll get help if you need it." He
quietly conceded.  

1Meg let out a sigh and close her eyes. She was willing to promise her
first born to get him to go away. What he was asking was almost laughable
in comparison. Meg unlocked her door as she mused this over. Stepping
inside she turned to face him.	

"I promise, now good night!"  

Before Ray had a chance to reply, Meg shut her door on him. Feeling as if
he was making a big mistake leaving, Ray dejectedly headed back to the
elevator.  

Meg peeled her shirt off while she finally let the tears fall. she allowed
the anguished sounds she had suppressed to escape now that she was alone.
She went into the kitchen and dug a handful of ice out of the freezer, and
grabbing a towel, leaned back on her sofa and placed the ice against her
burned skin.  

Her body relaxed and she let out a deep breath. Closing her eyes, she
stayed like that until the ice had totally melted, the towel absorbing the
liquid. Sitting up, Meg examined herself. Across her chest and continuing
between her breasts, her skin was a deep angry red. Who would have thought
freshly brewed coffee could be so hot?	

She picked up the bag with the ointment, but changed her mind and decided
to take a cool shower first.  

**********  

Ray shut the front door and hung up his coat. He could hear his Ma and
Maria in the kitchen, Tony and the kids in the den watching TV loudly.
Sighing, he shuffled into the kitchen, not really feeling like watching
the game.  

"Hi Ma" he greeted, and managed what he considered to be a pretty good
smile.	

"Ramundo, I'm glad your home. How was your day?" Ma asked, as she gave him
a big hug.  

"Good Ma, it was good."  

She took in his demeanor, and filed it away in her 'mother's file'.
"Dinner is ready, help Maria take the food into the dining room."  

Ray silently picked up two dishes and carried them into the other room.  

All through dinner, he barely spoke, and mostly picked at his food. He
wasn't really paying attention to the conversation around him, his mind
still on Meg. Ray knew that she was capable of taking care of herself, but
he also knew she would push herself too hard. Meg had a deadline to meet
that she really seemed anxious about. Knowing he wasn't going to get any
sleep tonight, Ray knew he had to check on her one more time. Maggie
hadn't called yet either, he realized, and the first smile he had all
evening graced his face.  

Picking up the pan of his mother's specialty, he took it into the kitchen
and quickly made up two plates, covered them with foil, grabbed two forks
out of the silverware drawer and placed everything in a brown paper bag.
He stopped long enough to grab his coat and yell to his Ma that he would
be back in a little while.  

**********  

Ray cut off the engine and let out a deep nervous breath. He could see the
light on in Meg's office, and decided it was now or never. Knowing he was
asking for punishment, Ray grabbed the bag and got out of the Riv. 'All
I'm gonna do is make sure she's all right' he told himself, then let out a
dark chuckle.  

"Yeah Ray, keep saying that lone enough and maybe you'll start to believe
it." He muttered.  

His heard pounded in his chest so hard, he thought it would explode.
Pausing in front of the large double doors, Ray cracked his neck and shook
out his arms to release the tension. Straightening his clothes, Ray
cautiously opened the door.  

The foyer was empty and an eerie quiet reverberated through the building.
Making his way to Meg's office, he knocked on the door. When there was no
answer, Ray knocked again then opened it. He was ready to stop her
protests, but the words died in his throat when he saw her behind her
desk, head resting on her arms, asleep.  

He quietly approached her, setting the bag on a nearby chair. Freezing
when the brown material betrayed him. She seemed oblivious to the noise
and he let out a sigh of relief.  

It was only 7:30 in the evening. She must have really been wore out to
have fallen asleep now, he thought. Gently, he took the pen she was still
holding out of her hand and looked at the papers peeking out from under
her cheek.  

Glancing around the room, he didn't find what he was looking for, but he
did know where to look next. Ray left the office and made his way down the
darkened hallway to Maggie's. He was surprised to see her light on and
knocked on the door.  

"Come in Ray." She called through the door.  

Ray walked in and looked at her. "How did you know it was me?"	

Maggie raised an eyebrow at him. "I heard the Riv pull up." He looked like
he didn't want to believe her for a minute, but decided to let it go.  

"So, you still at it?" He asked, nodding at her desk. "What, you Canadians
have a thing about quitting work at a decent hour?"  

Maggie looked at the notes on her desk, and a smile formed on her lips.
She quickly hid it. "Actually Ray, it's all part of a plot to invade the
United States."  

"What?!" Ray's mouth dropped open, but Maggie just sat there with a solemn
expression on her face. "Oh, I get it. Canadian humor, ha ha." Maggie
smiled then and sat back in her chair.	

"Listen, can I borrow a blanket?" He asked and after seeing the puzzled
look on her face, added "don't ask."  

"Sure Ray."  

He went over to the closet and pulled one down off the shelf and walked
over to the door. "Thanks, and hey, let me know when you're ready to
leave." He said as an afterthought.  

Maggie stared at the closed door for a minute, and shook her head. That
man was a glutton for punishment.  

Ray quietly made his way up to Meg again, and after starting at her face
to make sure she was still asleep, draped the blanket around her
shoulders. He carefully pulled the pile of papers out from under her
cheek, taking a good look at them. A smile spread across his face. He had
seen Benny doing these more than a few times.  

Taking a pen from the pencil cup, he sat down on the other side of her
desk and decided to help her. After all, how hard could it possibly be?  

**********  

Ray was just finishing up when Meg started to stir. He looked up and held
his breath as she raised her head. Her eyes were barely open and he smiled
at the sticky note clinging to the side of her face. Her brow furrowed and
she let out a small whimper as a twinge went through her damaged skin.	

Ray cleared his throat causing her to jump. As soon as she did, she
regretted it. Her skin felt even tighter than before and it was throbbing.
She stared at him as the fog cleared from her mind, and relaxed slightly
when she realized it was only Ray. An acceptance of the purgatory she was
apparently experiencing overtook confusion and she looked at him
resignedly.  

"Dare I ask what you're doing here?" Her voice dripped with sarcasm.  

"I wanted to check on you, make sure you were all right." He smiled then
and couldn't resist adding "Is this how you Canadians protect your
property? You know, anyone could have walked in here tonight, you're lucky
it was only me."  

"I don't need to be baby-sat Detective." She snapped, ignoring his other
comment.  

"If you say so."  

"I say so." Meg firmly replied. She sat back and ran her hands through her
hair, her face contouring slightly with the discomfort as the material of
her sweatshirt rubbed against the gauze pads underneath. At the time, she
thought it would be more comfortable than what she would normally wear, so
she had changed into the shirt, and a pair of jeans.  

Even though she didn't make a sound, Ray picked up on every little
movement she made. When she finished trying to make herself presentable,
she looked back over at him.  

"Was there something else you wanted?" She was tired, hungry, irritated,
and stressed, and it showed through in her tone.  

He studied her a minute before answering. "I brought dinner. It's the
least I could do after what happened." He smiled his most charming smile
at her.  

With the dim lighting in her office and the softness conveyed in Ray's
eyes, Meg relived a brief flash of a shared kiss. Her tongue darted over
her suddenly dry lips as she regarded the man before her. He really was
just trying to be nice, and she was hungry.... Not wanting to appear too
anxious, she looked down.  

"I..I can't. I have a lot of work that needs to be done before tomorrow,
and it's..." She glanced at her watch "dear lord! It's almost nine!" She
looked around her desk for the papers she had been working on earlier, the
man across from her all but forgotten. When she realized they weren't
there, she looked back over at Ray, and noticed for the first time he held
something in his hand.	

"What is that in your hand?" She asked, hoping beyond hope she wouldn't
hear the answer she thought would come. "This? they're the 10989B reports
you were working on."  

Meg looked at him as if he were holding a child over the edge of a tall
building, threatening to let go. "Wh...what are you doing with those?" She
asked cautiously.  

"I thought I'd help you. You were obviously exhausted, and I knew you had
a deadline, so I finished them." He ended with a big smile, pleased he
could help.  

Meg barely breathed as he stood and placed them on her desk. She closed
her eyes briefly and prayed that they weren't too befuddled. She would
have to go back to square one if they were. Opening her eyes, she didn't
look at Ray, instead focusing on the papers in front of her. Scanning the
first page, she frowned slightly and flipped to the second, making her way
through the rest of the pile. Only after she has looked at every last one,
did she turn astonished eyes on him.  

"They're correct." She was amazed and it showed on her face. He smiled at
her, but didn't say anything. She looked back down at the pile that now
only required her signature. "Why?"  

"Since when does a person need an excuse to help a friend?" He answered
quietly, his eyes never leaving hers. When the silence became
overpowering, he cleared his throat, and breaking eye contact, reached for
the bag on the chair beside him.  

"This is my Ma's secret recipe." He said as he walked around to Meg's side
of the desk. She quickly cleared a space for him to set it down. Pulling
out two foil covered dishes, he placed one in front of Meg, then took out
the silverware. While she pulled back the foil on her plate, savoring the
wonderful smells, Ray pulled up a chair next to her.  

"It smells delicious." She commented.  

"Wait till you taste it. No one got Ma beat when it comes to cooking."	

Meg took a big bite and couldn't agree more.  

**********  

TWO MONTHS  

Ben sighed as he finished the rest of his paperwork and placed it in his
out box. The past two months had been stressful to say the least. He had
been stuck with Lutris, and on more than one occasion his 'partner' had
disappeared on him, leaving Ben to do all the necessary paperwork like
today. Ben pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. It had been
two weeks since he saw Analise. Two long weeks since he had been home. He
missed his family so much! All for duty. An unbidden memory of a
conversation he had with his father came to mind.   "A man always feels
better when he's done his duty"  "Dad, when you were alone, out there
without Mom,  did you ever feel lonely?"  "Oh, every second, Son. Every
second."  "That's what I thought."   Rubbing a hand across his face, Ben
stood and stretched. Tomorrow was Thanksgiving, and the first one he and
Analise would spend at the cabin. He wouldn't do what his father had done
all those years ago. He *would* be home in time to share it with his
family. Glancing out the window, Ben studied the snow swirling in angry
patterns. It wasn't the best weather to be traveling in, but he had been
in worse.  

Picking up his stetson, he headed for the door, sending a holiday greeting
to all who acknowledged him. After two months, there were still some
officers that thought he was a bad cop. It hurt him to acknowledge the
fact that no matter what he did, his past would continue to haunt him.	

"Fraser."  

Ben turned to see Constable Toomey approach him. He remembered fondly how
Maggie told him he was one of the officers who really went the extra mile
in helping to look for Robert. He never once treated Ben with
indifference, or coldness.  

Ben turned and waited for Toomey to catch up. "Are you heading home?"  

"Yes."	

"Here's the latest weather report, it just came over the fax. There's a
fairly nasty storm heading towards Fortitude Basin. You might want to wait
until it blows over."  

Ben took the paper and frowned. If he waited, he would miss another
weekend with Analise. He only had off until Monday, and it would take at
least a day of traveling each way.  

"Thank you kindly for the information, but I need to go home."	

"Well, be careful of the ice fields if you cut across them for time. A few
of the locals reported new fissures have opened."  

"Understood." Ben placed his stetson on his head, then folded the paper
and added it to the pocket of his tunic before donning his parka and
gloves. He would make it home for Thanksgiving, he had to.  

**********  

'Looking out the window, I try in vain to see past the swirling snow,
hoping for a glimpse of Ben. For the past two months, he's only managed to
get home a total of eight days. I can't believe how much I miss him. When
he's home, it is the happiest time of my life, and everytime he leaves...
Well, death could be no worse.	

He's not the only thing I miss. I miss the sun. We are in the six months
of darkness until January. Ben tells me the Inuit have a big ceremony then
to welcome back the sun. It's funny, I thought that it would be pitch
black with no sun, but it's like a dull grey, as if it were getting ready
to rain all the time.  

Sighing, I glanced out the window into darkness again, and after a moment
continued to write.  

The babies are happy. They have started crawling now, and Robert has cut
his first tooth. I have been feeding them applesauce and other baby foods.
They're so big! Jacinda says a whole lot of baby sounds now, her favorite
being da-da. Every time I hear that, a pain shoots through my heart. I
know how much Ben would love to hear her call for him.'  

I turned the page of my journal, and made myself resist the urge to look
out the window before writing again. 'I know it's silly of me to still
look for him every night, but the nights are the hardest. During the day,
chores and the babies antics keep me entertained enough, but it's the
nights that are unbearable. I feel colder in bed without his arms wrapped
protectively around me, than if I were out on the frozen tundra.'  

Closing the notebook, I rested my head against the window sill. Knowing he
wasn't going to be home again tonight, I took the plate I had made for him
and placed it on the floor for Dief. I knew it had to have been something
really important to have kept Ben away on Thanksgiving, but when he was
home two weeks ago, he swore to me he would do everything in his power to
make it. A familiar ache started in my side and I absently rubbed my
abdomen as I went into the babies room. Making sure they were covered
warmly, I added another log to their stove before going to bed.  

*******  

Sometime during the night, a sound woke me and I barely breathed as I
tried to figure out where it was coming from. Dief was asleep at the foot
of the bed, and I wished, not for the first time, that he wasn't deaf.	

The howling of a wolf could be heard outside, but the noise didn't repeat
itself. After a few minutes, I assumed I imagined it, and tried to go back
to sleep. I had left the bedroom door open and to my surprise, a faint
glow emanated from the front room. Pulling the covers around me, I sat up
and prayed it was Ben. We didn't have a lock on the cabin, and it just
occurred to me that we really needed to get one.  

The light came closer, and I whispered "Ben?"  

Movement stopped and all was quiet. I reached for Dief and shook him,
hoping he'd wake up. He lifted his head groggily at me, and I found the
nerve to call out louder. "Is that you Ben?"  

A figure appeared in the doorway, and when the lantern he was holding was
lifted to his face, I saw that it was indeed Ben. I let out a cry of
relief and jumped from the bed, running over to him. He swept me up into a
tight hug, and I cried into the fur of his cold parka.	

"Sshh...it's all right. I didn't mean to frighten you." He crooned in my
hair. After an eternity, I pulled back and reigned kisses all over his
face.  

He let me continue my attack until I couldn't breath anymore.  

"That was quite a welcome." He smiled down at me as he teased.	

"I missed you. I thought that you weren't going to make it."  

He led me over to the bed, "I am sorry it took so long. We were chasing a
criminal and didn't manage to catch him until we were outside of Aklavik.
By the time we took him back to Inuvik and processed the paperwork, it was
late."	

I looked over at the clock. It was almost 4 in the morning and then back
over at Ben. "When was the last time you slept?" I asked.  

"Before we set out." He pulled off his parka as he spoke.  

Looking at him hard, I crossed my arms. "And how many days ago was that?"
Ben blushed then, and started to unlace his mukluks.  

"About four."  

"Four days!"  

"I did manage to sleep for a little while in-between" he quickly assured
me. I shook my head in wonder as I helped him off with his clothes.  

"You are going straight to bed, and don't even think of getting up before
eleven, got it?"  

He smiled at me. "Yes mum."  

"That isn't funny." He pulled me to him as he sat on the edge of the bed,
and rested his head in-between my breasts. I ran my fingers through his
hair, holding him close to me. "Come on, in bed."  

Moving away I pulled the covers back, and Ben gratefully backed into them.
Covering the both of us, I rested my head on his chest. Dief hadn't bother
to move the entire time.  

Later that morning, the sound of Ben's breathing woke me and I smiled as I
traced the contours of his torso with my hand. I knew he wouldn't miss
Thanksgiving, but I was worried that he put himself at such a risk. The
last thing I wanted was for him to push himself too hard. I was going to
sneak out of bed, but the babies hadn't woke yet, and I wanted to stay
with the man I loved. It wasn't often lately that we were able to just
snuggle.  

These past two months had been a lot harder than I imagined they would be.
I felt as if I were trapped in a little bottle. Sure I took the kids for
small walks around the cabin, but it was hard carrying two babies.
Sometimes I put them in the sled and Dief enjoyed pulling them, but I
hadn't really been away from the cabin since we moved here.  

Ben had been great about making sure we had everything we needed. He
brought mail from everyone back in Chicago, and even waited until we could
sit down together before reading it. He did manage to call them on
occasion, but I hadn't been able to talk to anyone since leaving.  

Hearing the babies, I slowly crawled out of bed, and after wrapping my
thick robe around myself, added another log to our stove and went into
their room. I had been feeling miserable for a few days now, and was
really starting to wonder whether or not I was pregnant. I only had one
period since the babies were born, but the doctor had reassured me that
when you nurse as much as I do with the twins, that could be perfectly
normal. Luckily Ben had stopped asking me about it, and I figured it was
because he knew I would tell him if I thought I was. When I reached the
nursery, Robert was sitting up in his bed, and JC was on all fours,
rocking back and forth.  

"So you two decided to get up?" I asked as I picked up Robert. Going over
to JC's crib, I added. "Your daddy came home last night. Yes he did."
Settling into the rocking chair, I smiled at our children while I nursed
them.  

As I thought about the past two months here, I realized that I had barely
seen Ben. At least in Chicago he came home every night. Sighing, I knew I
couldn't ask him to change what he was. Ben was a Mountie, and this was
where he belonged. Not sitting behind a desk somewhere. It would kill him
to have to do that.  

Even helping Ray and Stan on their police work wasn't the same. Ben loved
being outdoors, and I wasn't going to be the one to take that away from
him. Jacinda stopped nursing, and tried to squiggle away from me. Looking
at what caught her attention, I saw Ben standing in the doorway.  

"What are you doing up?" I scolded.  

Smiling, he came over and picked up JC as he greeted Robert. "I wanted to
see our children."  

"You should be sleeping."  

"I'm not tired."  

Sighing, I handed Robert to him also, and left him in the nursery as I
went back into the bedroom to change. There were a lot of chores that
needed to be done, and at least I didn't have to worry about the babies
this time. As usual, I took my clothes over to the heater to change.
Anything to take the chill off. I must have learned how to get dressed in
record time since living up here. Letting out a small chuckle, I realized
now how Ben could go into a closet, and come out fully dressed in no time.
As it turns out, it's a survival tactic.  

I headed into the front room, and added a few logs to the wood stove, then
donned my mukluks, coat and gloves to start my morning routine. Picking up
the ax, I quickly stepped outside so the heat wouldn't escape the cabin.
The November morning was downright freezing! At least to me it was. I
headed around the house and placed a log on a stump, then pulled back to
chop it. As usual, I barely made a dent and continued to whack at it until
it split into an acceptable length. One good thing, the pile of felled
tree trunks we had was a fairly decent size, and I knew if we could
continue to keep the supply up, we would have at least two months on hand.
Unfortunately, since we arrived so late in the season, most of our free
time was spent chopping wood that everyone else had taken care of in the
summer. After the eighth swing, the second log split, and I went over to
the pile to reach for another.	

My face was down to shield me from the bitter nip in the air, and when I
sat it on the stump, a pair of legs came into view. Looking up, Ben gave
me a small smile and gently took the ax from me. His eyes looked kinda
sad, and I was about to ask him if he was all right, but he spoke first.  

"Please go inside and let me do this. You should rest."  

I had to admit, I was feeling pretty miserable at the moment, so I didn't
argue with him.  

After going inside, I rested against the door listening to the strong,
steady thumping of the wood being chopped. He always made it look so easy.
Taking my outer clothes off, I felt a cramp and decided to lay down on the
sofa. I was thankful that I decided to stock up on all the personal items
I figured we'd need. I probably had enough to last us half the winter
through.  

The babies were playing with Dief near the table, and I thought I would
rest a few minutes, then start breakfast. No matter which position I moved
to, I still couldn't find a comfortable spot. The cramps were getting
worse, and I knew I couldn't lay there any longer.  

"Dief, watch the babies." I said as I went into the bathroom. I knew
before I even looked what was happening. I had gotten my period. Relief
washed over me, along with a feeling I wasn't expecting. Lately, I had
begun to feel as if I were pregnant, and now I was somewhat disappointed
that I wasn't. I didn't think I would have cramps this bad though.  

When I went back into the front room, Ben was sitting on the floor with
the babies. He must had noticed something wrong, because he immediately
came over to me.  

"Analise?" Ben placed his hands on my shoulders, and tried to look into my
eyes, but I couldn't face him. "Look at me." He gently demanded.  

Taking a deep breath, I looked up at him, and shook my head. "I'm fine
Ben. I just got my monthly, that's all. The...uh..cramps are...well, I
never had them this bad."  

He ushered me over to the love seat. "Are you sure you're alright?" He
asked, concern etched in his face.  

"Fine Ben. I just need some aspirin."  

Ben quickly went into the kitchen, and I closed my eyes as I heard him
tinker around. About ten minutes later, I felt him sit on the edge of the
couch and I opened my eyes. He was holding a cup of something, I guess it
was tea.  

"Drink this, it will help with the cramps."  

Sitting up, I took the cup and made a face as I smelled the contents.
"What's in it?"  

He tugged at his ear. "That's not important, what is important is it will
help you feel better."	

"I doubt that." I mumbled. "I know I packed some aspirin when we left." I
tried to hand the cup back, but he didn't take it. When I looked up at
him, he was giving me his best pleading look.  

"At least try it. Please?"  

A wave of irritation swept over me and placing the cup on the floor, I let
out a huff of a breath as I stood. "Never mind, I'll find my own damn
aspirin!"  

"Analise." Ben placed his hand on my arm but I jerked out of his grasp and
went into the bedroom, slamming the door. Tears stung my eyes as I opened
the closet and took out a small bag. Digging through it's contents, I
angrily threw it back into the closet when I couldn't find the aspirin. It
was then I remembered I had put it in the bathroom.  

Not wanting to face Ben this soon, I flopped down on the bed and buried my
face in the pillow as I cried. I didn't know why I was on an emotional
roller coaster, and I felt bad for yelling at Ben. What could I do though?
 

After about a half hour, I couldn't cry anymore and just laid there,
staring into nothingness. I didn't want to think about anything. I just
wanted to close my eyes and forget all that had happened. I knew I should
be with Ben right now, he probably was only going to stay for a few days
again, and then be gone for another few weeks, but for some odd reason, I
couldn't bring myself to leave the room. Closing my eyes, I took a deep
breath and willed the stress to leave my body.	

Hearing a soft knock at the door, I didn't answer. I was aware when the
door was gently opened and I knew Ben was looking at me, even though my
back was to him. I had hoped he would think I was sleeping, but I guess I
couldn't fool him. Ben placed something on the night stand, and pulled a
blanket around me before sitting on the edge of the bed.  

"I'm sorry." I whispered as I continued to stare at the far wall.  

"Don't be. I should have gotten you the aspirin." Ben's hand traced a path
on my arm as he spoke.	

"I just thought that maybe I was..." I couldn't continue.  

"I know. It's all right." He lay down and wrapped his arms around me. Not
knowing what to say, we simply drew comfort from each other. After a
little while, Ben spoke softly.  

"I have to leave on Sunday."  

I stiffened at his words, and tried not to cry. Even though I knew he was
going, it was a hard dose of reality to accept.  

"I would like you and the babies to come with me."  

I pushed myself up and looked down at him. "Come with you?" I asked, not
quite believing what I was hearing.  

He nodded. "We can stay in a boarding room until I come home again. That
gives us about a week and a half in Inuvik."  

"Are you sure?"  

"Positive. I miss you and the babies so much, and this would give you a
chance to do some shopping, meet some people."	

I hugged him tight, feeling a whole lot better already. "Thank you."  

Ben rubbed my back as he held me, and every once in a while, he would
bring his hand up to play in my hair. "I love you Analise." He said
softly.  

******	

Stan leaned back in his chair and stretched as he looked around the
bullpen. For the past few months they had been aware of a rash of missing
children along the northern states, but the disappearances seemed to be
sporadic at best. There was no set pattern, no witnesses.  

At first the detectives at the 27th didn't pay too much attention to them.
They weren't even the Chicago area. In the past few weeks though, two
children had turn up missing and everyone had been working over time
trying to find a lead.	

Tonight would be the first time in weeks Stan was leaving the station at a
decent hour. Taking his coat from the back of his chair, he decided to
head out before Welsh gave him something else to do. The past few months
hadn't been anything he expected. Fraser wasn't there to act as peacemaker
between him and Ray, and as a result, the two of them were working on each
others nerves more than usual.	

He also wasn't very happy with the direction his relationship with Maggie
had taken. Every time he tried calling her or asking if she wanted to get
together lately she would tell him she had to work late. He vividly
recalled the last time he saw her. It was a week before Thanksgiving..... 
 Stan pulled up in front of the Consulate. The weather had been horrible,
freezing rain and sleet. Pulling his collar around his neck, Stan made a
break for the building, stopping only when he reached the safety of the
lobby.	He was relieved she hadn't been standing guard duty. Making his
way back to her office, he knocked and opened the door, not waiting for an
answer. She quickly shoved something in her top drawer.  "Stan! what are
you doing here?" Maggie asked startled.  He shrugged and taking his coat
off, sat on the chair opposite her. "I thought I'd give you a ride home." 
She looked down then. "I can't. I still have some things to do here."  "No
problem, I can wait."  Maggie sighed as she thought about the file in her
desk. She had been too busy to work on it during the day, and had spent
almost all of her free time in the evenings and weekends trying to piece
together clues. As a result, the time she spent with Stan had been
limited. Hating to do it to him again, she reluctantly spoke.  "I will
probably just stay here tonight Stan."	He took in the information and
nodded. "OK, so, I can order a pizza, you can finish your work, and then
we can watch the tube or something."  He could tell from her body language
she wasn't going to go for the idea, so he quickly went over to her side
of the desk. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he started to massage her
tight muscles.	"I'm worried about you Maggie. Every time I've come by
lately, you're working. Half the time you don't even go home anymore. "
the more Stan talked, the angrier he became. "You know, I thought the
Icequeen was bad with all she made Fraser do, but this is crazy! She's
working you ta' death!" deciding to change that, Stan charged towards the
door. Maggie ran after him.  "You can't do that!"  "Watch me." He opened
the door, but Maggie quickly pushed him aside and shut it with the weight
of her body.  Stan couldn't believe her. "I'm only trying to help." his
voice was low, hurt.  Maggie bit her lower lip. "I'm sorry. I...this has
nothing to do with the Inspector. It's personal."  Stan moved closer to
her. "What's so important that you've been working yourself to death?" 
Maggie opened her mouth but no words would come out. She promised her
brother she would let it go. It was worse enough she went back on her
word.  "I can't tell you." she finally whispered.  "Can't or won't?" 
Looking away, she didn't answer. Stan placed his hand on her arm. "Maggie
if you're in trouble, I can help."  Maggie reached behind her and turned
the knob, opening the door. She looked at him and said in a husky voice,
"I think you should go."  Stan couldn't believe what he was hearing. He
went over to the chair and yanked his coat off the back.  "Fine, you want
me to go-- I'll go. Sorry I bothered you." His voice dripped with hurt and
sarcasm as he spoke. Pausing by the door, he hoped she'd change her mind,
but she didn't.  Shaking his head, he walked quickly to the front door,
hitting the frame on his way out.   Shaking himself back to the present,
Stan picked up his coat and walked towards the exit.  

"Hey Kowalski."  

He turned to see Frannie, dropping off files on desks as she went
approached him.  

"What do you want Frannie?" he asked exasperated.  

"Well that was a great hello."	

He sighed and put his head down. Lately he'd been acting like a real jerk.
"Sorry, what did ya need Frannie?"  

She smiled at his contrite manner. "That's better. Ma's upset you didn't
come over for Thanksgiving dinner yesterday."  

"Yeah well, I was busy." he put on his coat as he spoke so he didn't have
to look at her.  

Frannie crossed her arms. "Busy? On Thanksgiving?" She didn't believe him
for a second.  

"Yeah, that's what I said." He walked away from her and almost made it to
the door. He knew Maggie would be there, and since she hadn't bothered to
call, he didn't think she wanted to see him.  

"You know, if you wanted some private time with Maggie, you could have
just said so instead of standing us up?" Frannie asked.  

 

Stan stopped dead in his tracks. "She didn't show up?"	

Frannie shook her head "We tried calling both of you all day but there was
no answer."  

Stan's stomach did a flip flop as he left the station. Thinking
rationally, he knew that just because she didn't show up, didn't mean she
was in trouble, he reminded himself.  

By the time he reached the GTO, Stan had ran through every possible
scenario in his mind. Each one worse than the one before. 'OK,' he told
himself. 'I'll just swing by her place, make some excuse...in the
neighborhood....then leave.'  

The eight block drive did nothing to calm the worry he was feeling. She
should have at least called the Vecchio's to let them know she was all
right. He thought.  

Parking the car, Stan waited impatiently for the elevator, then almost
jogged to her front door. Taking a minute to compose himself, he knocked
on the door. While he was waiting for her to answer, a neighbor left a
nearby apartment and walked past him.  

"Excuse me," Stan waited until the man turned around. "Have you seen the
woman who lives here lately?"  

The man shrugged and continued on his way.  

"That's great...that's just....fine. Thanks for all yer' help." Stan
called after him.  

He knocked on the door again, and when there was still no answer, he dug
out his 'specialty tools'. Looking to make sure he wasn't being watched,
Stan quickly tripped the lock on the door and opened the door. 'She really
needs to get that lock replaced' he thought ' a two year old could have
picked it.'  

He looked around the apartment, but nothing seemed out of place. It was
one hundred percent Mountie spotless.  

Seeing the blinking light on her answering machine, he smiled and pressed
the play button. After endless days of nagging, he had convinced her to
buy one. Just to ease his mind he told her at the time.  

The first msg played, nothing unusual, he was about to walk away from the
machine when he noticed the date of the message of the digital display
box. It was left three days ago! She hadn't checked messages in three
days. He listened through the rest of them, hoping to find something he
could use, but the rest were from Frannie asking where she was for
Thanksgiving.  

1He picked up the phone and called the consulate. If she was there, she'd
answer even if she wasn't on the clock. After the tenth ring, he hung it
up and decided to check on his own. Any misgivings he had before, had just
tripled.  

******	

We left a day early to allow enough time to get back. Ben wanted to spend
some time showing my around the small town before reporting in. The first
thing that caught my attention was the number of snow mobiles and 4 x 4's.
It seemed odd that Ben was the only one who still wanted to use a dog
sled.  

After unhitching the dogs and boarding them at the detachment, Ben took
one of the babies and led us down main street.	

"The boarding house is about three blocks down this way. A Dene woman runs
it and she will make sure you and the babies are well cared for."  

Ben pointed out the pharmacy, the doctor's office, a small store and a few
other sights. We came to the center of town and an abstract statue caught
my attention. It had three curved rods holding up a ball in the middle.  

"What's that?"	

Ben smiled as he led me over to the statue.  

"It's a symbol of unity. Inuvik has a unique history and people. Here, the
Dene, Inuit, and what they would refer to as foreigners all live here
together in peace. The three arms of the statue represent the three main
groups. The ball in the middle represents how they live and work together
as one.  

I nodded in understanding and Ben continued to talk as he led us down the
street.  

It was getting later in the day, and the babies were getting fussy so Ben
took us to the boarding house. He knocked on the door and we waited
patiently as a woman greeted us. Well, she greeted Ben, and eyed me up and
down.  

"Good evening Mrs. Firesun"  

"Constable. I take it you need a room?"  

"Ah...yes. This is my wife, Analise, and our children Jacinda and Robert."
 

The woman smiled when she looked at the babies. "The twins?" She asked.  

I nodded and her whole demeanor changed.  

"Come in, come in." She stepped back to make room for us to pass.  

"Thank you kindly" Ben tipped his stetson at her.  

The woman led us into the sitting room and there were two men sitting in
front of the TV in high backed chairs.	

"This is the television room. Across the hall is the dining room, and
breakfast is at seven." She motioned for us to follow her and I glanced
back at the TV one last time. I figure out what they were watching. It
looked like...like they were watching someone sweep a floor.  

11Ben placed his hand on the small of my back and we followed the women up
the stairs.  

"The bathroom is at the end of the hall." She stopped and turned to us.
"Unless you want a private bath. If you do, it's 15 dollars a night
extra."  

I looked at Ben and had to bite my lip so I wouldn't yell, 'we'll take
it!'. Since I didn't have a job any longer, I didn't want to put an added
financial strain on Ben.  

"A bathroom would be nice, thank you." He smiled at me as he spoke and I
practically skipped the rest of the way to the room.  

There was another high backed chair in the room and after taking off my
coat and gloves, I picked up Robert and sat down to nurse him, while Ben
entertained JC. After about ten minutes we switched.  

When the babies were changed it didn't take them long to fall asleep, and
I stood, stretching. I spied the old claw foot tub in the bathroom and
smiled.  

"Ben? I'm going to take a long hot bath."  

"Oh! I'll get the bags."  

They were still in the sled at the detachment and even though I knew it
wouldn't take long for Ben to get them, I still felt like I should offer
to help. "Would you like me to go with you?"  

"No, enjoy your bath. I'll be back soon."  

I wrapped my arms around him, kissing him with all I was worth. Slowly, I
took my hands from around his neck and traced them down his chest,
eventually wrapping them around his waist.  

Ben let out a guttural sigh and pressed me tight against him as his hands
roamed up and down my back. He eventually broke off the kiss and rested
his forehead against mine. We were breathing hard and after a few minutes,
Ben slid his hands down my arms. When he captured my hands, he brought
them to his lips kissing each one.  

"I'll be right back." He assured me and picked up his parka, and mittens
before leaving the room. After checking on the babies again, I went into
the bathroom and gratefully turned on the hot water.  

As I took my clothes off I mused at how nice it was to just turn on the
faucet for hot water. At home, I had to stack wood under the water heater
and it always took at least a half hour for it to warm up before I could
bathe. Easing into the water I leaned back and rested my head on the edge.
The only thing that would make this better would be bubbles. I don't know
how long I soaked like that, but I did indulge myself my adding more hot
water three times-- something I couldn't do at the cabin.  

Knowing I did eventually have to get out, I was about to stand up when Ben
appeared in the doorway. In his hands were a neatly folded pile of
clothes.  

"I thought you might like these." Ben placed them on the counter and I
smiled as his gaze lingered on my body.  

Raising an eyebrow, I teasingly drew my one leg up against the other, then
back down. Ben stood completely still as his eyes followed my every
movement.  

"I..I'm going to check on the babies." He stammered, backing out of the
room. I laughed at him. "I'll be out in a minute."  

I knew it wasn't right to tease him like that, we both knew we weren't
going to do anything while I had my 'visitor'. I took my time drying off.
It was nice not to have to rush to get changed since the room was toasty
warm.  

1I stopped when I reached for my clothes. Instead of the practical and
warm long johns, Ben had brought in my silk pajama's and robe with
slippers. I hadn't wore them since we left Chicago! Holding the material
against my cheek, I closed my eyes and sighed. I didn't know he had even
brought them along.  

When I went into the room, I was surprised to see Ben leaning over the
table, lighting a candle.  

"What's all this for?" I asked. The table was set with two plates of food,
and the candles. It wasn't fancy, but it was romantic.	

"I asked Mrs. Firesun if we could eat in private tonight." He moved close
to me as he spoke, and tentatively touched my neck, tracing a path over
the edge of my robe, past my breasts, to finally pull me close to him by
my waist.  

"It's perfect Ben. Thank you." Feeling playful, I put my arms around his
neck and gave light kisses and nips up to his ear, and then across his jaw
line. He returned the favor, and I found myself being moved towards the
bed. I wanted to say something, but the sensations he was causing in me
left me speechless. He placed me gently on the bed and lay half on top of
me, while continuing his ministrations. It wasn't until his one hand
started to roam that I found the resolve to stop.  

Placing my hand on top of his, I broke off the kiss. "Ben..." I moaned.  

"Ben...we can't." The despair at having to say that was evident in my
voice. Ben held me tighter, and kissed me passionately one last time
before resting beside me. His breath was ragged and he ran a thumb
absentmindedly over my breast as he spoke.  

"I'm sorry. Sometimes I just can't control...."  

"I know. Me neither." I stilled his hand again as I spoke, and we lay
there, trying to find enough resolve to pull away from each other. Ben's
hand snaked down my torso, massaging gently but when he reached my
stomach, I flinched.  

"Ow!"  

He immediately sat up and looked at me concerned. "Did that hurt?" He
asked, I could tell his mind was already working.  

"It's just a little tender." I went to sit up, but he placed a hand on my
shoulder, keeping me in place.	

"Let me look at you." He started to untie my robe as he spoke.	

"There's nothing to look at Ben. I must have just pulled a muscle or
something when I was chopping wood." I allowed him to move the robe aside,
and lift my shirt, knowing it would be a lot easier than arguing with him
half the night. Very gently he probed my abdomen, and I tried not to
flinch when he reached the tender area.  

"When did this start?" He asked.  

I shrugged. "The day after Thanksgiving."  

Ben replaced my shirt and leaned over me. "I'd like you to see a doctor
while we're here."  

Rolling my eyes, I pushed him over and sat up. "Oh yeah, that will look
really good. I go to a doctor because I got my monthly. I *don't* think
so." He was just looking at me and I continued. "Besides, it isn't as bad
as it was before."  

"Why didn't you say something?" Ben spoke softly.  

"There's nothing to say Ben. It's a period. That's it. Women's bodies go
through changes during that time of..."  

Ben cleared his throat and blushed as he cut me off. "Understood."  

I smiled at him. He could be so cute when he was embarrassed. I nodded my
head towards the table. "Are we going to eat?"	

Ben stood and took my hand leading me over to the table, and pulled my
chair out for me. After he made sure I was settled, he took his seat. The
meal was delicious, but for the most part, I was enjoying listening to Ben
talk. He told me even more about the town's history, and everything he
wanted us to do while we were here.  

I had to admit, I was a little apprehensive about tomorrow. He would be at
work all day and I would be by myself. As we were getting ready for bed, I
looked around and realized Dief wasn't here.  

"Ben, what happened to Dief?"  

He turned down the blankets as he spoke. "The last I saw, he was sitting
in front of the television mesmerized."  

****  

I placed the babies in their carriers and made my way down to the dining
room. Ben had left an hour ago and I made him promise he would get
something to eat. Dief was right on my heels as we made our way
downstairs. "Good morning." Mrs. Firesun greeted.  

"Morning." Looking around the empty room, I was puzzled. "Is it only us?" 


She laughed. "The other two guests I have are American, and they would
rather sleep in than eat breakfast at a decent hour."  

I didn't know if she knew I was American or not, but didn't think that now
was a good time to mention it. She motioned for me to sit at the table,
and I placed the carriers on each side of my chair while she went into the
kitchen.  

She returned a short while later with two plates of food, and after
setting them on the table, disappeared again to return with a large glass
pitcher of milk and two glasses.  

"This looks great" I admitted as I dug into the omelet.  

After a few minutes, she looked up at me. "So how do you like living in
the Fraser cabin?"  

"Wow, news sure must travel around fast here." Came my surprised reply.  

"In a small town like this? It's almost gospel." She laughed. "We've known
you were going to move up here since last January."  

"Don't tell me, Eric had something to do with the 'news' spreading, didn't
he?" I surmised.  

"He's one of my regulars. Comes in every few months when he's over this
way. Everyone's been really anxious to meet you, it isn't often we have
someone new move in. Most of the time younger folks can't wait until
they're old enough to leave."  

"Where do they go?" I asked.  

She shrugged. Most go to big cities, looking to 'find' themselves, and
every once in a while one comes back. For the most part, they leave and
never look back." He eyes darted briefly towards the mantel at the photos,
she let out an almost visible sigh when she finished, giving me the
impression she's experienced it first hand.  

"So, what are your plans for today?" She said as changing the subject.	

"Well, I was hoping to find a phone. I haven't talked to any of my friends
since I moved up here." I explained.  

"If you like, you can use mine after breakfast."  

I gave her a grateful smile as the excitement started to build inside me.
"Thank you so much!"  

It seemed to take forever for her to finish eating and I volunteered to
help her with the dishes, but she insisted I was a guest. I busied myself
by playing with the babies and watching TV, but that didn't help. Finally
she led me to the phone, and gave me some privacy.  

I nervously waited while the phone rang. With each second that passed, my
anxiety grew another level. Finally a familiar voice came across the line.
 

"27th police district, violent crimes."  

"Frannie!" I squealed into the phone.  

"Analise, is that you?" she sounded just as excited as me.  

"Yep, God it's good to hear your voice! How've you been?" The words
tumbled out of my mouth, I was so happy to talk to her.  

"Oh, you know, nothing ever changes here. I can't believe you haven't
called before this" she scolded.  

"Hey, this is the first time I've been away from the cabin!" I laughed.  

Frannie became suddenly quiet.	

"Frannie? you still there?"  

"Yeah, I'm here."  

"What's wrong?"  

"I miss you guys."  

I blinked back the tears that stung my eyes and threatened to fall.  

"I miss you too." It was odd to feel happy and sad at the same time.  

"So.." Frannie let out a deep breath, though her voice was still strained
she continued. "How do you like Canada?"  

Now it was my turn to fall silent. "It's nice. The cabin looks great now
that we have everything unpacked, and of course the view is to die for."  

"But?" she interrupted.  

"But what?"  

"Analise, are you forgetting who you're talking to? I know you better than
the nose on your face."  

I smiled at Frannie's mangled metaphor. Sighing, I spoke quietly into the
phone. "I don't get to see Ben as much as I'd like, and there really
aren't any neighbors around here. Anyway, I just need to get used to it,
and I'll be fine."  

"You and Fraser both know you can come back anytime, right?"  

"Yes Frannie, we know." I smiled. She just couldn't resist adding that.  

"Is he there with you?" she asked. "No, he had to go to work. I am staying
for a few days near the post so we can spend some time together. I'll be
here about a week and a half, so I'll try calling again before we go back
to the cabin."	

1"You better call. Ray and Stan are going to be so upset they missed you."
 

"Where are they? Out on a stakeout?"  

Frannie's reply left me know she was disgusted. "No, probably just killing
each other."  

"Why? What happened?"  

"Nothing really. They are just acting like a couple of kids. No matter
what one says, the other disagrees." Laughing, I couldn't understand what
the problem was. "That sounds like old times. Tell me something I don't
know."	

"It's different Analise. I can't put my finger on it, but since you guys
left, they haven't been getting along."  

"Hhmm. I hope they can work it out."  

"So do I. The Lieutenant is about to assign them to separate partners."
her voice became really low then "Just between you and me, I heard him
talking on the phone the other day. I think he's thinking about
transferring one of them."  

"Has it really been that bad?" I asked in disbelief. They were friends! I
know they like to go at it, but what could have changed in just a couple
of months?  

"I don't know. Anyway, I gotta get going. The Lieutenant's been on a
rampage lately, and I don't wanna be next on his list."  

"Alright. I'll try and call again. Hey! Did you get my letter?"  

"Yeah, I'm still working on it, but I am having trouble finding some of
the things. Why do you want them anyway?"  

"It's a surprise for Ben."  

"Ok, I gotta go, the Lieutenant's coming this way! Tell Fraser I said hi."
 

"I will."  

I listened as she hung up the phone and slowly replaced the receiver back
on it's cradle. I wondered if Ben knew what was going on. I doubted it.
Ray and Stan probably wouldn't tell him, and he would have at least
mentioned something to me by now.  

*********  

1I took my time walking around the town as I pulled the babies in a small
sled. The week had passed far too quick, and I knew I couldn't put this
off any longer. As I neared the doctor's office, I stopped to see if I
could schedule their third set of shots. I hoped Canada had the same shot
schedule as the US.  

A bell attached to the back of the door rang when I opened it, and I
walked into the small office. The waiting room only had six seats and
there was a door to a back room, another door I assumed was either to a
closet or bathroom, and a desk with a woman behind it.	

She smiled up at me.  

"Hi, I was wondering if I could make an appointment for well-baby shots."
I said as I placed the baby carriers down by a chair. When I straightened,
another pain shot thorough my stomach. I froze, then moved slowly forcing
myself to stand straight. When I looked over at her, she quickly looked
down and flipped open a book.  

"How old are they?"  

"Seven and a half months. They need their six month shots though."  

When she looked up at me again, I felt the need to explain. "We had some
family problems, and their last shots were delayed."  

Standing, she came around to where the babies were.  

"Aww look at them. They are just adorable." She gushed as she leaned over
the carriers.  

I was starting to feel pretty miserable and frustrated at myself. I still
had my 'monthly' and it had been almost two weeks now. Not that it was
heavy the entire time, sometimes it would almost stop altogether. I was
beginning to notice that when I exerted myself, it tended to become worse.
All I wanted was to go back to the room and lie down.  

I knew people were more laid back around here, and I didn't want to be
taken as rude, but I couldn't see spending the next hour waiting for her
to set an appointment.	

1"Excuse me, I need to be going soon. Could you tell me when a good time
would be for the doctor to see the babies?"  

She stopped talking to them and looked over at me. "Actually, I could see
them now." There was a touch of humor in her voice as she spoke.  

"I--I'm sorry, I didn't realize." I was at a loss for words. Never had I
been so embarrassed.  

"That's all right. Most people don't. I'm Dr. Reuben." She held out her
hand as she spoke and I shook it. "Would you like to bring them back?"	

"Uh..my husband isn't here now and I would like to wait for him before
they get the shots. They are quite a handful when they're not happy." I
laughed.  

"That's fine, I can just give them their checkups and go over their
medical history." She had already picked up JC's carrier and moved towards
the door. Feeling I didn't have a choice, I picked up Robert and followed
her.  

She motioned for me to have a seat as she took JC out of her carrier and
placed her on the table. As she looked her over, she would occasionally
glance at me.  

"Jacinda, is that how you pronounce her name?" She asked.  

"Yes, you know our names?" I asked in slight disbelief.  

"Don't look so surprised. This is a small town and not too many people
move here. Right now you and the twins and the topic of conversation."	

"Oh, joy."  

She laughed. "It isn't that bad. Once something else comes along, you'll
be old news." she smiled at me and continued. "besides, your husband
brought your family's medical records by a few weeks ago."  

"I didn't know that."  

"Well, by default, I am everyone's family doctor, except for Dr. Yantz. he
comes in twice a month from Aklavik. I hope that doesn't bother you."  

"No, not at all."  

I shifted uncomfortably as she looked over first JC, then Robert. Finally
she smiled at me. "They're both in perfect health."  

"That's good to hear." I stood to leave, not expecting her next words.	

"Now it's your turn."  

I had been strapping Robert in his carrier, and turned to face her.
"What?"  

"You are also one of my patients now, and I like to do complete physical
on my patients so I know where we stand." She was changing the paper on
the exam table as she spoke, then went to the sink to wash her hands.  

"I...now isn't a good time. I can come back later." I stammered.  

Her smile faded as she regarded me. "I noticed you seem to be having some
discomfort earlier. How long has that been happening?"	

I shrugged and looked down, not able to meet her eyes as I answered. "Not
long. Not really. I think I just pulled a muscle or something. It's no big
deal." I finished in barely a whisper.	

What could it hurt to have look then?"	

"No offense, but I just don't like doctors. It's nothing personal." I
quickly added.	

She regarded me calmly for a moment. "At least let me do a once over. I'll
listen to your heart, the usual. What can that hurt?"  

Sighing, I looked around the room. "I don't know."  

"Please, Analise." She held out her arm and motioned towards the table.
Still feeling torn, I shrugged.  

"I guess, as long as it doesn't take too long."  

I sat on the table while she brought over a blood pressure gauge. "Would
you take your sweater off and roll up your sleeve?"  

I complied and sat patiently as she checked my blood pressure, listened to
my heart and lungs, checked my ears and mouth, and finally stopped to look
at me.	

"Everything seems to check out on the surface. I would like to do a
complete exam if you'll allow me."  

"I can't. Not now anyway. I....uh...have my monthly." I replied, glad for
the first time that I did.  

She started writing in a file. "When was the date of your last period?"
She asked.  

"It was a little over two months ago." She looked up and I quickly added.
"I nurse the babies and my other doctor told me that it was normal to not
have a period."  

"Sometimes. What about the one you have now? Is there anything unusual
about it?"  

This was going into territory I wasn't comfortable talking about, and I
looked over at the babies as I tried to decide whether or not to answer
her. When I hadn't answered after a few minutes, she stood and came over
to me.	

"Analise, if you are experiencing problems, I'd like to help you."  

"It's nothing really. I have been having some cramps that are bad at
times, but it's nothing I can't handle."  

"On a scale of one to ten, with ten being the most severe, how would you
rate them?"  

I shrugged again, thinking that the numbers didn't go up high enough.  

"Have you passed any clots or had any other problems?"	

I looked up at her startled. How could she know? I was really becoming
uncomfortable under her scrutiny, and got off the table.  

"Look, I don't want to talk about this right now, OK? It's nothing
personal, I just don't like doctors."  

She studied me with calm eyes. "All right, it's your choice. Just remember
I am here if you change your mind."  

"I will. When do you want me to bring the babies back? We leave for the
cabin in two days."  

"Is tomorrow soon enough?"  

"That's fine, and thank you again."  

"My pleasure." She picked up Robert's carrier as she spoke and carried him
outside for me. After we had the babies settled, I waited while she went
back inside and slowly made my way back to the boarding house.	

***********  

Ben checked on Robert and Jacinda, both were sleeping soundly. Dief
sniffed the air around the babies and promptly laid down by them, curling
into a ball and closing his eyes.  

He looked over to the bed and watched Analise sleep as he took off his
brown uniform jacket, loosened his tie, and rolled up his sleeves. Moving
silently to the bed, he stooped down so his face was level with hers. She
looked so peaceful, her eyelids fluttering every once in a while. Ever so
gently, Ben pushed a piece of hair back that had fallen over her face and
then traced her cheek, and her lips with his finger.  

His brow furrowed as he pulled the covers up around her. Standing, Ben
looked around the room for something to do. He could always get his
uniform ready for tomorrow, or perhaps read a book. The first thing he did
was change into a pair of jeans and a flannel shirt. Looking around the
room again, he weighed his options. It was still an hour and a half until
dinner time, and he was the only one awake. He could go downstairs and see
if Mrs. Firesun needed any help with dinner...	

His eyes kept drifting back to the bed with Analise. Mind made up, Ben
pulled back the covers and quietly climbed into bed behind her. He pulled
the covers back over the both of them, and gently scooted forward until
her back was spooned against his chest. Letting out a sigh, he wrapped his
arm around her and closed his eyes, enjoying the fragrance of her scent.  

Warm breath tickled the back of my neck and I felt secure. I became aware
of an arm draped around my waist and rhythmic breathing against my back.
Opening my eyes, I turned slowly to face Ben. Smiling, I brushed my lips
gently against his, and wondered how long he had been here.  

I felt better now that I had rested and I propped myself up on my elbow,
looking over Ben at the babies. Jacinda was quietly sitting up, looking
around. When she saw me, her face broke out into a wide smile. I moved to
get up, but Ben wrapped his arm around me tighter. Looking down, his eyes
were still closed, but was that a slight smile? As I laid back down beside
him, I placed a kiss on his shoulder.  

"She's fine. When she needs something, she'll let us know." He mumbled,
then rolled onto his back pulling me with him. He finally opened his eyes
and smiled at me.  

 

"Are you feeling better?" He asked.  

I studied him. "What makes you think I wasn't feeling well?"  

Ben silently raised an eyebrow at me. Under his knowing gaze, I folded.  

"OK, I wasn't but I do feel better now." I assured him.  

"I'm glad. What did you do today?"  

I smiled at his question. Everyday since we arrived he has asked that
question. So far, I had spent the week ordering supplies, meeting people
and just enjoying myself.  

I ran my fingers lightly through his hair. "I took the babies to the
doctors. If we bring them back tomorrow, she can give them their shots."  

"Good. What time do you want to go over? He asked.  

Shrugging, I traced my fingers across his chest in different patterns.
"How about four? Will you be able to meet me there?"  

"Yes."	

We heard a bell echo through the door and knew it was time for dinner.
Getting up, we quickly made the bed and readied Robert and Jacinda before
heading downstairs.  

Ben was carrying JC in front of me, and as we descended the stairs, we
could hear muted voices coming from the hallway. When we reached the
bottom, Ben stopped short. I almost ran into him and looked to see why he
wasn't moving.	

There were two men in deep conversation by the front door. The one I
recognized as one of the American guests staying here, but I didn't know
the second. It soon became apparent that Ben did. The two men stopped
talking and after glancing at us, the American quickly went outside.  

The other man smiled broadly at Ben and approached us.	

"Fraser! Is this your family?" He smiled and waited for Ben to acknowledge
him.  

I couldn't see anything wrong, but something in Ben's posture let me know
I should be on my guard.  

"Lutris, this is my wife Analise, and our children Robert and Jacinda."
Ben politely introduced us.  

"Call me Hyde, all my friends do." The man said as he held his hand out to
me. I shook it, and looked over at Ben.  

"Lutris is my...uh..." Ben started.  

"Partner. It's a pleasure to meet you." Hyde added.  

1"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize. It's nice to meet you."  

Ben cleared his throat. "Why don't you take JC and Robert into the dining
area, I'll be in, in a minute."  

"Sure." I knew something was bothering Ben, and I quickly took JC from
him. Maybe it had to do with work, but I doubted it. There was something
bothering Ben about this man.  

I smiled at his partner again. "It was nice to meet you, Constable."  

"The pleasures all mine." He tipped his hat and I went into the other
room.  

Ben watched Analise disappear into the other room and turned to face his
partner. "What are you doing here? Did we get a break in the missing
children case?" He asked.  

"Uh..no. I just... well I knew your family would be leaving, and I wanted
to meet them. It isn't normal to have a partner for two whole months and
not have met the family." He teased.  

Ben didn't even crack a smile at the man. He hadn't mentioned they were
staying in town, but then again, it wasn't really a secret around here. He
probably heard someone mention it. "Ah, well in that case, I will see you
at work tomorrow."  

"Yeah, sure Frase'."  

Ben inwardly flinched as he heard the familiar name. Only Frannie and Stan
had ever called him Frase'. He waited until the door was shut behind the
man before taking a deep breath, then went into the dining room.  

I smiled at Ben as he came into the room. He apologized to Mrs. Firesun
for his tardiness, and took Robert from me before sitting down.  

"So, that was your partner?" I asked as an opener. I hadn't even realized
that Ben had a partner. It wasn't like him to keep something like that
from me. What was bothering him so much?  

"Er..yes."  

I nodded at his one syllable answer. Something was definitely not right.
"How is he to work with?"  

Ben cleared his throat and didn't quite make eye contact with me. "He
performs his duty."  

"I see." I turned my attention back to my dinner. It was obvious he didn't
want to talk about Lutris. I started to push the food around on my plate,
as I wondered why it is so hard for him to open up to me sometimes. When I
felt a hand on my thigh, I looked up at Ben.  

"I'll explain later, I promise." He said, looking sincerely at me. I
managed to give him a small smile, and nodded my head.	

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

The rest of Thanksgiving weekend went excruciating slow for Stan. He had
not been able to reach Maggie, and spent most of his time checking between
her apartment and the consulate. By Saturday night, he was worried enough
to call Inspector Thatcher. She informed him that although they as
Canadians didn't celebrate the United States Thanksgiving, she had given
everyone both Thursday and Friday off. It was difficult to get business
taken care of, when everyone else was closed. She also informed him that
it wasn't her responsibility to keep track of what her staff did with
their free time before she promptly hung up on him.  

Sleep didn't come for him that night.  

Maggie adjusted her pack and wearily headed down the street. After almost
two months of hunting down leads and faxing pictures of Metcalf across
parts of the northern US and Canada, she finally had a response from
someone who thought they remembered her. Maggie jumped on the first plane
to Olympia, WA, to talk to the woman. Unfortunately she couldn't provide
her with the answers she needed, so it was back to Chicago. Though she was
trying to remain logical she had gotten her hopes up, and now the
disappointment was a sour medicine to take. Next time she'd know better.
The crisp pre-dawn air was a welcome reminder of home, and she breathed
deep as she watched the city come to life.  

Maggie was relieved to see her apartment building ahead. She hadn't slept
in the three days she spent hitchhiking back to Chicago. The Thanksgiving
rush had made getting a return flight impossible. All for a meeting that
lasted less than an hour, she sighed. She gave the woman her telephone
number, and asked her to call if she remembered anything else at all, even
if it didn't seem important at the time.  

Maggie entered through a side door to the building, since it was closer,
and leaned against the elevator wall waiting for her floor. Once she was
in her apartment, Maggie dropped her pack, and without even bothering to
turn on a light, went into the bedroom and collapsed onto the bed. As soon
as her head hit the pillow, she was asleep.  

Stan was jarred awake by a loud banging on his window. He opened his eyes,
and immediately shut them again as the beam of a flashlight temporarily
blinded him. He wound down the car window and squinted up at the beat cop.
 

"You can't sleep here, get a move on" he barked, and Stan pulled his
jacket aside, revealing the badge he kept on his gun holster.  

"Police business pal, so why don't you go away?" Stan smartly replied. The
cop gave him a snide look, but walked away without further encouragement.
Stan stretched and looked down at his watch. 6 am. He leaned forward and
looking up through his windshield, glanced up at Maggie's apartment window
again. He couldn't believe he had fallen asleep, but the past three days
had taken their toll on him.  

The lights were still out, and he knew it was a long shot that she'd
actually be there, but he had to try. If she didn't show up today, he was
going to fill out a missing persons report. Actually, he had wanted to do
that the first day, but the law wouldn't allow it. Panic surged through
him as he pictured having to tell Fraser he let something happen to his
sister. All because he had been stubborn. Shaking that thought from his
mind, Stan started the Gto, pulled away from the curb and decided to go
home, take a shower, then start another circuit from the consulate, to
here and back.	

Maggie wrapped the towel around herself feeling ten times better. She
slept until almost 11am, and the warm shower also helped to relax her
tired muscles. She was getting soft. Three months ago, she could have went
a week without so much as a day's sleep, and still get the job done. She
would have to make sure that the city didn't effect her ability to perform
her job.  

Dressing, Maggie decided to go for a long walk, and also stop by the
Consulate to make sure everything was secure.  

Stan downed his third cup of coffee for the morning, hoping the caffeine
would keep him awake. The empty bag of smarties next to him also didn't
seem to be helping. Rubbing his eyes, he blinked and opened them wide,
trying to focus on the road ahead. Maggie's apartment was only a block
ahead, and he hoped, prayed actually, that she would be there, and all
right. He pulled up to the building, and seeing a familiar figure about a
half block away, his heart leapt as he pulled out again, hoping it was
her. She was just crossing an intersection, and Stan sped up to reach her.
 

He only saw the car for a split second, before it crashed into the
driver's side of the Gto.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  

At the sound of metal crushing metal, Maggie turned and ran back the way
she had come, hoping to be of some assistance. By the time she reached the
intersection, a crowd had already started to form, but no one had made a
move to help either of the vehicle's occupants. The driver of the blue
Hyundai was already out of his car, and she asked him if he was hurt as
she scanned his car for other passengers. Thankfully, he was alone. He
reassured her that he was fine, and she turned to the other car, noticing
for the first time who's car it was.  

"Stan!" She cried as she tried to reach him through the drivers side.
"Someone call an ambulance!" She yelled into the crowd and not being able
to reach her goal, climbed over the cars mangled hoods and yanked open the
passenger side door. Climbing into the front seat, she swallowed the
choked sob that tried to escape, knowing that she couldn't lose control,
not now.  

"Stan...." She whispered as she tentatively reached out a shaky hand to
check for a pulse. He started to moan and move his head from side to side
slowly.  

"Stan..." Maggie repeated. "Open your eyes, look at me." She begged.
Slowly, his head turned towards her, and his eyes opened a crack.  

"Maggie?" He groggily asked.  

"Don't move, an ambulance is on it's way." She soothed. He didn't listen
as he tried to reach over to touch her. 'This has to be a dream' he
thought 'she isn't really here. Wanting to accept the dream more than the
past few days of reality he'd experienced, he spoke to her.  

"Yer' here." His words were filled with disbelief. She took his hand in
hers, trying to keep him still.  

"I'm here Stan. Just stay still, help is coming." She repeated, to assure
him, or herself, she wasn't entirely sure.  

He smiled at her, a dopey kind of sweet smile. "I was worried about you. I
couldn't find you..."  

The driver of the other car peered in from the passenger side. "Is he all
right? I had the right of way, I didn't even see him coming until it was
too late." He tried to explain.  

That seemed to snap Stan out of the fog his mind was in. He looked around
and remember the accident. Looking back into Maggie's concerned face, he
reached down with his free hand to undo the seat belt. "I'm fine." He
informed them.	

"Don't move, you could have injuries." Maggie tried to keep him still, but
he brushed off her hands as he sat up.	

"I said I'm fine" he snapped. Anger started to replace the relief he'd
felt at finding her. She bit her lip and sat back as he straightened in
his seat. The ambulances where just pulling up, and Stan groaned when he
saw them. He tried to open his door, but part of the other car's hood had
it blocked.  

He motioned for Maggie to get out, and followed her through the passenger
side just as the EMT's were coming around.  

"Are you OK? I didn't even see you coming" The distraut driver of the
other car repeated.  

"Yeah, I didn't see you there. Are you hurt?" He asked. The man shook his
head and Stan turned to the paramedics. "We're fine, you can go do
whatever." His voice trailed off as he got a good look at his car.  

"My baby!" He wailed, as he placed his hands on the mangled hood. The
other car wasn't in as bad of shape.  

By this time, black and whites had arrived and started to direct the
traffic around the wreck, as one approached the two men.  

"Causing trouble again Kowalski?"  

Stan turned around and stared at the beat cop. A huge smile spread across
his face as he lunged for her, picking her up and spinning her around in a
circle.  

"Elaine! Where've you been keeping yer'self?" Stan asked as he held her in
the air.  

She laughed as she teasingly pounded him on the shoulders. "Working for a
living, unlike SOME people. Now put me down!"  

He did as she said, but didn't let go right away. Giving her a wicked
grin, he bent her backwards in a dip and kissed her sound on the lips.
When he let her back up, and pulled back, she tried to look upset with him
but failed miserably.  

"Careful Kowalski, I can still whip your butt!" She warned.  

They grew quiet for a moment, and Elaine was the first to speak. "It's
been a while, hasn't it?" She asked. She'd been on the force a little over
4 years now, and the last time she had gotten together with everyone was
when Ray came back from his undercover assignment. Though they worked in
the same city, it was a big city. She tried to prove herself as a good
officer. Who was she kidding? She wanted to prove herself as a great
officer! One day, she was going to be a detective, and to get there, she
had to be willing to work harder, longer, and smarter than her colleagues.
Writing parking tickets and arresting winos in the park wasn't her idea of
a good time.  

"Two years" Stan supplied. "Listen, after we get this cleaned up, you
wanna grab a bite? Catch up on old times?"  

Her smile faded "I'd love to, but I have to work a double today." Thinking
about it, she perked up.  

"How about we meet tomorrow for lunch? Say twelve? It's my half day and I
don't start until six."  

"I'm all over that."  

"Great. Is The Cop Shop OK?" She asked. It was a local diner near the ( ).
Lately she'd spent so much time in there, she was convinced that grease
had to be the fifth food group.  

"I'll be there."  

They then turned back to business and she took his statement, plus the
other drivers, before bidding farewell until tomorrow. It took about a
half hour for the tow truck to arrive and haul away Stan's car. Luckily,
the other man was able to drive his. Insurance information was exchanged,
and after the mayhem, Stan stood on the sidewalk looking at where his car
used to be. The only sign left was small pieces of shattered headlights on
the street.  

Maggie stood against the building, where she had been since Stan yelled at
her in the car. He hadn't even glanced in her direction the entire time.
Ever since he visited her office and she told him to leave, she hadn't
seen or heard from him. When he first came to in the car though, he said
something about not being able to find her. Had he been looking? He didn't
seem to want to be around her now though. The way he greeted that female
officer let her know just who he wanted to be hanging around with. Hanging
her head, Maggie shoved her hands in her coat pockets and silently headed
towards the Consulate again.  

Stan ran his hands over his face, and let out a deep breath. He knew
Maggie was still here, he was aware of her the entire time he went through
the motions of making a statement, talking to the tow truck driver, etc.
When he was talking to Elaine, Stan wanted to call Maggie over to meet
her, but he just didn't know what to say. Now that he knew she wasn't
hurt, or in trouble, his anger surfaced. Here he was making a fool of
himself when it was apparent she didn't want anything more to do with him.
She hadn't bothered to call all these weeks, and disappeared without even
mentioning it to him. He wanted to walk away, to hurt her the same way he
was hurting, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Knowing he really
only had one option, Stan took a deep breath and turned to face her, to
find out she was gone.	

His heart skipped a beat and he quickly looked up and down the street. She
was walking quickly away and knowing what he needed to do, Stan ran after
her.  

"Maggie!" He called out, but she kept walking. He was pretty sure she
heard him, and knowing she choose to ignore him didn't make this any
easier.  

"Maggie!" He called again when he was closer, but she continued to walk
not slowing her pace at all. He was breathless when he finally caught up
with her, and grabbed her arm to stop her.  

"Maggie, I'm sorry." Stan quickly said to her back. At least she stopped
walking he thought to himself. "I shouldn't have yelled at you back there.
I...wasn't thinking straight." He finished lamely, then waited for her
reply.	

She didn't turn around when she replied quietly. "You knew exactly what
you were thinking, and I received the message loud and clear."	

"No Maggie, I was wrong. Please look at me." His hand was still on her arm
and he gently turned her towards him. She still didn't look at him, and he
cupped her chin, raising her head. Her eyes were red as if she had been
crying, and she quickly looked away.  

Stan thought he had never seen her look more vulnerable or lost. 'No,' he
corrected himself 'he had seen that look on her face before, when Robert
was missing.' Not knowing what to say, he pulled her into his embrace,
wrapping his arms tightly about her.  

"I'm sorry. I was just so worried about you. No one had seen you, I didn't
know where you went. I...." He couldn't finish. What could he tell her
that would explain why he acted the way he did?  

Slowly, he felt her arms shift, and reach behind him to return the hug. He
relaxed then, and held her close to him, ignoring the looks and comments
of passerby's to get a hotel room. Her hug strengthened in intensity and
Stan was beginning to feel his air supply cut off. Just as he was about to
say something, she spoke into his jacket.  

"I thought you were gone."  

Smiling, he ran his hand through her long blond hair. "You can't get rid
of me that easily." He teasingly soothed. "Come on, I'll walk you home."  

Maggie nodded her head and pulled back to wipe her eyes with her sleeve.
Stan's arm never left her as he guided them down the street, back the way
they came.  

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

No sooner had I made it to the doctor's office, did I see Ben walking
towards me. I waited for him to catch up.  

"There you are!" I smiled and gave him a kiss as I wrapped my arms around
him. He barely returned the hug and I pulled back, puzzled.  

"What's wrong?"  

He sighed and looked down, before facing me again. "I have orders. Hunters
have been poaching baby seals, and I have to track the people
responsible."  

"When do you leave?" I asked quietly.  

11He took a deep breath, his face etched with regret. "Now. I have to
report in an hour."  

Nodding, I blinked back the moisture that formed in my eyes. "How long?" I
managed to ask.  

"Until they're caught." He whispered back.  

"I guess you should go then."  

"Analise..."  

I looked up at him "Don't, we both know it's what you have to do. Don't
worry about us, we'll be fine. Just take care of yourself. I want you to
come back to me in one piece."	

"Understood." He caressed my face and leaned over to brush his lips
against mine. "I swear I will come back as soon as possible." He said in
barely a whisper. The pain in his voice reflected my own in my heart.  

"I know."  

He pulled back and went to open the door but I placed my hand on his arm,
stopping him. He looked at my inquisitively. "You don't have much time,
and you need to get your stuff ready. I can take care of this."  

"Are you certain?"  

"Positive."  

He quickly took me into another hug, holding me so tight I almost couldn't
breath. "I love you." He ground out against my neck.  

When he looked at me, I could tell he was wrestling with his emotions.
"Stay here, at the boarding house."  

"That's too expensive Ben! You don't even know how long you will be gone."
I protested.  

"Don't worry about the money. I want to know you are all right." He
implored.  

"I will be."  

I could tell he was ready to argue the point with me, and he didn't have
time for that. "You need to go." I reminded him and gently pushed him
towards the direction he came.	

"Stay here." He said again.  

I smiled at him. "Don't worry Ben. We'll be fine."  

"Stay." He took a few steps backwards then, and mouthed the words, 'I love
you.'  

"I love you too." I whispered back, then watched as he turned and
purposefully walked towards the detachment.  

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

Ben looked over the contents of his locker again, and picked up another
pair of mittens. Adding them to his ruck sack, Ben pulled the straps tight
and fastened the buckles.  

The door to the barracks opened and Ben groaned internally as Lutris made
his way towards him.  

"You about ready?" Lutris asked, a big smile on his face.  

"Yes." Ben replied, his face serious.  

1"Geez, lighten up will ya?" Lutris laughed "you're going to give yourself
a coronary by the time you're forty." Ben just stared a him as he hoisted
his pack to his shoulder and picked up his mittens.  

"We should be going." Was Ben's only reply as he headed past the man.  

"Yeah, sure."  

Ben walked into headquarters to get last minute instructions, his gear
already secured in the RCMP jeep out front.  

Toomey's face looked grim as he read a paper in his hand. As Ben
approached him, he stood and went over to the bulletin board.  

"Constable, is something wrong?" Ben asked when he noticed the younger
man's demeanor.  

Toomey tacked the paper on the board and turned solemn eyes to him. His
voice was tight when he replied.  

"This just came over the fax." He grimly answered, and when he went back
to his desk, Ben was able to see what had him so upset. The newest missing
child alert made him close his eyes briefly before he grounded his resolve
and read the information. He of all people knew what each and every parent
of the missing children were experiencing.  

This time, a seven year old girl stared back at him. Her dark eyes laughed
at the photographer. Staci Crompton, missing from Eagle Plains. That was
practically in his back yard! Certainly he should be put on this case, not
the seal poachers. After all, there were other detachments closer to their
last known location. Why were they being sent off?  

Ben's gaze swept over the other missing children's photos--five total.
Still they had no leads. Ben couldn't help but feel he was overlooking
something. What it was though, he had no clue. Knowing he didn't have time
to dwell on it, Ben went over to Toomey's desk.  

"Are there any updates we should know about?" He asked.  

Toomey nodded his head. "A call came in earlier, they were last believed
to be heading towards Echo Bay. Hunters found the carcasses of twenty baby
seals this side of Victoria Island, their skin had been stripped and they
just left them. They didn't even take the meat!" The younger man's rage
was barely contained, and Ben placed a hand on his shoulder. Killing for
survival, for food was understood, even if it was a protected species.
Though it was still illegal, it wasn't unheard of. There were an abundant
number of poor people in the territories and survival took precedence
above all else. But this, this was simply greed and Ben was going to stop
it.  

"We'll bring them in." He assured the man whom he was starting to think of
as a friend.  

Composed again, he replied "I know you will. To be honest, I was surprised
when Lutris volunteered the two of you for this one."  

Ben did a double take at him, but the man was oblivious. "I mean, you're a
natural out there in the middle of no where, but Hyde? Come on."  

"Lutris volunteered us?" Ben asked, not believing what he was hearing. For
the past two months, that man had tried to get out of every duty he could.
 

"Yeah, I guess he's finally deciding to get his act together." Toomey
replied as he went back to his paperwork.  

"Thank you kindly." Ben absently replied as he headed outside.	

Lutris was waiting in the jeep, and Fraser climbed into the drivers seat.
"About time, I thought you were going to stay in there all day." Lutris
sarcastically remarked.  

Ben's jaw set as he turned the key and the engine came to life. Why would
he go out of his way to volunteer us? He *knew* my family was here, and
that I hardly get to spend any time with them. Ignoring his partner, Ben
started their 500 mile journey.  

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

Ray pulled the collar of his coat around his neck. Stuffing his gloved
hands into the pockets, he continued to walk until he was in front of a
well kept two story colonial.  

1Ray shuddered, he couldn't get used to the cold bitterness in the air.
Was it always this bad on the first of December? Or was it why he was here
that left him feeling cold inside?  

Ray took in the purple ribbons tied around trees and telephone poles. They
had been put there along with the posters by neighbors and family who had
wanted to do something to try and bring Bobby Strathmeyer home.  

In the two and a half weeks the little boy had been missing, Ray-- along
with everyone else at the station-- had been working around the clock.
Even officers who were off duty could be found in the bullpen going the
extra mile.  

1Not knowing what he was looking for, Ray began his familiar trek from the
house, to the city park. Somewhere between those two places, little Bobby
disappeared. As he walked the short half block to the playground, he
thought over all of the information they had been able to gather. Shortly
after Bobby disappeared, another child, Alex Russell age 6 turned up
missing.  

This time it was a totally different scenario. Alex had been taken right
out of the school playground! 'Not just any school' Ray reminded himself.
'The same one Maria's children go to.' That hit him too close to home.
Still, no clues, no witnesses, nothing.  

Walking into the park, Ray sat down on a snow covered bench not caring
about his Armani coat as he stared at the empty playground equipment.
After the second child disappeared, parents all over Chicago had panicked.
Children were pulled out of schools, playgrounds, and backyards for that
matter were deserted. The 911 switchboards were lit up constantly with
calls about suspicious characters, most of which turned out to be nothing
more than a delivery driver trying to do his job. One particularly nasty
incident left a pizza delivery man with a broken rib when a neighbor in a
nearby apartment panicked, drawing a mob of frightened and angry parents. 


There was something he was missing, but what? He'd been over the reports a
hundred times. Stan wasn't making things any easier on him either. If he
said white, Stan would say black. They each wanted to go about
investigating their own way, neither wanting to compromise.  

Ray leaned forward and rested his head in his hands. He would bet a
thousand bucks that if Benny were here, all he would have had to do was
stand back, watch while he licked something disgusting, listened to a
long, drawn out tale about Eskimo Joe and a moose, then get drug through
every dumpster in Chicago.... His thoughts trailed off and he sighed.
Maybe trying to figure this out on his own wouldn't be so bad after all.
At least his dry cleaning bill was down by half.  

1Looking at the weathered watch he wore, Ray knew he wasn't fooling
himself. He missed being drug from one adventure to the next by his
friend. Two weeks ago he asked Stan to bring in Maggie to help out, but
the blond man adamantly refused. Ray sensed there was something else going
on between the two. What it was he didn't know, but sometimes it was
better to stay out of other peoples love lives.  

After all, who was he to be talking? He hadn't really seen Meg since the
coffee incident. That was at the end of September, and he only visited
Maggie a few times at the Consulate where he said hello to her, and she
greeted him, but that was all. It was now the first of December, he'd been
too busy through most of November with this case to even think of having
some free time. He had even been half tempted to take his nephews and
niece trick or treating to her apartment building back in October, but
thought better of it at the last minute. It didn't help that when he
mentioned it, Frannie and Maria both gave him the third degree. In the
end, he threw up his hands and told them to forget it.	

Ray didn't know how long he sat there. Dusk was settling in, so he figured
it had to be near five. He was surprised that no one had called him on the
cell phone yet. This had been the most free time he's had in too long.
Thinking of his mother's cooking, he was motivated to stand up and start
the long walk home. It had been awhile since he'd been home in time for
dinner.  

Ray was considering hailing a taxi when he reached the other end of the
park, but just as his luck would have it, there were none to be found. He
looked at his watch and picked up his pace. The air was downright freezing
now and even his thick coat didn't block out everything. As he hurried
down the street, Ray became aware that the Canadian Consulate was only a
block away. He would be turning before he reached it, but...  

Not knowing what was drawing him, Ray passed his turn and headed down the
street, keeping his eyes on the Canadian Flag that hung proudly from the
building.  

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

Ben squatted by the matted snow, expertly deciphering the ground before
him. Lutris stood to his left, looking on. After a few minutes, Ben stood
and looked off deeper into the woods.  

Speaking with certainty, he nodded in the direction his was looking.  

"They went this way. From the imprints, I'd say there's five of them,
heavy laden, one is walking with a noticeable limp. Two are about six feet
tall, 220 pounds and the other three are roughly five foot eight weighing
180 to 200."  

Lutris crossed his arms and looked at Ben as if he'd lost his mind. "Yeah?
Anything else? Maybe you can tell me what they ate for breakfast."  

The sarcasm wasn't lost on Fraser. Without looking at his partner, he
replied. "To do that, I'd have to pick through their skat. What I can tell
you, is their trail is approximately six hours old. We should be able to
ascertain where their camp is by nightfall." With that said, Ben headed
off in the direction of the poachers, not caring whether or not Lutris
followed him.  

Ben extended his telescope as he lay in the snow, looking over the camp.
Lutris crawled up beside him. So far they had been out here three days,
and this was the first they had seen the criminals. The first two nights
they didn't speak to each other when camp was made, just sat in silence,
then turned in early. As far as he was concerned, he didn't know why they
just couldn't go down there with guns blazing, take the lowlifes in, and
be done with it. One more night of sleeping on the cold ground with only
that sleeping bag was going to be misery. Fraser motioned for him to pull
back to camp, and silently they made their way through the woods.  

11About a half mile away from the poachers, Ben added another piece of
wood to the fire. His thoughts were scattered, and raced about his head in
a random fashion. He though of Analise, and how she looked when she slept,
the babies, wondering what other milestone he would miss while he was
away. Although he missed certain things they'd learned to do, Analise
never mentioned them to him, allowing him the joy of discovery on his own.
But he knew, he always knew from the look on her face that she had already
seen them perform their latest achievement. He never said anything to her,
knowing from her face that she derived a pleasure at being able to observe
him and the babies...  

His thoughts then drifted to the missing children on the board. Five. How
can five children turn up missing from different parts of Canada, and no
one see anything? Every lead, slim as they were, that the RCMP received
never panned out. It was if the criminals were always one step ahead.
There were not set pattern to the kidnappings. Some in the daytime, some
at night.  

Ben hadn't called Chicago in a while, though he knew that Analise did the
other day. Ray informed him that they also had a rash of missing children,
and no witnesses. Thinking it could be a coincidence, Ben discounted that
almost right away. The odds were too great. In his mind, he visualized all
the places where the children disappeared. There was something, but for
the life of him, he couldn't put his finger on it. He had told Lutris that
no more than two days before they left hoping the man would be of some
help, but it was useless. He might as well not even have a partner.  

Ben missed being able to bounce ideas off of Ray and Stan, hearing their
imput, and together they would put together a hypothesis. He wondered if
they knew how much help they were in helping him solve clues.  

Ben was brought out of his thoughts by Lutris sitting down noisily across
from him. He watched as Lutris leaned closer to the fire and held his
hands close for warmth.  

"So what's the plan?"  

Ben studied the fire for a few minutes before answering. "We wait until
it's almost dawn, then arrest them." Ben stated matter-of-factly.  

Lutris made a face. "Why not now? We can be halfway back by morning." He
protested.  

Ben sighed as his frustration got the better of him. Even rookies knew the
answer to that. In a tight voice, he answered.	

"Right now they are armed to the hilt, and are on the defensive. They
won't be expecting to be arrested before dawn. Also, we won't have to take
turns watching them tonight, so we can be fully rested."  

'At least Lutris can rest' he thought. Ben could never really sleep around
him. Something about the man made him uneasy. Maybe it was just flashbacks
from the otter incident.  

Lutris nodded as he took in the information, then smiled brightly. "That's
pretty smart thinking Otterboy!"  

Ben looked up from the fire, glaring at him. Before Lutris even realized
Ben was moving, Ben reached into his boot and with deft precision, hurled
a knife towards him.  

Lutris let out a small cry of fear as he fell back into the snow, and it
took him a minute to realize he was still alive. He could feel his heart
in his throat as he stared at Fraser wide-eyed. When Fraser stood and
walked towards him, Lutris scurried back a few inched before hitting a
tree. He held his arm up in an unconscious self preservation move.  

When Ben was near enough, he leaned over Lutris and pulled his knife out
of the tree, causing a dead tundra beetle to fall to the ground beside the
frightened Mountie.  

Lutris watched as Ben wiped off the knife, replaced it in his boot, and
glare at him.  

"I don't appreciate being called 'Otterboy'." Ben walked back over to his
seat, allowing himself a small smile.  

1**************  

The dog sled was harder to control than I thought it would be, and I
glanced down at the babies. They were strapped into their carriers, and
the heavy tarp of the sled was pulled tightly around them. At least they
were comfortable. I had to admit, I was scared to death doing this by
myself, but it was ridiculous to stay at the boarding house alone. I
didn't know how long Ben would be gone, and it would bleed us dry if I had
to stay there a long time. This was really the only choice we had. Looking
through the goggles I wore to protect my eyes, I was grateful Dief was
strongly leading the team over familiar territory. I wasn't even too sure
how to steer this thing. Although I had left early, it was well after
three and I needed a rest.  

"Whoa....stop!" I yelled to the dogs as I tightened the leash in my hand.
At least, I think that's what it was called. At first I didn't think they
were going to listen, but they soon slowed down, and then stopped.
Breathing a sigh of relief, I wearily climbed off the sled and stuck the
two stakes deep into the snow like Ben always did. Sitting down on the
sled, I leaned back and took Robert out of his carrier. Not that I wanted
to nurse in this cold weather, but I managed to fit him under my parka and
pulled my sweaters up so it wasn't that bad.  

I took in the scenery as he nursed, and gasped when I noticed a figure
moving towards me. Where did he come from? I hadn't seen him at all. Of
course, with all the snow the dogs had kicked up, it was difficult to see
anything. As he came closer, I noticed he was dressed all in furs and
swallowed down my misgivings. After all, I was in the middle of no where,
and just because he was probably Canadian, didn't mean he was friendly.  

Dief sat up and howled as the stranger neared. At first I took this as a
bad sign, but he soon started to wag his tail. Whoever it was, Dief
apparently didn't think there was anything wrong with him. It took about
fifteen minutes for him to come within ear shot.  

"Hello!" The man yelled and waved. Robert had finished nursing, and I put
him back in his carrier, making sure to strap him in, just in case we had
to leave quickly. I went to the front of the dogsled then, and tried not
to appear too defensive.  

After a few minutes, he was close enough to make out a face. "Eric?" I
asked, almost not trusting my own memory.  

"Analise! It's good to see you." He greeted as Dief jumped up on him, and
he scratched him behind the ears. "Where's Fraser?"  

"It's good to see you too. He's out chasing criminals and the like. Where
are you headed?" I was wondering when I would see him or anyone else from
his village.  

"To the dam. Someone has to keep an eye on things."  

"That's a long way away!"  

He just shrugged and hearing something, walked to the back of the sled. I
smiled at the way his face lit up when he discovered the babies. He spoke
to them in a language I didn't understand, then turned to look at me.  

"These are the twins?"	

I nodded and he talked to them one more time. "They will grow up healthy
and strong.  

I beamed a mother's pride as he played with them, then turned to look at
me.  

"What are you doing out here alone?"  

"Ben was supposed to come with me, but he was called away. He wanted me to
stay in town and wait for him, but I didn't know how long he'd be gone,
and it was silly to just stay there and waste money."  

He nodded and looked about the sled. "Where's your weapon?"  

"Weapon?"  

"A rifle, or a gun, even a knife."  

I looked sheepish, that was one thing I hadn't thought of. I guess Ben
took care of those things quietly. Knowing he was waiting for an answer, I
looked at him. "I have a rifle at the cabin."  

He shook his head as if he were displeased with the actions of a child.
"You can't go out unprotected around here. There are many dangerous
creatures between here and your cabin." He chastised.  

"I'll remember that next time."  

"I need to be going, and you still have about 3/4ths of a way to go." He
informed me.  

My face must have shown disappointment at that. I could have swore that I
was at least half way there!  

"Yeah, I'll head out too, as soon as I nurse Jacinda."	

He waved at me one last time and I watched as he headed on his way.
Picking up JC, I was a little more apprehensive and scanned the woods to
my left for any signs of movements. I thought I had made the right
decision to go home, but now I was beginning to wonder.  

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

As Ray neared the Consulate, he asked himself again why he was doing this.
After all, it wasn't as if she even liked him at all. He wasn't even sure
if he liked her. He faltered mid step and stopped as he tried to decide
whether or not to continue on.	

He was only two doors away, but Ray turned to head home thinking she
probably wasn't even there anyway. A car sped past him then, propelling a
large stream of dirt slushed snow over his coat and pants.  

"Argh! Why don't you watch where you're going!" Ray yelled down the street
even though the driver was probably oblivious, as he brushing off as much
of the excess snow as he could.  

"Ray?" Came a puzzled voice from behind him.  

He turned to see Meg standing on the Consulate steps, keys in her hands.  

"Uh...hi." He sheepishly replied.  

"What are you doing here?" She asked.  

He shrugged and looked down at his wet clothes. "Catching my death of cold
apparently." It wasn't far from the truth, he thought. If he thought he
was cold before, with the wind blowing through his wet pants, he was
downright freezing! He moved closer to the steps, and to Meg as he spoke,
watching as she frowned, and looked him up and down. Climbing the few
stairs she had descended, she unlocked the door to the Consulate. When she
turned back, she found Ray standing where he had been.	

"Well? Are you coming or not?" She asked, then disappeared inside.  

Ray watched her departing figure, and the inviting warmth of the building
beyond. It didn't take him long to follow.  

Inside, Ray unbuttoned his coat, and held it out to inspect it. He knew
he'd have to take it to the cleaners to get the silt out.  

From his knees down, Ray's pants clung to him, and the wetness was seeping
into his shoes making him very uncomfortable. Meg came out of a side room
and handed him a plush white towel.  

"You can use this." She offered, and handed it to him.	

"Thanks." For the next few minutes, Ray busied himself by trying to
squeeze the excess liquid out of his pants with the towel, then wipe down
his coat. When he straightened, he and Meg looked at each other, at a loss
for words.  

"Er...here." Ray handed her the towel.	

She took it, and disappeared into the room again, coming out a moment
later. Again they stood in silence. Meg was the first to speak.  

"Is your car parked nearby?"  

"No. I was...uh...working on a case and thought I'd walk through the crime
scene. I was hoping I'd find something I missed."  

"The missing children." She added. It wasn't a question.  

"Yeah."  

"How's it going?"  

Ray sighed and looked down. When he looked back up at her, Meg thought of
how open and lost he looked.  

"Nothing. It's been two and a half weeks, and we don't have a single
lead." His frustration was causing his voice to rise. "How can a kid just
disappear in the middle of a busy neighborhood?" He asked, not really
expecting an answer.  

"He can't." She replied, more to herself as she thought. When she looked
up again, she smiled at Ray.  

"Detective...." She started, but he cut her off.  

"I thought we were past that. It's Ray, remember?" He smiled.  

"Ray... Would you mind terribly if I looked around with you? I have been
reading about this in the paper, and listening to it on the news. I don't
know if I could be of any help, but I would like to at least have a look."
 

Ray stared at her for a moment. "I... I don't see any problem with that."
He managed to reply. His heart had just started racing and he was doing
his best to keep it from showing in his voice. He took a step towards the
door and frowned as he felt the wet material shift on his leg again.  

"Would it be all right if we stopped by my place first? I'd like to change
before going back out there."  

"That's fine. I can drive if you prefer." She offered, and smiled at the
relieved look on his face.  

"Works for me." He held the door open for her and felt a tingle move
through him when she accidentally brushed against him on her way past.	

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

Ben stretched his stiff muscles and looked over at Lutris. Shaking his
head, he couldn't fathom why he would even want to join the RCMP. He
certainly didn't seem to like his duty. Glancing at the night sky, Ben
knew it was time to get moving if he wanted to catch the poachers unaware.
For a moment, he considered just leaving Lutris here, but if he were to
waken and find Ben gone, he could very well botch the arrest if he decided
to follow. No, it was better to have him in sight.  

Ben stood and walked over to the sleeping man, and sticking out his foot,
gave him a nudge. When there was no response, he kicked a little harder.  

"What?" Lutris impatiently asked as he opened his eyes part way.  

"It's time to go. Pack your gear." Ben then walked away from him, and
started to roll up his sleeping bag, and gathering up his other gear.  

It wasn't long before they were back at the same spot, overlooking the
poacher's camp. Ben motioned for Lutris to drop his gear, and quietly, the
two of them made their way into camp.  

"Where's their look out? Everyone's sleeping." Lutris asked in a quiet
whisper.  

"I don't know. Perhaps he's scouting the parameter."  

It was like taking candy from a baby. Both men were able to disarm the
sleeping men, without even causing them to stir. After all the weapons
were collected, and placed out of reach, Lutris took a pot from beside the
fire, and with the stalk of his gun, banged loudly causing the sleeping
men to jump up and reach for their weapons, only to find they were gone.  

Once the initial shock wore off, and the men stared at the two RCMP
officers, Ben cleared his throat and spoke.  

"I am Constable Benton Fraser of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. You
are under arrest for seal poaching." Ben held his gun loosely at his side
to anyone who observed him, but from that position, he was able to quickly
fire off a round with accurate precision.  

The men didn't give a hard time, knowing they didn't stand a chance. They
had been caught off guard.  

Expeditiously the men were handcuffed, and Ben reconnoitered the campsite.
Not being able to find what he was searching for, he approached the men.  

"Where is the fifth man?" He asked the silent group. When no one answered,
he tried another tactic.  

"I am unable to find the seal pelts. That, along with the fact that your
friend is missing, suggests to me that he has double crossed you."  

Their eyes grew wide, but none of them spoke. Unless someone blurted out a
spontaneous confession, they knew that without the evidence, they would
get off scott free.  

Ben nodded to himself. He was well aware what they were trying to do, and
called Lutris out of ear shot. Speaking in a low voice, he started.  

"Unless we find the fifth man, with the evidence, they are going to walk.
Do you think you can handle taking them back to the jeep?"  

"What are you going to do?" Lutris asked.  

"Bring in the missing man. If you don't think you can handle them, just
say so and I'll go with you, then come back for the other." Ben really
hoped he would agree. It took them four days of tracking to find the
poachers, and perhaps another two and a half, three days to get back to
the jeep, and the nearest outpost after that. If that much time lapsed,
the poacher may have a chance to sell his goods before Ben could catch
him.  

Lutris straightened, as if he'd been insulted. "I can handle anything."
"Good. I shouldn't be gone too long." He paused then added. "I should be
back in a week." Ben hoped his meaning was clear. If he didn't return in a
week, that meant something went wrong and to send help. Normally he
wouldn't even think that a partner, and an RCMP officer wouldn't
automatically come to help, but with Lutris, he just didn't know. Looking
at the way he was handling the poachers, Ben left to get his pack. 'At
least he can always swing an otter at them if things get out of control.'
He wryly thought.  

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

I called the dogs to a halt and just stood there, taking in deep breaths.
The cabin looked just as I had left it, and I shakily climbed off the back
of the dog sled. So many different emotions were coursing through me. I
had been scared when we started out, but Dief made sure we didn't get
lost. When dusk started to fall, I was really nervous, but Dief kept the
dogs going. At one point, I didn't think I would be able to make it back
to the cabin, but I had, We had. Suddenly I didn't feel so isolated out
here. I knew that I could make it to town if I had to. As tired as I felt,
there was still a lot of work to be done. I picked up the babies' carriers
and took them into the cabin. After lighting the lanterns, and starting
the stove in the front room, I went back outside to unload the sled. All
the provisions I had bought had to be taken in, and the dogs unhitched.
After that, I needed to feed them and the babies, then think about
something for myself for dinner. By the time I finished everything, and
took more wood inside, the only thing I wanted to do was collapse.  

A lone figure stood hidden behind brush at the tree line. He shifted to
get a better look at the woman unhitching the dogs, and taking them into
the barn. He had been watching her ever since she came over the hill to
the cabin. She seemed oblivious to her surroundings. The man even made
extra noise any native in the area would automatically pick up on as being
unnatural, but she hadn't even noticed....  

1When Analise turned to go into the cabin with an armful of wood, Eric
hoisted his pack and adjusting it, shook his head again. He was right to
follow her to the cabin, after seeing how ill prepared she was for her
journey. He had walked, and though she had the dogs, he had been waiting
for her to arrive. He knew she must have stopped quite a few times, or
gotten lost. Now that she was safely home, he walked deeper into the woods
and asked his spirit guide to also watch over her until Fraser returned.  

It was well after one in the morning by the time I settled onto the love
seat. I was grateful the babies were asleep, but I knew they would be up
early, and hungry. Taking off my mukluks, I leaned back on the love seat
and closed my eyes, resting my arm across them.  

11  

Something wet was licking my hand, and I groaned as it became more
insistent. Opening my eyes, the cabin was barely lit and I knew the oil
lamps were going out. It was also a lot colder in the cabin than it had
been, so I wearily stood and added more wood to the stove. Checking on the
babies, they were still sleeping and looking at my watch I realized it was
only four in the morning.  

I wanted nothing more than to crawl into my bed and sleep, but the babies
were still in their carriers, and I hadn't lit any of the other stoves.
The bedrooms would feel like ice. Taking the throw from the back of the
love seat, I curled up again and scratched Dief behind the ears before
falling asleep again.  

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

Ray opened the door to the Meg's car for her, and when she stepped out, he
offered her his hand. She smiled at him, and together they made their way
up to the house. Ray again held open the door for her, and she mumbled a
thanks as she unbuttoned her coat.  

"I'll just be a minute, then we'll get going." He informed her. Before she
could answer, a voice came from the other room.  

"Ramundo, is that you?"  

"Yeah Ma, I just came to change."  

She came into the hallway, wiping her hands on a dish towel. "Meg, it's
good to see you again. Did you come for dinner? We're just sitting down."
Ma smiled at her. It had been awhile since she was over at the house. Not
since Robert had been kidnapped she realized with a frown.  

Meg opened her mouth, not quite knowing what to say. She looked over at
Ray, and when she looked back, Mrs. Vecchio was frowning. Although she
covered it quickly, Meg knew unwelcome guests weren't always appreciated. 


"No, thank you. I am just waiting for Ra... Detective Vecchio to change
his pants so we can leave." She realized how that sounded, and turned a
bright red. "I mean, he's wet." She realized that didn't sound any better
and she looked helplessly over at him for help.  

Ma continued, ignoring her blunders. "Why don't you stay? Have a good home
cooked meal. You're so skinny."  

"I'll be right back." Ray interrupted as he leaned over and gave his Ma a
kiss, then left Meg to contend with his mother. He knew that once his Ma
made up her mind about something, there was no peace until she got her
way. He knew they would be staying for dinner. He also knew that Meg
possessed a lot of the same traits, and stopped mid stride when the
realization hit him. 'Did I just compare her to my mother?" He asked
himself. Shaking it off, he took the rest of the stairs two at a time to
his room.  

"Come, say hello to everyone." Ma said as she walked over to her, and
placed her hand on the back of her arm. Meg opened her mouth again, but
she knew it was no use arguing with her. She'd go with her, say hello, and
be on her way.	

The dining room was a hub of activity and noise. The entire Vecchio clan
was gathered around the table, talking loudly as they passed dishes up and
down. As usual, there was a large selection of food and it smelled
delicious.  

There was a lull in the conversation, and she looked up from the food to
realize that everyone was staring at her.  

Ma stepped up and made an announcement. "Ramundo has brought Margaret for
dinner."  

If there was silence before, now it was deafening. She nervously looked at
the faces staring back at her. This was not a good idea. How did she let
him talk her into coming here anyway?  

"Actually I just came to say hello while Detective Vecchio took care of
some personal business. I'm not staying."  

Maria and Frannie exchanged a look, then resumed passing the food back
down the table. Tony didn't really seem to care either way and barely
looked up from his plate during the whole speech.  

1Ma ushered Meg over to a chair. "At least have a bite while you wait for
him. Here." She almost forced Meg into the chair, and instead of sitting
down, she leaned over and took a large casserole dish, heaping its
contents onto her plate.  

"Really Mrs. Vecchio, I can't stay. Thank you for the invitation though."
Meg protested as she looked at the delicious smelling food in front of
her. Ray sure was taking his time changing she thought.  

Although everyone had resumed eating, the tone was muted and no one was
speaking. Mrs. Vecchio had finally taken her seat, and dished herself some
food with a smile on her face.	

Knowing until Ray came down she was stuck here, she picked up her fork and
took a bite. It really was quite good, and she was hungry. Her lunch had
consisted of a hot dog from the vender at the corner of her block. She
didn't have time to get a decent lunch.  

Ray came into the room smiling, and leaned over to give his mother another
kiss on the cheek. Meg smiled at him, and took the napkin from her lap,
placing it on the table as she stood.  

"Ready?" She asked. She couldn't get over feeling self conscious for
unwittingly inviting herself to dinner.  

Ma frowned and Ray's smile also disappeared a little. "Uh...sure."  

Meg took a step away from the table as Ma spoke. "Ramundo, Margaret hasn't
finished her dinner yet. Don't be in such a hurry. Sit down and eat."  

Meg looked over at Ray who helplessly shrugged, though his smile had
returned.  

"Yes Ma." He came around the table and sat in the only empty chair, which
happened to be beside Meg. Reluctantly, Meg sat back down.  

Frannie and Maria kept looking over at their brother, snickering every
once in a while through dinner, and Ray did his best to ignore them while
making small talk with Meg and his Ma. He could tell there was something
bothering Meg, and didn't know what it could be.  

When he noticed she stopped eating, he put down his fork and wiped his
mouth.	

"That was great Ma, but we really need to be going." Ray said as he stood,
and Meg quickly joined him.  

"Yes, thank you for dinner, it was lovely." She added.	

"But you haven't had desert yet." Ma protested.  

"We really need to be going. Perhaps another time." Meg offered, and added
"it was really delicious, thank you again."  

Ray walked with her out to the foyer and when Meg picked her coat off the
rack and started to put it on, he held the back so she could easily slip
her arms into it.  

She didn't say anything the entire time, and after they donned their
gloves, she headed outside with him following.	

When they reached her car and his, he paused.  

"Meg?"	

She turned to look at him. "I'm sorry about dinner. I didn't know that Ma
would corral you like that."  

Meg tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and looked down. Taking a deep
breath, she looked at him. "It was rather awkward. I felt like I was
intruding." She honestly told him. For some reason she couldn't quite
fathom, she didn't want to lie to him.	

"That could never happen. Ma loves company, and she's fond of you. Believe
me, she would have said something if she thought you were intruding."  

Meg didn't believe him, and toed the snow with her boot as she looked down
again while folding her arms across her chest. Should she mention why she
felt this way?	

Meg didn't know why she was saying it, but she did. Quietly she replied.
"I saw her frown."  

"Huh?" Ray was confused and he stepped closer to her.  

"When she invited me to dinner. You weren't looking, but she frowned, and
when she saw me look at her, she hid it."  

Ray looked puzzled. "I think you're mistaken. She wanted you to stay for
dinner Meg, I know she did." He was as close as he could be to her now,
without touching her. He wanted to reassure her, make her believe him.	

Meg picked that moment to change the subject.  

"I think I'll call it a night. I'd still like to go over the crime scene
with you though, are you available tomorrow?" She asked, her face a void
mask again, her words brusque.	

Ray stared at her, not knowing quite what to say. Less than a minute ago,
she was opening up to him for the first time, and now, now she was in full
Dragon mode again.  

"I'll call you." He replied, then watched as she marched over to her car,
and left, without giving him a second look.  

He watched until she turned the corner, then headed back towards the
house. She must have been mistaken, he thought. But what did happen to
make her feel that way?  

***********  

Stan walked down the street, holding Maggie's hand. Not that he wanted to
be walking in the middle of a blizzard when he had a nice comfortable
classic GTO with great heat. Ok, he admitted to himself. So it wasn't a
blizzard. Maybe just a few flakes. But still, it didn't make any sense
freezing his butt off for no reason.  

He looked over at Maggie. Her hair was hanging loose in the back, cheeks
flushed with the cold. Little vapor clouds escaping her full red lips....
She suddenly looked over at him with a wide eyed look of happiness and he
smiled. Maybe it wasn't so bad going for a walk. After all, he could use
the exercise and it had been a very long time since the two of them had
been able to spend any time together. When he'd called her earlier to see
if she wanted to get together, he thought she was going to turn him down
again, but she didn't.	

They were walking to The Cop Shop so he could meet Elaine and introduce
her to Maggie. Something, he told himself, he should have done yesterday. 


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

I didn't want to wake up. I really didn't. Dief was whining, and both
babies were fussing. Slowly, I sat up and grimaced when a pain shot
through my stiff neck. That love seat never had been very comfortable.	

"Sshhh.... It's all right. Mommy's here." I crooned as I picked up JC,
then Robert. I knew they needed to be changed, and placed them on the
floor before going into the nursery to get the supplies.  

Feeling as if I hadn't slept at all, I grabbed what I needed and left the
cold room. It was almost as cold in there as it was outside. Sluggishly, I
changed them, then gave each a bottle of formula. At this point, I didn't
even want to nurse with as tired and achy as I was feeling. After they
were settled, I lit the stoves in the two bedrooms, then donned my outer
clothes to chop more wood. Dief stayed in the cabin looking over JC and
Robert until I came back like always.  

Twenty minutes later, I had chopped enough for one armload or wood, and
gave up. I knew Ben told me I shouldn't touch the already split pile
unless I didn't have any other choice, but it was cold and I was
miserable. Taking the first load into the cabin, I went back out and
gathered four more armfuls before being satisfied. I could always make it
up later, I told myself.  

Taking off my outer clothes, I shuddered as the warm air assaulted me and
went into the kitchen to make something to eat. Coughing, I covered my
mouth and looked down at Dief who was staring at me.  

"I'm making breakfast, I know you're hungry, so am I." I replied a little
irritated. After all, I was moving as fast as I could. Dief just whined at
me in response.  

It didn't take long to make eggs and pancakes. I hadn't had eggs at the
cabin in awhile, and Ben hadn't brought any with him the last time he came
home. I put a plate on the floor for Dief, then sat at the table to eat as
I thought of Ben. I hoped he was all right, and wondered what he was doing
now. The events of the past few days played over in my mind, especially
Eric's remark about a weapon. I stared at the rifle mounted above the door
and shuddered. Even if I did have it with me, what good would it do? I
couldn't hit the target! It seemed chilly in the cabin, though the heaters
were going, and I added another log to the stove before going into the
bedroom to get an extra sweater.  

The rest of the morning went quickly as I played with the babies, took
care of the dogs, and did the rest of the chores that had to be done. The
one good thing was the fact that my monthly finally stopped. For awhile
there, I didn't think that it would. I still had a dull ache in my
abdomen, but it was easily ignored.  

I was never so relieved as when the babies settled down for a nap. I
placed them in their cribs, and headed straight for my bed. Not even
bothering to take off my slippers, I climbed in and pulled the covers
around myself.	

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

Ben knelt in the snow and examined the tracks in front of him. They were
almost completely covered by the new snow falling around him creating a
blanket of thickness that obscured his view. He had to keep going. He'd
already been out here three days, and should have caught up with the man
by now.  

The poacher was proving more tenacious than he'd given him credit for.
More than once Ben ended up following a bogus trail, and lost valuable
time back tracking. He knew the poacher was not only an outdoors man, but
was also familiar with the terrain. Standing, Ben trudged ahead trying to
close the distance between the criminal and himself.  

The snow was too thick for him to see clearly now, and the wind whipped it
about him like an icy blanket. He highly doubted the poacher would be able
to continue on, so he tried to find a sheltered area to set up camp. After
about a half hour, Ben had a lean-to set up, tied off between a couple of
trees. He would have preferred a more sturdier shelter, but he wanted to
be able to pack camp at a moments notice if the weather let up.  

Ben had spread his bedroll out over a layer of pine bedding for
insulation, and after gathering what wood he could from the ground, he cut
the branches of some nearby trees to start the fire knowing no matter how
wet they were, the fresh cut branches would catch. He didn't want to have
to take more from the forest around him than need be, and knew that his
fire would be smoky from the wet wood.	

The fire was small, but efficient. Ben was able to melt snow for tea, and
used some of the water to reconstitute the dried rations he brought with
him. After eating, Ben melted more snow and refilled his canteens.
Afterwards, Ben crawled into his bedroll and let out a deep breath as his
aching back muscles relaxed. He briefly thought he was getting too old to
be doing this, but quickly dismissed it.  

1Rolling to his side, he thought of Analise and the babies. Lately that's
all he thought about. The more time he was away from them, the more he
felt he was incomplete. That wasn't the only thing on his mind. He was
worried about her health. Although she denied it, he knew something wasn't
right. What it was he couldn't fathom, but he knew when he got back he
would get answers.  

Ben also thought about Ray and Stan, and everyone else they'd left in
Chicago. Although they didn't elaborate the last time he'd called, he
could tell there was some strain between his two friends. Both of them
passed it off as being a side effect of the case they were working on, but
he couldn't help worrying for them. Thinking that he would drive himself
crazy by morning, Ben opted for reviewing the RCMP manual in his head.	

By the time he'd gotten to the fifth chapter, he was fast asleep.  

**********  

"Vecchio" Welsh called from his office.  

Ray looked over to the Lieutenant's door.  

"My office, now." Welsh added and went into his office to wait. Ray threw
his coat across his chair and headed in. He was just returning from a late
lunch and hadn't even had a chance to sit down. What could he want?  

Ray was surprised to see Stan already in the office, sitting on the couch.
He shut the door behind him, already stiffening. Whatever this was about,
Ray knew he wasn't going to like it.  

11"Have a seat." Welsh offered as he settled himself behind his desk.  

"Sir, if I may ask, what's this about." Ray started as he sat in a chair. 


"How's the Strathmeyer case coming along?" He asked.  

Ray and Stan looked at each other, and replied at the same time.  

"Fine"	

"Good."  

Welsh nodded as he took in the silent interplay between the two men. "What
have you come up with?" He asked.  

Once again they looked at each other. Neither had bothered to work
together or really keep each other informed for the past week or two,
deciding it was either that or they'd end up killing each other.  

"Well Sir, we're uh..." Ray started.  

"We got some leads." Stan finished and Ray looked at him.  

"Yeah, that's right."  

"Welsh leaned back in his chair and placed his hands across him,
interlocking his fingers.  

"I see. You have leads. And may I ask what these leads are?" Welsh said
with infinite patience, and an eerily calm to his voice. "The reason I
ask, not to push the two of you of course, but I have everyone from the
Mayor down, calling me at least ten times a day, wanting something that I
can give them, so they can give it to the press and get them off their
backs."  

Ray and Stan nervously looked at each other. When Welsh looked pointedly
at Stan, the blond cop chose that moment to pick imaginary lint from his
pants.	

The silence was getting a bit much, and Welsh cleared his throat. "You
aren't any closer to solving this case, are you?"  

"We'll get something Lieu, we're on the edge, I can feel it." Ray assured
him.  

Welsh sat up and picked up a paper on his desk, then handed it to Ray who
was closer. "I hate to do this, but the two of you are off the case."  

"What?! You can't do that!" Stan practically yelled as he jumped from his
seat.  

"Sit down Detective!" Welsh boomed. "You had your chance. I've kept the
feds out of this as long as possible. I can't cover any longer."  

"What about the Russell case?" Ray asked.  

"The feds took over the 25th almost a week ago. I called in every favor I
had to give the two of you this extra time." Welsh explained.  

Both men were standing now, and Ray went to the window to look around the
bullpen while Stan paced the length of the small room.	

"When are they coming?" Stan finally asked.  

"Anytime now. The two of you did your best. You worked hard. Step back
now. It's not your problem any longer." Welsh leaned back in his chair
again.	

Ray couldn't believe what he was hearing. Since when does Welsh give in so
easily? Something wasn't right here.  

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ray asked as he went to Welsh's desk and
placed his hands on the edges, leaning over. "We busted our asses these
past few weeks, and now we're just supposed to take it easy?" His voice
rose as he started to lose the tight control he had over his emotions.	

Welsh's face grew hard and he stood up, causing Ray to stand also. "That's
the least of your problems right now Vecchio."	

Welsh looked over at Stan to make sure he had both men's attention before
continuing. "It's no secret that the two of you haven't been getting
along. You've used my squad room as your own personal boxing ring and I
don't think the two of you should be partners any longer."  

Both men were silent, in shock. He couldn't mean what they thought he
meant, could he?  

Stan came over to where the two of them stood. "So what're ya saying
Lieu?"	

Welsh looked at the two men, his jaw set as he thought of his next words.
Silently he went back over to his desk and sat down. Only then did he look
up at them and speak.  

"I'm going to have to transfer one of you." He held his hand up to
forestall the objections he knew were coming. "I don't know which yet. If
one of you would like to volunteer, that'll make my job easier."  

"I'm not going anywhere." Ray firmly made his decision known.  

"Oh, like I am?" Stan sarcastically asked him. "I don't think so."  

Welsh, sensing another argument was imminent, spoke up. "Then the two of
you had better start working together as partners, and I mean now."  

Both Ray and Stan eyed each other warily.  

"Not get out of here before I have you both transferred." He ordered and
watched as the two men sulked out of the office.  

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

My body racked with coughs, which brought me out of the deep sleep I was
in. Rolling on my side and propping myself up with my elbow, I tried to
take in a deep breath to loosen the grip it had on me. After a few more
moments, the coughs finally subsided.  

I looked at my watch and couldn't believe that I had only been sleeping
for an hour. I shuddered under the blankets and snuggled deeper in them
wanting nothing more than to go back to sleep. I knew I should check on
the babies though, and willed myself to get up. After going to the
bathroom, I snuck into the babies room and covered both of them back up.
No matter how cold it was, they still managed to kick off their covers.  

I added some more wood to their stove, and went into the kitchen area to
heat water for tea. Dief was still asleep on the love seat and I looked
around the cabin for something to do. I knew there were still a lot of
chores that I could do, but I didn't want to do them. I just wanted to
take one day off.  

As I waited for the water to boil, I went over to the window and looked
out. I was surprised to see it snowing, when did it start? The snow was
coming down fairly heavy and I rubbed my arms as I looked into the
swirling white. Somewhere out there was Ben. I hoped he was already back
at the detachment, but for some strange reason I just knew he was still in
the middle of God knows where chasing down criminals. The tea pot started
to whistle and I poured the hot water into my waiting cup.  

I thought I would have to move Dief over, but he graciously moved enough
so I could sit down. I curled my legs up on the sofa and covered myself
with the throw as I leaned back and sipped the hot tea. It was odd being
back at the cabin after the last week and a half around people. I hadn't
realized how much I missed socializing. If Ben wasn't back in two weeks, I
decided I was going to go back into town and see what was going on for
myself.  

************ Meg took a deep breath and pushed open the door to the
bullpen. After she went home last night and had a chance to think, she
felt truly awful for how she acted towards Ray. After all, it wasn't his
fault.	

She really hoped he would call today, but as the hours rolled by, she knew
he had changed his mind. Deciding to take the bull by the horns, Meg came
to him. It was almost four thirty in the afternoon, and she knew he would
probably be leaving work soon. Most Americans had an aversion to working
more than eight hours a day.  

When she did see him, she was surprised to see both him and Stan engrossed
at Stan's desk. Frannie waved to her as she walked by, and she smiled in
return, but the men were oblivious to her approach. It wasn't until she
was directly in front of the desk that they raised their heads.  

"Gentlemen" Meg greeted.  

"Inspector" Stan acknowledged as Ray just sat and stared at her.  

Meg, thinking this might not have been such a good idea, cleared her
throat. "I was expecting your call." She said as she looked at Ray.  

Stan got a big smile on his face. "Oh....is this personal? I can leave the
two of you alone... Hey, I got it. The broom closet is empty so you
can...."  

1"Knock it off" Ray interrupted gruffly. "It's just business. Inspector
Thatcher came by to help. She's gonna look over the crime scene." A pink
hue spread to his face as he spoke.  

He didn't notice the fleeting look of hurt on Meg's face, and it was gone
almost as quick as it had come. She now wore her usual impassive mask.	

Stan wasn't giving up though, and he stood, stretching. "Yeah, whatever
you want to call it. I'm gonna go get some coffee."  

He walked away from the pair laughing.	

Meg looked down and tucked another loose strand of hair behind her ear.
She was seriously considering getting her hair cut short again, it was a
lot easier to take care of. Knowing this had been a bad idea, she spoke.  

"I didn't realize this was a not a good time for you Detective. I'll
just....."  

Ray cut her off . "No don't go." She looked up at him and he shrugged. "I
mean, you did come to look at the crime scene, and I promised you I'd take
you today, so..."  

Meg just nodded her reply and held the coat she had draped over her arm a
little tighter to herself for comfort, support, she wasn't quite sure.	

Ray quickly walked over to his desk and retrieved his coat, then went back
over to Meg.  

"Ready?" He asked. He didn't know why his palms started to sweat, or why
his heart rate increased, but he did his best to keep a calm exterior.	

Meg simply nodded in reply as she turned to go. On the way past Frannie's
desk, she mumbled a good-bye, and Frannie gave her brother a 'I'm gonna
tease that crap out of you later look'. Ray tried his best to ignore it as
he followed Meg out of the room.  

The ride over to the park was in silence, and Ray was trying desperately
to break the tension. Every question he asked, every subject he broached,
Meg answered with either one syllable, or a nod of her head. Now he was at
a total loss.  

Turning off the engine, he jovially announced "we're here", even though it
was obvious. Meg busied herself with donning her gloves, and wrapping her
scarf around her neck. Ray took the opportunity to go around to her side
of the car and held the door for her.  

"Thank you" she mumbled without looking directly at him.  

When she stepped out of the car and stood, Ray didn't move so he was not
only blocking her path, but he was only inches from her body.  

"Meg, are you going to talk to me?" He asked, his voice filled partly with
concern, partly with hurt.  

"I don't believe there's anything to talk about." She replied, looking at
him quickly, then darting her eyes across the park. "Except this case of
course."  

She paused and added, "and I believe it's Inspector Thatcher, not Meg, as
you stated earlier." Her voice was impassive, as if she were telling him
what time it was.  

Meg brushed past him and headed for the swings. Ray lowered his head in
frustration. So that's what this was all about, he told himself. He should
have known better than to have put walls between them at the station, but
Stan had caught him off guard and he panicked. Not knowing if he could
repair the damage he'd caused, Ray headed off in the direction Meg had
taken.	

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

Ben knew it was early in the morning, even though there was no visible
change from when he set up camp. Ben knew that any hope he had of catching
the poacher had to come today. He would not go back empty handed. Though
it was still snowing, Ben packed his gear and headed out in the direction
the poacher had last taken.  

Going was slow at best. The new snow hadn't packed and more than a few
times, Ben ended up in drifts that were up to his waist. He knew that the
snow could be just as dangerous as quicksand if he fell too deep. The
storm that blew around him barely let up, though he could sense, rather
than see the change a change.  

He was more than aware that the poacher could have doubled back on his
trail, taken any number of directions, or be waiting out the storm in a
secluded area. He hoped more than anything that he'd find some sign he was
on the right trail. Mentally, Ben took stock of his supplies. Though he
normally packed more than an adequate share to see him through most
contingencies, he was starting to get worried. This was day four, and he
only had about two days left. If he finds the criminal, it will take at
least another two or three days to get back to the detachment at Echo Bay.
That was, if he found him.  

It was well after four in the afternoon, when Ben literally stumbled upon
a ruck sac. The snowfall had become thick again and visibility was reduced
to only a few feet in front of him. Kneeling, he examined the contents.
Inside were extra clothes, some dried rations and water. Why would he
leave his supplies behind? He looked around trying to find tracks. If they
were staggered, that would indicate the man was becoming delirious, a
dangerous effect of hypothermia.  

Ben paused, and spun around but it was too late. He was staring down the
barrel of a shotgun. The poachers face was barely visible behind the fur
hood of his parka, but Ben could see a smile of evil triumph. They stared
at each other for what seemed like eternity.  

"Get up!" The man ordered, and slowly, Ben complied. His jaw set, he was
simultaneously chastising himself for being so foolish, and working on a
way to turn the tables.  

"Give me your weapon" the man ordered next.  

Ben stared at him, not willing to give it up. Instead, he began one of his
proven deterrents when faced with armed criminals. "You won't get away
with this..."  

"Now!" The man ordered with less patience than he'd shown before. Ben
slowly started to reach for his gun as he continued.  

"You don't want to shoot me."  

"Yeah? And why's that?" Although the poacher did answer Ben, which was an
improvement, his eyes hadn't wavered from Ben's hands the entire time Ben
undid the clasp that held his gun in place.  

"You would have already done it." Ben logically supplied.  

"I still can, you just remember that."	

Ben lifted his gun slowly, and holding the barrel, held it out to the
poacher. The man eyed him warily. "Toss it over here." He commanded.  

Ben's grip tightened on his weapon and he didn't move. In response, the
man pointed his rifle at Ben's chest.  

"I'm not going to tell you twice." He said, his voice even.  

Ben tossed it and watched with his peripheral vision as it landed deep in
the snow. It wasn't visible, and the hole left behind was being quickly
swallowed by the blowing snow.	

"Think about what you're doing. Right now you're only wanted for seal
poaching. It isn't too late to turn yourself in." Ben calmly stated. The
man ignored him as he motioned with his rifle.	

"Take out your handcuffs."  

"I don't have any handcuffs." Ben wondered how this would effect the man. 


"Don't play around, I said get them out!" The man fired off a round to
show he was serious. It whizzed by Ben's head, but he didn't flinch. As
close as he was to the rifle, Ben knew he wasn't the target, and held his
ground keeping his eyes locked on the poacher the entire time.	

Ben undid his parka, then his coat, to finally expose his uniform. "See?
No handcuffs. I don't carry them."  

The man simply stared at Ben and watched as he quickly rebuttoned his
clothes. Ben knew that even a few minutes of exposure in this weather
could have detrimental effects.  

Frustration took over and the poacher leaned over, making sure to keep his
rifle trained on Ben, to take a rope from his pack.  

"Turn around." He ordered, and Ben slowly complied. He had to bide his
time, he thought to himself.  

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

Ray walked around a hedge in the direction Meg went. When he rounded the
corner, he saw her sitting on a swing. Not moving mind you, just sitting.
She seemed to be staring off into space.  

Undecided for a moment, Ray sat in the swing next to her. She still didn't
speak and he started.  

"I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have called you Inspector back in the
bullpen, but I wasn't expecting Stan to act the way he did and I...."  

"Shh!" Meg interrupted him. He watched as she concentrated, her brow
furrowed. She then stood and turned slowly full circle as if looking for
something. Ray sat and watched her, not quite sure what she was doing.	

"I believe the kidnapper would have hidden in those hedges." She stated,
pointing to the thick hedges not far from the playground. Before Ray could
reply, Meg was heading in that direction. He quickly caught up with her.  

"Look, we've combed every part of this park, there was nothing. Besides,
we don't even know if Bobby even made it to the park." Ray informed her.  

Meg stopped walking and looked at him. She was going to add her own
theory, but a noise distracted her. She looked at Ray to see if he had
heard it too. It was coming from the thick hedges and Ray pulled out his
gun as he edged closer, motioning for her to stay behind him. When he was
at what could be considered an entrance, he readied himself and took a
deep breath.  

No one could tell that inside, the cop was using a technique that he and a
certain Mountie applied all the time. 'On three' he told himself.
'One.....two.....THREE!' Ray shot around the hedge, gun at the ready to
find himself staring down the barrel of another. the Two men looked at
each other for a long moment as hearts pounded out of control.	

"What in the hell r'ya doing? I could have killed ya!" Stan yelled, partly
in relief as he holstered his weapon.  

Ray recovered and sarcastically replied. "I doubt that, you would already
be dead."  

Stan took a step closer to him. "Is that so?"  

Just as he was about to reply, Maggie came around the hedge and stood
in-between the two, placing a hand on each chest and pushing lightly, to
separate them. "that's enough."  

"I couldn't agree more" Meg added as she appeared from around Ray.
"Constable." Meg greeted her subordinate.  

"Inspector."  

"What are ya doing here anyway? Besides trying to get shot." Stan asked
his partner.  

"Trying to find a missing kid, like I've been for the past three weeks."
Ray said in a voice that implied Stan hadn't been.  

1"Detective Kowalski," Meg interrupted, effectively cutting the argument
short. "Did you happen to find anything that pertains to the case?"  

Stan eyed Ray one last time before turning his attention to her. "Uh...no.
We were gonna walk back to the kid's house."  

1"that's what we were also planning. Perhaps we can pool our resources."
Meg suggested.	

Maggie smiled. "that sounds like a great idea."  

Both men didn't want to argue with the two women, knowing that they would
probably lose any argument, so grudgingly, they agreed.  

Although it was only 5:30, it was already dark for the most part. The
temperature was rapidly dropping, and the only one who didn't seemed to be
phased by the cold weather was Maggie. Ray could tell that Meg was feeling
the effects, though she wouldn't admit it.  

They were within sight of the Strathmeyer house when Stan stopped.
Everyone looked at him expectantly.  

"Did you find something?" Maggie asked.  

Stan's looked miserable, he was cold, hungry, and irritated. "No, look,
this isn't doing nothin'. Almost every member of the Chicago PD has been
through this area at least a hundred times. We aren't gonna find nothin',
so why freeze our...." Stan started to form a word, then looked at Maggie
and changed his mind. "butts. Why freeze our butts off?"  

"Because a little boy is still missing, that's why." Ray reminded him.	

"Hey, I wanna find him just as much as everyone else. Wasting my time out
here isn't gonna help him."  

Maggie had turned away from the exclating disagreement and looked around,
her eyes settling on the house in front of them. It was three doors away
from the Strathmeyers. Meg came up beside her and they looked at each
other, both thinking the same thing.  

"Ray, did someone ask the neighbors if they'd seen anything unusual the
day Bobby disappeared?" Maggie asked.  

Ray stopped arguing with Stan and gave Maggie a patronizing look. "That
was one of the first things we did."  

Meg nodded towards the house. "What about them?"  

Knowing that whatever the two women were thinking, it was at least better
than sitting there arguing with him, both men thought at the same time.  

Stan took out a little notebook, and flipped through a few pages. "No.
Their neighbors said they're on vacation. Wont be back for..." He flipped
another page "another week."  

"Long vacation." Meg voiced.  

"Must be nice to have it like that." Ray added, then frowned. "Why did you
want to know?"	

Meg didn't answer him as she started to walk across the snow filled grass.
Maggie was right on her heels, followed by a confused Ray and Stan. When
they were not even halfway to the house, flood lights came on illuminating
the entire area.  

"Motion activated" Stan said almost under his breath.  

"Indeed." Maggie smiled at him.  

They approached the house and Meg peered into a window beside the door.  

"Will someone tell me what's going on around here?" Ray asked, more than a
little annoyed.  

Meg looked over at him and sighed. "It stands to reason that since the
owners were planning to be gone an extensive amount of time, they would
have taken precautions to secure their belongings."  

"We already thought of that" Stan spoke when she had finished. "All the
other neighbors in this block and the next that had video surveillance
systems didn't show anything out of the ordinary."  

"It's still worth investigating." Maggie countered, looking directly at
Stan. He stared back at her for a moment, blocking out everyone else
around him.  

Stan....Stan, Stan, Kowalski!" Ray finally yelled, snapping Stan out of
his stupor.  

"Huh?" Stan gave him a blank look.  

"Wanna stay with us here?" He asked.  

Meg was becoming impatient with the two men. Honestly, she thought, how do
they ever manage to solve any crime in Chicago? She perhaps thought it was
by sheer luck.	

"So how do we get a copy of the tape?" Maggie asked.  

Ray smiled one of his dazzling smiles at her. "Watch and learn" he said as
he took out his cell phone.  

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

'The days seem to drag now, and I find I have less energy. Maybe it's
because of the snow that's been falling for three days straight. I
wouldn't exactly call it a blizzard, far from it, but it makes doing any
of the outside chores tough. Robert and Jacinda also seem to be fussier
than usual, and I find most of my time is spent trying to calm them down.
After they go to sleep, I make up the chores I couldn't do during the
day.'  

1I turned my head and covered my mouth as a small coughing fit took over.
Once I'd caught my breath, I picked up my pen and continued writing in my
journal.  

'I'm hoping that Ben's alright. I know he can take care of himself, but if
he ever knew how much I worry about him when he's out there, or how much I
miss him, I'm afraid of what he would do. The RCMP means everything to
him, it's part of who he is. How could I ask him to change that? The same
qualities that make him a fine officer and the same ones that brought me
to love him. The most I can do is wait, and pray, and never let him know
how it affects me.'  

I closed the journal and went over to the window, placing my head against
the cool glass. It was a welcome relief, and I stood there for how long, I
don't know. Knowing I had yet to feed the dogs, I put my coat on and
headed for the barn.  

Opening the barn door, the dogs gathered around me, knowing it was time to
eat. I took the bowls and filled them, then gave them fresh water. By the
time I was finished, I felt like I was in a sauna. I pushed my hood off
and was just about to leave when I noticed a barrel had been knocked over.
Sighing, I went over to it thinking it was just one more thing that I had
to do on an already long list.	

I went over to its end and placing my hands beneath it, tried to lift it.
Frustrated when it didn't budge, I tried again with the same results. Damn
it! There had to be a way to get it back up. Staring at it didn't seem to
help, so I decided to take the lid off, take out some of whatever was
inside and then try, but the lid wouldn't budge.  

I took off my parka and grabbed my sweater, flapping it fast against my
chest to try and cool down a little bit. I couldn't believe the effort it
was taking to get the stupid thing back up. Looking around the barn, I
tried to find something that I could use as a lever. Where was a crow bar
when you needed one? I did manage to find a thick wooden stick and wedged
it under the barrel as far as it could go. Finding a block, I put it under
the wood and added all my weight, trying to get the barrel to move. The
strain was horrendous, but I was rewarded when it lifted about six or
seven inches off the ground. I tried to maneuver closer to the barrel,
thinking that it was high enough that I could get under it, when the wood
snapped.  

I fell backwards as the barrel hit the ground with a loud crash and rolled
further into the middle of the barn. Breathing hard, I lay back and tried
to catch my breath. This was the stupidest thing I could imagine. If I was
going to live out here, I had to be able to do what needed to be done. How
could I do that if I couldn't even lift a stupid barrel? What, was I
supposed to wait until Ben got home lord knows when to do it for me? What
if he's gone a long time and something else happens? No, I've got to do
this.  

More determined than ever, I scrambled to my feet and went back over to
the barrel. I rolled it back to its spot, even that was hard! What on
earth could possibly be in here? Bricks? Finally, I managed to get it back
to its spot, and tried to lift it once again. Not finding anything else to
use as a lever, I used my hands.  

This time I had managed to get it about four inches off the ground and was
just positioning myself to get a better hold....  

"Aauuhh" the barrel fell again and I with it. I grabbed my stomach and
tried to curl up in a ball, willing the pain away. I became aware that I
couldn't breath as my body struggled to come to grip with the sensations
coursing through it. Finally, in a rush, I was able to take a few shallow
breaths, then a few bigger ones.  

The pain in my stomach was intense and I immediately thought that I
ruptured something. I could feel something warm between my legs, as my
heart raced. Tears fell from my eyes, and I realized that I had to find a
way to get back to the cabin, back to the babies.  

Moving slowly, I rolled a little and with my free hand, the one that
wasn't still holding my stomach, I tried to put it under me to help push
myself up. I grimaced against the pain and managed to get my knees under
me. I thought it ironic to now use the barrel as leverage to pull myself
to my feet. Sitting on it, I had to rest.  

'Good, it's becoming bearable' I thought as I shakily walked over to get
my parka. After pulling it over my head, I slowly headed for the cabin.  

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

It seemed to take forever to make even a little advancement on the cabin.
More than once I found myself on my knees in the snow as the wind whipped
about me. Never one to give up, I became more determined to reach the
cabin. When I finally made it to the stairs, I sat on one, and rested my
head against an upper stair. The cold didn't really bother me, since I was
overheated from all the effort it had taken me to get this far.  

I could hear Dief whining inside the cabin, and scratching at the door. I
didn't want to move again, because every time I did, the dull ache would
turn into a sharp pain. Taking a few deep breaths to ready myself, I
pulled myself to my feet and made my way into the cabin.  

As soon as I opened the door, Dief was right in front of me, whining.  

"I'm fine Dief." I told him and hoped it was true as I made my way over to
the love seat. After taking off my parka, I lowered myself onto it and
closed my eyes.  

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

Ray held up a tape with a smile on his face as he approached Meg and
Maggie. Stan was finishing up with a black and white as they secured the
vacant house.  

"We got it." Ray said proudly as he smiled at Meg.  

"Lets just hope there's something on there we can use." She replied, not
as hopeful.  

Stan joined them, and everyone looked at each other.  

"Are we gonna stand here all night? Or are we gonna watch the tape?" Stan
asked.	

Ray thought of all the people as his house, and remembered the
uncomfortable experience Meg had last night. That wasn't a scene he wanted
to repeat.  

"Where?" Maggie asked.	

Stan thought of what a mess his place was, and knew he didn't want the Ice
queen seeing it. Maggie had already experienced it on a few occasions, and
he couldn't get her to sit down. She was always trying to straighten and
clean.	

"I don't have a video player" Maggie informed them.  

All eyes turned to Ray then. "Uh, too many people at my place, we'd never
get any work done." Stan was next in line and shrugged. "Broken."  

Maggie raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't say anything. The telltale hue
of Stan's face told her all she needed to know.  

When everyone looked at Meg, her face paled somewhat. "I...isn't there a
VCR at the station?" She asked.  

"Yeah, but it's on it's last leg. Everything looks like the 50's. Snow on
the screen, jumpy. We'd probably not be able to see anything." Ray
informed her.  

Everyone was quiet then, waiting for Meg to come to a decision. She looked
up to realize everyone was looking at her.  

"Alright!" She snapped. "Let's just get this over with." Meg was a very
private person and she didn't like the idea of having people in her
apartment, especially Kowalski, she thought as she eyed him warily.  

The four of them headed back to the park to get their cars.  

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

Ben could feel the cold air and snow whipping into the neck collar of his
parka. The wind had blew his hood halfway back, but with his hands bound
behind him, he couldn't stop the cold from assaulting him.  

Of course, he had bigger worries at the moment. After his captor had made
sure he was secured, he had rooted through Ben's pack, taking the rest of
the dried food, water, and a few other essentials, then left it, including
his bedroll.  

He knew that without adequate protection, he probably wouldn't survive the
night. That knowledge led him to believe two things. One, time was of the
essence, and two, whatever his captor had planned to do to him, it would
be over with by tomorrow morning.  

They finally stopped late afternoon, and though Ben showed no outward
signs, he was chilled to the bone and exhausted. It had been hard to keep
his balance with his hands tied behind him. He watched as the man drank
the rest of his water, and ate the last of the rations he'd packed. Not
once did he bother to offer any to Ben.  

He shifted slightly, trying to see what play was in his ropes now that the
mans attention was elsewhere. Though his weapon had been taken, he still
had his knife in his boot.  

Ben stopped shifting as the man looked at him. He returned his gaze
steadfast, showing no emotion. Ben watched as he dug more rope out of his
pack and came over to him.  

"Get against the tree" he ordered. Ben didn't move and the man grabbed the
back of his parka to bodily move him. Ben swept his leg out, and knocked
him backwards in the snow. Standing quickly, he tried to run into the
woods, but didn't make if far before he was tackled, and landed heavily on
his chest. The wind was knocked from him, and as he gasped for breath, he
was rolled over.  

The poached sat on his chest and pulling back, hit him hard across the
face. The blow connected with his cheekbone, and as the man readied for
another punch, Ben bucked beneath him, knocking him off. Ben shifted
quickly and wrapped his legs around the man's neck. The poacher struggled
to unlock the powerful thighs, but Ben held on tight. Ben tried to gage
what was going on, but from his position, only the man's back was to him.
He cried out as a sudden pain struck his leg, but instead of letting go,
he locked the mans head tighter.  

After what seemed like an eternity, the man's struggles stopped, and his
body went limp. Ben lay back in relief, and closed his eyes, thankful that
he wasn't dead. The thought shocked him. He'd never once been concerned
about his personal well being while pursuing a criminal, what was
different this time?  

He knew the answer before he'd even formed the question. When he thought
he wasn't going to make it, the only thing he could think of was Analise
waiting at the boarding house for him, and not knowing what happened. In
the secluded area that he was in, it could be well into summer before
anyone might stumble across his body.  

Ben reached into his boot and after some searching, managed to grab his
knife. It didn't take him long to free himself then, and even less time to
reverse the situation. After the poacher was secured, Ben rummaged through
the ruck sac and greedily drank the water. Knowing they had a ways to go,
he reluctantly replaced the cap and stuffed it back in the bag. His
stomach grumbled, reminding him the poacher took the rest of the food. It
would soon be too cold to travel, and Ben knew he needed to find his pack
before hand. The one sleeping bag the man had, wouldn't be enough for the
both of them.  

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

Meg unlocked the door, and looked around nervously at her apartment,
making sure she didn't leave any personal items lying about. She took off
her coat, and looked at the three people standing in the middle of her
living room.  

"Make yourselves comfortable, I'll be back in a minute." They didn't say
anything as she disappeared down a hallway.  

Once they heard Meg shut a door, they breathed a sigh of relief. It was
then they took the liberty to look around the apartment. It was nicely
furnished, not a lot of knickknacks, but it did give the impression of
being lived in.  

Stan let out a low whistle as he looked around. "Not what I thought" he
said, gaining Maggie's attention.  

"What exactly were you expecting?" She asked.  

Stan smiled, knowing she would take the bait. "Oh I don't know, chains,
icebergs, maybe a few penguins running around."  

"That's enough." Ray interrupted. For some strange reason he couldn't
fathom, he didn't want to hear anyone calling her names or speaking bad
about her.  

"Come on Vecchio, you gotta be kidding. You call her more things than
anyone."  

Maggie interrupted "I don't think this is appropriate to...."  

Ray was about to stand up for Meg, and himself. He was going to finally
let Kowalski know that though he may have been at the head of the line to
say things about her before, it wasn't like that any longer. When Maggie's
words trailed off, he saw what caught her attention. Meg had been standing
quietly at the end of the living room. How much had she heard?	

When she straightened her shoulders and came into the room, the look in
her eyes let Ray know she'd heard more than enough, though her face was
void of expression. She had changed into a pair of jeans, and a white long
sleeved shirt. No one spoke, and finally Meg, in a quiet voice started.  

"The VCR is over here." She didn't look at any of them as she went over
and turned on the television.  

Ray approached her and handed her the tape. When she went to take it, he
wouldn't let go, and she had to look at him. He tried to give her his best
'I'm sorry' look, but it was nothing compared to the hurt in her eyes.	

Meg dropped her eyes and put the tape into the VCR, pushing play. She sat
in a nearby chair, not making eye contact with anyone, focusing solely on
the tape. It didn't take long before the others silently found seats as
they watched the scenes flash across the screen.  

They had been through the tape five times, and all four people were
getting frustrated that between them, neither could find a clue as to the
missing child. It was getting late, and Meg was just about to tell
everyone it was a good effort when there was a knock on the door. Not
knowing who it could be, she cautiously approached it.	

She was surprised to see a pizza delivery man holding three pizzas, and a
six pack of soda.  

"I'm sorry, you must have the wrong address, I didn't order any pizza" she
told him.  

"I got it" Stan yelled as he came up behind her.  

"Hi Sal" Stan greeted, "how much?"  

"Twentyeight nintyfive." Sal replied as he thrust the pizzas into Meg's
hands.	

"That's robbery!" He protested, but Sal just shrugged.	

"You want the pizza or not? I gave you a good discount."  

Stan dug out thirty and gave it to the man, then took the soda from him.
He shut the door, and turned to see Meg staring at him.  

"You ordered pizza to my house, and didn't bother to ask first?"  

Stan smiled at her. "No need to thank me" and went back into the living
room.  

1Ray and Maggie looked up when the entered, and Ray cleared a spot on the
coffee table.  

"Good, I'm starved." He walked over to take the pizzas from Meg, and
smiled at her. She shook her head and went into the kitchen to retrieve
plates and glasses.  

When she came back into the room, she stopped dead in her tracks. Everyone
had taken the pizza and was eating, without plates, and drinking straight
from the soda cans. Apparently she couldn't even get that right.  

She placed the dishes on the dining table and went back into the room. For
the time being, the tape was forgotten as the hungry officers dug in. Meg
hesitantly approached the three and Ray smiled at her, then handed her a
piece of pizza. Maggie reached over and gave her a soda.  

"Thank you" she mumbled, then ate in silence while the others talked
around her.  

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

Ben took the lead after making sure his prisoner wouldn't be able to undo
the ropes he'd secured around him. The storm was getting worse, and Ben
knew they had to stop soon. He wasn't sure how far they had traveled, or
if he'd even be able to find his pack after the storm had been blowing all
this time, but he knew he had to try.  

The cold seemed to seep into his bones, and more than once he had to stop
to make sure his prisoner was still covered, and to give him water. The
one consideration Ben made, was to make the poacher carry the seal pelts
and the pack that he had with him.  

After another hour, Ben was no closer to finding his pack, and he had no
choice but to stop for the night. The poacher sat down and Ben unhooked
the pack from him. Digging through it, there was only a small tarp, and
the one sleeping bag. Ben rigged a shelter as best he could since the snow
wasn't deep enough to dig out a shelter.  

After he had everything situated as best he could, Ben led the prisoner
inside. He had managed to make a small V shape out of the tarp, and
blocked the one end with snow. It was barely big enough to fit one person,
let alone two, and he tried not to think about that as he broke branches
off near by trees to try and get even a small fire going.  

After the sixth try, he knew it was hopeless. The wind was whipping about
them too hard to start even the smallest of fires. He peered into the
makeshift shelter to make sure his prisoner was all right. The tarp was so
small a person could only lay inside of it, which was exactly what the
prisoner was doing. Ben took the pack, and placed it across the opening,
then went about trying to build enough snow up to act as a windbreak.
After twenty minutes, he hunkered as close as he could to the tarp, and
closed his eyes. He knew it would be a miracle if he made it, but he had
to try. Sighing, he allowed himself one thought before applying his
meditation techniques. It was going to be a long night.  

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

"I just don't get it. How can six kids turn up missing and no one have any
leads?" Stan asked, then took a drink of soda.	

"We've been experiencing the same problem in Canada." Maggie added. "In
the past few months four children have been reported missing." "Five." Meg
corrected, "another report came over the fax last night. This one was in
Eagle Falls."  

Maggie's eyes grew wide. "That's near Inuvik."	

"I guess Benny got his hands full then." Ray chimed in. "It just doesn't
make sense. I know they're related. They gotta be. The MO's the same.
First it was Augusta, Chicago...."  

Stan added "now they've hit Helena and Fairbanks. There's no set pattern.
It's as if they're just bouncing around."  

Maggie frowned in concentration, and Meg stared off into space. "Bouncing
may be right Detective." She added as she jumped up and went to a hutch.
After a few minutes of digging, she came back with a folded paper.  

"What's that?" Ray asked, even as Maggie was clearing the coffee table of
the pizza boxes and sodas.  

1"A map of Canada." She answered as she spread it out. Using an orange
marker she also brought over, she started. "Where did you say the children
were taken from again?"  

By now both men had an idea of what she was getting at, and all four of
them hovered over the map.  

"The first one was in Augusta about three months ago." Stan said, and
though the map was of Canada, the northern most part of the US was
visible. Meg circled it and then did the same for the other cities. When
they looked, it did appear to be a random pattern....at first.	

Maggie and Meg both smiled at each other.  

"Hey, you want to let us in on the secret?" Ray asked.	

Meg smiled at him. "Over the past few months, we've been receiving reports
of missing children in Canada as well. Toronto" she said as she circled
the city "Winnipeg, Edmonton, and lastly, Eagle Falls."  

All four officers stared at the map, then smiled.  

"That's gotta be it!" Stan practically yelled. He took the marker from Meg
and starting at Augusta, drew a zig zag line between the US and Canada
until there wasn't anything left.  

"That's why neither of us has had luck in finding a pattern. They knew the
US and Canada would probably not think of collaborating right away, and
they took advantage of that by not only traveling back and forth, but by
changing where they were taking the children from!" Maggie excitedly
added.	

"It's a good theory" Meg started, and they could tell there was a 'but'
coming. She looked at the expectant faces. "We still need to check the MO
of the kidnappings in Canada. If they match, we can alert the various
police personnel on both sides."  

"It's gotta be that, even the dates match up." Stan interjected, not
wanting to even remotely think this break though may be another false
hope.  

"They appear to, yes." Meg agreed.  

"What are we waiting for? Lets get down to the station and start working
on this!" Ray said as he stood.  

In less than a minute, the apartment was empty as all four officers almost
ran to the waiting cars.  

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

The drums were getting louder, and I followed the sound. Soon, I saw a
small spot of light. As I drew near, it grew bigger, and I could see
people dancing around it in various animal costumes. The chanting was
rhythmic and drew me closer to the scene before me. I was outside,
somewhere...and I didn't have my parka on, yet I wasn't cold. The heat
from the fire made it feel like summer, though snow was on the ground, and
some falling about me. I walked until I was inside the circle of dancers.
Across from the fire a figure appeared, but it was difficult to see
through the flames. No matter what direction I tried to move, the flames
blocked my path. It seemed inside my mind, but I could have swore I heard
a whisper. Something was speaking over and over, but I couldn't understand
the words. The figure across the fire motioned for me to go back. I
couldn't move. I didn't want to. It was warm here and I didn't want to go.
I could see the animals dancing about us, as the figure was also inside
the ring.  

"Go back" the figure said, and this time I understood.	

"No...." I whispered "I want to stay." I could feel myself start to shake
as the heat slowly left me. The voice was more insistant. "Go back."  

One of the animals appeared beside the figure, and I watched as it
transformed into something familiar. Something that I should have
known..... Ben! It was Ben. I tried to run to him, but the flames lept
about me.  

"Ben!" I cried out and was rewarded when he slowly turned to face me. I
was crying with relief. He was here, everything was going to be ok. My
shaking got worse as the cold became more pronounced.  

He also tried to move towards me, and again the fire kept us apart. The
whispering I could hear, almost inside my mind was also becoming louder. I
could almost make out the words, but not quite.  

The voice became louder as Ben began to fade from sight. "No!" I screamed.
"Ben, don't go.....please, help me." I begged.	

The image was almost gone, and I could hear the voice ".....lest the earth
forget to breath."  

"Ben!" I screamed as my eyes flew open. It took me a minute to realize
that I was back in the cabin, on the love seat. My breathing was ragged,
as if I'd just ran a long way. I could feel the pain in my stomach and
closed my eyes against it.  

Slowly, I came to realize the babies were crying, and Dief was beside me,
whining. It was cold, very cold, and I struggled against the pain to sit
up. The fires had gone out, and I forced myself to move. I was alone
again, and there were things that needed to be done.  

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

Welsh sat back in his chair, looking at the map placed in front of him. At
first it was impossible to understand the four of them when they came
bursting into his office, but once he'd been able to decipher their
babbling, he had to admit the theory showed promise.  

"All right," Welsh said as he sat up "Inform the Alaska police
departments, as well as the one's along the northern boarder. Inspector?" 


"I'll take care of the Canadian side."	

"Good. Let's get to it." He finished, and in a haste, they left the
office, calling for Frannie and others to help get the word out.  

It was well after midnight by the time they had contacted everyone,
obtained the rest of the kidnapping information from the various cities,
and then distributed everything they'd compiled and sending it back to
everyone. Meg stretched and placed her hands on her hips as she flexed her
back. This had been a very long day, and in less than five hours, she had
to get up to get ready to go to the Consulate. She didn't hear Ray come up
behind her, and jumped when he touched her shoulder. She spun around to
see him holding out her coat for her.  

"I didn't mean to frighten you" he said with a smile.  

"That's quite all right. It's late and I'm tired." She said as way of an
explanation. She slipped her arms into the material, and he lifted it
across her shoulders. He didn't immediately drop his hands, and she
stilled all movement.  

Meg was wrapped up in the feelings he was bringing to life inside her, and
was just about to lean back into his caress when she remembered Stan's
comment earlier. Apparently, Ray had been first in line to make
disparaging remarks about her.	

She pulled forward, effectively losing his hands and she turned to face
him. "I should be going." Ray looked at her with her head bent to the side
a little, not making eye contact with him. "I'll give you a ride." He
offered.  

"No, I'd rather take a taxi." She quickly interjected. He didn't speak for
a moment, thinking of what to say.  

"It's late, and you probably won't find one around here. Besides, it's the
least I can do after you've practically cracked this case on your own." He
smiled, trying to lighten the mood.  

Frannie came up then, looking like she was about to fall asleep on her
feet. "Hey bro, are you leaving soon? I'm beat. Hi Meg" she added almost
as an after thought.  

Ray looked at his sister, thinking that he hadn't really paid much
attention to her lately with as busy as he'd been. He frowned as he took
in her appearance. She seemed tired. There were dark circles under her
eyes, and he noticed she hadn't even bothered to put makeup on today.
There was no way he could, or even would, tell her to drive herself home. 


"Yeah, just give me a minute" he said, then turned back to Meg.  

"So, what do ya say? Vecchio's taxi cab at your service?" He tried to
appear relaxed, but something was keeping him on edge.	

"That really isn't necessary" she objected, and gave him a look letting
him know she was serious and this conversation was over. Frannie came up
then with her coat in her hands.  

"Ready?" Frannie asked.  

Ray added his own stipulation. "I want to at least make sure you get a cab
before I leave."  

Meg sighed in exasperation. "That's your choice Detective." Then pushed
past him on her way out.  

Frannie watched the interplay between the two of them. "Geez, what's up
with her?"  

"I don't know" Ray quietly answered.  

"Now I know why you call her the Dragon lady." Frannie joked, then
followed in the direction Meg had taken.  

Ray let out a groan as he followed the two women out of the bullpen. When
had his life become so complicated?  

Meg pulled her collar about her and donned her gloves as she looked down
the street. There were barely any cars on the road and no taxi's in sight,
though they were on a main road. It was quite a walk back to her apartment
from here, and she wasn't looking forward to it. There was another option,
two streets down started one of Chicago's 'seedier' sections of town, and
there was bound to be taxi's in that area since there was an over
abundance of nightclubs.  

She only took two steps before she felt a hand on her arm, and turned to
see Ray staring at her with solemn eyes.  

"Let me give you a ride home.... Please." His words were barely above a
whisper.  

Meg looked over at his car, with Frannie in it, and back to him. More than
anything, she wanted to not have to think about the day, the case,
especially him. Yes, she was hard on people, she had to be. It was a man's
world, and she'd worked damn hard to get where she was today. Just because
she didn't like to show emotions, didn't mean she didn't have any. That
was something most of the people she dealt with in the course of her job
often forgot.  

Meg looked down the street one last time, and deciding that it would be
quicker to accept the ride, than to find a taxi, she relented and let him
guide her to his car.  

When they reached the passenger side, it was obvious that Frannie was fast
asleep in the front seat. Ray frowned and wanted nothing more than to
shake her awake and tell her to get in the back. Meg seemed to sense what
he wanted to do, and spoke up.	

"It would probably be easier if I got in on the drivers side." She didn't
wait for an answer as she started around.  

Ray opened the door for her, and held the seat forward as she climbed in.
He couldn't believe the array of emotions that was going through him.
Relief, frustration, irritation. He was at a point where he didn't know
what to expect next. He was relieved that Meg was letting him drive her
home, and frustrated at Frannie -- even though he knew it wasn't her fault
for falling asleep.  

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

Ben could hear the whispers, they were coming closer. He forced himself to
open his eyes, and looked around the woods. The snow had stopped, except
for a few flurries which was nothing in the Territories. He tried to see
where the voices were coming from, but they seemed to be everywhere and no
where all at once.  

Ben suddenly remembered the poacher and turned to check on him, but there
was nothing there! No tarp, no sleeping bag, no pack. On closer
inspection, he realized that there weren't even any tracks. He closed his
eyes and grimaced. He couldn't believe that because he had been torpid,
his prisoner escaped. Ben quickly stood to try and find him, and suddenly
confused, looked around in a circle.  

Movement caught his eye, and Ben stood still, trying to ascertain whether
it was animal, or human. There it was again! He knew it had to be a
person, no animal would move like that. Ben quickly chased him through the
trees, making sure not to lose sight of him. He ran quicker and faster,
the trees about him becoming denser until he couldn't see more than a few
feet in front of himself.  

He was so intent on not losing the person in front of him, Ben didn't hear
the faint thumping of drums, or chanting. Just when he thought his lungs
would explode, Ben burst through the trees and found himself in a
clearing. There was a huge fire in the middle, and animals circling about
it. A figure beckoned him closer, and he tentatively moved forward. Ben
wasn't sure why he did, and didn't give a second thought of the poacher
who'd escaped. He slowly walked up, and the animals seemed to ignore him.
When an opening presented itself, Ben stepped through.	

He was only a few feet from the person when he heard a familiar voice
calling him. Turning, his heart leapt in his chest. How did Analise get
here? Without thinking, he tried to go around the fire to reach her, but
it seemed to block his path. Ben could hear the whispers getting louder
and tried again to reach her.  

"Analise!" He called out in desperate frustration. Something was wrong,
dead wrong, he could read it from the look on her face. He tried, but
could only watch as she also tried to reach him.  

"Ben don't go...please help me!" He heard her call out.  

Without any thought of his personal safety, Ben charged towards the
flames. An intense heat assaulted him, throwing him back onto the ground.
He heard her call his name again, but when the flames died down enough to
see, she was gone.  

"Analise!" Ben called out again.  

His fear grew for her, and he quickly turned to the person beside him.	

"Where is she?" He demanded "Where's my wife?"	

He was vaguely aware of the movement around him as the animals circling
started to transform into people, wearing animal masks.  

Though this surprised him, at that moment he wouldn't have cared if they
sprouted wings and flew away. He could also hear the whispers again, they
seemed to echo through the woods, or was it inside his mind? That thought
was also dismissed for the time being.	

The person silently turned from him and started towards the woods.  

"Wait" Ben, was angry and afraid for Analise. He *would* get answers. He
started after the figure but from no where, flames blocked him. Turning
full circle, Ben found he was now standing in the middle of a complete
ring of fire.  

After trying unsuccessfully many time to free himself from the ring, Ben
resigned himself to simply wait until the fire burned itself out. The only
good part he could surmise from the whole situation was the face that he
was at least warm.  

Through the night, the whispers kept him company, or were intent on
driving him insane, he wasn't entirely sure which. Ben the only logical
explanation he could surmise was this had something to do with the Inuit.
They must have been performing a sacred ritual he stumbled upon. That
still didn't explain why Analise had been with them.  

All at once the fire died down to embers, and Ben looked up to see the
figure approaching him. Quickly he stood, but waited to see what the
person would do. He needed answers and that meant he had to be patient.
The figure stopped about ten feet away from Ben.  

"Go Back" a raspy voice commanded, but it seemed to emanate from
everywhere, not the speaker.  

"No" Ben's reply was firm.  

The whispers that had been with him all night grew in intensity to an
almost painful level.  

Ben threw his hands to his ears, and defiantly started towards the man. He
wasn't expecting to hear Analise behind him.  

"Ben...please help me."  

He turned in the direction it seemed to have originated, and Ben quickly
took off into the woods, almost at a dead run. So intent was he on finding
her, he failed to see the ground drop out beneath him. As Ben fell off the
precipice, he called out her name.  

"Analise!"  

Ben's eyes flew open and he looked around for some sense of direction. His
heart was racing and he slowly came to realize he was hunkered by a tarp. 


'It was a dream" he murmured, not quite believing but his mind needed some
way to make sense of it all. Looking inside the tarp, he found his
prisoner still sleeping right where he'd left him the night before.  

The snow had stopped and with a start, Ben realized he was still alive.
When he stood to start the fire, he was expecting his muscles to protest
from the cold, but the ache never came.  

Ben had already melted enough snow to fill all the canteens by the time
the poacher awoke. His mind wasn't on the menial task though. He turned as
the poacher scrambled out from under the tarp. That in itself was no easy
feat since his hands were still tied behind him.  

Ben didn't make a move to help him, and waited while he struggled to the
fire. The man let out a shivering breath as he leaned over the fire. After
a few minutes he glared at Ben.  

"I gotta take a leak, you wanna untie me?"  

Ben didn't move. He still sat with his hands extended, soaking in the
warmth from the fire.  

"Are you deaf? I said I gotta piss. You have to let me, you're a
*Mountie*." He sneered.  

After a few minutes more, Ben looked over at him.  

"Put your legs out" Ben quietly demanded.  

"What? Hello....you listening Mountie? I said I gotta go!" The man
protested.  

Ben ignored him, and it soon became evident that if he was going to get
any relief, he had to do what Ben told him. With great exaggeration, he
flopped his feet in front of Ben, kicking snow on him in the process.  

Ben picked up a length of rope he had readied by his side and tightly tied
the man's ankles together.  

"Is this some kind of joke? How am I supposed to walk like this?"  

Ben grabbed the man by his elbow and lifted him to his feet. Once he was
sure the man was balanced, Ben slowly led him to a nearby tree, making the
poacher hop.  

Once they reached their destination, Ben quickly untied the man's hands
and moved away a few feet to afford him some privacy. When he finished his
business and turned around, Ben helped him back over to the fire but
didn't retie his hands.  

He handed a cup of hot water to the poacher and picked up the cup of Bark
tea he'd made for himself. Ben barely waited for his prisoner to finish
before kicking snow over the fire, then stirring to make sure it was out. 


He repacked the ruck sack and put it on the poacher before retying the
man's hands, then he undid his legs. The weather was eerily calm and he
knew they had to make as much time as possible before that changed.  

**********  

"I got B.O.!" Frannie yelled out across the bullpen, causing a chorus of
laughs. She hurried over to Stan's desk and flopped some papers in front
of him and Ray.  

"Meg just faxed these over. It's the same B.O!" She triumphantly smiled.  

Stan smiled at her, and took, the toothpick from his mouth. "Make sure you
stand downwind" he teased.  

"What?" Her irritation with him clearly showing.  

Ray sighed and looked up at his sister. "It's M.O. Frannie, not B.O."  

""whatever, get picky why don't you?" She picked up one of the papers
again and threw it at Stan. "The kidnappings got the same stories from the
ones in Canada. No witnesses, no ransom demands, nothing."  

Ray smiled at them. "We got them"  

"Now we can track them" Stan added as he cleared off the map that was
spread open on his desk.  

"I'll take those"  

The three of them looked up to see Agent Ford standing in front of them.
Welsh also picked that moment to come out of his office.  

"Take what?" Stan asked as he walked around his desk, conveniently sitting
on the edge blocking the view behind him.  

"It's no secret the two of you are still working on the case, even though
it's no longer your jurisdiction."  

"Case? What case?" Ray asked, joining the fray.  

Agent Ford scoffed at him. "This is a federal investigation Vecchio, so
back off."  

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about." Ray smoothly replied as
he smirked at him.  

Agent Ford pushed Stan aside "I know these papers have something to do
with the kidnappings. Now hand them over."  

"Papers?" Stan asked "Oh, you mean *these* papers."  

"Of course those papers, what else would I be talking about?" He snapped. 


Welsh cleared his throat. "I took Detectives Kowalski and Vecchio off the
Strathmeyer case and since they've worked so hard, I decided to give them
some R&R time."  

"Do I look stupid to you?" Ford asked, and Stan couldn't help but egg him
on.  

"Do you really want an answer?"  

Ford took a closer look at the papers on the desk, particularly the map.  

"Canada?"  

"Yeah, we decided to take a little vacation and visit Fraser." Ray
explained.  

"Oh yes, the Mountie." Ford sarcastically replied. "That better be all
you're doing."	

"It is...and just to give you a little peace offering, we've come across
another home surveillance tape of the Strathmeyer neighborhood. Here you
go."  

Ford looked at the four of them, then at the tape Ray was holding out. He
quickly took it from him.  

"Just make sure you stay away from my case." He warned, then marched off. 


After they made sure Ford left the bullpen, Welsh spoke in a low voice.  

"Ok, so what do we got?"  

"It looks like the same MO Sir, and by the way the kidnappings are
staggered, they could be heading in Fraser's direction." Ray pointed to
the may, tracing a line with his finger.  

Welsh studied it for a moment. "That's still a lot of ground to cover, and
they could jump back into Alaska anytime."  

He thought a few more minutes while everyone looked at him expectantly.
"Ok, get this information out on the wire and also contact the Constable."
Welsh started walking back to his office, and almost as an after thought
turned back around. "Vecchio"  

"Sir?"	

"Let Inspector Thatcher know so she can get it out on her end too."  

Ray stared at Welsh's back as he disappeared into the office. Stan and
Frannie snickered at Ray, followed by nearby laughter from Jack and Tom.
As soon as Ray gave them each a dirty look, they quickly stifled it.  

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

'The pain is a constant now and that scares me. It's been three days since
the incident in the barn, and I can barely even lift the babies without
doubling over. I had decided to go back to town this morning and see the
doctor, but when I opened the door I was met by a wind that blew so
violently, the swirling snow felt like daggers. I suppose in a way that's
a good thing. I doubt that I could make it with the way I'm feeling.  

The wood reserve is almost gone, maybe a day left, two at the most. I've
closed off the babies room and am only heating my bedroom and the main
room. Although I'm trying to conserve wood, it won't last forever. I pray
the babies will at least sleep through the night tonight so I can rest.'  

Shakily, I put down the pen and braced myself to stand from the table. It
was slow going, but I made my way into the bedroom. Dief whined and looked
up from the bed, but I couldn't talk to him as I added another log to the
stove then checked on the babies. By the time I finished, I almost crawled
to the bed.  

Once I was settled, I took in a deep breath which was a mistake, since it
brought on another coughing fit. I was too spent to even cry when it was
over, and lay there staring at the wall. 'Where are you Ben? Dear God,
please bring him home.' I prayed.  

Dief crawled up next to me and licked my face, but the movement caused me
more pain and I couldn't hold in the moan. He seemed to sense this, and
stayed still.  

"Ben..." I whispered into the darkness before it claimed me.  

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

Three days.... Ben thought as he continued to trudge through the woods
with his prisoner. He never did find his pack, but since the weather held,
he had no problem finding enough to keep them alive. Frustration was his
biggest enemy. The constant torment he was in when he thought of Analise
needing him was eating at every part of his being. 'It was a dream' he
kept reminding himself, but until he returned to Inuvik and saw her safely
at the boarding house, he couldn't rest.  

He was so lost in thought he didn't hear the faint hum penetrating the
air. It wasn't until his prisoner stopped and the rope became taunt that
he heard it. They both looked around trying to ascertain which direction
it was coming from. Ben was the first to pinpoint the location.  

"There." He said as he nodded his head in the direction.  

It didn't take long for two snow mobiles to appear, and they headed
straight for the two men. At first Ben's chest tightened. He wasn't sure
if Lutris was able to make it back with the other four men, and if they
had escaped, it could very well be them coming for their partner. He
relaxed only after he could make out the RCMP letters on the side of the
vehicles.  

They came to a stop about ten feet away from Ben and he watched as one of
the men pulled his hood back, took off his goggles and spoke.  

"Hey, are you going to keep lolly-gaging all day? We do have a job to do
you know."  

Ben stared at the smiling man a moment, then shook his head as he let out
a small laugh of relief.  

"Lutris."  

"The one and only." Lutris bragged.  

Ben nodded at the other Constable as he approached Lutris. "Did you have
any trouble getting the other men back?"  

"Naw, they're tucked safe and sound back at the Echo Bay detachment." He
paused and looked at Ben. "You look like hell."  

Ben ignored him as he thought of Analise. "How long will it take us to get
back to the Echo Bay detachment?"  

Lutris shrugged. "Maybe by nightfall if the weather holds. It's traveling
west though, so we'll probably have to wait there until it passes."  

From there, Ben thought, it was only another 500 miles to Inuvik. They
wasted no time in getting the prisoner secured on the back of one
snowmobile, and Ben climbed on behind Lutris.  

"Hang on to your seats kiddies, it's going to be a bumpy ride." Lutris
laughed as they sped off.  

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

Buck Frobisher carefully placed bonding glue along the edge of a small
jagged piece, and carefully held it in place on the broken vase. The phone
rang, and he carefully picked it up.  

"Sergeant Frobisher speaking, how may I be of assistance?" He asked.  

"Buck! It's Ray."  

"Ray?"	

"Ray Vecchio." He smiled as he thought of the Mountie.	

"Ah, Detective Vecchio, how are things going down in Chicago?" Buck asked
as he tried to balance the phone, and glue another broken piece together. 


"Not bad, is Benny there?"  

"No, Constable Fraser is out pursuing some rogue seal poachers." Buck
informed him.  

"Damn, listen, we got information on the kidnappings. It looks like they
could be headed your way." Ray could hear the crinkling of papers as he
spoke.	

"Is that so? Well if they show up here, they'll be in for a surprise."
Buck reached for another piece of the vase, only to discover his hand was
now attached to a piece of paper.  

"Apparently they've been traveling between the US and Canada. That's why
it's been so difficult to catch them." Ray added, not quite sure if Buck
was paying attention to him.  

Buck had propped the phone on his shoulder as Ray was speaking and tried
to remove the paper from his hand, but he only succeeded in causing more
of a mess. Both hands not sported parts of a 10989B report. He shook them
trying to loosen the papers.  

"Yes, that does sound plausible." Buck agreed as he moved the broken
pieces out of the way. He accidentally dropped the phone, and Ray could
hear what sounded like curses coming from Bucks end.  

"I'll...uh...let Benton know you called Detective. Right now I have a
sticky situation to deal with."  

Ray heard the line go dead and hung up, not quite sure what to do next.  

Buck took his paper covered finger off the hook and tried to replace the
receiver, but learned to his dismay it was adhering securely to his left
ear. He looked around the detachment and spying Toomey, called over to
him.  

"Constable, a moment of your time...."	

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

"Hi Maggie" Ray greeted as he past her post by the Consulate steps. He let
himself in and headed straight to Meg's office. Taking a deep breath, he
knocked quickly not wanting another incident to happen.  

"Enter"  

Meg looked up from her paperwork and when she saw Ray, she removed her
glasses.  

"Detective" she greeted slightly surprised.  

"It's Ray" he reminded her.  

Meg thought back to the other night when everyone was at her apartment.
she looked up at him, all business.  

"What brings you down here, Detective? Were the files I faxed of any
help?"	

Ray spoke quietly "Yeah, they were the same MO. We've alerted the Alaskan
PD's and they're going to be keeping a look out. I also tried to call
Fraser but he was tracking some criminals. The Lieutenant wanted me to let
you know so you could contact your side and give them a heads up."  

"I see. Well thank you for delivering the information personally, though a
phone call would have sufficed."  

Ray decided it was now or never and dove in. "No, it wouldn't have. Look,
I wanted to tell you I was sorry for the other night. In the past I've
said some things I shouldn't have."  

Meg cut him off. "I'm well aware of what I'm called when people don't
think I'm listening Detective. Ice Queen, fridgid....." Meg stood and
walked around her desk, then leaned against it as she continued "....a
bitch...Dragon Lady. You aren't the first person to call me a name, or
make jokes about me, and I'm quite sure you won't be the last." she
finished matter of factly.  

They stared at each other a minute, then Ray spoke. "Well, I guess I
should go then."  

"Yes, I do have alot of work to do." Meg turned back to her desk as Ray
walked to the door.  

"Detective? Are you and Detective Kowalski planning on going to Inuvik?"  

Ray shrugged "We aren't sure where they'll turn up next, and Benny's not
even on the case. There's no reason to."  

"I see, thank you."  

They stared at each other again, Ray wanting to say something, anything.
He tried to think of something but Meg spoke first.  

"It's all right Detective" she spoke softly "I'm used to it...and I don't
hold a grude against you." With that said, she dropped her eyes from him
and busied herself with the papers on her desk.  

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

"Get in there" a man yelled as he yanked the little girl roughly by the
arm, her cries went unheeded. He shoved her in a closet, the slid a lock
in place.  

"It's about time you get here, where've you been?"  

The man turned towards a table where his partner sat. "Where do you think
I've been? Trying not to get my ass caught with that whining brat. They
got patrols out everywhere now."  

"Damn. Have you heard from our contact? We can't sit on these kids
forever. We need to know where the drop off will be."  

"I'm gonna head into town tomorrow and find out." The man pointed to the
closet "Keep that on in here for at least two days without food or water.
Then just give water till I get back. The damn thing needs to be taught a
lesson."  

The man at the table nodded his head in agreement, "We got other problems"
 

"Oh yeah? What would those be? We're stuck up here in the middle of a
frozen wasteland because the boss says no one would ever look up here,
then she disappears and we're stuck with these damn kids, a contact who's
not been around, and no drop off point. We got two loads of kids here and
no where to go with them. What other problems can we possibly have?"  

"Her" the man jerked a finger towards the corner, and the second followed
his gaze.  

He shrugged. "If she don't come back by the time we sell the rest, we'll
throw her in with them."  

Solemn eyes looked up from the corner she was playing in, taking in the
words.	

"Face it, she aint coming back for the kid, and she left us holding the
bag."  

"She said she'd be back Hal, and you know what she'll do if the kid's
gone."	

The man smiled and clasped his partner on the shoulder "By then we'll be
sitting on some tropical beach drinking margarita's and watching beautiful
women."  

Both men laughed and Hal went over to one of the many footlockers
scattered about the room and kicked it, causing a frightened cry to
emanate from inside.  

"Go ahead and feed this one. We wouldn't want our meal tickets to go belly
up before we can sell them." Hal then went over to a cot and stretched
out.  

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

Maggie pulled the latest responses from the FAX, but it only took a moment
of scanning to realize there was no new information.  

She sat down at her desk and added the papers to the rest of the file on
Metcalf. Maggie was wearing herself out trying to do her consular duties,
and spend time with Stan. When both of them were taken care of, she was
hard pressed finding enough time to worked on the Metcalf file.  

Maggie laid her head on her desk and let out a deep breath.  

"Rough day?"  

She looked up and smiled. "Hi dad, I was wondering when you were going to
show up."  

Bob Fraser walked over to the desk and looked at the papers spread about.
"Any luck yet?" He asked.  

"No, except for the fact that she was in Olympia, she seemed to have
disappeared off the face of the earth."  

"Just hang in there, I'm sure it won't be long now." He assured her.  

Maggie stood and ran her hands through her hair "How can you be so sure?
I've sent out a sheet on her to every hospital, doctor's office, and free
clinic in the entire Olympia area, and a 50 mile radius outward, so far
nothing."  

Bob studied his daughter and decided to try a different tactic.  

"How's Benton doing?"  

"I haven't heard from him lately." She folded her arms and looked at him.
"I don't know why you won't go see him. I know he'd love to see you."  

"Now Maggie, we've been though this before. It was time for me to say
good-bye." Bob paused as he looked out the window "I wanted to stay, Lord
knows I did. But he had to get on with his own life."  

He turned back to her "you're the one who needs me now."  

She smiled at him and walked over to the window. They both looked out in
compatible silence.  

"So...are you and the yank getting serious?"  

Maggie rolled her eyes "We're taking it slow."	

"That's good. No need to rush these things. Although a couple more
grandchildren would be nice."  

Normally Maggie would be up to the odd banter Bob Fraser was notorious
for, but she was too stressed to think straight right now.  

"Why don't you go visit him? It might be just what you need" Bob
suggested.  

"I promised Benton I'd let it drop, how will going up there help?"  

"There's strength in family" Bob offered as an answer.	

Maggie turned to say something else, but he had conveniently disappeared. 


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

Ben blinked rapidly, trying to keep his eyes on the road as he drove him
and Lutris back to Inuvik. A severe storm warning had been given before
they left the detachment, and Lutris thought he was crazy for heading out
in this weather. Ben persisted though, and soon they were under way.  

He reached forward and turned the windshield wipers on high, but it did
little to dispel the thick falling snow. More than once the high gusts of
wind caused their jeep to veer, but Ben had managed to keep it on the
road. Lack of sleep was his biggest enemy now. He'd barely slept while he
was in the woods with the poacher, and he knew it was starting to catch up
with him.  

They had to be at least halfway to the detachment, Ben thought. He also
knew that if they didn't get there soon, they'd be stuck out here until
the blizzard stopped. The jeep was barely making it as it was.	

Lutris stirred in the seat and Ben risked a quick glance at him before
turning back to the road.  

"Where're we at?" Lutris asked as he stretched.  

"I believe halfway to Inuvik."	

Lutris rubbed his hands over his face, then checked his watch. It was only
four in the afternoon, but when he looked outside, he couldn't see a
thing.	

"Want me to take over?" He asked, noting the tired expression on Ben's
face.  

"No, I would prefer to make as much headway as possible."  

Lutris was quiet for a few more minutes, then turned back to Ben. "You've
been driving all night. You should take a break. Besides, it looks like we
aren't going to be hit by just a clipper here. This is turning into a full
blown blizzard."  

That's exactly the reason Ben didn't want to stop. He knew that the storm
was traveling east, and that Inuvik and surrounding areas was already
being hit by the blunt of the storm. He had to get back to town before
everything shut down. If they stopped the jeep now, they would most likely
not be able to get the engine started again.  

"I'm fine." Ben replied, his resolve strengthened.  

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

Meg rested her elbows on her desk, and rubbed her temples. She had a
headache the size of Alberta and the aspirin she'd taken earlier did
little to help. Closing her eyes, she tried to will the stress out of her
body.  

The past few months since Ben left, she'd been working harder, longer, and
really needed a break. When was the last time she took a vacation? She
thought to herself. Far too long came the reply. As a matter of fact, the
closest she had to a vacation in years was when she went to Ottawa for a
training seminar, and that was almost three years ago.	

Meg sat back in her chair, and looked around her office. If she did leave,
she'd have to wire for a replacement until she came back. That wasn't too
much of a problem, she could always lock the files she didn't want messed
up by some temporary paper pusher. Meg was starting to feel a little
excited over the prospect of taking some time to pamper herself.  

She could almost see herself shopping in Toronto now. Perhaps she'd look
up her family while she was there. After all, she hadn't gone to visit her
parents since she was stationed in Chicago. Meg immediately dismissed the
thought. She wanted to rid herself of stress, not add to it. Feeling good
about the whole idea, Meg went to her file cabinet and dug out the
necessary paperwork. Within a week, she'd be well on her way to paradise. 


*********  

'Cold....so cold.....' I thought as I drifted up from the blackness. There
was only a dim light in the cabin coming from the windows and fear gripped
me when I thought of the babies.  

Rolling on my side, they were on the blanket on the floor, and Dief was
laying beside them. It looked as if he were keeping them warm. He whined
when he saw me and I slid off the bed to check on the twins. As soon as JC
saw me, she started to fuss, and I pulled her onto my lap. Lifting my
shirt, she started to nurse but she had barely latched on before crying
again. I couldn't understand what was wrong, and repositioned her as I
spoke softly. She settled down some and started to nurse, but once again
stopped after a few moments and cried. I shifted her to my other side, but
it had the same result. It was then that I realized I'd lost my milk.  

I started to cry as the frustration of the entire situation hit me, and
that only made JC cry harder. Robert started to stir and soon joined in
the fray. Why now? I thought, why did I have to lose my milk now? I put
Jacinda back on the blanket, and shakily stood. Making my way slowly into
the kitchen, I made each of them a bottle. The process, which was simple
and shouldn't have taken me more than a few minutes, took almost 20.  

I was shivering by the time I'd finished, and wanted nothing more than to
crawl back into bed. The babies insistent cries let me know that wasn't a
possibility. The only room that had any heat whatsoever now was the
bedroom, and I didn't realize how cold the rest of the cabin had become
until I tried to look out the window over the counter.	

It was totally frosted over, and I had to rub the ice off so I could check
on the weather. I gasped as I saw the blizzard outside. When had it gotten
so bad?  

I knew that before too long I had to get more wood, so I made my way back
into the bedroom and placing the twins in their carriers, gave each a
bottle. Thankfully they were able to hold them on their own. They were,
after all, nine months now, so why shouldn't they be able to? I asked
myself.  

"Dief, watch the babies. I'm going to get more wood." He whined at me in
response, and once again, I made my trek to the front room.  

It seemed to take forever to put my parka and gloves on, I had stopped
taking off my mukluks after the last load of wood. Opening the door, the
icy blast pushed me back, and I closed it as quickly as I could. The snow
was falling so thick, I had to keep one hand on the cabin and feel my way
around to the wood pile. It was a chore and when I reached it, I was
dismayed to learn there was only a few logs left. Maybe enough to last
through the night.  

Knowing I couldn't dwell on that now, I carefully picked up two logs and
made my way back to the porch. I repeated the process until the rest of
the wood was by the door, then started on taking it inside.  

Opening the door, I took a log in and shuffled to the bedroom. I was
shaking so bad, I could barely stand, and thought I was going to become
sick again the nausea was so overwhelming. Dief whined at me, and I tried
to reassure him.  

"I know Dief. I'm all right, really. Do you want to help me bring the wood
in?" I asked. Checking on the babies, I felt more than a small sense of
guilt at not being able to feed them properly. They seemed content now
that their bellies were full, so I headed back into the main room. Opening
the door, I almost fell when Dief ran past me into the storm.  

"Dief!" I yelled, but I couldn't see him anywhere. I hoped he would be all
right out there in this weather, and made trip after trip until the rest
of the wood was in the bedroom. I could barely move by the time I
finished, and found myself on the verge of passing out again for what
seemed like the hundredth time. In reality though, it was probably only
three times in the last few days. Each time was scarier than the last, and
once, I woke to find JC dangerously close to the heater.  

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

No sooner did Ben have the jeep in park, he jumped out. "Lutris, I'm going
to check on my wife. Just save my share of the paperwork for when I get
back." He stated, not giving his partner time to answer.  

Ben moved as quick as he could to the boarding house, having to stop many
times along the way. The storm was in full intensity and not only could he
not see in front of him, but the wind was strong enough to make him have
to hunker down or be blown away.  

After what seemed like an eternity, Ben made it to the familiar building
and pounded on the door. He hoped that he could be heard above the roar of
the wind, and breathed a sigh of relief when Mrs. Firesun let him in.  

"Constable! What are you doing out in weather like this? It's too
dangerous to be walking around with this blizzard. Didn't you learn
anything growing up here?" She scolded.  

Ben shivered as he pulled the hood on his parka back. He smiled at the
older woman in front of him. "Yes, I agree wholeheartedly. This is not
weather to be out in."	

Shaking her head as she took in his appearance, she waved her arms in
front of her "In the kitchen with you. I'll not have you mucking up my
floors." She basically thrust him in the direction of the kitchen, and Ben
had no choice but to comply.  

She was muttering halfway to herself, halfway to him on her way through,
and Ben knew it would be impolite of him to interrupt so he stood quietly
until she finished.  

"So.... I take it you'll need a room?" She asked.  

Ben had placed his mittens on the counter and started to take off his
parka when she spoke. A familiar feeling of dread formed like a rock in
his stomach as he turned to face her. Her features softened when she saw
his expression.  

"My wife.....?" He started, and she knew what he was asking.  

"Gone. She left the day after you. She said it was silly to spend money to
stay here when she had a perfectly good home. I had to agree with her."  

Ben tried to school his features as the thought of her trying to make it
to the cabin played through his mind. She didn't know the first thing,
really, about the terrain and any number of things could happen. Then a
sense of irritation hit when he thought of all the times she did something
foolhardy despite him asking her not to.  

"Constable!" Mrs. Firesun repeated for the third time. "Do you want to sit
down? You look like you need to."  

He stared at her, or through her, she wasn't quite sure. "No, I must be
going...I ...uh... How much do I owe you?" He asked.  

"It's been taken care of. Your wife paid me when she left." She informed
him.  

Ben picked his mittens up and smiled at her. "Thank you kindly for the
information."  

"Why don't you stay the night? The weather should let up at least a little
by tomorrow."  

"No, I really must be going." He started towards the front door when a
familiar voice called his name.  

"Fraser."  

He turned to see Eric in the sitting room. He knew it would be rude to
leave and not say hello, despite the fact that he wanted to do just that.
The sooner he got to the cabin, the better.  

"Eric."  

"Long time no see Mountie. Shaman thought you'd be by to visit by now."
Eric stood and approached Ben as he spoke.  

"We've been fairly busy settling in and I've been working quite a bit
lately." Ben gave by way of an excuse.	

"Yeah, Analise told me you were out tracking again."  

"You saw Analise? When?" Ben asked, hoping it wasn't here at he boarding
house.	

"Last week. She was on her way back to the cabin. She sure is determined,
if not wise."  

Ben felt his chest tighten, and tried to sound casual. "Wise?"	

Eric shook his head. "She didn't have a weapon." Ben's jaw clenched with
determination.	

"Don't worry, I trailed her, and she made it back to the cabin fine."  

The change in Ben was immediate. He started to relax and Eric nodded
towards the chairs. "Why don't you stay awhile? You aren't going to be
able to travel in this weather, and we've got some catching up to do."	

1Ben looked towards the chairs as he took in Eric's words. True, he
couldn't travel in the blizzard. He could barely make it here. There
really wasn't anything going on at the detachment that couldn't wait until
tomorrow, so he relented.  

After Ben had removed his outer clothes, Mrs. Firesun brought out a pot of
tea for the two of them. She didn't seem to mind that he'd stayed, as a
matter of fact, she commented that he'd finally come to his senses. It was
quickly decided that he would spend the night at the boarding house.
Though dinner was over, Mrs. Firesun had brought out some sandwiches for
the two men and Ben thanked her with one of his winning smiles.  

As soon as she left the room, Eric laughed at him. Ben gave him a
questioning look.  

"You haven't lost your touch. The women still fall at your feet." He
chuckled, causing Ben to blush a deep red.  

"I'm sure she was just being polite...." Ben started, quick to dismiss his
looks as any reason for the special treatment Mrs. Firesun had bestowed
upon him.  

"Whatever you say." Changing the subject, Eric continued. "A lot of us
have been wondering when you and Analise are going to have the bonding
ceremony."  

Ben rubbed a thumb across his eyebrow. "I really don't know when I can get
away. I haven't accumulated any leave yet, and as it stands, I hardly get
to see my family. It may be awhile before we can visit." He finished. The
fatigue starting to seep into his muscles.  

Eric smiled at him and taking a sip of tea, grimaced. "I wish she had
something stronger to offer."  

Ben swirled the contents around in his cup as he thought about a lot of
different things.  

"Shamon says you'll be out before Christmas." Eric informed him. His tone
implied that it was already set in stone.  

Ben shook his head as he placed his cup on the tray. Christmas was only a
few weeks away.  

"I don't believe that's possible." He stood and added, "I'll see you in
the morning."  

Eric nodded at him, and sat silently as Ben left the room. Sometimes the
Mountie just didn't understand.  

***********  

Meg slammed the fax down on her desk and practically ripped her glasses
from her face. 'How could they?!' She thought, 'it isn't as if I haven't
done a decent job here, hell, I've done an exceptional job!' She reminded
herself. Meg stood and huffed over to the window. 'It isn't as if I
haven't paid my dues, you'd think I was some rookie out of training!'  

Meg glanced back over at her desk and the offending fax. They couldn't
possibly be serious, could they? Deciding it had to be a trick of the eye,
a figment of her imagination, Meg went back over and reread the paper one
more time.  

'Due to the ongoing investigation that has apparently involved our country
and the US, we feel it's important for you to liaise closely with the
Chicago police department until this case is resolved. After all, if it
wasn't for your combined efforts, the joint investigations would be stale
wart.  

Once this crisis is over, please resubmit your leave request for
consideration....'  

"Consideration my ass!" She said out loud. The way the Chicago police go
about solving crimes, she'd be eligible for retirement pay by the time
they solved anything!  

'Ok, think Margaret' she told herself 'this can be solved. All I need to
do is get the case solved, and I'll be on my way. Simple as that. A quick
glance at the paper told her this wouldn't be as simple as she though when
the words 'with the Chicago police department' jumped out at her.  

There was only one thing to do. Grabbing her coat and purse, Meg stormed
out of the Consulate.  

Ray strode into the bullpen, sipping a cup of coffee on the way to his
desk. "Hey Frannie, what's up?" He greeted his sister on the way past, not
really expecting an answer.  

"Your butt for one thing." She quipped and smiled when he turned to look
at her.  

"What?"  

Frannie jerked her head towards Lt. Welsh's office and it only took an
instant for Ray to see Stan, lt. Welsh, and Meg Thatcher in the middle of
what looked like a heated debate.  

"What's going on?"  

Frannie shook her head. "All I know is she came in on the war path,
stormed into his office without knocking, and after about ten minutes
Welsh called Stan in. They've been going at it ever since."  

Ray continued to look at the office. "Do I want to go in there?" He asked,
more to himself.  

"Nope. I don't think so, but you don't got that choice. The lieutenant
said as soon as you came in to 'get your butt in there pronto'." She
finished, and was not able to keep the smile from her face.  

Ray had half a mind to duck out of the bullpen while the going was good,
but Stan picked that moment to look out the office and spotted him. He
turned to Meg and said something, and from the look on her face, it wasn't
good. She grew redder, and angrier and he saw Stan flinch before waving
him towards the office.  

He put his coffee on the corner of Frannie's desk and took a deep breath.
Jack and Tom picked that moment to approach him.  

"Hey, looks as if your girlfriend wants your ass in a sling." Tom laughed.
 

"Just shut up Dewey." Ray warned.  

"Ray doesn't call her the Dragonlady for nothing." Jack added.	

"Enough already!"  

Jack threw his hands up in a backing off gesture. "Just having a little
fun, Vecchio, don't get so strung out."  

Dewey moved off a little while Jack spoke and Ray started walking towards
the office.  

"Hey Vecchio" Dewey called.  

Against his better judgment, Ray turned around. Dewey was holding up a red
fire extinguisher. "You wanna use this?"  

Ray couldn't believe the anger that welled in him, and started towards the
man. Before he could go more than a few steps, the office door flew open
and Welsh stepped out.	

"Vecchio! Get in here now!"  

"Yes Sir" Ray acquiesced.  

He could hear laughter as he shut the door to the office. Meg was standing
to one side with her arms folded in front of her, he couldn't remember a
time he'd seen her that angry. Kowalski and the lieutenant didn't look any
happier either.  

"What's going on?" He asked, dreading the answer.  

Welsh leaned forward in his chair and rested his hands on his desk,
interlacing his fingers.  

"You and Detective Kowalski are being temporarily reassigned to the
Canadian Consulate to work on the kidnapping ring."  

"What? You gotta be kidding, Sir. No way!" Ray protested.  

Welsh's headache was throbbing and he wasn't in the mood to go another
around. This had already taken up half his morning.  

"I didn't ask your opinion. You wanted to keep the Strathmeyer case from
the feds, here's your chance to do it on the up and up. The two of you
will work under the direct supervision of Inspector Thatcher until the
case is solved, or pulled, you got that?"  

Ray's mouth dropped open, and Stan groaned. He'd already been informed and
spent the past hour arguing with the two of them trying to get them to
change their minds.  

Ray was still not going quietly without protesting, but Welsh already
anticipated that.  

"It's either that, or I send you back to writing parking tickets in
uniform. Any questions?" Welsh's voice held was would have been considered
a threatening quality.	

Ray swallowed hard. "No Sir."  

"Good." He looked over at Meg then "when do you want them to report?"  

Meg looked at her watch, noticing for the first time it was almost one.
"Two will be fine." She looked over at the two detectives, and scowled "I
don't expect to be kept waiting either." She looked back at Welsh "Thank
you again for your cooperation."  

Welsh actually managed a smile. "Anything to improve relations between our
two countries."  

Meg left the office, almost slamming the door on her way. All three men
looked at each other for a second, then both Ray and Stan started talking
at the same time, trying to implore Welsh to change his mind.  

"Look. I don't like this any better than you do. This came from higher up.
Until this case breaks, she's your boss. So if I were you, I'd grab
something to eat and hightail it over there. Now get out of here."  

Both men exchanged looks that were normally seen only on death row, the
look of the condemned, as they left his office.  

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

Ben stretched his muscles and reached over to the other side of the bed.
When he only felt air, his eyes opened quickly, and it took him a moment
to remember that Analise was at the cabin. Mrs. Firesun had given him the
same room the two of them had shared, and he didn't think he'd ever be
able to fall asleep last night. Surprisingly enough, he experienced the
best sleep he had in almost a week! For once, the nightmares of Analise in
danger didn't haunt him.  

Ben pulled his arm up to eye level and looked at his watch. It was almost
eight in the morning. He couldn't believe he'd slept so long! Ben flung
the covers back and quickly dressed. After making the bed, he went to find
Mrs. Firesun, to thank her once again before leaving.  

Eric was in the kitchen leaning against the counter and holding a cup of
coffee when Ben walked in.  

"I was wondering when you were going to get up." He chided, to him, half
the day was already gone.  

Ben blushed with embarrassment as he picked up an empty cup for himself,
and filled it with the bitter brew. "I can't believe I slept this late in
the day. Why didn't someone wake me?" He asked.  

"I was going to, but Mrs. Firesun had different ideas. She said you needed
your rest and if I disturbed you, she'd have me sleeping out back the next
time I came to town."  

Ben sighed as he sipped his coffee. Turning to the window, he was
disappointed to see the storm still in full force. It wasn't as if he'd
just be able to pick up and go home, there was paperwork to be completed,
and he needed to be updated on the other cases at the detachment, but he
knew if it was still raging here, that Analise was probably having a hard
time of it.  

Ben finished his coffee in silence and rinsed his cup out in the sink. "I
need to be going. Will you be around for awhile?" He asked.  

Eric shook his head. "Heading back today."  

Ben raised an eyebrow, and Eric smiled at him. "Wouldn't you rather wait
until the weather dies down?"  

"You have been gone too long. This is nothing compared to some of the
other storms we've had."  

Ben nodded in agreement and frowned at the realization that he *had* grown
soft.  

"I need to be going" Ben said as he placed his stetson on his head. "Thank
you again for making sure Analise made it home alright."  

"You would have done the same for me." Eric replied, but he knew how deep
the gesture went between the two of them.  

As Ben went to open the door, he ran into a gentleman who was just coming
in.  

"Pardon me" he excused himself, and moved back so the man could go by
first. The smile Ben gave him went unreciprocated.  

"Yeah, no problem" came the gruff reply.  

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

Stan pulled up outside of the Consulate and sat with the engine running a
few minutes, trying to gather his thoughts. He still didn't know how he
got roped into this. It's not like he was involved with the Icequeen, so
why should he have to be the one to suffer?  

Seeing the riv pull up behind him, he turned off the engine and climbed
out, accepting his fate.  

"About time you get here." Stan said the moment Ray opened his door.  

"Oh, are you in a hurry or something?" Ray sarcastically replied.  

"Yeah, to get away from here."	

"Hey, I don't like this any better than you do." Ray informed him.  

"Sure you don't."  

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Ray was on the defensive, and it
showed.  

"Nothing" Stan shook his head and started walking towards the Consulate
steps.	

"No nothing, you meant something."  

"Don't worry about it." Stan smoothly answered.  

Before Ray could argue, he found himself in the lobby. The door to Meg's
office was open, and Ray didn't even take two steps before she called out
to them.  

"Detective's, my office."  

Stan groaned and walked into the office with Ray close on his heels. Stan
flopped into a chair on the other side of Meg's desk, and she looked at
him with disdain. Ray remained standing, but it was far from the posture
any member of the RCMP would have exhibited.  

Meg looked at the two reluctant cops and sighed. "I don't like this
anymore than the two of you, however the powers that be have decided that
since we were able to find a pattern to the kidnappings, that we work well
together." She started.  

Stan let out a snort, and tried unsuccessfully to cover it by pretending
to cough.  

Meg glared at him, but decided to ignore it. "The point is, that until
this case is solved, or dropped, we are going to have to try and get
along. It would be in all of our best interests to finish this as quickly
as possible."  

"We've already done everything we can! What do they expect us to do? Go
traipsing after the kidnappers ourselves?" Ray hypothetically asked.  

He knew he was in trouble when a small smile spread across Meg's face.	

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

Ben diligently filled out the reports that were due on the poachers he and
Lutris brought in, and barely paid attention to the clock. He had been
pleasantly surprised when he read over the latest information on the
kidnappings. It seems his best friends had teamed up with his sister and
the Inspector, and that produced a lead.  

He also felt a sense of longing when he realized they worked well together
without his help. 'Of course they would, they're highly skilled police
officers' he reminded himself, but.... It was a little disheartening to
have tangible evidence that they were getting along just fine without him.
Not that he ever was an 'official' partner to Ray and Stan....but he knew
the three of them worked better together than any other partners he ever
had, including the present one.  

Ben stretched and walked over to the window. The snow was still falling,
and after looking over the weather reports, he knew it would be at least
another day or two before it moved on.	

He was hoping that he'd be able to get back to the cabin in the next week
or two, but until the kidnappings were resolved, everyone was at an
'on-call' status. That meant he had to be nearby.  

Ben headed towards the kitchen to find something to eat for dinner. Most
of the men who lived in the Barracks took turns cooking, and so far, Ben's
stomach had been subject to a myriad of cooking abilities, none of which
compared to Analise's. Of course, since most of the men were bachelors,
they didn't seem to mind. There were only two female officers stationed
with Ben, and it was a small relief when their turn rolled around. At
least they had the proper knowledge of seasonings. He still couldn't think
of ketchup as a seasoning, which is what most of the men dumped on their
food, no matter what the dish.	

Ben picked up a plate and made his way to the food. Pulling the lid off a
rather large pot, Ben had to hold his breath at the newly released smell.
He wondered if the animal had actually been killed before being cooked.  

"You know, you're pretty picky for someone who was raised up here."  

Ben turned to the speaker, and realized it was Constable Swiftwind. He was
an older man, perhaps ten years Ben's senior.  

"I'm not quite sure I follow."	

The man shrugged. "It's not your fault, you've just been hanging around
those Americans too long." With that said, he walked away.  

Ben didn't like the implications, and took a large helping to prove him
wrong.	

As usual, though the small dining area was crowded, he found himself
sitting alone once again. It's not that he didn't try to strike up
conversation with those around him, he just didn't have anything in common
with them. Every once in a while, Constable Toomey would join him, and the
conversations would be pleasant enough, but there was still something
lacking....  

The doors to the dining area burst open and everyone looked up to see what
the commotion was.  

Sergeant Peterson stood snow covered, still in his outer clothes. "Does
anyone know where Dr. Reuben is?"  

Everyone muttered speculations, and finally someone at a nearby table
announced he thought he saw her head over to the Pootoogook house. The
wife was close to her delivery date. Everyone wanted to know who needed
medical attention, and the Sergeant held up both hands to calm everyone
down.  

"It's nothing serious. I found a wolf outside of town. Seemed almost
frozen to death, and I brought him back. I don't know what happened to his
pack, and he probably just needs warming up. I just thought if she was
around, she could look him over."  

The man left the room again, followed by a few curious onlookers. Ben
frowned at the announcement. It wasn't like most wolves to be overtly
friendly towards humans, but if he was close enough to death, he may have
been indifferent to being moved. Of course, that was bound to change if
and when the animal recovered.	

Curiosity getting the better of him, he abandoned his food and headed into
the other room. The small group of people were hunkered around an area by
the fireplace, and Ben could have sworn he heard his name mentioned.  

One of the men looked up as he approached. "Fraser, isn't this your wolf?
If he isn't, he sure looks like him."  

A cold hand grasped his chest and Ben rushed forward. The others moved
back to give him some room.  

"Dief!" He knelt by the wolf and started to feel for injuries. Dief barely
managed to let out a small whine when he saw Ben. "What happened?" Dief
closed his eyes and Ben's mind raced with scenarios.  

"Is this your wolf Fraser?" He was asked again, and he managed to nod his
head.  

"Something's wrong. I have to go home." He stated. One of the woman had
brought a RCMP issued blanket over, and Ben thanked her as he took it and
covered up his friend.	

"You don't know that for certain" Sgt. Peterson, who had come in after
hearing all the commotion, spoke.  

Sgt. Frobisher, who had been in Sgt. Peterson's office reminiscing with
the man, also came to see what the commotion was about.  

"Dief wouldn't leave Analise without something happening. Especially not
in this weather." Ben explained.  

"He does have a point Joe. I know Diefenbaker. He's loyal to a fault. If
Benton thinks something's wrong, then it should at least be investigated."
Buck spoke up.	

Ben stood, waiting for his superiors answer. He didn't even realize he was
holding his breath, waiting for the man's decision. What seemed like an
eternity, was probably only a minute in reality.  

"Ok, as soon as the weather breaks, we'll send a team out with you" he
said as he looked at Ben.  

"That's too long!" He blurted out, forgetting for a moment who he was
talking to. Taking a deep breath, he willed himself to calm down.
"Sergeant, it could be too late if we wait. The storm isn't predicted to
move out of the area for another day or two."  

"And you don't even know for sure if something *is* wrong, Constable. All
we have is a half frozen wolf. For all I know, he could have got loose and
took off on his own. You'll just have to wait until the storm breaks, and
that's an order!" Sgt. Peterson bellowed, then went back into his office. 


Ben stared at the closed door for a minute. Just about everyone in the
detachment had gathered at the commotion, and they stood silently as they
looked at Ben.	

He finally looked over at Buck for a minute, then knelt beside Dief again.
Rubbing his fur, he thought about his options. Going against a direct
order from his superior was grounds for court martial. But in his gut he
*knew* something was wrong, how could he explain it? Standing, he spoke
quietly to Buck.  

"Take care of Dief, will you?" He asked.  

Buck knew exactly what Ben was asking of him, and he nodded. "I'll bring
the doctor out as soon as the weather breaks."	

Ben nodded. "Thank you." He turned to go, but Buck stopped him with a hand
on his arm.  

"I hope you're sure about this." He warned. He knew though that if his
mind was made up, nothing was going to stop the younger man. He was too
much like his father sometimes.  

"I'm sure."  

He watched as Ben left the room, not bothering to acknowledge anyone on
his way out.  

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

Maggie listened attentively as she followed Inspector Thatcher around the
Consulate.  

"When my temporary replacement arrives, make sure he stay's out of my
personal files. I shouldn't be gone longer than a few weeks, and you'll be
responsible for deliveries, and the daily reports to Ottawa. I expect the
same efficiency in my absence that I've maintained while I'm here, is that
understood?" Meg paused, and looked over at Maggie.  

"Yes Sir."  

"Good. We'll be leaving at 0600 hours tomorrow, bring a consulate car to
my apartment to pick me up. Vecchio and Kowlaski will be making their own
arrangements to the airport. If you need to reach me, I'll be checking in
at the RCMP detachments I've listed on the itinerary I gave you earlier.
You still have it correct?"  

Maggie held up the file she'd been given at the beginning of her
debriefing, and Meg took that as an affirmative answer before continuing. 


"I know you haven't been here very long, but I have every confidence in
your ability to keep things running smoothly."	

"Thank you Sir" Maggie blushed at the unaccustomed praise. She had been
following Meg around the consulate as the woman rattled off last minute
orders, and almost ran into her when she stopped suddenly.  

"Sir?" Maggie asked, wondering if there was perhaps something she'd
forgotten.  

Meg looked deep in thought for a moment, then brought herself back to the
present.  

"That will be all Constable. I'm heading out now to pack. I'll see you in
the morning."  

Maggie watched as she donned her coat and gloves, then marched smartly out
the Consulate.	

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

It only took Ben five minutes to grab his gear and secure one of the snow
mobiles. He checked to make sure he had a full tank, and after strapping
down his belongings, donned his goggles and started on his long journey.  

He could barely see five feet in front of him, but memory guided his
movements. He knew he could find the cabin blindfold if hard pressed.
Worry was his biggest enemy, and time. Both threatened to consume him and
it took every ounce of his control to keep his misgivings in check.  

Ben knew that Dief wouldn't have left Analise alone if something wasn't
desperately wrong. He could only guess with the myriad of scenarios that
played through his mind.  

A small part of him acknowledged the fact that she might not even be at
the cabin! What if something had happened when she was out with the
babies? Another feeling of dread coursed through him. What if something
happened to the babies?  

Normally Ben enjoyed the long ride to the cabin. It gave him time to
think, time to plan....but now it seemed to thwart him. Knowing he wasn't
going to get there any faster by worrying, he tried to focus on the
weather, and the route in front of him.  

***********  

"Thank you Constable. I'll check in periodically, but I don't anticipate
any problems." Meg said as she took her bags out of the trunk of the car. 


"Understood." Maggie helped her unload the second one, then closed the
trunk securely. "Would you like me to go in with you?" She asked, hoping
she could be of some assistance.  

"No, you need to get back to the Consulate."  

"Have a successful trip Sir." Maggie added and watched as the Inspector
disappeared into the terminal.	

She walked around to the drivers side of the car, and was just about to
get in when a horn honked. The Riv pulled up behind her, and she smiled
when Ray, Stan and Frannie climbed out.  

"Hi Stan" she greeted, then remembered to say hello to the Vecchio's.  

Stan went over to Maggie and wrapped his arms around her waist before
kissing her. She traced her hands up her arms, but when she reached his
shoulders, she pushed him back slightly and glanced towards the terminal. 


Stan bent close and whispered in her ear "Don't worry about the Ice queen,
she can't see us."  

Maggie smiled and Stan leaned forward and nuzzled her neck. "I'm in
uniform" she whispered, and pulled back once again.  

Ray cleared his throat, and Maggie blushed.  

"I really need to be going. Both of you had better come back safely."
Maggie stated as she went over to hug Ray.  

He returned it affectionately, and kissed her on the cheek. "We will. Just
don't go jumping out of any windows till we get back." He replied.  

"I'll try not to." She laughed.  

Ray turned to Frannie. "Are you coming in?"  

Shaking her head no, she walked over to Maggie. "Unlike some people, I
have to work for a living." Tapping Stan on the arm with the back of her
hand, she nodded over to Ray. "Make sure he doesn't get into trouble.
Although he's a pain in the butt, he *is* my brother."	

Stan smirked as he looked at Ray. "Yeah, sure, no problem."  

Ray was giving a last minute inspection to the Riv, wiping off any smudges
that he could see.  

"I don't want anything to happen to this car, you got that Frannie? You
drive it home, and that's where it stays till I get back."  

She rolled her eyes at him.  

"I mean it Frannie." Ray warned. "Oh grow up! It's just a car Ray." She
countered.  

Maggie decided that now would be a good time to intervene, and she stepped
forward. "Ray, I'm sure Frannie will take excellent care of your car, she
knows how much it means to you."  

Ray glared at Frannie one last time before backing down. "Yeah, well I'd
better get in there." He picked up his bag and looked over at Stan. "You
coming?"  

Stan nodded, not really paying attention to him as he stared at Maggie.  

"Hey, give me a call later and we'll get together." Frannie said to Maggie
as she got back into the Riv.  

"I will." She promised. She'd been so busy since arriving in Chicago, that
she had only been able to go out with Frannie twice.  

Stan ran his fingers through Maggie's hair, and leaned forward to give her
a soft kiss. When he pulled back, she was puzzled by the look in his eyes.
 

"What?" She asked, the smile creeping to her face again.  

He shook his head "When I get back, there's something I wanna ask you." He
mysteriously announced.  

"Why not ask me now?"  

Stan shook his head no again, and let out a small laugh. "Yer just gonna
have to wait till I get back."	

"Ohh...making me wait are you?"  

"Uh-huh" he kissed her one last time, then picked up his bag. "Be
careful."  

"The same goes for you."  

Maggie watched him disappear through the doors, then climbed in the car to
head to work.  

***********  

Meg watched as the counter clerk typed in her information. She seemed to
be taking an inordinate amount of time to do such a simple task.  

"Here we are." She smiled at Meg as a printer behind her came to life.
"Margaret Thatcher?"  

Meg smiled back, a tight smile. "Yes, that's correct." She'd only told the
woman her name three times already.  

"Inspector"  

Meg turned to see Ray standing directly behind her. "Detective." She
greeted, then turned her attention back to the woman in front of her.  

"Your flight leaves in a half hour, gate 24. If you just go through the
double doors and turn left, you shouldn't have any trouble finding it.
Just follow the signs."  

Meg knew the woman thought she was being helpful, which was the only
reason she held her tongue. "Thank you."  

She turned to leave, and did a double take as Ray gave her a goofy smile.
For some odd reason, she knew this was going to be a very long trip.  

"Is there something you wanted to say?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at
him.  

"You aren't a morning person, are you?" He joked.  

Sighing, she picked up her briefcase and headed toward the gate.  

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

Meg held her briefcase on her lap, her arms squished close to her body.
Snoring was coming from her left and she glared at the blond detective.
His mouth hung open and his adams apple bobbed with each loud breath he
took. More than once she had to push him upright after he fell across her
seat.  

The rhythmic crunching from her right was about to drive her insane.
Looking at the empty peanut packs splayed over the tray table in front of
Ray, she has to do a double take when she noticed him stacking the empty
plastic drink cups into a crude pyramid.  

"Couldn't you find something more productive to do with your time?" She
snapped.  

Ray looked over at her briefly, his hands in mid air as he balanced a cup
near the top of the pile. He carefully placed it on top, then sat back in
his seat.  

"Like what?"  

Meg sighed and opened her briefcase. Pulling out a manilla file, she shut
the lid, placed it under the 'reclined' seat in front of her-- which was
no easy task-- and lowered her tray table to work.  

Ray's pyramid forgotten, he looked at the papers in her hand. "What's
that?"	

She didn't look up as she replied. "Some paperwork that needed to be taken
care of."  

"You couldn't let what's his face handle that?" Ray asked, as he leaned
closer to her.	

"If you're referring to Inspector Cordaul, then no, I prefer to handle
this myself." Meg immersed herself in the papers before her.  

"Yeah, that figures" Ray mumbled as he looked about the crowded plane.	

"What is that supposed to mean?" She asked. Spending the last six hours in
close accommodations with the two of them had done nothing for her
patience.  

"It means, you're a control freak. You can't stand the thought that things
could get done without you having a hand in them."  

Meg's mouth opened and closed a few times, though no sound came out. She
could feel the heat rise to her face as her anger flared. "You have no
clue what you're talking about Detective, and I'd suggest you keep your
unsolicited comments to yourself!"  

"Can't accept reality?" He egged on, thinking the flush on her cheeks, and
the fire in her eyes made her seem more vibrant, alive. Perhaps that was
clouding his judgment from the promise of pain she was conveying.  

A flight attendant walked down the isle, and stopped at their seats. "Is
there a problem?"  

"No, no problem." Ray smiled up at her.  

"Excuse me," Meg interrupted "Are there any other seats on the plane that
are empty?"  

"I'm sorry, we're still filled to capacity, just like the last two times
you've asked." She reminded Meg with a fake, plastered on smile.  

"Carla was it?" Ray asked, as he eyed the flight attendant. She smiled at
him, and her pose became more....inviting was the only word he could use
to describe it. "Would you have anymore of those honey roasted peanuts?"  

She leaned over and placed a hand on his arm. "Don't you think you've had
enough Detective?" She asked, and let out a small laugh.  

"Call me Ray, and if you're bringing them, then I haven't had nearly
enough." He sweet talked, and was rewarded with another laugh from her.  

"Ok, but this is it." She paused a moment as she studied his features "how
about another drink?"  

"Perfect" he smiled back.  

"All right, another root beer coming up." As she turned to leave, Meg
spoke up.  

"I'd like to have a coffee, please."  

Carla scowled at her before walking down the isle. Ray still had a silly
grin on his face when he turned to Meg. It only took a second to freeze,
before falling.  

She replaced her tray table, and turned in her seat. "Let me out."  

"Is that anyway to ask?" He teased, but immediately regretted it.  

"If you would have given me the isle seat like I asked, I wouldn't have to
bother you at all." She informed him, hoping that now he'd be willing to
accommodate her.  

"Sorry, like I said before, I have to have the isle." He stubbornly
replied as he stood to let her out.  

She knocked over his cup pyramid with a strategically placed hip on her
way past, giving her the first real smile she'd experienced since this
whole trip began.  

************ The weather had gotten worse since Ben set out, and after
approximately eight hours, he had no choice but to head for an Inuksuk. He
knew he was close. This particular Inuksuk was a fairly common landmark.
It was shaped like a llama, which was pretty rare. Most were shaped like
people.  

Inuksuks held many different purposes, some were used as road maps,
letting others know the best hunting grounds, while some were warnings for
unsuspecting travelers to turn back. Others, like the one he was trying to
reach, housed emergency supplies for travelers who found themselves
lacking. The best part about this Inuksuk though, was the fact that it had
a totally enclosed base that acted as a shelter from the elements.  

He wanted to make use of that, even though he probably wouldn't use the
supplies, except for the wood. It was well known that if you had to use
them for some reason, you were expected to replace them as soon as
possible.  

Ben breathed a sigh of relief when the dark figure came into view. He
pulled the snowmobile up as close as he could to the structure, then
unlatched his gear before ducking into the small opening.  

It was almost completely black inside the small area, and Ben pulled out a
flashlight from his pack. Once he was able to see, it was relatively easy
to move the stones inside and reveal the supplies. There were three
containers of water. Though they were frozen, he knew it wouldn't take
anyone long to thaw them with the fire.  

The structure was barely large enough for a person to lie down, or two
people to sit, but he was eternally grateful that it was here. He went
over to the firepit, and it didn't take him long to have a fire going.	

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

Meg nudged the man beside her. "Wake up Detective." He muttered something
that sounded like a whine, and she shook him harder. "Detective Kowalski,
get up!"  

He groggily opened his eyes, and looked sleepily at her.  

"It's time to go." She informed him.  

Stan looked around at the other passengers taking things out of the
overhead compartments, and the crowded rush jamming the isles. He rubbed
the sleep out of his eyes as he yawned. "I knew that."	

Meg just rolled her eyes at him and shimmied out into the isle, briefcase
in hand. Ray was in front of her taking his bag out of the overhead
compartment, no sooner had he got it down, did someone bump into him from
across the isle, pushing him into Meg.	

She stumbled back at an angle, hitting her hip on the armrest of the seat.
Ray and Stan both reached out to grab her at the same time, but the damage
had already been done.	

Meg twisted so she could get into position to stand, and knocked the hands
away that were trying to help.	

"I can stand on my own, thank you." She curtly informed them.  

Ray and Stan both backed off, and waited while Meg regained her composure.
It didn't take her long to retrieve her bag, and they started the slow
advance towards the exit.  

Meg sighed as she looked around the familiar terminal. It was ironic that
here she was in Toronto, when that's where she wanted to be to begin with.
Looking at her watch, she knew they had an hour before their next flight
that would take them to Yellowknife. She knew she should probably call
ahead and make sure the detachment was sending someone to pick them up,
and she was hoping beyond hope to find a half decent cup of coffee.  

She looked over at the two men waiting a few feet from her. "We have about
an hour before our next flight. If you want to look around, I'm going to
call ahead and make sure everything's on schedule. I'll meet the two of
you at the gate."  

Ray and Stan looked at each other and shrugged. "Works for me" Stan
replied as he and Ray headed down the concourse.  

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

It was so cold, and I struggled to look over the side of the bed at the
babies. Both were sleeping, and though I had them wrapped in their
outerwear, I knew I had to get more wood. The thought alone brought me to
tears and I clung to the bed sheets until my knuckles turned white. The
supply had run out, but I knew if I didn't get wood soon, we'd all freeze
to death.  

How long had Dief been gone now? The days and hours were all jumbled
together and I couldn't concentrate. Willing myself to move, I slid off
the bed onto my knees. It was all I could do to keep from yelling out as
the burning went through me. It was a slow struggle, but I finally made my
way to the bedroom door.  

As cold as it was in the bedroom, it was worse in the main room. A few
days ago I had stopped heating everything but the bedroom. My vision
blurred and I stopped shuffling, hoping to stay on my feet as I swayed
unsteadily. After a few moments I was able to move again, and I picked up
the ax from the table, hugging it close to my body so I wouldn't drop it. 


'Just another step' I told myself. 'Just one step at a time'. I could do
this. I *had* to do this, I reminded myself. I wasn't going to let my
babies freeze to death. Another wave of nausea swept through me, but I
tried to ignore it. After all, I hadn't eaten in a few days, at least, and
I knew the dry heaves would only cause me more pain.  

The room began to spin as I neared the door. I knew I was on the verge of
blacking out again and became angry. I couldn't afford the time it would
cause me. The door flew open and an icy blast of cold air assaulted me.
The shock was too much for my body, and my world went black.  

Ben had barely brought the snowmobile to a halt before running as fast as
the weather would allow him to the cabin. Although the porch was covered,
there was a buildup of snow blocking the door a good two feet tall. His
stomach turned over, knowing no one had been in or out of the cabin
recently and that, added with the knowledge that there wasn't any smoke
coming from the chimney, spurred him on. He dug frantically until he was
able to open the door. Relief washed over Ben when he saw Analise standing
no more than five feet in front of him, but his relief was short lived
when he took in her appearance. He moved before he even realized he had,
and caught her as she collapsed.  

"Analise! Oh God, what happened?"  

He held her tightly with his left arm, and used his right to remove the ax
that had wedged between them. He let it unceremoniously fall to the floor
before scooping her in his arms and taking her into the bedroom.  

Though he didn't stop, he was aware of the babies on the floor beside the
bed, and his mind raced through everything that needed to be done. Ben
knew that wood was needed immediately, but he didn't want to leave her
side. His critical eye took over and knew she was deathly sick. He forced
down the panic that rose in his throat, and touched her cheek gently
before pulling the blankets around her. Her face was flushed, and her skin
extremely hot, indicating a fever. He leaned over and gave her a chaste
kiss, barely brushing his lips against hers for fear of disturbing her,
then went over to check on the babies.	

Their diapers were soaked through, and Ben picked up the empty bottles
beside them. Unscrewing the lid, he smelled the contents, then quickly
licked around the inner rim. They were old, a day, maybe two at the most.
As if he was watching a movie, Ben saw everything come together in his
mind. Analise must have been too sick to feed them. He wanted to take them
out of there to the nearest hospital, but the blizzard outside prevented
that from happening. Knowing time was of the essence, Ben hurried back
outside, picking up the ax on his way.	

He was almost to the wood pile when he heard barking coming from the barn.
Memory guided his movements more than anything else since visibility was
still almost nil.  

The smell assaulted him before he even stepped through the door. Once
inside, the dogs excitedly jumped up on him, barking loudly. He didn't
even want to think of the last time they'd been fed.  

Ben efficiently filled their bowls and gave them fresh water. He made sure
to put out extra food so there'd be no fighting. From the looks of them,
more than one had already broke out. He examined the dogs as they ate.
Some had bite marks and some had small tuffs of hair missing, but it
didn't look like anything major. As he was leaving, he spotted a large
barrel on it's side. Ben went over to it and examined the area. He wasn't
going to try and lift it, though he knew it was possible. It contained the
metal chains he used on occasion for pulleys and hauling felled trees for
wood.  

Reaching the wood pile, he wasn't surprised to see their reserves gone.
Chopping wood had always been difficult for Analise, and he knew in her
condition she wouldn't have been able to do it. He started on the bigger
pile of wood, and as he placed one on the stump, Ben looked at the ax in
his hands, as if seeing it for the first time. 'She was on her way to try
and chop more' Ben thought as a deep guilt settled in him. He berated
himself for not having an adequate supply on hand for her. She shouldn't
have had to cut the wood at all.  

1  

After carrying four freshly split armfuls into the cabin, Ben checked on
Analise and the twins, then set about warming the main room and bedroom.
The babies room would be the last priority. He did go into their room to
retrieve supplies though, fresh clothes, clean diapers, etc.  

Ben put a pot on for tea, and also made two bottles for the babies. After
the pot boiled, Ben made a tea known to have healing properties and added
some crackers to a tray along with the bottles, tea pot and two mugs.  

Analise appeared to still be sleeping, but her body was shaking as if she
was cold. He set the tray down on the night stand, and sat on the edge of
the bed.  

"Analise" he whispered as he caressed her cheek. Her head moved slightly,
but she didn't open her eyes. Ben looked at the state of the bed; the
sheets in disarray, and the smell told him she had been throwing up at one
point.	

He went to the closet and took out a set of clean sheets, then the dresser
for pajama's. Ben carefully removed Analise's clothes and put her pajama's
on her, then with moving her as little as possible, he managed to change
the linens. He didn't know whether to be worried or relieved that she
didn't stir. The babies started to fuss, and Ben quickly went over to
them.  

"Shh.....it's all right, daddy's here." He crooned to Robert, who was torn
between sucking on his fist and crying. Though he was soaked through, Ben
held him close and reached for a bottle. Robert had his mouth open and
took hold of it as soon as he could, sucking greedily on the contents. He
was swallowing so rapidly, Ben could hear little noises as the liquid
would back up in his mouth. It tore his heart to see Robert's eyes wide as
he frantically drank. He rocked back and forth with Robert while sitting
on the floor beside the bed. Ben wanted to spend time with his son, but he
also didn't know when Analise would wake up, and wanted to have Jacinda
fed before hand.  

Since Robert could hold his own bottle, Ben placed him in his carrier and
gently turned JC around. She made a fussing noise, but didn't show an
inclination for opening her eyes. He placed the tip of the bottle in her
mouth, and was relieved when she started to drink.  

1Ben could hear the snow beat on the glass of the windows as he sat there,
rocking his children. He prayed the weather would let up enough so he
could get them back to town. A part of his mind was wondering how
Diefenbaker was doing. He knew when he did reach town, there was a good
possibility he'd receive news that his friend didn't survive. Ben thought
of all the times Dief had rescued him. Now, he thought, he gave everything
he had to save his family, and he wouldn't even be there for him.  

Ben busied himself with washing the babies and changing them into dry
clothes, then he held both of them in his arms rocking them while he
watched Analise sleep.	

He wasn't sure how many hours had passed since he first came home, but Ben
rubbed tired eyes and looked over at Analise. The babies fell asleep after
he'd bathed them, and fed them again, then he had managed to chop another
days worth of wood. He closed the shutters on the windows as he walked
around the cabin, and dimmed the lanterns. All the ones in the cabin had
been dry he found, and he wondered how long they'd been in darkness.  

Ben wearily took his clothes off, but kept his long johns on. He carefully
climbed into bed beside Analise and gently pulled her against him. Her
brow furrowed and a moan escaped her lips, causing Ben's heart to race. So
far she hadn't woke, and he was really wishing she had so he would know
exactly what was wrong. He rested his head beside hers, almost touching
and let out a deep sigh.  

I could feel warm air on my cheek, it repeated itself over and over. I
wanted so much to move but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't. My
whole body felt like dead weight, and the pain was everywhere. I finally
managed to open my eyes to see a pair of crystal blue ones filled with
concern.  

I stared at the face I've wanted to see for the longest time. Was he
really here? My mind started to drift again, and I thought I heard him
talk to me, but I wasn't able to think clearly. After struggling a few
more minutes, I managed to focus on him again.	

"Ben?" I managed in a hoarse whisper.  

He smiled at me, "I'm here."  

Tears welled in my eyes blurring my vision, and I tried to speak past the
lump in my throat.  

"Shh....save your strength. I'll take care of everything" he assured me.
Ben was laying next to me, and wiped away a tear that fell from my eye.  

"....babies" I remembered and tried to move.  

Ben cupped the side of my face and brushed his thumb across my cheek.
"They're fine. I've fed and changed them, and they're sleeping now. How do
you feel?" He asked.  

"C--cold." I was shivering, and that caused more pain to go through me.
Ben moved to pull the covers around us and I cried out. He immediately
stopped and looked at me.  

"What happened? Where are you hurt?" He asked as he settled gently beside
me.  

I could feel myself slip away again, and tried to fight it. I wanted to
stay with him, but I couldn't. It was all I could do to force myself to
speak. "...need.....doctor.." I muttered as the darkness took me.  

Fear coursed through him as he stared at his wife. He knew for her to ask
for medical intervention she had to be very ill, and he prayed the weather
would break soon.  

Ben barely slept the rest of the night, and as soon as the first slivers
of light showed, went outside to assess the weather. The storm had abated,
but he feared moving Analise. All through the night whenever she would
shift even a little, she would cry out. Most of the time she'd kept
herself curled into a tight ball on her side. He knew that as soon as it
was safe the doctor would be on her way, but what could she do? What if
Analise needed more than she could provide? Precious time would be lost.  

Ben paced the small bedroom for the hundredth time. No matter what he did,
she was getting worse. He put cold cloths on her forehead, tried to get
her to drink even a small amount of cooled tea, but she could only manage
a sip here and there, in the few minutes she'd be conscious. The snow
outside had stopped falling and he couldn't help but wonder where the
doctor was. Buck promised he'd bring her as soon as possible.  

Ben went into the main room and filled the teapot with water, then put it
on the stove. That simple act managed to calm him somewhat, and he rested
his hands on the counter, leaned forward, and put his head down. There had
to be something that he could do. The waiting was killing him. He heard
Analise cry out in the other room, and immediately went to her.  

I saw Ben in the doorway, then he came to my side of the bed. I wanted him
to hold me so much, but feared the pain that the movement would bring. He
took my hand in his and kissed my palm.  

"How are you feeling?" I heard him ask.  

I wanted to answer him, but no words would come out. I was very cold but I
couldn't tell him. I managed to turn my head to the night stand and
picking up on the silent signal, Ben took the cup and held it to my lips
as he supported my head. I choked on a sip and he patiently waited till I
caught my breath before giving me another. I pulled back not able to drink
anymore, and he gently placed my head back on the pillow.  

"Cold" I whispered now that my mouth wasn't as dry.  

He looked worried, and I tried to comfort him.	

"I'll....be fine...." I mumbled, but that caused another coughing fit. I
wanted to scream from the pain, but I could barely manage to breath. Ben
held onto me, and I was vaguely aware of him whispering words of comfort.
He placed me back on the pillow and I could hear the sound of water. After
a moment, a cool cloth was placed on my forehead, which caused me to
shiver more.  

"Analise, the storm's over. The doctor should be on her way, but I don't
know how long it'll take them to get here. I may need to take you to town
in the sled." He spoke slowly as he watched for my reaction.  

"If there were any other way..." He started, but couldn't continue,
knowing the jarring could do her more harm than good.  

I barely managed to nod my head in a weak 'yes' before I slipped away
again.	

Ben donned his parka and picked up his gloves to ready the sled. Looking
around the cabin again, he made sure everything was in order before going
outside. When he stepped on the porch, he could hear the distinct barking
of dogs, but it was further away than the barn. His heart raced as he
waited for whoever it was to come over the hill. After what seemed like an
eternity, a dog sled came into view and it was headed straight for the
cabin.	

Ben felt like shouting from the relief and joy that washed over him. He
waited on the porch until they pulled up, resisting the urge to run half
way to meet them. He knew that would just slow them up further. Just as
he'd promised, Buck had brought the doctor. Ben rushed to the sled and
held out a hand for the doctor.  

"Thank you." She said as she stood. "How's your wife? Are my services
needed?" She asked, not knowing what she'd find.  

"Very much so." Ben's worry was evident, and he watched as the doctor
turned to the sled and pulled out a bag. She looked at the two men. "Take
me to her, then bring in the other supplies I've brought." She ordered.  

Ben looked at Buck and the older man nodded at him. "I'll take care of
this, go ahead."  

Ben took the bag from the doctor, and held her arm as they made their way
to the cabin.  

"She's in the bedroom." He opened the door, and let her enter first before
taking the lead again. "When I arrived yesterday, she passed out. The
cabin was cold, she has a fever and is in a lot of pain. I believe she's
been nauseous and has at least once thrown up...." Ben was quickly running
down everything he thought was pertinent for the doctor to know, but
stopped when she placed her hand on his arm.  

"What I need you to do Constable, is calm down. Analise is going to pick
up on your mood, and that won't be good for her. I may also need you to
assist me, and you can't do that if you're not level headed."  

He looked at her a moment, realizing she was right. "Understood."  

Ben opened the bedroom door and allowed the doctor to enter first. She
wasted no time in going over to the bed. She took in Analise's appearance
as she rid herself of her outer layers, then looked around. Ben was still
holding the bag by the door. She reached out her hand, and he quickly
brought it over to her.  

The doctor first took out a stethoscope and pulled the covers down to
Analise's waist. Lifting her pajama shirt, she busied herself by listening
to her chest a few minutes. The next thing out of the bag was an ear
thermometer and blood pressure gauge. Ben watched nervously in the
background as the doctor took her vitals.  

"She definitely has a fever. 40 degrees Celsius." Dr. Reuben then lifted
her eyelids slightly, looking in each before picking up Analise's hand and
pressing near the fingernails.	

"When did she first start having the pain?" She asked, as she put her
equipment away.  

Ben tore his eyes away from Analise and tried to remember. "I...believe
she said it was the day after Thanksgiving. I asked her last week why she
hadn't told me, and she said it was simply her monthly, and that the pain
wasn't as bad as it had been."	

The doctor raised an eyebrow at him. "Would you say she was experiencing
normal cramping for that time of month?"  

Ben remembered caressing her on the bed in the boarding house, and her
reaction when he.... He looked up suddenly and in a low voice answered.  

"No."  

"Did you suggest she might want to have it looked at?"	

Ben nodded his head, unable to speak for a moment. Taking a deep breath he
continued in a strained voice. "I should have made her go. If I had
she...."  

She stopped him short. "Don't start blaming yourself Constable. No one
could have predicted what would happen. I noticed she was experiencing
some discomfort when she brought the babies in for their shots, but she
refused to let me look at her."  

Ben gave her a small smile before turning his eyes on Analise again. "She
never has liked doctors."  

He watched as she turned back to Analise and pulled her pajama pants down
slightly. Carefully, she started to palpate her stomach. She hadn't gotten
very far before Analise cried out, and started to thrash about, trying to
get away from whatever was causing the pain. Ben was at her side in an
instant.  

"Analise, it's all right, the doctor's here. She has to look you over." He
started.  

She curled up on her side, bringing her legs as close to her chest as
possible, but she didn't acknowledge him.  

"Analise, this is Dr. Reuben. I need to examine you. Do you understand
me?" Both of them looked anxiously at Analise but there was no response.
"Constable, would you please help Sergeant Frobisher with my supplies?"  

"Yes....of course." He brushed his hand across Analise's hair before
hurrying off to get what was needed.  

Dr. Reuben sighed as she looked down at Analise. She needed to be taken to
a hospital, but how much of a window did they have left? The next storm
front was due anytime, and she herself didn't think they'd make it to the
cabin beforehand. Of course, the predictions for this one were for only a
clipper, but that could last a few days around these parts. She was glad
she thought far enough ahead to include the extra supplies. Normally she
would take enough to handle almost any situation she would encounter, but
if she was correct in thinking of some of the things this could be, then
Analise would need more help than she could provide.  

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

Dr. Reuben looked up as both Buck and Ben hauled in two large metal cases
and placed them against the wall. She immediately went over to the one
Buck had set down and unlocked the lid.  

"Take this for me" she said as she handed Ben a oxygen tank, and then took
the rest of the supplies herself. Both men watched as she efficiently set
up an IV drip for Analise and hooked her to the oxygen. No one spoke the
entire time the doctor was working, and afterwards, she looked up to see
both men looking at Analise with worried faces.  

"She's extremely dehydrated. The fluids will help bring her around." She
informed them. A lot of times, it wasn't just her patient she treated, but
the whole family. Not knowing what was happening could sometimes be as
stressful as the illness itself, she realized, especially when they're far
from medical help.  

"Do you know what's wrong with her?" Buck asked, hoping it wasn't
something more serious than the flu.  

Dr. Reuben hugged her arms to her chest, and glanced down at Analise
before looking over towards Ben's hopeful eyes.  

"I have my suspicions, but at this point it could be any number of things.
I need her to answer some questions for me, as well as be coherent while I
run some tests before I can be certain." She paused, then added "We need
to get her to a hospital. I'm limited in what I can do here. The problem
is, getting a helicopter out here before the next front hits."	

Ben went over to Analise and sat on the edge of the bed. He picked up her
hand and held it in his lap.  

"I can head back to town and get one out here" Buck offered, but the
doctor shook her head.	

"That isn't necessary. I already have arrangements made with Carl. He
normally picks me up when I'm called out on emergency's such as this. The
only problem is the front. He won't be able to leave until he knows it's
clear. That could be at least a day, two if it hits us."  

Ben caught the tone in her voice, and looked up. "You don't think she has
that much time, do you?" He quietly asked.  

Dr. Reuben took a deep breath as she studied him. "It's too early to make
any predictions. Let's just take this one step at a time."  

"I'll put on a pot for coffee." Buck offered.  

"That would be lovely, thank you." Dr. Reuben smiled at him. They both
looked over at Ben, but he was concentrating on Analise, and didn't seem
to hear them.  

Buck and the doctor exchanged looks, then Buck left the room, while she
went back to her supplies and readied them.  

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

Ben sat by Analise on the bed holding her hand, and stroking the back of
it with his thumb. He silently watched as the doctor placed various
medical equipment close to Analise. The only sound in the room was
Analise's raspy breathing. Every once in a while, Buck would pop his head
in the door, but he spent most of his time keeping the babies entertained.
 

When Dr. Reuben brought a box over and opened it up, Ben watched her
intently. The doctor glanced over at him.  

"Constable, would you unbutton her shirt for me?" She asked.  

Ben pulled the covers back and started undoing the buttons. "What are you
doing?"  

"I want to hook her to a cardiac monitor." She saw the panic start and
quickly reassured him. "It's simply a precautionary measure, I assure you.
It will allow me to monitor her condition more carefully."  

It didn't take her long to place the tiny electrodes on Analise's chest,
then one on her finger. The next ten minutes afterwards were spent reading
the data from the machine. When she was satisified, she turned her
attention to Ben.  

The doctor placed a hand on Ben's shoulder and waiting until he looked up
at her with tired eyes.  

Very quietly she spoke. "Why don't you get some rest? I'll look after
Analise."  

Ben shook his head no. "I want to be here when she wakes up."  

Theresa Reuben wasn't giving up so easily, and decided to try another
tatic. She walked over to the window, and drew a sharp breath causing Ben
to look up.  

"What is it?" He asked, and when she didn't answer, he stood and went over
to the window. He could see her reflection mirrored by the falling snow.  

"The clipper" he stated flatly.  

"Carl won't be able to get out here until this passes, and when Analise
wakes up, she'll need you to be there for her. Why not get some rest now,
while you can?"  

Ben rubbed his eyes and folded his arms. "I can't."  

Theresa squared her shoulders and her voice turned hard. "Constable
Fraser, either you get some rest now, or I won't permit you to be in this
room any longer."  

Ben clenched his jaw as a unacustomed wave of anger swept through him. Who
was she to tell him he couldn't be with his wife?  

Theresa wasn't backing down. She returned his stare just as hard.  

"If you want me to try and help your wife, you'll take a break. Choice is
yours. Either you leave, or I will."  

Ben's heart raced and his chest felt as if it was being gripped in a vice.
He tried to come to a decision.  

She knew the indecision in him and her features softened. She placed her
hand on his arm.  

"Neither one of us wants to have to choose. Get something to eat and take
a break. I'll stay with her, I promise."  

His shoulders sagged and she guided him to the door. Opening it, they saw
Buck sitting on the couch holding the babies.  

"An, Benton. I was just telling the tikes about some of their grandfathers
adventures."  

Ben managed a small smile as he went to the stove and picked up the coffee
pot. "I'm sure they're enjoying that."	

Theresa closed the door softly and went over to Analise. She checked the
IV bags, and took stock of how much antibiotics she had left. Sitting on
the edge of the bed, she took Analise's pulse, then used her stethoscope
to listen to her chest. Frowning, she pulled the covers back and gently
maneuvered her onto her back. Pulling her shirt up, and moving the pajama
bottoms, Theresa blew on the stethoscope to warm it, then placed it on her
abdomen.  

Next, she pulled the covers all the way off and slowly extended Analise's
lets. Her patient moaned and moved her head, but settled back down.  

Taking a deep breath, Theresa pushed Analise's leg up and the woman cried
out. She then replaced the leg and moved to the side of the bed.  

The doctor glanced towards the door, and subconsciously bit her lip.
Knowing it would be easier without the Constable in the room, she pressed
on Analise's stomach causing her to cry out again, louder. She wasn't
surprised to hear hurried footsteps on the wooden floor, and was replacing
the covers as the door flew open.  

"What happened?" Ben asked as he rushed to the side of the bed.  

Theresa turned her best calming voice on the distraut man.  

"She's fine. I just needed to check on her."  

Ben kneeled onto the bed beside her, being careful not to cause too much
movement. "Shouldn't she have woke by now?" He asked.  

"Actually, it's better that she's resting. She needs to use her strength
to fight the infection."  

"Infection? What infection?" Ben asked.  

Theresa sighed. "Lets go into the other room."	

The two Mounties followed her and Buck poured her a fresh coffee. She
leaned against the counter as she decided where to start.  

"I believe her appendix has ruptured."	

"Dear Lord." Buck whispered.  

"But that isn't my main concern." She took a sip of the coffee before
continuing. "I believe she's developed peritonitis."  

"What exactly is that?" Buck asked.  

"When an appendix ruptures, it spreads bacteria throughout the intestines.
That's why, when a person presents signs of appendicitis, we normally err
on the side of caution and remove it.  

When a rupture occurs and bacteria spreads, it's normally treated with
antibiotics. Most of the time it's caught in the early stages, and once
the threat of infection is gone, the ruptured appendix is removed.  

Other times, when an infection goes unchecked, it worsens and peritonitis
sets in. Basically it poisons the bloodstream and shuts down bodily
functions. I believe that's where we are now."	

Ben quietly took in the information. "What do we do?"  

"Right now I'm giving her antibiotics through the drip. They aren't the
best for this type of situation, but they're all I have. Out best bet is
to get her to Aklavik as soon as possible."  

Ben swallowed hard and his voice was strained. "What if that isn't
possible?"  

"I'm not going to mince words. When I checked her, I could barely detect
any bowel sounds. She's borderline and it can go either way at this
point."  

Ben stood and went back into the bedroom, and Theresa looked over at the
babies. "I'm going to look them over."	

Buck nodded and went to help her.  

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

Meg, walking smartly through the small airport, wasn't surprised to see an
RCMP sergeant standing off to the side. She approached him and he turned
to smile at her.  

"Are you Inspector Thatcher?" he asked and she nodded, offering her hand
to him.  

"I'm Sergeant Cremson. I've been told to escort you to headquarters." He
informed them.	

"Of course. This is Detective Vecchio and Detective Kowalski from the
Chicago Police Department." Meg added.	

"Ah" he acknowledged as he shook both their hands.  

Ray shook the man's hand, and when he heard that familiar, yet
elusive-meaning 'ah' his brows furrowed. 'Just what was it with Canadians
and ah's?' Stan moved forward and also took the proffered hand, then all
three stood looking at one another.  

"Well, shall we?" The sergeant suggested, and they readily agreed.  

Meg couldn't believe how disheveled she felt. The second plane trip took
even longer than the first, and her only consolation was that she'd been
able to obtain an isle seat. She wanted nothing more than to get to their
quarters, shower, change, and then be briefed on the case.  

A part of her realized that there was a good possibility if everything
went well, that they'd be able to spend some time with Analise and Ben.
She'd rarely heard from them since they moved a few months ago, except for
the occasional call and letter. The last letter she'd received from
Analise set her on edge.  

Although she didn't seem to say anything directly, Meg had gotten the
feeling that something was bothering her friend. Either way, just being
able to see them along with her 'niece' and 'nephew' would be welcome.	

At the luggage pick up, they waited patiently with the rest of the
passengers for their luggage to appear. Stan's bag , if that's what you
wanted to call it, was the first to come out. She watched as he picked up
the battered canvas bag and stopped when he saw her staring at him.  

"What?" He asked.  

"Nothing." She replied and turned her attention back to the revolving
luggage belt.  

"That's an interesting travel bag." Sergeant Cremson offered.  

Stan smiled and held out the battered item proudly. "My old man gave it to
me when I went off to college. Had it ever since."  

The man nodded with a small smile and looked down at his watch. Ray
excused himself as he squeezed through the crowd and plucked one of his
bags from the moving belt. It didn't take long for his other to show up,
and he walked back over to his small group.  

Meg finally found a empty spot by the belt, and watched as the other
passengers found their bags and disappeared. It soon became apparent that
her bag had to be one of the last ones off. After what seemed like an
eternity, her smaller bag came through and she sighed in relief as she
picked it up. Now all she needed was her main suitcase.  

She was beginning to wonder if it was even there when it finally showed
up. As predicted, it was the very last piece of luggage unloaded. 'Why did
these things always seem to happen to her?' She thought. Kowalski had a
look of extreme boredom on his face as she approached, and Sgt. Cremson
immediately stepped forward relieving her of her luggage.  

The walk to the car was fairly short, as he'd managed to secure a 'police'
parking spot. Everyone loaded their luggage into the trunk, and Meg took
the front seat while Ray and Stan hopped in the back.  

"So Sarge," Stan started "what's there to do around here that's
interesting?"  

Sergeant Cremson was about to embark on all the wonderful cultural sites
they had in the area but Meg cut in.  

"We're not here to sightsee Detective. Our time will be spent bringing
this case to a successful conclusion as quickly as possible." Her tone was
curt, and though she inwardly winced at the harshness, she attributed it
to the horrid travel conditions she'd just survived.  

"Like you need to remind me." Stan sarcastically replied.  

Ray picked that moment to try and diffuse the two of them. 'Geesh' he
thought 'anymore of this and I'm going to turn into Benny.'  

"How much longer till we get to wherever we're going?" Ray asked as he
leaned forward a little.  

"The detachment is approximately three point seven kilometers from our
current position." Cremson replied.  

"About fifteen minutes" Meg added for clarification.  

"Inspector Jamison and Superintendent McCray will brief you when we
arrive."  

"Very well." Meg was just hoping to get started as soon as possible.  

**********  

Frannie pulled a file out of the pile on her desk and propping it against
the small lamp on her desk. Turning towards her computer, she began typing
in all the pertinent information that needed to be looked up. Every day
seemed like the same thing.  

'Frannie, find this for me, Frannie, do that for me.' She felt like no
more than a glorified gopher. Since when had her job at the police station
stopped fulfilling her? She sighed as she sat back in her chair, turning
slightly, and looked about the bullpen. That could have been her life.
She'd been on the list for the academy for almost two years, and still no
word.  

'Dreams change' she thought to herself, 'and sometimes they just die'. The
realization that she had given up on that dream along time ago saddened
her. Not just that one, she'd realized, but she was finding lately that
there were a lot of dreams she'd let fall away without even realizing it. 


When Fraser had been lost the summer before last, she thought she'd die
inside. Though no one was giving up hope on him, she couldn't help but
think that he wasn't coming back to her. Ironically, he didn't, she
thought to himself.  

Though she had become best friends with Analise, the price she'd paid was
the death of a dream. True, her friendship with Fraser had developed into
an entirely different area, but when was she ever going to have a family?
She wanted a baby so bad she could almost feel it, and she wanted a
husband to come home to instead of an empty bedroom in her mother's house.
Was that so much to ask?  

Maybe it was, she sighed, as she stood and went over to the coffee
machine. After all, how many people did she actually know who were
married? Most of them were divorced, except for Mr. and Mrs. Rosilean.
They had to be almost ninety and Mr. Rosilean still brought her home a
flower everyday. Once when Frannie was helping Mrs. Rosilean with some
gardening, she told her that they had been childhood sweethearts, and
married as soon as they were legally able. Frannie wondered if Analise and
Fraser would be like that. Grow old together and never regret it.  

She was on her way back to her desk when she saw a woman standing by the
doors to the bullpen. She didn't seem much older than Frannie, maybe by a
year or two. She was clutching her purse to her and there was a tired,
haunted look in her eyes.  

Frannie set down her mug and smiled at the woman who was looking around
the room.  

"Can I help you?" She asked.  

The woman slowly focused on her, and walked towards the desk. "I'd like to
speak to the officers in charge of the kidnappings." Her voice was barely
above a whisper, but the tired strain in it was at a deafening level.  

"There isn't anyone handling it here." Frannie knew her mistake the minute
the words were spoken by the ashen look on the woman's face. She quickly
tried to explain. "What I mean is, the FBI took over, and the officers
that were han--"  

"You mean to tell me there's no one here that's investigating the
kidnappings?" The woman interrupted, her voice incredulous at the
information she was hearing. Her voice had gained in volume, and Frannie
glanced around at the few people that had turned to face them.	

"I....let me get the Lieutenant for you. I'm sure he'll be able to answer
any questions you have." Frannie offered, as she took a step back. She
stumbled into Lt. Welsh and turned to face him.  

"I...." She started, but he placed a hand on her shoulder in a comforting
gesture before turning his attention to the woman.  

In his best understanding voice, he approached her. "Mrs. Strathmeyer,
please, let's go in my office where it's private."  

She allowed him to guide her by the elbow, wide eyed. "That lady said no
one was looking for my little boy......" Her voice trailed off.  

"I can assure you this is all a misunderstanding. Let's talk. Would you
like some coffee?" The Lieutenant motioned to Huey on his way past, and
the Detective immediately rushed to the machine.  

Lt. Welsh held his door open for the distraut woman, allowing her to enter
first, and looked around the squad room one last time before his eyes
locked on Frannie. 'It'll be OK' he mouthed before shutting the door and
drawing the blinds.  

Frannie sunk into her chair and, placing her elbows on the desk, buried
her face in her hands. As many times as the woman had been to the station
over the past month she should have recognized her! She looked so
different, though, Frannie thought to herself. There was no life left in
her. Dewey came over and sat down beside her in the empty chair.  

"Anyone could have said the same thing. Don't blame yourself." He
consoled.  

Frannie looked up at him, and took a deep breath. Her eyes were bright
with unshed tears.  

"Who else is there to blame Dewey? I'm the one who basically told that
woman no one was even looking for her son." She wailed.  

Tom shook his head as he placed his hand on top of hers. "Don't worry, the
Lieu will set things straight."  

Frannie nodded and wiped her eyes with her finger, trying not to mess up
her mascara. Taking another deep breath she managed a small smile. "I
suppose you're right."	

"I know I am. Listen, this place gets to everybody. Even the most
experienced cops. Don't let it get to you. Take some time off. Trust me,
you'll be glad you did." Tom stood as he spoke, and squeezed her shoulder
before going back over to his desk.  

Frannie wanted nothing more than to leave right then and there. She knew
she also needed to give Mrs. Strathmeyer an apology. Not wanting to leave
before she'd at least done *that* much to clear up her mess, Frannie
decided to take some used files back down to the filing room. At least
that would give her a small change of scenery.	

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

I slowly blinked my eyes open, and tried to keep them that way. They felt
like lead. I was aware that I was warm, for what seemed to be the first
time in days, and tried to move.  

The pain that shot through me took my breath away, and it took the next
few minutes before I was able to breath normally again. I felt like
something was on me, and carefully turned my head as I lifted my arm. An
IV? Where did that come from? I became aware of something wrapped around
my ears, and going above my lips. Reaching up, I took hold of whatever it
was and pulled it away from my face. Frowning, I looked at the oxygen
tube. I was still at the cabin, so how did all this get here?  

Feeling something on my chest, I moved my hand down and managed to raise
my head. Following the wires, I wasn't surprised to see a cardiac monitor.
I just couldn't understand why I was hooked to one.  

Earlier I'd dreamt that Ben was here. But that was just a dream, right? My
mind was still fuzzy and it was hard to concentrate, but I knew this stuff
didn't get here on it's own. That meant that Ben *had* to be here.  

I looked around the room, but the door was shut. I tried to call out, but
no sound would come. Just breathing was painful. God I wanted to see him
so bad. There had to be some way that I could get his attention....  

I reached up to unbutton my pajama shirt. At first I couldn't because of
the pulse ox meter, but I had managed to remove it. After unbuttoning two
buttons, I had to rest again. It was hard trying to stay awake, but I
wanted to see him even if it was just for a minute.  

Finding the first electrode, I pulled it away from my skin. It only took a
few seconds before the alarm on the monitor went off, almost at a
deafening level compared to the quiet of the cabin.  

The door flew open and I was aware of people rushing in, but I couldn't
make out who was who. What was wrong with me anyway? The bed moved and I
groaned, but a familiar hand took mine and I made myself open my eyes
further.  

"Analise, how do you feel?" Ben asked, but I couldn't even make my lips
move. The most I could do was look at him, hoping he'd understand.  

I could feel a hand on my face and something was placed around my ears. It
was then I realized it was the nasal cannula again. I could feel the
electrode being replaced, then someone took my hand from Ben's and I
started to panic. I didn't want him to go!  

I tried to move but I couldn't, and I could feel my throat constrict as my
eyes watered.  

"It's all right Analise, I'm here." Ben reassured me, but I needed to
touch him! I had to make sure he was real.  

Something squeezed my finger, and the next instant Ben recaptured my hand.
He held it between both of his, and lifted my arm so I could see he was
holding it. It was only then I allowed myself to relax.  

"Analise, I need to ask you some questions. Can you look at me?" A
somewhat familiar voice spoke. Ben focused on the speaker, then back at me
expectantly.  

Although it seemed to take forever, I managed to turn my head towards the
sound. I made sure that I was holding on to Ben's hand as tight as I could
though.  

I recognized the woman, but couldn't think of her name. My puzzlement must
have shown because she smiled reassuringly at me. "I'm Dr. Reuben, do you
remember me?" She asked as she picked up a pen light and flashed it in my
eyes.  

I nodded in reply as she put on her stethoscope and listened to my chest.
When she pulled the covers down and moved my pants I panicked. I tried to
shake my head no and push her hands away, but Ben held onto my one hand
tight and wouldn't let it go.  

I knew the pain would come if she touched me and I struggled as hard as I
could.	

"I have to check you Analise." The doctor explained, but I wasn't having
any of it.  

"Analise, please. I need you to get well. Let the doctor look at you. It
will only take a moment." Ben added.  

Inside I screamed from the pain, but only a strangled sound came out. I
couldn't even move my legs up to try and protect myself. I could feel hot
tears trail down my face, and I looked up at Ben with disbelief and anger.
How could he let her hurt me!  

"All finished" the doctor soothed as if I was a small child. I pulled my
hand from Ben, as much as I could, and he gently placed it on the bed
before letting go.  

"I'm sorry" he whispered as he leaned close to my ear. I had turned my
head from him, and didn't try to acknowledge him. He was supposed to
protect me, and he just sat there and let her *hurt* me!  

The voices around me faded as I started to drift off. The bed shifted and
I could feel Ben's body beside mine. He was really careful not to jar the
bed too much as he scooched his body close to mine, wrapping his arm
around me.  

I was too exhausted to keep hold of the anger I'd felt a few minutes ago.
It disappeared as I melted into his warmth. He tucked the covers around
both of us, and I fell asleep to the movement of his chest against me, and
the beeps from the machine.  

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

Ben peered out the window in the bedroom, relieved the storm seemed to be
fizzling out. It wouldn't be long before the helicopter would be able to
reach them now. The past two days had been the worst he could ever
remember having. Watching Analise slip away from him and not being able to
do anything was about to send him over the edge. Jacinda reached out and
patted the window as she made a series of baby sounds, causing Ben to
smile at his daughter. He shifted her weight so she could reach the window
easier.  

"Snow" he said softly so he wouldn't disturb Analise. "That's snow". She
smiled at him and rested her head on his shoulder while he rubbed her
back.  

Hearing movement at the door, Ben turned to see Theresa smiling at him.
She walked over and stuffed her hands in her front pockets.  

"Robert's asleep. It looks like this little one isn't too far behind."	

"I believe you're right." Ben agreed as he continued to rub his daughter's
back.  

She studied him for a moment. "How are you holding up?"  

Ben was surprised at her question. "I'm fine."	

Theresa nodded as she went to the window. "Looks like Carl will be able to
get here soon. Hopefully in the next few hours."  

Ben couldn't help but look at Analise while she spoke, and Theresa could
see the worry he normally kept hidden.	

"Why don't I take JC for you? She's asleep now anyway." Ben nodded and
kissed JC lightly on the cheek before Theresa took her. She fussed in
protest at being moved from her comfortable shoulder, but a reassuring pat
from 'Daddy' was all it took to settle her.  

Ben sighed as he looked over at Analise. How could one woman change his
life so drastically? The past year and a half he'd been with her had been
incomparable. He couldn't even imagine going back to the way he was
before. He couldn't imagine going back to being alone.	

She moved slightly and Ben took her hand as he sat on the edge of the bed.
 

"Analise...."  

I turned toward the sound of Ben's voice, and felt his hand on my cheek.
Licking my lips, I tried to speak but I was just so tired. Something was
different though. I shifted and braced myself for the pain, but it didn't
come. Opening my eyes, smiled at him. His demeanor instantly changed. The
worry wasn't as prominent.  

Though it was barely above a whisper, I had managed to speak.  

"Hi handsome."	

Ben let out a choked sob and leaned forward to kiss me. When he pulled
back, he rested his forehead on mine. His hand was still caressing my
face, and I could feel him shaking.  

"Hey... I told you I'd be fine." I mumbled. Ben kissed my cheeks, and
eyelids, and then my lips again.  

"What's all that for?" I asked. Ben smiled at me and shrugged.	

"Have I told you how much I love you today?" He asked, his voice was
strained with emotion.	

I smiled, and after a moment answered, "not yet."  

"I love you." He informed me as he kissed my hand.  

"You'd better." I teased.  

He stood and I frowned.  

"The Doctor wanted me to get her as soon as you woke." He explained. I
didn't like that idea at all, and tried to hold on to him but I didn't
have enough strength.  

"I'll be right back."  

I could tell he didn't want to leave me even for a second, and I watched
as he went into the other room. My chest felt heavy and I tried to shift
into a more comfortable position, but I couldn't move enough to make a
difference.  

Ben was back before I'd even finished moving, doctor in tow. He took up a
spot on the other side of the bed so she could work better.  

"How are you feeling?" She asked me with a smile.  

"I don't feel any pain." I thought for a moment then added. "My chest is
tight."  

She didn't give away anything from her expression as she pulled the covers
down to examine me. I couldn't really lift my head to see what she was
doing, but I was just grateful that it didn't hurt.  

The Doctor then went over to the equipment, and I turned my attention back
to Ben.  

"How are the babies?"  

"Fine. They're sleeping right now."  

I nodded and was about to ask something else when the Doctor interrupted. 


"Analise, I'm going to put a mask on you. It'll help you breath better."
She took the cannula off and I frowned as she hooked the mask up.  

"I don't need that." I weakly protested. I was finally awake and feeling
pretty good, and she wanted to mask me. I wouldn't be able to talk to Ben
then.  

"Analise, if Doctor Reuben thinks it's for the best, please use it." Ben
interjected.  

"But I want to talk to you."  

"We'll have plenty of time to talk when you feel better. You need to
listen to the doctor." His voice was gentle, but he was firm and I knew he
wasn't going to back down from this one.  

Sighing, I nodded my consent and felt the cold plastic of the mask encase
my nose and mouth. She left us alone then, and Ben laid down beside me and
talked softly until I fell asleep again.  

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

Meg placed her suitcase on the bed and sighed. She had hoped the meeting
would have shed new information on the disappearances, but they had
basically wasted her time as they 'assured' her that anything she needed
would be at her disposal.  

Right now, Meg wanted nothing more than to take a long, hot shower and
crawl into bed. Tomorrow they would have an early start and a lot of
traveling to do. Unzipping her bag, Meg stopped short when she looked at
its contents.  

"No...." She called out in disbelief. This couldn't be happening. Meg
lifted up a pair of pants and her mouth dropped open. It had to be at
least eight sizes too big for her. Dropping them on the bed, Meg quickly
dug through the rest of the clothes.  

Not wanting to accept reality, Meg flopped onto the bed and let out a
aggravating scream. "This isn't happening to me!" She practically yelled. 


Hearing a knock at the door, Meg stomped over and flung it open.  

Ray looked at her with surprise.  

"Is there something you wanted Detective?" She icily asked.  

"I was going past and,....uh....heard something. I thought I'd see if I
could help with anything." He explained.  

"Help? You want to help me, Vecchio? I'll show you how you can help." Meg
stomped back over to the bed and picked up the pants, then flung them at
him. "Help with that!" Exasperated she folded her arms and flopped back
down on the bed as she waited to see what he'd do.  

Ray held the material out at arms length and looked over the garment. "I
take it these aren't yours." He stated in half concealed amusement.  

"Your powers of observation never cease to amaze me." She quipped. Waving
a hand towards the bag she continued. "Whoever owns this must have my bag.
That means it could be anywhere!"  

"Why don't you call the airport and see if someone turned your bag in?"
Ray offered.  

Meg sighed as she reached over and picked up the phone. "I can only hope
that's what they've done."  

Ray pulled a chair out from the desk and waited while Meg spoke to whoever
was in charge at the airport. From what he could tell, she wasn't getting
the answers she wanted to hear. At one point, he cringed in sympathy for
whoever was on the other end of the line. Meg was in full 'dragon mode'
and someone was getting reamed out.  

After she hung up, Ray watched her shoulders slump, then she flopped back
onto the bed. He swallowed hard at the vision before him. The dress blouse
she was wearing revealed every curve of her breasts. The way her hair
splayed across the bedspread as if it was placed there with care. He was
aware of every breath she took as she rested her arms above her head, and
her legs dangled off the edge of the bed. For an instant he allowed
himself to imagine what it would be like to lay beside her. To feel her
beneath him....  

When she spoke, he jumped and shook himself back into reality.	

"No one has turned in my bag yet, and it's almost nine o'clock. I doubt
there's anywhere I can go tonight to buy replacements."  

Meg pulled herself up on her elbows as she spoke and looked over at him.
The look she saw in his eyes caused her to examine her position a little
more carefully, and she quickly sat up.  

"Anyway...I'm sure you have better things to do than to listen to me
complain about luggage. It's late and I might as well get some sleep." Meg
quickly babbled as a blush crept to her face.  

Ray stood and scooped up the suitcase. When Meg gave him a questioning
glance, he shrugged. "I thought I'd take this out of your way."  

She nodded and walked over to the door with him. Not knowing what to say,
they both stared at each other in silence before Ray pointed down the
hall.  

"I'd better go." He added.  

"Goodnight Detective." Meg added softly before shutting the door.  

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

Buck pulled the covers around Analise and tucked her in. The doctor was
sleeping in the living room, and Ben had gone outside to cut more wood and
exercise the dogs.  

Easing himself into the chair, Buck looked over at her and sighed. "You
certainly managed to get yourself into a pickle, didn't you?" He mused
quietly, so as not to disturb her. "This reminds me a lot of when Caroline
and Robert were out here their first season. Bob tried to get home regular
to see her, but you know him......one thing led to another and next thing
he knew he'd been gone three months."  

"Not that he didn't miss her, I don't think I've ever seen a man miss his
wife more. It was winter though, and by the time we'd got back from Eagle
Falls a bad storm had set in."	

Buck picked up his coffee cup and took a sip before continuing. "To make a
long story short, when he did get to the cabin Caroline wasn't there.
Seems she got tired of waiting for him and decided to head to town. Bob
tracked her from the cabin and when he found her she had fallen in an ice
crevasse." Buck let out a small laugh.	

"Oh she was fine, but gave us quite a scare. Bob decided to teach her a
lesson though and made her wait another three hours before pulling her up.
I never saw anyone that mad. When they got back to the cabin, she made him
sleep out with the dogs every night for a week!"  

Buck smiled at the memory, laughing softly. When he looked over at Analise
his smile faded. "I don't suppose that really matters now anyway."  

He jumped when the machine went off and quickly leaned over Analise.  

"Analise?"  

The doctor came in and pushed him out of the way. She quickly placed her
hand on Analise's throat.  

"She's not breathing, get Fraser." She ordered, then took the oxygen mask
off Analise. She tilted Analise's head back and pinched her nose shut.
"Don't you die on me now!" She cursed as she began CPR.  

It didn't take long for Ben and Buck to come running back into the room.
"What happened?" Ben demanded to know as he took in the doctor performing
CPR. "Oh God, no!" Ben quickly went over to help.  

"Both of you take over." Theresa ordered. Without missing a beat, Ben
continued rescue breathing while Buck continued the chest compressions.  

Theresa readied the paddles on the cardiac monitor and spread a gel on
them. "Open her shirt" Turning the machine up to 200, she prayed this
would work. It wasn't often she was faced with this serious a
complication. "Move away" she ordered and stepped to where Buck had stood.
"Constable get back!" She repeated when Ben had continued with the CPR.  

Analise's body jumped with the shock and she looked over to the machine.
"No change" she turned the machine up to 300. "Clear" she ordered and both
Ben and Buck moved away.  

Ben flinched with the pain he felt for Analise when the second shock went
through her. "Come on Analise, breath. I know you can do it. Please, you
have to breath." He fervently pleaded over and over. When the doctor
announced no change again, Ben resumed CPR.  

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

Bob Fraser sat in the small booth at the diner listening to his daughter.
As much as he wanted to help her, he was somewhat at a loss on the advice
to give. She offered him her plate and he shook his head no. He looked
over at her, to see her patiently waiting for him.  

"Don't give up. A Mountie always gets his man." Bob offered with a nod.  

"That's it?" Maggie asked him. "I've just spent the past hour telling you
of all the dead ends I've run into, not to mention the new 'Inspector' and
all his 'errands.' And the only thing you can say after I've poured out my
heart is don't give up?"  

"Well, that and I know you'll figure something out." Bob added. Somehow,
he didn't remember it being this hard to give Benton advice.  

"Thanks Dad." Maggie sarcastically replied.  

"No need to thank me. I'm just here to help." He smiled.  

Maggie sat back in the booth and sighed. Maybe she should have kept her
promise to Benton and got rid of the file. It certainly would have been
easier than the past three months.  

1"There's no reason to go feeling sorry for yourself, Maggie" Bob
interrupted, making her wonder if he could read her thoughts. "You're
doing the right thing. We're family, and family looks out for each other."
 

"I know," Maggie quietly added. "What happens if I do find the child? This
isn't something that either of them will be happy to know about."  

Bob looked hard at his daughter. "Don't even think that way. I know that
Benton would welcome a child. It may not be easy, but it would be a
Fraser. Things will work out, but you have to keep at it. There's no
telling where he could be." Bob stopped talking and his face became even
more ashen than normal. Maggie looked at him with concern.  

"Are you all right Dad?"  

He stared at her wide eyed, with a sadness she'd never seen before. "I
have to go" was all he said as he disappeared.	

**************** Sitting up, I looked around and couldn't figure out where
it was. Everything was dark. I was surprised when I stood that I felt no
pain, and started walking down the darkened corridors. Reaching out for
balance, the walls were cold to the touch as I moved forward slowly.
Turning a corner, I could see a light coming from under a door and headed
for it. Maybe it was a way out. Oddly enough, I didn't feel scared.  

"Don't go in there"  

I turned to see who had spoke but no one was around. The voice sounded
familiar though. I took another step towards the door and heard it again. 


"Analise, you're going the wrong way. Come over here."	

"Who's there?" I demanded to know. "Show yourself"  

"I'm in here."	

I turned and saw another door, but I could have swore it wasn't there a
minute ago.  

I cautiously opened it and squinted against the brightness. Bob Fraser
stood in the middle of....somewhere. I wasn't quite sure where I was.  

"Bob?" I asked, hoping he could shed some light on this for me.  

"Hello Analise. I guess you weren't expecting to see me" he said as he
walked up to me.  

"I'm not quite sure what I was expecting. Where am I? And what are you
doing here?"  

He opened his mouth, but hesitated before speaking. "Let's go for a walk."
Before I could consent or object, Bob clasped his hands behind his back
and started walking.  

I quickly caught up to him, determined to get some answers. "Wait just a
minute! I want to know where exactly I am, *how* I got here, and what
you're doing here!" I reached out and grabbed his arm, stopping in shock
when the rough material from the serge landed in my hand. Looking back up
at him, my mouth fell open. "I can touch you" I said in barely a whisper. 


He merely nodded and I pulled my hand back quickly as if I was burned.	

"Am I dead?"  

"Not quite. Think of this as a.....inbetween place."  

I shook my head no as I looked around again. "I don't want to die. There's
too much left unfinished. Please" I begged him.  

Bob took my hands and gave me a reassuring squeeze. "Sometimes we don't
get to decided when our time is. Right now Benton and the doctor are doing
everything they can to try and bring you back."  

"Isn't there something I can do? Anything! I can't die."  

"You already have all the answers in here" Bob said as he pointed to his
heart. "I can't give them to you."  

Tears stung my eyes and I felt like screaming. "How can I have the
answers? I have no clue how to get back! I don't even know how I got here
to begin with!"  

I turned around to try and see the door where I had entered, but it was no
where to be found. My frustration grew as I tried to figure out what to do
next. "Why won't you help me? Do you want me to die?" I asked Bob. When he
didn't answer, I turned back to look at him. He was sitting on a rock
tossing stones into a lake that hadn't been there a moment ago. For some
reason, the area looked really familiar, like I should know it, but I
couldn't quite place it. The fleeting memory nagged at me as I walked over
to him.  

"Are you just going to sit here? How is that supposed to help me?" He
still didn't answer me so I stepped in front of him, blocking his aim.	

"Talk to me, damn it! You've been here for a long time. I know you know
how to get me back to the cabin. Why don't you tell me?"  

Bob sighed and looked up. "Everyone has to find their own answers, and
this is the place we come to find them. Look inside yourself Analise, it's
not too late. I know you can do it." He implored.  

Feeling frustrated and hopeless I climbed up on the rock and sat beside
him, looking out over the water. A strange tingling feeling went through
me and I somehow knew what it was.  

"I don't have much time left" I quietly stated. Bob reached over and took
my hand giving me what comfort he could. "I don't want to leave them Bob.
They're my life. I don't want Robert and JC growing up without me, and I
don't want Ben to....." I couldn't finish the sentence as a lump formed in
my throat.  

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

Ben glanced out of the corner of his eye at the doctor, as she readied a
syringe. Breathing his life giving breath into Analise's mouth, he blinked
back the tears that blurred his vision. She was gone. They both knew it.
But he wouldn't give up. He couldn't. After the doctor injected the
contents of the needle into her IV, she picked up the paddles again.  

"Clear!" She commanded then sent a jolt through Analise. Three sets of
eyes were trained on the monitor as the flat line slowly snaked across the
small screen. Time seemed to stop as they realized there was no change.
Theresa hung her head, unwilling to accept the outcome of her efforts.	

"NO!" Ben's anguished cry echoed off the walls as he cupped her face.
"Please, Analise don't go. You can't go! Come on, breath! I know you can
do it! Breath!"  

Realizing his words were doing no good, he quickly covered her mouth with
his and started CPR again. When he realized that Buck wasn't taking up the
chest compression's, he looked up at both him and the doctor.  

"What are you doing? We have to help her!" When they didn't move, he
shifted down and started the chest compression's himself, switching to one
man CPR. "Don't give up Analise, I know you can do it, come on!" Looking
at the other two people in the room, his eyes locked on Buck's. "Help me!
It's not too late."  

Buck placed a comforting hand on his shoulder "She's gone Benton. Let her
rest" he quietly spoke. Ben's face turned hard and he pushed Buck back
with such force the older man stumbled. "Get out! Get out! Get out!" He
shouted over and over, almost like a madman.  

Theresa was about to try and calm him down, but she knew how stubborn he
could be. Right now the best thing they could do would be to leave him
alone with his grief. Everyone had to say good-bye in their own way. She
took Buck's arm and quietly left the room to check on the babies.  

Once he was alone, Ben continued CPR with shaking hands and blurred
vision. The nausea he felt was barely contained as he concentrated on
bringing his wife back. After what seemed like an eternity, Ben stopped
and shakily caressed her face and lips finally accepting their fates.  

"Analise....why? Why did you have to leave me?" He whispered as he bent
down to kiss her. Resting his forehead on hers, he became aware of the
steady tone from the machine, reminding him cruelly that she was gone.
Looking over at it, the paddles caught his attention and he paused. It
couldn't hurt, could it? He knew it wasn't logical but he had to try.
Reaching for the device, he turned the dial up to 360 and took a deep
breath. The sounds of a helicopter became apparent, and he silently cursed
the fates that it didn't arrive sooner. What did he need with it now?  

Almost hesitantly Ben lowered the paddles towards her chest. He was
surprised at the shock that went through the both of them as contact was
made, and intently studied her face. He was so lost in grief, that he
didn't hear the constant tone turn into a series of small, individual
beeps. Ben dropped the paddles as he sat on the edge of the bed and picked
up Analise's hand. Curling her fingers around his, he brought her hand up
to his mouth and kissed it, letting her fingers brush across his lips as
he closed his eyes and remembered all the beautiful moments they'd shared.
 

As reality started to sink in, the sounds from the machine registered and
he stared at the screen trying to comprehend what he was seeing. Not
trusting his eyes, Ben placed his fingers on her neck and felt for a
pulse........  

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

Meg turned on her side hugging her pillow to her. The last thing she
wanted was to wake up right now. Knowing she had to set an example, she
took a deep breath and sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. The first
thing she had to do, she thought to herself, was find something suitable
to wear. How could it be only her luck to have her suitcase lost? Air
Canada was normally a reliable airline. Though it was only 6:30 in the
morning, Meg rolled out of bed and headed for the bathroom.  

She hadn't gone more than a few steps before tripping and landing hard on
the floor. Perhaps she should have turned a light on, she thought to
herself in-between hurling explicatives. Fumbling back towards the night
stand, she squinted against the brightness as she flicked the switch.  

When Meg looked to see what she'd tripped over, her mouth dropped open.
Pulling the suitcase onto the bed, she curled her leg under her as she sat
in front of it. It looked like her case, but so did the other one. Vecchio
wouldn't have brought it back into her room, would he? Hoping this would
be her bag, Meg flipped open the latches and pushed open the lid.  

"YES!!" She screamed in triumph to the empty room. Grabbing her clothes
and hugging them to her, she added "Vecchio, remind me to thank you for
this!" Giddy like a school girl, Meg grabbed her clothes and toiletries
then practically skipped towards the bathroom.	

Outside her door, Ray smiled as he leaned against the jamb. Once he heard
the water running, he turned towards his own room for a shower. It had
taken him half the night, but he'd managed to track down her suitcase. Not
that he did it for her, he told himself. This way they wouldn't be
sidetracked, and that meant that he could get back to Chicago sooner. It
was all really logical if he thought about it. Still, the one thing he
couldn't seem to explain was the goofy smile on his face he couldn't seem
to get rid of.......  

***********  

Ben stared out the window of the waiting room, not seeing the scenery
before him. The past eight hours had been excruciating. He couldn't
actually believe that Analise was still with him, and prayed she wouldn't
be leaving again. He wasn't sure how long he'd been looking out the
window, all the hours he'd spent on guard duty numbed him to the fact that
his body hadn't moved.	

At first, nurses would come in to check on him and the babies, but after a
while they just took the babies out with them promising him they'd be
taken care of. Every time someone would appear in the doorway he'd get his
hopes up, only to have them dashed when he'd realize they were only there
to ask about him.  

"Constable Fraser?"  

Ben turned quickly and took in the appearance of a middle aged man wearing
surgical scrubs. He didn't realize he was holding his breath as the man
walked towards him.  

"I'm Dr. Eyster," he said as he held his hand out. After Ben shook it, he
continued. "Please, have a seat."  

A sense of dread filled Ben as he looked at the doctor. "I'd rather stand
if it's all the same" he quietly refused.  

The doctor nodded as he took in the haggard man's appearance. "Your wife
survived the surgery, we're removed the ruptured appendix and started her
on a strong antibiotic to fight the infection. We also repaired a section
of abdominal wall that she was bleeding through. Right now it's touch and
go. She can go either way. We'll continue to monitor her closely. The next
24 hours are critical, but if she makes it through, I think there's a good
chance she'll recover."  

Ben felt his legs start to shake as the adrenaline that had been holding
him up started to leave. The doctor quickly took his arm and led him over
to a chair. Once Ben was seated, the doctor went to the small sink and
brought him back a cup of water.  

"Thank you" Ben said as he reached for it. Taking a shaky sip, he cleared
his throat and looked at the doctor. "When may I see her?"  

The doctor smiled. The entire time he'd been operating on Analise the
nurses had kept him informed of the inquiries her husband was making. The
story of how he'd brought his wife back had already spread throughout the
hospital, but the man seemed unaware of the stir he'd caused. Anticipating
his desire, the doctor had already made sure Analise was settled in
critical recovery unit before coming to talk to him.  

"As soon as you're ready."  

Ben approached the pale figure of his wife on the hospital bed. She seemed
so fragile as she lay unmoving beneath the crisp sheets. He wasn't aware
when the doctor left the room leaving him alone with her. His whole being,
all his senses, were focused on Analise. There didn't seem to be a single
area on her that didn't have some type of machine attached, and he
hesitantly reached out for her hand. Feeling the warmth radiating back to
him, he breathed a sigh of relief as he leaned down to kiss her forehead.
Brushing her hair back, Ben choked out barely above a whisper, "I'm not
going to let you leave me now. You're a fighter and together we'll make it
through this. Just stay with me." Knowing there was nothing he could do
for her except wait, Ben pulled a chair close to the bed and took her hand
again. It seems all he'd been able to do lately was wait, and he couldn't
imagine a more frustrating feeling in the world.  

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

Stan leaned against the wall as he held the phone to his ear.  

"Eight....nine....ten....." He whispered as the unanswered rings
continued. "Come on, pick up" he pleaded into the phone, as if sheer will
could make her pick up. Looking at his watch, he knew that Maggie should
have been at the Consulate by now, that is, if she even bothered to go
home. For the past few months she'd practically been living at the
Consulate.  

"Canadian Consulate, Constable Maggie Mackenzie speaking, how may I help
you?" Came the voice on the other end of the line.  

Breathing a sigh of relief, Stan smiled into the phone. "For a minute I
didn't think you were gonna pick up."  

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line, giving him the
feeling of unrest.  

"Stan?"  

"Yeah Maggie, it's me." His cop senses kicked in and he was immediately on
guard. "What's wrong? You don't sound so good."  

"Have you heard from Benton lately?" She asked, ignoring his question.	

"Naw, we didn't get here till late. Why? Did something happen?" Leave it
to the Mountie to find trouble in the middle of nowhere, he thought to
himself.  

"There was a message on the Consulate machine when I arrived at work this
morning. It was from the hospital in Aklivak. They didn't give any details
though, and I don't know what's going on. I think Benton's in the hospital
but I can't get ahold of anyone. Apparently the records they have on hand
still has Ray listed as 'next of kin'. I guess he forgot to update his
emergency forms. They called the 27th looking for him, and they forwarded
them to the Consulate. I can't find out anything!" Maggie practically
wailed as she finished, exasperated.  

Stan leaned closer to the phone "Don't worry, I'm all over that. Fraser
probably just jumped on a moose or something. I'm sure he's fine. I'll
call you back as soon as I know something."  

Maggie's voice lowered in relief. "Thank you..... I'm glad you called
Stan."	

Stan smiled as he pictured her in his mind. "So am I. I gotta go, but I'll
give you a call later. And don't worry." He added.  

"I'll try not to." She reassured him.  

Stan hung up the phone and turned to look around the lobby. Neither Ray
nor Meg had made it down yet. Butterflies tossed around in the pit of his
stomach as he quickly covered the distance to the elevator and pressed the
button.  

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

Meg took a deep breath and knocked on the door in front of her. She
couldn't believe how nervous she was feeling. It's ridicules! She
chastised herself. After all, it wasn't as if she's a school girl. All she
was doing was thanking him for saving her from a lot of hassle. That was
it. Period. Right?  

For the fifth time, she wiped her palms on the legs of her pants suit,
then smoothed down the matching form-fitted jacket. Patience never being
one of her strong suits, she rapped on the door again.	

Meg wasn't prepared when it open quickly, her hand still raised in mid
air. She stared numbly at Ray Vecchio. He was wearing a gray stylish
Armani suit with matching pants that were just a shade darker. She had to
admit, the color did seem to suit him, as well as bring out the green in
his eyes.  

"Inspector, good morning, isn't it?" He started as way of an opener. Ray
stood at the door, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the handle.  

"Yes, thanks to you it's turned out to be a very good morning."  

Ray shrugged and looked at his feet, then around the hallway before
looking back at Meg. She was standing there with her hands clasped loosely
in front of her, looking at him expectantly.  

"Oh! Would you like to come in?" He pulled the door open enough for her to
pass.  

Her face took on indecisive features. "Yes....no. I mean, it's
early....late! And we have to get started....on the case..." She added
quickly, kicking herself for getting so flustered. She didn't realize that
as she was speaking, she stepped closer to the door.  

Ray gave her one on his best smiles while she rambled on. He still thought
the flush she took on when she was flustered suited her. She was close
enough that he could smell her unique fragrance, and unconsciously leaned
his head closer to her.  

"Then I guess we should go" he said in barely above a whisper, his warm
breath tickling her neck.  

Meg licked her lips as she gave a slight nod. "It would be logical" she
whispered in return, as her head moved towards his. Ray reached up with
his right hand and brushed her hair back as his lips descended to meet
hers. They were unaware of the ding from the elevator signaling a stop at
their floor, or of the blond detective that stepped out.  

"Yo, Vecchio!" Stan yelled causing the two of them to jump apart. They
both cringed at the teasing they would have to endure from this man, and
Meg squared her shoulders and stood straighter as he approached. Stan
didn't even seem to notice her as he stopped in front of Ray's door.  

"I just got off the phone with Maggie. Something's happened to
Fraser......"  

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

I looked out across the lake trying for the life of me to figure out how
to get back to Ben. Bob was no longer throwing rocks into the lake, he was
just sitting there waiting for me.  

"You know, when my Caroline first died, I didn't want to live either. I
couldn't face Benton, I didn't care if I ate. It was the hardest time in
my life. One day after another sleepless night, I left the cabin early and
started walking. I didn't know where I was going, and I didn't care." Bob
shook his head at the memory. "I hadn't even thought enough to take any
supplies with me. No pemmican, or water. No flint. Not even a knife for
protection. I guess looking back on it, I was determined to keep going
until either the elements or a wild animal finished me off so I could be
with her again."  

I found myself being drawn to his story despite my current predicament,
and sat on the rock beside him.  

"What happened?"  

"Well, I was all but frozen, and ready to die. I had reached a fairly good
size cliff and thought that it was as good a place as any to lay down and
wait for the end..... I suppose I would have too, if it wasn't for what
happened next. Something compelled me to look up, and I saw Caroline
standing off the cliff. Just standing there in mid air. I pulled myself up
to my knees trying to get closer to her, and she had the saddest look in
her eyes. She said 'Benton still needs you', and I knew that no matter how
much I missed her ,and wanted to be with her, I had to return. The only
problem was, I didn't have enough strength left to make it back. She
beckoned me to come towards her, and I made it as far as the cliff face
but she was too far out. When I begged for her to come closer, she smiled
at me and said, 'sometimes it just takes a leap of faith' and I knew I had
to."  

Bob took a deep breath and looked at me hard. "What I thought was going to
kill me, ended up saving my life. I leaped and after a bouncy ride, ended
up at the camp of a Inuit who had taken shelter at the base of the cliff.
So sometimes Analise, you just have to leap." The last words were said
pointedly at me, and I knew he was giving me a message. I didn't see
anything that I'd be able to jump off of though.  

Bob looked back out across the water and smiled, causing me to look also.
There was a woman standing in the middle of the lake! I slid off the rock
and started walking towards the water. At the edge, I looked back at Bob
and he nodded encouragement. Taking a nervous breath, I walked straight
towards her, resisting the urge to take a deep breath before the water
engulfed me.  

The woman walked towards Bob and he joined her. "You haven't lost your	

touch, love. Our grandchildren still have both their parents.  

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

The Constable behind the desk had a distinct look of fear on his face as
he looked up at the two men and Inspector who were demanding to see the
Superintendent. He looked from one face to another trying to find one that
didn't look like it was ready to rip his head off!  

"I'm sorry, as I've said he's not here right now. If you'd like I can let
him know you stopped by and...."  

His words were cut off as Ray grabbed the front of his uniform,
effectively lifting him from the chair. "Where is he?" They had tried for
the past two days to find out any information about Fraser, without luck.
The most they'd heard was he'd disobeyed orders, but no information on his
medical condition. Tired of the run around, today they were going to the
head honcho whether he wanted them to or not!  

The frightened rookie looked as if he was going to pass out. Meg moved
closer to add her 'authority'.	

Looking from one face to the other, the Constable managed to stutter out a
reply. "Superintendent McCray is at the Officers Club."  

Ray unceremoniously let him drop back into his chair. The younger man
breathed a sigh of relief, and managed to add "he didn't want to be
disturbed!"  

Stan turned back towards him with a menacing smile on his face. "Don't
worry, we won't 'disturb' him."  

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

I managed to open my eyes enough to see some of my surroundings.
Everything seemed bright and my body felt like it had been hit by a truck.
I knew I was in a hospital, and inwardly groaned. It seems that lately
hospitals had become my second home.  

"Ben?" I whispered, hoping he was here. I heard a noise from somewhere off
to my left, then Ben's worried face came into view as he leaned over me.
He looked horrible! There were dark circles under his eyes, and he looked
so tired.  

"I'm here." He picked up my hand and kissed it, being careful of the IV
attached.  

"I told you I'd be fine." I quietly joked, and was satisfied when he shook
his head and smiled at me in return. It was so hard to keep my eyes open,
but I had to try.  

"Go ahead and sleep. I'll be here when you wake up" he reassured me.  

I shook my head no. "How long?"  

Ben studied my face for a moment before answering. "You've been here four
days. The doctors removed your appendix, repaired the rupture in you
abdominal wall and are treating you for infection. You have a lot of
healing to do, and you need your rest." He finished firmly, and I knew his
'not going to take no for an answer voice' when I heard it. Giving in, I
gratefully closed my eyes and started to let the darkness take me.
Remembering something, I looked up at Ben again.  

"I couldn't get back to you. I.... I drowned." The last thing I saw was
Ben's brow crease in worry as I drifted off.  

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

".......still, your behavior is inexcusable. You disobeyed a direct order
and that is something I will not tolerate under my command, do I make
myself clear?"	

"Yes Sir."  

I opened my eyes to see Ben standing at attention, as an older man spoke
to him. What was going on?  

"If I may....." A third voice spoke and I turned my head a little to see
Buck standing in the doorway. "If Constable Fraser had followed orders,
his wife would be dead right now. If anything, he saved a life."  

"At what cost? I can understand his devotion to his wife, and am glad she
was able to reach medical attention. That doesn't excuse the fact that he
disobeyed a direct order."  

The man turned back to Ben, who hadn't moved, and continued. "Constable.
Pending the findings of a review, you're hear by relieved of duty. I'll
need your shield."  

Ben crisply reached into his back pocket and removed his wallet. He pulled
the small badge out, and I could see him finger it briefly before he
handed it over. What was happening? Was this because of me?  

"No" I whispered, causing three heads to turn in my direction. Ben came
over to my side and held my hand. "It's my fault. Don't punish him." I
said to the older man.	

"Shhh.... Analise. It'll be alright."  

"No Ben, it's not your fault" I whispered, then turned back to the man.
"Please don't do this."  

I could tell this was the last place he wanted to be, and it showed
clearly on his face.  

"I'm sorry Mrs. Fraser. I hope you're feeling better." He looked over at
Ben then. "Constable, take care of your family. I'll let you know when the
date is set for the review."  

"Yes Sir."  

I shook my head no but the man had turned and walked out of the room
before I could say anything else. I looked up at Ben and blinked back
tears. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. This is all my fault." I cried in a
hoarse whisper.  

Ben shook his head no. "Don't even think that! You're more important to me
than anything. This will work out. Just concentrate on getting well."  

I shook my head in protest as Ben wiped the tears that spilled down my
cheeks. I heard a throat clear and turned towards it.  

"Buck" I weakly called.  

He walked over to the bed and patted my arm. "I'm glad to see you're
awake. You'll be better in no time."  

"Thank you"  

"For what?" Buck asked, puzzled.  

I thought back to the cabin, and though I could only remember bits and
pieces, I knew he'd been there the entire time, helping out.  

"Everything."  

He smiled at me and looked over at Ben. "It was nothing a-tall. I'll be
back later, I have some things to attend to."  

Both men seemed to share some silent communication, but I didn't know what
it was. Whatever it was though, it seemed pretty intense.  

"Ben, where are the babies?" I weakly asked as Buck left the room.  

"They're here. Some of the nurses have practically 'adopted' them and are
making sure they're well taken care of." He assured me.  

I nodded and motioned for him to sit on the bed beside me. He let go of my
hand to lower the bed rail, and making sure not to interfere with any of
the equipment, Ben eased himself down before taking my hand again.  

"Are you OK?" I asked, concerned for him.  

"I'm perfect now that you're awake."  

I looked around the room again. "I can't believe I've slept for four
days." I could tell my strength was beginning to waver again, and I fought
to hold on. Ben fidgeted and I looked at him.  

"What?"  

"It's been five days. You woke up yesterday for the first time." He
informed me.  

"Five?" That just didn't seem possible. He nodded and continued. "Your
body's been through quite a bit of trauma. You need to sleep as much as
possible to heal."  

My eyes started to close of their own volition, and I fought to stay awake
again.	

"Will you hold me?" I sleepily asked as my eyes shut.  

"Always"  

Ben shifted and I turned my head into his chest feeling warm and safe as
sleep came.  

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

Stan drove as fast as he dared on the ice and snow covered roads. The past
few hours had been spent in silence as the trio rolled the implications of
what they'd been told over in their heads. It wasn't Fraser who'd been
hurt, but Analise, and no one seemed to know what had happened to her.	

Ray sat in the back seat absentmindedly turning the watch on his wrist. It
wasn't his normal style, what with the wearing leather and all, but he
hadn't been able to bring himself to wear any other watches since his best
friend had given it to him. It was the first time he didn't care that he
wasn't completely matched.  

Fraser was closer than a brother to him, and Analise had found a place in
his heart as a sister. If there was anything he could do to help them,
then he'd certainly do it no matter what! They were after all, his family.
The only thing he knew was that Fraser had disobeyed a direct order. The
only other times he could remember that happening were when the
circumstances were more than dire.  

Ray glanced towards Meg in the front seat. As usual, her face revealed
nothing of what she was feeling. He knew though that she'd become close
friends with Analise, and had a special place in her heart for the babies.
He smiled when he thought of how she'd torn into that Superintendent in
front of the other officers in the club. She certainly hadn't learned that
in diplomacy school! His smile faded as he thought of how she'd kept on,
regardless of the consequences she might face. She was more like Benny
than either of them would admit. Benny was right. She did need someone to
look after her, despite the careful facade she used with people.  

Ray found himself mesmerized by the graceful movement of her hand as it
moved towards her face. He caught his breath as her fingers brushed
lightly across her lips, and she smiled wistfully. Ray wanted more than
anything to lean forward and trace his fingers across those same lips. His
concentration was suddenly broken by the sound of a constant tapping and
he looked towards Stan.  

Meg also stared as the blond man tapped his fingers on the steering wheel
to an imaginary beat. She knew it was his constant motion kicking in, and
was surprised it had taken this long. Still, it didn't make the sound any
less irritating. Knowing everyone's nerves were on edge, Meg decided to go
for another tactic and turned the radio on.  

The first station she encountered was playing....she did a double take.
Was that polka? She glanced at Stan just as he looked at her. Meg tried
another station without success, and finally the third came in faint, but
they could make out the strains of country music.  

1Meg reached for the button again, but was stopped by Stan. "Yer not gonna
change it again, are ya?"  

"As a matter of fact, I was Detective. Do you have a problem with that?"  

Stan shrugged. Normally country music wasn't his first choice, but he
couldn't see letting the Ice Queen get her way with this. She was always
trying to control everything. For once, she wasn't going to get her way.  

"Yeah, maybe I wanna listen to it," he remarked, and glanced in the rear
view mirror at Ray.  

"Since when do you like country?" Ray asked as he glared at the man.  

"Maybe since always. Can't a guy listen to some music without everyone
jumping on him?"  

"Maybe we should take a vote. Majority rules."	

"Will the two of you just stop! You're acting like juveniles." Meg huffed
as she leaned over and turned off the radio.  

"Why'd ya do that?" Stan demanded as he leaned over and clicked it back
on.  

"Oh grow up, will you!?" Meg was exasperated. She knew if they didn't get
a break soon, she was going to have to kill him and then turn herself in
for murder. Really though, once the evidence was presented, she knew she'd
probably be acquitted. After all, who could put up with that man for a
long period of time?  

"Look, I don't want to listen to country either, Kowalski. Just turn the
station." Ray added.  

"Make me."  

Ray schooled his features. "All right, I will." He leaned over the front
seat and grabbed the dial. Stan swerved, not expecting to see him in the
front seat suddenly.  

"Watch where you're going!" Meg yelled, then braced herself as Stan
swerved back to their side of the road, narrowly missing a rock face. He
still had one hand on top of Ray's, trying to win the battle.  

Meg added her hands to the fray, to try and separate the two of them.
"Detectives! That.....is......enough!" She heaved as the three of them
separated.  

The country music in the car reached a higher level, and Ray stared at the
knob in his hand.  

"Smooth move, Vecchio. Now ya broke it." Stan shook his head as the music
blared around him.  

"Don't blame this on me. If you would have just turned the station, none
of this would have happened!"  

Meg grabbed the knob from him and tried-unsuccessfully-to fix the radio.
After a few minutes, she leaned under the console and ripped some wires
out from underneath. They all breathed a sigh of relief as a peaceful
silence enveloped them.  

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

Standing on the steps of the post office, Frannie bundled her coat around
her and looked out at the busy street. Sighing, she decided not to take a
taxi despite the cold of a Chicago December. Not that she could put her
finger on it, but for quite some time now she had felt empty inside. As if
she was missing something important that she should know about. Not even
the brightly decorated stores did anything to cheer her.  

Her walk back to the station took her past the Consulate on Stetson Ave.
Pausing outside, she was half tempted to stop in and say hi to Maggie, but
at the last minute changed her mind. She knew that Maggie had been
extremely busy lately and probably didn't have time anyway.  

Crossing the street, she did a double-take at a missing child poster on
the telephone pole. It made her wonder if her two 'brothers' were having
any luck. She could only imagine what the families were going through, not
to mention the children.  

She took in the people around her as they went about their daily tasks,
but also didn't miss the opportunity to window shop. Stopping at a
lingerie store, she looked in the window and gasped. Ducking back to the
side of the building, she dug out her cell phone.  

"Dewey, yeah this is Frannie. Listen there's someone robbing the Silk
Scents store down on Diversey!...... No I'm outside, they didn't see
me......... I will! Just hurry."  

She hung up her phone and waited in the doorway beside the shop. She
muttered under her breath wondering what was taking them so long, and the
thought 'if she were a cop she could do something about it' popped into
her head.  

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

Ben tucked the covers around Analise before settling into the chair next
to her bed. He knew they were out of the woods, so to speak, but he also
knew he wouldn't be happy until he had her out of this place. Hospitals
always made him uncomfortable, and this time was no exception. For the
past week and a half he'd been doing nothing but waiting for her to regain
her strength, and the times when she was awake were what he lived for.	

Ironically, he realized all those weeks he was in the hospital after being
shot, Ray must have been going through the same kind of hell. Ben leaned
his head back against the chair and let out a deep breath. It would
probably be awhile before Analise woke again, but he knew he wouldn't be
able to sleep at all. A light tapping could be heard echoing through the
hallway, and Ben realized it was getting closer. Subconsciously, his
analytical skills kicked in, and he knew it was an animal. That in itself
was odd enough, since they were in a hospital, and he could tell it was a
fairly large animal at that.  

The tempo of the clicking picked up, and as Ben looked towards the door, a
large gray wolf bounded in and ran straight to him.  

"Diefenbaker!" Ben cried as his companion jumped onto his lap licking
furiously at him.  

Ben grabbed handfuls of hair giving him a good shake as he held the wolf
to him. "I thought you hadn't made it!"  

Buck looked on from the doorway, and cleared his throat. "I thought you'd
like to see him. He seemed to miss you alot."  

Ben smiled at the older man ear to ear. "Why didn't you tell me he was
alright?"  

"We weren't sure whether he'd pull through or not. That and other
factors..." Buck glanced towards Analise as his voice drifted off.
Everyone figured Ben had enough to worry about, without adding the
uncertainty of the wolf's fate to it.  

"Understood" Ben said softly as he ruffed Dief's fur again.  

Buck nodded towards Analise. "How's she doing?"  

"Better. She's starting to stay awake for longer periods, and the doctor
tells me she's recovering as expected."  

"She's a fighter. I'm sure she'll be up and running around in no time."
Buck assured him.  

"That's what I'm afraid of," Ben answered ruefully.  

"I heard that." I mumbled as I opened my eyes and looked at my husband. He
immediately stood and came over to me.	

"Analise, Buck brought Diefenbaker with him. He's fine."  

"Dief?" I asked, and he placed his front paws on the bed to get a closer
look. I petted him as he whined and sniffed the air around me.	

"I'm fine, Dief. Where did you disappear to?"  

Ben took my hand and kissed it. "He came to get help. If it wasn't for
him, I wouldn't have known something was wrong." Ben turned to Dief then.
"Thank you old friend."  

Dief barked in reply and wagged his tail.  

"Thanks Dief. I owe you one." I petted him again, then he found a spot by
the bathroom and lay down.  

"I've got to be going," Buck stated "I promised Julie that I'd stop by and
visit before going back to the post."  

"Tell her I said hello," Ben offered.  

"Of course. Analise, take care of yourself. We're all pulling for you."  

I nodded in reply and Ben walked Buck out.  

I was in the process of raising the head of the hospital bed a little when
Ben came back into the room. He made sure I was comfortable, then sat on
the edge of the bed.  

"You don't have to do this, you know."	

"Do what?" I could tell Ben was truly puzzled.	

"This. Be with me 24 hours. You need your rest too, and all I've been
doing most of the time is sleeping. Why don't you go out for awhile. Get
some fresh air?"  

Ben shook his head "there's nowhere else I'd rather be than right here
with you."  

He seemed so adamant, I knew he wouldn't change his mind. "I want to go
home now."  

"We both know what the doctor said. As soon as you are getting around on
your own, and the threat of infection is reduced, he'll discharge you."  

I pouted as I turned to look out the window. "I could always sign myself
out, you know."  

Ben sighed as he rubbed my back. "We've been through this before. You
aren't going anywhere without the doctor's approval."  

"I'm going crazy in here Ben!" Whining was never my strong suit, but it
was the only thing I could do at the moment.  

"Perhaps we can help take her mind off of things for awhile." Came a voice
from the doorway.  

Ben and I both turned at the same time. "Meg?" I asked, not believing what
I was seeing.  

"Ray! Stan!" Ben yelled as he went over to the two men and embraced them. 


"I heard you were giving my countrymen a hard time, and had to come check
things out for myself." Meg teased as she came over to the bed. "How are
you doing? What happened?"  

She leaned over and I gave her a hug. "It's a long story."  

Smiling at me, she continued. "Isn't it always with you?"  

"Har de har har."  

Ray came over to the bed then, as Ben greeted Meg. "I can't leave you
alone at all, can I?" he asked, shaking his head.  

Smiling, I hugged him as he leaned down. "I guess not. What are you doing
here?"	

Meg came over beside Ray as Stan gave me a kiss on my cheek. "We've been
assigned to solve the Disappearing Children cases. We've determined that
the kidnappings in Canada, as well as the US, are being perpetrated by the
same people."  

Ben nodded as his eyes lit up. I could tell he was thinking it was just
like old times. He started asking question after question of the trio and
listened intently as they filled him in on all the information they had.  

Afterwards, we explained how I ended up here, and Ben grudgingly admitted
that he had disobeyed a direct order, resulting in his suspension. After
he was finished, I caught Meg's eye and nodded slightly.  

"Constable?" Meg smiled and shook her head. "Ben, why don't you show Ray
and Stan where the coffee machine is? I'd like to catch up on some girl
talk with Analise." She smiled at me as she finished, and I was grateful
for her tact.  

"Go ahead Ben, I'll be alright," I assured him. "Can you check on the
babies too?" I added softly.  

"Of course." He kissed me gently before heading out with the guys.  

Once they were gone, Meg pulled a chair up to the bed. She let out a sigh
as she sat down and looked at me.  

"What's really going on? Don't give me your 'I'm fine' crap, because I
don't believe it for a minute."  

I shook my head and smiled ruefully. That woman knew me too well for my
own good.  

"I'm really worried about Ben, Meg. He was suspended because of me. This
could cost him his career, and that's the last thing I want to happen. Is
there anything you can do to get him reinstated?" The desperation I felt
was evident in my voice as I looked at her hopefully.  

"I don't know Analise. I can certainly try, and I promise you I'll give it
my best shot." She looked at me and smiled as she leaned forward and
squeezed my hand. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure everything will work
out."  

I gave her a sly smile "Speaking of 'working out', how have things been
between you and Ray?"  

I almost laughed out loud as she turned beet red in less than twenty
seconds.  

"I'm not sure what you mean. Detective Vecchio has been assigned on this
case, that's all."  

"Uh-huh...sure."  

She blushed even redder and I raised an eyebrow at her, waiting patiently
for her to crack. I didn't have long to wait.  

"Well...we may have....uh......shared some..." Her voice drifted off, and
I couldn't hear what she said next.  

"What was that?"  

Taking a deep breath she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I said,
we may have shared some....contact."  

"You go girl!" I laughed and immediately regretted it as pain went through
my stomach. "Ow....don't make me laugh!" I choked out as I tried not to
laugh again. "It hurts..."  

Meg folded her arms. "Serves you right. You shouldn't make fun of other
people's....conflicts."  

That caused me to laugh even harder and I rolled on my side trying to
lessen the pain. Meg came over to me and placed her hand on my arm.  

"Hey, are you alright?"  

I nodded my head, unable to speak. She poured a cup of water for me, and
by that time I had managed to take a deep breath as the pain lessened. Meg
held the cup to my lips as I drank some, then leaned back against the
pillow again.  

"I haven't laughed this much in months," I admitted as I smiled sleepily
at her.  

She frowned and sat on the edge of the bed. "How have you been doing,
really? Besides this I mean."  

I shrugged and looked at the blanket, twisting it between my fingers. I
figured it wouldn't do any harm to talk to Meg about it. "It's been hard.
Mostly lonely while Ben's off chasing bad guys. He's gone for weeks at a
time, and it's just me and the babies at the cabin. Sometimes I feel as if
I'm the only person left on the face of the earth."  

Glancing at her, I could tell she was taking my confession the wrong way.
"Don't get me wrong, Meg. I love the cabin and being with Ben. I wouldn't
change that for anything in the world. Living with him is great. I just
wish we could be together more."  

"Being in the RCMP does require a dedication that not many possess. Ben
seems to have that quality in excess. I know he would never do anything
that would willingly hurt you though. If you tell him how you feel, he may
be able to get a post that isn't as remote."  

I shook my head no. "This is where he loves to be Meg, I'm not going to
take that away from him." I grew thoughtful. "I may have already done
that."	

"Don't think that way. I know everything will work out. I'll contact some
friends and see if I can't call in a few favors."  

"Thanks Meg." My eyes started to close again, and I tried to cover up a
yawn.  

"Why don't you get some rest? I'll go see what's keeping the 'boys', and
also visit my favorite niece and nephew."  

"OK. I'm glad you came Meg."  

"So am I. Now get some rest." She smiled as she left the room and I
gratefully closed my eyes, feeling like everything just might work out for
the first time since all this started.	

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

Stan looked around the quiet hospital room. Analise was sleeping again,
and Meg was sitting in a chair by the window. He went over to her and
placed the bag he was carrying on the bedside table.  

"Where's Fraser?" He whispered.  

"Detective Vecchio convinced him to take a breather. I promised I'd stay
with Analise until he returned."  

Stan nodded, and not knowing what to say next, leaned against the wall as
he looked around the room, bored. Dief was sprawled out on the floor, and
Stan didn't think the wolf had actually moved since picking out his spot. 


The tension in the room grew thick as the seconds ticked by, and he jumped
slightly when Meg stood and stretched.	

"What's in the bag?" She asked, causing him to look at her like she lost
her mind.  

"Huh?"	

"I asked, what's in the bag?"  

"Oh!" Stan shrugged as he dug the items out. "I just thought Fraser'd want
something to read. It gets kinda boring sitting in here all day."  

"That was very thoughtful of you." She conceded. The compliment caught him
off guard, and he stared at her. Finally remembering to speak, he muttered
a 'no big deal' before lapsing into silence again.  

Meg picked up a Styrofoam cup and swilled the contents around before
making a face. Deciding against drinking it, Meg went to the sink and
poured it out.	

"Can you stay here with Analise, Detective? I'm going to get a fresh cup
of coffee."  

"I'll go for ya." Stan offered. Seeing her skepticism, he explained. "You
told Fraser ya'd stay here. He'll freak if he comes back and yer gone."  

Meg frowned. She knew it was silly to be in the room constantly, but
Fraser always did seem to have a blind spot when it came to Analise.  

"I see your point. Thank you. Black would be fine."  

"I'll be back."  

Movement from the bed stilled them, and Stan nodded as he quietly shut the
door behind him.  

"Ben?" I groggily asked, opening my eyes.  

"It's just me. He went out with Ray and the babies for a little while."
Meg informed me. It was kind of odd waking up with him gone.  

"Why are you here?" I asked, though it was more to confirm my own
suspicions.  

"I promised him I'd stay here until he came back."  

I shook my head and smiled. "He certainly is stubborn, isn't he?"  

"I suppose that's one of his more endearing qualities."  

"What time is it?" The one thing I hated more than anything was losing
track of the time and day.  

She looked at her watch "Almost nine pm."  

"Do you think you could do me a favor?"  

"I'll do my best."  

"Is there a Pepsi machine around here anywhere? I haven't had one in
months and I'm dying!"	

"You must be feeling better now!" She laughed. "I'll go see if I can find
one."  

She turned to go, but then stopped.  

"What's wrong?"  

"I'll wait until someone comes back, then go."	

"Oh Meg, I'm not a child. Don't worry. Besides, Dief's right here."  

"I suppose you're right."  

"I know I am."	

"Ok, I'll be right back."  

"Thanks Meg."  

After a few minutes, I slowly stretched trying to loosen my stiff muscles.
The pain that shot through my side immediately told me it was a mistake.
Determined, I took a deep breath and sucked it in. I'd already put
everyone through enough and the last thing they needed was to hear my
whining. Dief came over to me, but I waved him away.  

Bracing myself against the bed rail, I managed to half roll, half pull
myself up into a semi sitting position. It felt as if someone had ripped
open my stomach and poured acid inside! Shakily, I finally found a sitting
position and looked towards my goal. Why was it the bathroom always seemed
to be the furthest from the bed? Did the people who designed these rooms
do that on purpose? Pushing my irritation aside, I slid off the bed and
held onto the table for support.  

The IV was still attached and I pulled it towards me. It was slow going to
say the least, but my bladder kept me plodding along. Well, that and the
fact that I knew if Ben were to walk in, I'd be in deep do-do. Talk about
two motivating factors!  

I was halfway to the bathroom when the door opened, and I held my breath.
Relief washed over me to find it was only Meg.	

"Analise! Just what do you think you're doing?" she admonished as she
hurried over to my side. Gratefully, when she took my arm I rested my
weight against her.  

"You shouldn't be out of bed!"	

After I'd caught my breath, I shook my head. "I'm not going in that bed
pan one more time. So are you going to help me or not?" I asked as I held
onto the IV pole with one hand, and her with the other. It only took her a
moment to decide, then she started moving slowing towards the bathroom.  

"I hope you know what you're doing."  

"Trust me," I tried to ignore the shaking which was getting worse.  

"Gee, now where have I heard *that* one before?"  

Once I made it to the bathroom, Meg shut the door and left me to my own
devices. It didn't take long for me to hear other voices in the room, and
I winced. No one could mistake the distinct voice of Ben.  

From the sounds of it, he and Meg were exchanging heated words, and then I
heard another voice jump into the fray. The voices stopped followed by a
knock on the door.  

"Analise, are you alright?"  

I sighed and leaned against the counter. "I'll be out in a minute Ben."
Turning on the water, I splashed some on my face enjoying the coolness.
Now if only I could get a real shower! Eyeing the stall, I was half
tempted to try but I knew that if I wasn't out within the next 30 seconds,
Ben would probably bust down the door.	

I opened the door to see a very concerned Ben standing on the other side.
I tried to stand straighter but the pain wouldn't let me. Trying to brush
this off as 'not a big deal', I smiled at a memory.  

"You know Ben, if you have some weird fetish about hanging outside of
bathrooms, I think I have a right to know."  

He sighed as he gently scooped me into his arms. "Nice try."  

Blushing, I glanced at everyone around the room. "I didn't do anything
wrong, Ben. The doctor said I needed to start getting around." I knew I
was supposed to be supervised for at least the first few times, but I was
hoping Ben had forgotten that little tidbit of information.  

He placed me back on the bed and made sure I was comfortable before
turning his 'look' on me again. Knowing a lecture was coming, I looked
around the room for something, anything, to change the subject. As luck
would have it, the perfect opportunity presented itself.  

"Stan, bring JC over here so I can see her." He quickly brought her over
from where he'd been standing with her beside the door. As soon as JC saw
me she squealed and held out her arms. I held mine out in reply, but
before Stan could place the energetic toddler on the bed, Ben stepped up
and took her.  

She was still leaning towards me, and Ben sat with her on the edge of the
bed close enough for her to reach me, but not enough for her to cause me
any harm.  

"We're going to have to leave first thing in the morning," Meg announced
as she looked at us. "I wish we could stay longer, but we still have a
case that needs solved."  

"Will you guys be able to stop by the cabin before you head back to
Chicago?" I asked hopefully.  

"I really don't know how long this is going to take us. I know we'll
certainly try."  

Ray picked that moment to walk in with Robert. "You've gotta let me borrow
this kid Benny, he's a real babe magnet!"  

I rolled my eyes and chuckled as Meg muttered something under her breath,
and Stan snorted.  

"Where is your next destination?" Ben asked Meg, tactfully ignoring Ray's
comment.  

"We were planning on investigating small towns in the area. The path the
kidnappers have taken so far doesn't suggest they're doubling back on
themselves. Hopefully we'll come up with a lead before long." Meg
explained.  

Ben tugged on his earlobe. "If you, ah, need any help. I'd be more than
happy to lend my services."  

He spoke formally as he offered himself to Meg. They both knew that with
him suspended, he couldn't help in any official capacity, but who's to say
she couldn't ask for his help 'privately'? Glancing over at me, she
smiled.  

"Thank you for offering, Ben. I'll certainly keep that in mind."  

"Thank you kindly for coming, all of you." Ben replied warmly. He knew
they had to be the best friends anyone could possibly have. Meg placed her
hand on his shoulder.  

"I'll do everything I can." She came over to me then and gave me a hug.
"Try and stay out of trouble this time, alright?"  

"I'll do my best." I assured her.  

Ben handed JC to Meg as he said good-bye to Ray and Stan. I knew from his
body language that it was a very difficult task for him. I realized then
that he missed everyone just as much as I had.	

Meg and I watched as Ben clasped Stan's shoulder, and Ray added his arm so
Ben was in the middle.	

Chuckling, I had to say it. "They look like the three musketeers!"  

"More like the three stooges!" Meg corrected.  

We laughed out loud at that, and the guys gave us impatient stares.  

"I'll have you know the three stooges were practically an institution in
this country!" Ray defended, with a resounding 'yeah' from Stan.  

Meg folded her arms, but Ben cut her off.  

"Actually Ray, they may have been considered an institution in your
country, but here in Canada they didn't have as broad a following."  

Ray opened his mouth, but stopped short when he realized he wasn't in the
U.S. Not wanting to be bested though, he smiled when he thought of a
comeback.  

"At least it's better than a bunch of guys sweeping the floor for
entertainment."  

Meg moved toward him with a look that Ben had come to learn meant pain and
misery. Knowing this was going to turn ugly, he stepped between them.  

"Ray, think of how you would feel if someone were to bad mouth baseball?" 


"Fraser, I'm more than capable of handling Detective Vecchio." Meg
interrupted. Her tone of voice brought Ben to attention.  

"Yes, Sir."  

Meg rolled her eyes at him. At ease, Fraser."  

"Why don't we continue this....conversation...on the way to the car?" Meg
suggested, or challenged, I wasn't sure which.	

"No problem."  

"Well this is going to be interesting." Stan sarcastically added.  

"Can it Detective. Shall we?" Meg asked looking at Ray.  

"Whenever you're ready."  

Meg turned to Ben and me. "I'll call as soon as I can."  

"Thanks Meg, for everything." I was really going to miss her, after all, I
hadn't seen her or any of them for the past three months. Who knew when
I'd get a chance to see them again?  

"Drive carefully." Ben added, as he sat on the edge of the bed and took my
hand.  

Ray placed Robert in the small crib and Ben saw the watch on his hand as
he stretched.  

Ben smiled ear to ear. "You're wearing it."  

Ray glanced at the watch. "Yeah well, you know. Takes a licking and all
that." He paused as if he wanted to say something else, but changed his
mind. "Stay out of trouble."  

"I will."  

Stan came over and kissed me on the cheek. "Don't make me come back here
cuz you're in the hospital again."  

"I won't, I promise."  

"Fraser, take care buddy."  

"You too Stan." Ben walked them to the door, then took a deep breath. I
could hear them bickering the entire way down the hall and after a few
moments, it faded. Ben came back in and sat on the edge of the bed.
Picking up my hand, he squeezed it gently.  

"I'm sure they'll be back soon" I offered, hoping it was true.	

Ben looked up at me and frowned. "I'm sure they'll try their best."
"What's wrong then?"  

"We still need to discuss your....'walk'."  

I groaned and glared at the bedpan before closing my eyes.......  

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

I carefully held my stomach as I rolled onto my side. It was hard to
believe that I'd been in here for almost two weeks, and I was about to go
stir crazy! Ben had been great about keeping my spirits up, though he
insisted that I not do anything that was strenuous. It was hard to just
lay here all the time. The babies were sleeping in the portable crib the
hospital supplied and I shook my head. That's something I knew I'd never
see in the states. I guess living remote area did have it's advantages.  

Ben walked into the room and gently shut the door. He smiled at me as he
came over and sat on the edge of the bed, giving me a kiss.  

"How are you feeling?" he whispered.  

"The same as I was the last time you asked me, which was ten minutes ago."
I teased.  

Ben picked up my hand and kissed it before rubbing his thumb across the
back.  

I looked around the darkened room and sighed. "It's going to be good to go
home. I don't think I can stand looking at this room much longer."  

Ben looked down at our hands and I could tell something was bothering him.
 

"What?" I asked, knowing that whatever it was, I'd have to pry it out of
him.  

"I've had a lot of time to think lately, and I don't think going back to
the cabin is such a wise idea."  

He could have bowled me over with a feather! I sat in silence waiting for
him to continue, but it soon became apparent he wasn't going to.  

"Why Ben?"  

He looked at me as if he couldn't believe I'd even asked the question.	

Analise, you almost died! What if something else happens and no one's
around?"  

I should have known that was coming, but the thought hadn't even occurred
to me.	

"I'm sorry I scared you Ben, I didn't mean to do that. But this is my
home. I'm not leaving it because of a 'what if' possibility. If we keep
thinking like that, the only thing we'll accomplish is living in fear. I
can't say whether or not something will happen to me, to you, or the
babies. But that's the chance we take no matter where we live. It's almost
Christmas, Ben, and I don't want to spend it in some boarding house. I
want to be at home with my family."  

Ben nodded his head, but he still didn't look too happy about my decision.
 

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

Hal shook out his parka as he lifted it over his head. The cabin was
dismal to say the least, and he was sick and tired of the cold. He poured
himself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table.  

"Where the hell have you been?" Demanded Mart. "I've been sitting here in
this shitty hole while you go out and have a good time!"  

Hal stood so quickly from the table the chair toppled backwards, and he
grabbed Mart by the collar.  

Speaking in a low, even voice, he started. "I have no problem with killing
you, along with these rats. Don't ever question me again!"  

Mart, visibly shaken, backed down. "I....I wasn't doing that Hal. You're
the boss. I was just wondering is all."  

Hal let the man go and he scurried over to right the chair. Once Hal was
sitting again, he tentatively sat down across from him.  

"So what's the plan?" Mart asked, anxious for news.  

"I can't get hold of Lutris. Something's not right here. It feels bad. I
say we kill the lot of them and cut our losses. We ain't got no drop off
and I ain't planning on staying up here forever."  

"We got another problem. The kid's missing. I looked everywhere for her,
but she's gone."  

Hal smiled evilly. "You don't gotta worry about her. I found her stowed
away in the back of the snow mobile. I left her out there to freeze. She's
dead as they come by now."  

Mart's eyes grew wide. "What about Vic? If she comes back and the kid's
gone....."  

"Wake up Mart! She ain't coming back. She left us here holding the bag. We
gotta get rid of the kids so they can't identify us, and get as far away
from here as possible."  

1Mart nodded in thoughtful agreement. "What if someone finds her body?"  

"No one will find a runt like that out here. The animals will take care of
whatever's left." Hal looked around at the footlockers filled with his
meal tickets.  

"Let them out and put them all in the back room. The stench in here's
enough to make ya wanna puke." Hal then checked the rounds in his gun, and
the spares. "I'll go into town a buy some more ammo, then we'll nail them
right before we leave. That way the stink don't get no worse."	

"What about Lutris? He's gonna want his cut."  

"There ain't no cut if we can't sell them! Besides, since the bitch took
off he's the one who was supposed to set up the meet with the contacts.
Fuck him. If he gets in our way, we'll kill him too."  

"But he's a Mountie."  

"So? What's your point?"  

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

The day came for me to leave the hospital, and I couldn't wait to go! I
slipped a sweater over my head with Ben's help, smiling as he doted on me.
He had to have asked the doctor at least five times if he was sure it was
OK for me to leave.  

Ben kneeled in front of me and helped me put on my mukluks. I know I must
have looked like an idiot grinning ear to ear like I was, but I just
couldn't help myself. The only thing I wanted to do now was go home!  

"Ben, how are we going to get to the cabin?" I asked, thinking we were a
long way off. He looked up startled and started to fidget. There was
something he hadn't told me.  

"Well, I....ah..." When he started tugging on his ear, I knew this was
going to be a doosey. "Actually, I spoke with Eric last evening, and we've
been invited to his village. The Shaman has been expecting us for months
now, and we've never had time to get away. Now with my....not working...."
His voice strained and he swallowed hard. "We have the time to go."  

I knew this had something to do with Ben not wanting me to be at the
cabin, and I was about to protest but he continued.  

"It's really a good idea. The cabin's wood supply is depleted, and this
will give you some extra time to recover without taxing yourself too
much."	

It was my turn to look away. I hadn't meant to use all the wood. After all
the time it had taken Ben to chop it, the last thing I had wanted was for
him to start all over again. I felt guilty for making him go through all
the extra work that I had, and here I was acting like a baby to go home,
knowing he'd have to take up most of the slack.  

I looked into his eyes again and studied his face. Although he looked
better than he had, there was still evidence of stress. How could I be so
selfish and not have noticed it before? He needed to relax and take it
easy. So if that meant going to Eric's village, then that's what I'd do,
regardless of what I wanted.  

"Alright Ben, I'll go," I said quietly.  

He released the breath he'd been holding and smiled, just as there was a
knock at the door. We turned to see a nurse bring in a wheelchair.  

"Are you ready to go?" she asked with a bright smile.  

I nodded and slid off the bed. Ben held onto my arm and helped me get
situated in the chair, then the nurse wheeled me out. We said our
good-bye's to the other staff members, and a few even came with us to the
lobby as they carried the twins.  

"We're really going to miss these two," one of the older nurses informed
us. "They made our shifts a lot nicer to work."  

"Thank you," I smiled as I watched her bounce Robert on her hip. He was
cooing up a storm just eating up the attention.  

I was still wondering how we were going to get home, well, at least back
to Inuvik as I watched Ben go outside. After a few minutes, a 4 x 4 pulled
up and Ben got out of the drivers side. He reached into the back and after
a minute came back into the lobby.  

"Where did you get that?" I asked as the nurses handed him the babies and
said their good-bye's.	

He didn't miss a step as he put on the babies' outerwear. "I borrowed it.
It should be comfortable enough for you to travel in. The passenger seat
adjusts so you can recline and the babies will be secured in the back."  

I couldn't believe him. Somehow, Ben always managed to surprise me. "I
love you, you know that don't you?" I asked as I looked up at him with all
the love I felt in my heart.  

"Of course I do." He lifted both babies into his arms and looked at me.
"I'll be right back. *Don't* move."  

I sighed and shook my head at him. "Yes Sir."  

A few minutes later Ben returned and took my arm to steady me as I stood.
He was patient as we made our way to the truck, and I took a deep breath
when the air assaulted me. I hadn't realized how cold it was outside!
After a few minutes, I was able to find a comfortable position, and Ben
reached over me to fasten my seat belt.  

Once he was settled in the driver's seat, he smiled at me and I reached
over to squeeze his thigh. I had to smile when his breath caught and he
froze. When the shock wore off, he blushed a bright red and cracked his
neck.  

"I....we should be going," he blurted, causing me to laugh. You'd think we
were just married!  

"You're the boss." I teased.  

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

A bump in the road jarred me awake and my hand flew to my stomach. I
sleepily looked around and held onto the door to help myself sit up. It
was dark out, and a quick look in the back seat told me the babies were
also sleeping.	

Ben glanced over at me. "I didn't mean to wake you. The road's a little
rough. How are you feeling?"  

In all actuality, my stomach ached horribly but I didn't want to tell him
that. He'd had enough to worry about since all this started. I was sure as
soon as we stopped moving that I'd be fine, anyway.  

"Fine. Where are we?" I asked as I stifled a yawn. Ben glanced over at me
before answering.  

"We still have a way to go." Reaching into the back, he pulled out a
bottle of water from a bag and handed it to me. "It's time for your
medication."  

I sighed as he handed me the pill bottles to go with it. I knew the
antibiotics were necessary, but it was the pain medication that I hated.
When I took it, all I ever seemed to do was sleep. I tried to shift to a
more comfortable position, but there didn't seem to be one available.  

Knowing Ben wouldn't give me much of a choice, I downed the pills and laid
my head back against the seat. "We've been driving for a while, why don't
you take a break?"  

"I'm fine." He smiled at me then went back to watching the road. There was
a light snow falling, and everything seemed so peaceful. It was the first
time in a long time that we had a chance to just 'be'.	

"Ben? What do you think is going to happen with the review?"  

He didn't answer right away, and by the look on his face I could tell that
it was a subject he'd been thinking about for awhile.  

"I'm sure everything will work out."  

I knew from his body language he didn't really believe that, and I
wondered if there was anything I could do to help. Maybe if I went up his
chain of command and explained what happened they'd understand. At least
it was worth a shot.  

I looked out the passenger window at the falling snow. It was too dark to
make out any other features. After a few minutes, I broke the silence.	

"I didn't mean for all this to happen. If I would have thought for an
instant that you might lose the RCMP, I would have gone to the doctor at
Thanksgiving." I spoke quietly, and didn't look at Ben.  

After a few minutes when he didn't answer, I knew he had to have been
upset with me for putting him in this position. I took a deep breath and
looked over at him.  

His face was strained, and his lips pressed into a grim line. I could tell
his posture had become stiffer and he had a hard grip on the wheel.  

"I really am sorry" I barely managed in a whisper, kicking myself for
being so selfish.  

Ben swerved the truck to the side of the road and placed it in park. I was
more than a little startled and just stared at him as he unbuckled his
seat belt and turned towards me.  

"Why didn't you?" His tone was harsh and demanding, and I wanted to shrink
into the seat.	

"I didn't know it would come to this Ben, I really didn't. I'm sorry. I
know the RCMP means everything to you and I'll do everything I can to set
things right. When we get to Inuvik, I'll talk to your commander. He's
gotta see to reason and change his mind---"  

Ben held up his hand, motioning for me to stop. I knew I was babbling, but
I was just so upset with myself for putting him through all this.  

I didn't know what to say or do, so I sat there waiting for Ben to make
the next move. He was just looking at me, then let out a breath as he
looked down and rubbed a knuckle across his eyebrow. When he looked back
at me, it was with a calmer expression.  

"The RCMP does mean a great deal to me, but not as much as you and the
babies do. I'm not concerned about my position, that will work out one way
or another. You *knew* you were seriously ill at Thanksgiving, yet when I
asked you to see a doctor, you lied to me. You said it was normal monthly
pains. Why didn't you go?"  

His anger started to show through again, and I looked down at my hands.
Why didn't I go? How could I explain it to him? How could I explain it to
myself?  

"I don't know Ben, I didn't think it was worth it.....worth making a big
deal about. I thought if I just waited that it might get better.... I
don't know!" I was frustrated trying to dissect the reason I did what I
did.  

Ben placed his hand on my cheek and rubbed his thumb gently across my
skin. He slid closer to me and wrapped his arms around me as I buried my
head in his shoulder.  

"It's alright....." He soothed as he held me and stroked my hair. "Listen
to me, you are 'worth it'. Don't ever think that you are less deserving
for any reason. I need you with me, in my life. Our children need you. I
can't do this alone though." He pulled back and held my gaze. "Promise me,
make a solemn oath that you'll never lie or hide your medical condition
from me again."  

"Ben...... I ---"  

"Please, just promise me."  

I nodded, and as tight as my throat was, managed to get out "I promise."  

Ben pulled me to him again, and lifted my chin to kiss me passionately. We
sat there holding each other for how long I don't know, but neither of us
was in a hurry to move.  

The next time I woke was from Ben's gentle nudging. "We're here." he
informed me softly as he helped me to sit up. I squinted in confusion at
the scenery.  

"I thought you told me they lived in regular houses?"  

"Normally they do. Right now though, they're having a ceremony, a kind of
cleansing. They do it every year before the big solstice ceremony. For at
least two weeks they live as their forefathers did."  

I nodded as I looked out at the array of igloos and ice caves. There was
smoke coming from some of them, and outside fires were built in quite a
few places. Looking farther down the landscape I still couldn't see any
houses.  

"Where's their village?"  

"About 15 kilometers west of here. They've made sure you'll be comfortable
though, Eric assured me. Just let me know if you need anything, alright?"
Ben squeezed my hand reassuringly as he spoke.	

A few people started towards us, and I was excited to see the Shaman among
them. Ben quickly got out and came around to open the door for me. He took
my hand to help me down just as the Shaman made it up to us.  

"Welcome home" Shaman said as she gave me an embrace.  

"It's good to be home." I admitted. She greeted Ben with a hug and then
Eric and a few others that I'd spent a lot of time with came forward to
say hi. Again we had help with the babies, and Ben helped me as I slowly
walked towards the nearest fire. By the time I reached it, they had
already placed some furs out on top of a snow carved chair. It was sweet
that everyone had gone to so much trouble, though I did feel somewhat
embarrassed from all the attention.  

We were both given something to eat, and I tried my best to be polite as
the conversations went on around me. It was late morning when we'd arrived
and most of the people were busy doing their daily tasks, though that
didn't stop them from socializing. By the time two o'clock came, it was
all I could do to keep my eyes open. I also couldn't feel my face anymore
from the cold, and my stomach ached worse from my shivering. I was
determined not to make a burden of myself though, and rubbed my hands over
my face. Out of the corner of my eye I caught sight of a little girl and
did a double take. She was white!  

"Analise!"  

I jumped and looked up at Eric. "Geez! You scared me." I said as I
clutched my heart.  

"I'm sorry. I thought you might like to lie down a little while, and
wanted to show you where you and Fraser will be staying."  

His offer couldn't have come at a better time and I smiled in relief.
"Thank you. I really could lay down for a little bit." I looked back over
to the little girl but she was gone. Not too far away a group of children
were playing tag chasing each other but they were too far away to see who
was who.  

"Eric, who's the little girl?"	

"What girl?"  

"I saw a little white girl a few minutes ago. Is there someone else
visiting too?"	

Eric picked up the bag by my side. "We have no visitors here. Only
family."  

"I don't remember seeing her before though. Who's is she?"  

"Eric, are you going to talk all day? Analise is tired."  

I looked over to Shaman who had walked up.  

"I was going now" he mumbled, slightly humbled from the reprimand.  

I moved to stand but I must have been sitting too long. I sat back onto
the furs with an apologetic look on my face. "I'm sorry. Just give me a
few minutes and I'll make it."	

She waved her hand inconsequentially in the air. "Nonsense." She beckoned
two men from nearby and I started to shake my head. That was just too much
to ask! Ben glanced over from where he'd been talking to some other people
and knowing something was going on, came over just as the other men walked
up.  

"What's going on?" He looked at me, then everyone else.  

"Nothing." I quickly assured him as a rosy hue spread to my face. I
couldn't imagine being so embarrassed in my life! "I was just a little
stiff from sitting so long, but I'm fine now." I continued as I tried to
stand. I almost made it, but lost my balance. Ben quickly caught me
against him and I stood shakily.  

"Thanks" I whispered. In a louder voice I continued. "Really, I'm fine. I
didn't mean to cause such a fuss."  

The Shaman nodded and the two other men went back to doing whatever it was
they had been.	

"Come, I'll show you to your place." Eric reiterated and I nodded a thanks
to Shaman as Ben helped me to the igloo. The difficult part was bending
down far enough to get in, but once we were past the doorway, it opened up
large enough to completely stand. It was truly a work of art! The room was
big enough to have a fire pit in the middle, plus there was space enough
for at least six sleeping places. The air holes near the top kept the air
flowing so carbon monoxide wouldn't be a problem.  

Ben helped me off with my outerwear and I laid down onto some furs. He
rummaged through my bag and brought over my pills and some water. After
taking them, I reached up to caress Ben's face.  

"Why don't you lay down with me?" I knew he had to have been exhausted
after driving all night. He hesitated, which confirmed for me that he was
feeling the effects but shook his head no.  

"It would be rude to just disappear. Besides, the babies are wide awake
and I should look after them."	

I felt guilt wash over me again, knowing that I should be the one helping
Ben take care of them.	

"Here are some extra furs. Shaman wanted you to have them." Eric said as
he carried in a large bundle.  

"Thank you, for everything." I smiled at him.  

"It is little." Eric looked at Ben then. "Shaman said that she doesn't
want to see either of you up for at least the next two hours."	

"But I wasn't--" Ben started to protest.  

Eric held his hands up. "Do you want to be the one to tell her different?"
 

Ben paused, considering, then shook his head. "I see your point."  

"Don't worry, I'll let you know if Jacinda or Robert need you." Eric said
on his way out, before either of us could say anything else.  

Ben smiled at me as he took off his parka and spread the furs out. After a
few moments he spooned his body carefully against mine and I sighed in
relief. It was the first time in what seemed like forever that we were
able to sleep together. I rolled into Ben more, and wrapped my arm around
his firm torso. I could feel his breath on my hair as I snuggled against
him. He had put up with so much all because of me, and he never once said
how tired he was of it all. I really didn't deserve him, but I certainly
thanked God everyday that I had him. I felt Ben's hand play rhythmically
in my hair relaxing me into a peaceful sleep.  

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

Frannie's heart raced as she pressed herself against the building, hoping
not to be seen. She could barely make out sounds from inside, someone
bellowing out orders, and glanced nervously at the people who walked by,
not noticing anything was wrong. She wanted to motion for them to move
away, but was afraid the only thing she'd end up accomplishing was drawing
attention to herself as well as them. Time seemed to stand still as she
waited for the police to arrive. What was taking them so long anyway?  

The sound of gun shots and glass breaking caused her to jump. She had to
stifle a scream that threatened to come loose. Passerby's were screaming
and running for cover as she clung to the doorway as if it would save her.
 

Two men ran from the store away from Frannie as police cars rounded the
corner. Finding her nerve, Frannie pointed in the direction the men ran
and watched as the cars raced after them.  

Cries for help came from the store, and without hesitating, Frannie rushed
inside to see if she could help. There were three women cowering in the
corner, but none appeared to be shot.  

"Are you alright?" Frannie asked as she kneeled beside them, and placed
her hand on a woman's arm who was close to her. The woman, in her mid
twenties, turned and clung to Frannie as she sobbed hysterically into her
shoulder. Frannie found herself rocking soothingly and repeating an
Italian poem her mother used to say to her when she was upset.	

By the time the police and ambulance personnel started to ask questions
and check for injuries, the woman had managed to compose herself. She
pulled back and looked at Frannie with mascara streaked eyes.  

"Thank you" she offered, and Frannie smiled in return. She moved out of
the way so the EMT's could examine the women, and didn't hear Huey come up
behind her until he placed a hand on her shoulder.  

"I thought I told you to stay outside."  

Frannie turned to him with a big smile on her face. "I did stay outside
until they left."  

"What are you doing in here now?"  

Frannie glanced back towards the woman, then looked around the shop. When
she looked back at Huey, she had a bigger smile than before. "I was
helping."  

"Yeah well, helping is going to get both of us in trouble if the Lieu or
Ray finds out." He took her by the elbow and walked her outside.  

"Nothing happened, besides, I finally know what I want to do with my
life!"	

Jack looked at her strangely, waiting for an explanation, but none was
forthcoming as Frannie walked away from him, humming.  

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

I hugged JC to me as I tied her little mukluk, smiling at the thought of
her walking soon. It was only a week and a half until Christmas, and I was
hoping the package I was expecting from Frannie would be arriving soon.
She gurgled at me and made repeating 'ma-ma-ma' sounds. I couldn't resist
hugging her closer to me and kissing the top of her head as I closed my
eyes. "Why can't everyday be like this?" I asked her.  

Knowing it wouldn't do me any good to dwell on the bad, I slowly stood as
I propped her on my good side. I shuffled towards the opening of the
igloo, wondering just how I was going to get the two of us out.  

"Can you crawl for mommy?" I asked, and was rewarded with a chortle from
her, as she patted my face.  

I leaned against the 'wall' and slid down to my knees. I knew I wasn't
supposed to be lifting the babies, but I had to start pulling my share of
the weight around here! I had never felt as useless in my life as these
past few weeks.  

Placing JC in front of me, I gave her a little nudge and she took off on
her own, crawling through the entrance. I followed behind, and once
outside, captured her again. It was late afternoon and most of the people
weren't around the camp. I guess they were out hunting or something. There
were a few people near a couple of the fires, but for the most part, the
camp was deserted.  

With JC in my arms, I started across to one of the fires that had people,
hoping to find out where Ben and Robert were. It was slow going at best,
but I knew I was making better progress than I had been.  

Smiling, I approached two women who were talking as they
skinned....something. I had no clue what it used to be. Whatever it was,
they were making quick work of it. They nodded and smiled at me as I
greeted them, and I sat down opposite of them.	

One of them I remembered from the cabin, named Jubie. She was about my
age, maybe a little younger, and wasn't mated yet. "Where is everyone?" I
asked.	

Both women looked at each other and gave a secretive smile before
answering. "They're preparing for the ceremony tonight."  

"What ceremony?"  

They both giggled, but when Jubie looked back at me, she tried to hide it.
"It's a very ancient tradition among us."  

I nodded and smiled in anticipation. "I can't wait. It sounds like fun."  

They laughed out loud then, but didn't add any other comments.	

I watched Jacinda play at my feet as I sat with the other women. They made
skinning look as easy as husking corn, though I knew it wasn't. Getting
bored, I started to look around the camp, and spotted a little head
staring at me from behind a dwelling.  

"Would you look after Jacinda a moment?" I asked Jubie, never taking my
eyes off of the little girl.  

Not missing a beat, the woman agreed as she continued her work. As quickly
as I could, I made my way straight for the little girl. She didn't run
away like I expected, and I could see her looking at me with intense
interest. Getting closer confirmed again she was white.  

"Analise." Someone placed their hand on my shoulder as they called my
name, and I turned to look at who it was. As it turned out, it was one of
the elders.  

"Can I help you?" I asked, not knowing exactly what he wanted. He was one
of the more reserved elders, and to be quite honest, this was the first
time I could ever remember him speaking to me.	

"You shouldn't be over here. Come back to the fire." He spoke with
authority, but I didn't understand why I couldn't be here. It wasn't as if
I were far away. We were only at the edge of the camp, and there was still
a few igloos ahead.  

"Why? Is something wrong?"  

"Come." He tried to turn me back in the direction I had come, but I
shrugged him off.  

"I'm not going anywhere. What's wrong with me being over here?" I demanded
to know. I looked around the vast openness, and didn't see anything that
would present a danger.  

His expression grew cold, causing me to shudder. With an edge to his
voice, he began. "Do not forget that you are a guest here. Respect our
wishes."  

Knowing I had overstepped some boundary, I knew whatever I did was a
serious infraction.  

"I'm sorry" I mumbled as I started back towards the fire. Remembering the
little girl, I turned back around after a few feet.  

I let out a gasp; neither she, nor the elder was in site! Where could they
have gone so fast? An eerie feeling swept over me, and I continued back to
the fire, hoping that Ben would be back soon.  

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

"Ben, I'm telling you, she was white."	Ben added a log to the small fire
in the igloo, and stirred the embers before answering.	"Perhaps she was
lighter skinned." he offered.  I crossed my arms defiantly as irritation
set in. "I think I know the difference Ben. I was no more than 10 feet
from her. I saw her twice now, she's white. Every time I try to get close
to her, someone interrupts me. I think they're hiding her on purpose." 
Ben stood and came over to me, wrapping his arms around me. "If it'll make
you feel better, I'll ask around, alright?"  Sighing in relief, I sank
into Ben's warmth. "Thank you."  Ben kissed me feather light on my
forehead before pulling away to ready the babies. I helped put Robert's
parka on while Ben busied himself with JC. I was deep in thought for a few
minutes.  "Ben?"  "Hmm?" He didn't look up while he acknowledged me.  "How
long are you planning on staying here?"  I was looking at his back as I
spoke, and saw him still for a moment before answering.  "I hadn't really
set a time limit. " I knew that couldn't possibly be right. "That seems
odd."  "What does?"  I shrugged. "Well, you normally have everything
planned out in advance. Even if it isn't written in stone, you normally
have some idea."  Ben turned to me with a slight frown "Are you unhappy
here?"	I sighed as I went over to him. "It isn't that I'm unhappy, but
this isn't home. It's almost Christmas and I wanted to spend our first
Christmas home, at home. I sometimes get the feeling that you're trying to
keep me from going back to the cabin." I finished quietly.  Ben looked
away from me before he spoke. "Is wanting to protect my wife such a bad
thing?"  I wrapped my arms around him from behind. "No, it isn't. I'd
probably do the same thing if this was reversed. Just promise me that we
won't stay here forever? I'm not going anywhere Ben, OK?"  Ben pulled me
around to face him, and tilted my chin up giving me a feather light kiss.
"I promise. We still have about two hours before this ceremony they're
planning. Why don't you get some rest, and I'll watch the children."  I
stuck my lip out in a pout. "I'm sick and tired of resting Ben!"  He
chuckled at my exasperation. "It won't be for much longer, I promise." 
"Ok. But that doesn't mean I like it." I reluctantly conceded.	"Perish
the thought."  I smiled at him and shook my head as he gave me one last
kiss and headed out. If I had to admit it, I was feeling pretty tired. I
laid down on the furs and closed my eyes, thinking about the little girl
as I drifted off.  *****************  Waking to the faint sounds of
chanting, I rubbed my eyes. The small fire in the igloo was mostly embers,
and glancing at the air holes let me know it was darker than usual
outside. It felt odd to have slept so long, and I was a little upset that
Ben didn't wake me. Fixing my hair, I pulled on my parka and stepped
outside.  The wind was totally calm, and I didn't see a soul in sight!
Just as I was about to start for the normal gathering area, I heard a
sound behind me and turned.  Eric walked up to me and smiled. "We were
wondering when you'd be waking up."  I smiled sheepishly in return. "Where
is everyone?"  "Malinnga." He motioned for me to follow him. Eric led me
around the east side of the encampment. I hadn't bothered to go this way
before in the past few days we'd been here, thinking there wasn't anything
of interest. A huge snow pile came into view and I could tell that's where
the chanting was coming from.  I didn't quite know what to make of it, and
stared at the huge mound. "What is that?"  "It's a qaggiq, a giant snow
house. It's tradition to hold our ceremonies in one during the winter
months."  "Everyone's in there?" I asked, wondering how 60 or 70 people
could possibly fit. Of course, it was hard to tell it's exact size from
the outside,everything blended in with the landscape.  Eric nodded and
started walking towards it again. The closer we came to the opening, the
louder the laughing, chanting, drums and singing became. Once inside, I
took a moment to let my eyes adjust to the light. The warmth was immediate
and I removed my parka. Eric took it from me and placed it by the entrance
where a lot of other ones were.  He motioned for me to move further into
the fray and I slowly made my way around people who were dancing, sitting,
and standing. I finally came to where Shaman and Ben were and smiled at
him holding our children. When he noticed me, he gave me one of his
dazzling smiles as I sat beside him.  "Why didn't you wake me?" I asked as
I ran my hand down Ben's arm.  The shaman answered before he could though.
"Your body knows when to wake and when to sleep. You must learn to listen
to it if you are to heal."  Sighing, I kind of figured that was the answer
I'd get from her. "Everyone seems pretty happy. This must be some
ceremony." I commented as Jubie handed me a plate. "Thank you."  I looked
down at the dried Carabu meat on the plate and sighed. I really didn't
know how they could eat this almost day in and day out. Right now I'd kill
or die for some fresh fruit!  "Here, try this. It's an old family recipe."
Eric offered as he held a bowl towards me. "You dip your meat into it." 
Glancing at Ben, he nodded and I noticed he also had some on his plate.
"What is it?" I asked as I scooped some up with the meat.  "Aalu" 
Hesitantly, I took a bite not knowing what to expect. I was surprised to
find it wasn't too bad. Dipping another piece, I looked at Ben and smiled.
He went back to eating his own food.  "This is pretty good. What's in it?"
 Eric and the shaman both seemed pleased that I appreciated their
traditional food, and when shaman nodded, Eric explained not only the
ingredients, but also how to prepare it so I could make it myself.  "You
take choice parts of caribou or seal and you have to make sure the meat is
very lean and clean. Cut it up in tiny pieces and put it in a bowl. Add a
few drops of melted fat. Then add a few drops of blood. Add uruniq to
taste. Stir everything very friskily with your fingers until the volume
doubles and the mixture turns fluffy."	Oh God! I should have *known*
better than to ask that question! You'd think after all this time I've
been with Ben I would have learned. I had my fourth piece in my mouth and
chewing had suddenly become rather hard. I had to ask though, since I was
already this far into it.  "What *exactly* is ur....urny..."  "Uruniq" Ben
corrected me. "That would be ptarmigan intestine."  I tried not to let any
emotion show on my face. The last thing I wanted to do was insult anyone.
As luck would have it, everyone happened to be looking at me at that
moment. At least, that's the way it seemed.  Quietly, I managed to get out
a "thank you" and Ben put his arm around me, rubbing my back slightly.	
"Is there any water?" I asked, hoping I didn't sound too desperate.  Ben,
anticipating my needs like always, handed me a cup. I downed at least half
of it before taking a deep breath and facing everyone. I gave a weak smile
and went back to eating the meat, minus the dip. Everyone went back to
watching the dancers, or trading stories and for that I was grateful.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 

Ray rhythmically tossed the green tennis ball against the wall over and
over as he leaned back in his chair. They were in another tiny hotel room
after trying without success to find a new lead.  

The three of them had visited all the families of the abducted children,
questioned everyone they'd come in contact with, and tried out scenarios
they'd developed without success.  

The past three weeks were taking their toll on all of them, and Ray didn't
know just how much longer he'd be able to go on without losing it. All he
could think of were those little kids going through God knows what, and he
was their only hope of getting back home again.  

He wasn't aware of Meg leaning against the doorway, watching him. After
about 10 minutes, she spoke softly.  

"You know, you don't have to carry the whole world on your shoulders."	

Ray turned around, the front legs of his chair hitting the ground. After a
moment of not knowing what to say, he cleared his throat.  

"Yeah, I know. Just the families of the missing kids."	

Meg sighed as she walked over to him and sat on the edge of his bed as Ray
continued.  

"You know? It's almost Christmas and the only thing I can think of is how
those kids were looking forward to Christmas morning. Waking up to find
presents under the tree, being warm and protected with their families.... 


Now......well, now they're in the middle of a nightmare they can't wake
from." Ray sat forward in his chair and rested his head in his hands. "It
isn't fair. I keep thinking there's something I'm missing, and I don't
like that feeling."  

"We will find them Ray. I know we will. I'm not willing to settle for
less." Her determination flared in her eyes, drawing a smile from Ray. He
nodded, "I know we will. At least there haven't been any more
kidnappings." Ray offered.  

Meg frowned "I know."  

"That's supposed to be a good thing," he reminded her.	

Meg's tone became a little defensive. "I'm well aware of that. However, if
there had been it would have given us at least *some* direction to move
in."  

Ray found himself full of the antsy energy that had been building for the
last week. He jumped up, replacing the chair by the table then dug into
his bag.  

"What are you doing?" Meg asked, a little startled at his sudden movement.
 

"I wanna go over our info again." Though they had memorized it long ago,
he was hoping that there would be something they hadn't seen before.  

Meg gave a decisive nod and walked to the door. When Ray looked at her
inquisitively, she shrugged. "Kowalski will probably want to have a look
also, and we can all use some coffee. I'll be right back."  

She was rewarded with a smile from Ray as she left the room.  

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

Maggie was finishing up the papers on her desk when Frannie knocked on the
door.  

"Are you busy?" the small brunette asked, glancing around.  

"No, come on in. What brings you to Canada?" Maggie asked with a smile.  

Frannie shrugged as she settled in the chair across from her. "I haven't
seen you in awhile, and thought I'd stop by."  

Maggie sat back in her chair and rolled her neck side to side, trying to
loosen stiff muscles.  

"Rough day?" Frannie added.  

"No, not really." Maggie straightened the papers in front of her. "Would
you be able to take me to the airport tomorrow?"  

"Are you going somewhere?" Frannie leaned forward in her chair as she
spoke.	

"Yes. I received a call from Benton earlier today. Analise is out of the
hospital and they've been staying with a nearby Inuit village. He's asked
if I would come up to visit for the holidays and make sure she doesn't
over do herself."  

"I wish I could go too. I really miss her," Frannie admitted. "But hey, at
least you'll get to spend the holidays with family. Ma was going to insist
that you spend Christmas with us. Especially since you missed
Thanksgiving."	

Maggie blushed at the memory. "I'm sorry about that. I was following up on
a lead I had and was out of town."  

"It must have been some case to work on a holiday. Don't Canadians ever
take a break?"	

"Of course we do," Maggie replied, not realizing that Frannie was making a
joke.  

"Hey, maybe you could help me out. Analise asked me to send her some
things, and I was going to mail them out but you can take them with you."
"It'll be my pleasure." Maggie stood and gathered the papers.  

"Where are you going?"	

"I need to turn in my leave forms and then I was going to get something to
eat. Would you care to join me?"  

Frannie shrugged. "Sure, why not? That will give me the chance to tell you
what I decided to do with my life!"  

Maggie looked at her curiously as they left the office.  

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

The singing and dancing continued for the next few hours, and everyone
came by to say hello to Ben and myself at least once. I didn't know what
all the attention was about, but the mood was certainly a light one.  

As if someone had given a signal, all sound stopped at the same time. The
silence that enveloped us was almost deafening and only the youngest of
the children could be heard.  

Shaman came over to us with Eric and another person. "What's going on?" I
asked, and Ben looked over at me and smiled.  

Turning to take my hand, he brought it up to his mouth and kissed my palm.
"I believe this is our bonding ceremony," he explained.  

I was speechless for a moment. "What?"	

"Do you remember when I asked you to bond with me?"  

I nodded "How could I forget?" I answered. It was one of the best moments
of my life.  

"I'm asking you again. Would you do me the honor of bonding with me?"  

My heart was beating a mile a minute. I didn't know what was expected of
me, or what to do. I knew as I looked at Ben, that this was really
important to him, and I wanted to make him happy.  

"Yes, of course I will."  

Ben let out a breath he'd been holding, as if he didn't really know what
my answer might be. He stood and then helped me up. A group of people
surrounded us, and I glanced around. A squeeze from Ben who was still
holding my hands brought my attention back to him.  

Shaman started talking but I couldn't understand what she was saying. When
she stopped, Ben placed his hands on my shoulders. With a gentle caress,
he traced his fingers across the front of my shirt and started to unbutton
the buttons.  

Mixed emotions went through me. I knew there were other people around, but
Ben's eyes held mine as if in a trance. I didn't think I could have
resisted him if I tried. I didn't want to.  

Ben peeled the shirt off my shoulders and let it fall to the covered
ground. I became aware that the chanting around us had started again, but
it was different this time. Ben knelt down and unlaced my mukluks, pulling
them off, and then undid my pants taking extra care not to aggravate my
incision. Once I was standing with only my bra and panties he wrapped his
arms around my waist and pulled me to him.  

Shaman placed her hand on my arm to get my attention. "When two people
bond, they transgress this life. Their spirits are bound together in the
lives to come. Not even death can separate them. Only together are they
whole; they are never alone."  

I nodded, not really knowing if I understood everything she was saying.
Everything seemed fuzzy, but clear at the same time.  

Ben guided my hand to his shirt, and I knew I was supposed to return the
favor for him. When it came to his jeans and boots though, he bent down to
help me. Once we were both standing in only our undergarments, he pulled
me to him again.  

Ben kissed me gently on the lips and I wrapped my arms around his neck
wanting him closer to me. I jumped slightly when I felt something go
around my back, and looked to see a walrus pelt being wrapped around the
two of us. It didn't take long before we were wrapped almost head to toe
in walrus pelts. They were softer than I thought they'd be, but my musings
were cut short as Ben buried his head in my neck and started biting
lightly. I moaned in pleasure and became aware that his hands had snaked
up my back, and were unhooking my bra.	

When those same hands reached down and hooked inside my panties, I
returned the favor and pulled down his boxers. Everything seemed so warm
and right. It felt like there was only the two of us in the entire world!
Smiling mischievously, I let my hands slide down his body and smiled
triumphantly at his sharp intake of breath.  

Everything seemed wild and out of control moving at a dizzying speed
around us! I held onto Ben not only for closeness, but for balance. The
next thing I knew, we were somehow being lifted by dozens of hands and
carried out of the snow house.	

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

Ben held me tightly to him as we were carried out into the below
temperature evening. We were both giggling like school children at the
silliness of the situation, and were joined in laughter by those below us.
 

"Where are they taking us?" I managed to ask between laughs.  

Ben leaned his mouth close to my ear so I could hear him. "Somewhere we
can be alone."	

"Oh my!"  

Though I was wrapped tightly against Ben, my face and feet were feeling
the affects of the night and I was more than a little grateful when we
were carried into a tent of some sorts.  

We were laid on the furs and left alone in record time. Ben was laying
beneath me, and I pushed myself up on my elbows to look around.  

"What is this place?" I asked softly, not understanding my own need to
whisper.  

"It's a sweat lodge. Well, that's not exactly true. Normally it is, but
since your physical condition isn't up to par, there have been a few
modifications made. The most significant being the temperature," he
explained.  

"It seems pretty warm to me," I observed as I took in our surroundings.
There was a fire in the middle of the area with jugs of water beside it
and furs spread out across the floor. In the corner was dried food and I
recognized some of our belongings.  

"It does appear to be about 27 degrees Celsius," he conceded.  

I frowned down at him. "And what exactly would that be in English?" I
teased.  

"82 degrees Fahrenheit."  

Laughing, I bent down to kiss him. When I pulled back I nodded. "That
seems about right to me, Constable --So.....what do we do now?" I
whispered as I nipped a trail up his then gently teased his earlobe with
my teeth.  

His body tensed beneath me and I felt him shudder before hugging me
tighter. "What do you have in mind?" he whispered back.  

I shrugged as I ran a fingernail down his chest between us and across a
nipple. "I don't know. I guess we could always go to sleep......"  

Ben groaned and closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them, I smiled
mischievously at him. "Or, we could do something like this...."  

I shifted so he was between me, and rubbed him gently with my body
movements.  

Ben's hands traced down my back and grasped my rear, pressing me closer to
him, if that was possible. I grimaced slightly as my incision rubbed
against him and he stopped his movements.  

"Did I hurt you?" he asked, his concern prominent. "No, I'm fine. I just
moved the wrong way."  

When he still didn't continue what we had started, I looked down at him.
"I'm fine Ben, really. Come on, I don't want to ruin tonight."	

He shook his head. "You are more important than one night. Perhaps we
should wait until you feel better."  

I wasn't about to let Ben's over protectiveness ruin this moment for us,
and I decided to take more assertive action. I shifted slightly and leaned
back, sighing in ecstasy as he sank into my warmth. I could tell Ben
wasn't expecting me to do that from his reaction, and was happy that he
didn't pull away.  

"Analise" he groaned as he buried his face in my hair. I moved slowly
enjoying the feeling of him inside of me. It had been so long since we had
been together and I didn't want it to ever end!  

After a few moments, Ben joining the slow rhythm I'd set as his hands
caressed me everywhere. The warmth of his lips seared my skin in an erotic
trail across my body. The walrus pelts that still cocooned us limited our
movements somewhat, but I also realized that we had to work together to
achieve even the simplest of goals. That, I realized, must be the whole
purpose of bonding. Learning to work and be together as one....  

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

Stan Kowalski dug through his pockets, producing a small handful of
change. His choice for dinner consisted of a bag of Doritos or a Snickers
bar from the vending machine in front of him. Not the best choices
available, but it was after nine at night and he doubted a better offer
was going to come along.  

Sticking the coins into the machine, he pushed the button, waited.... but
nothing happened.  

"Aw come on! What else can go wrong?" he asked out loud as he started
pushing other buttons on the machine. When that failed to produce results,
he decided to try his age old tried and true method, hitting the side of
the machine with his fist.  

"Aarrgghh!" Stan's frustration grew as the thing refused to cooperate and
he was just about to give it a good kick when a tentative voice behind him
stopped him short.  

"Perhaps I could be of some assistance Sir?"  

"Huh?" Stan turned around as he spoke. "The damn thing ate my money
and---" he froze when he got a look at who had spoken.	

The gentleman behind him stood tall with a goofy smile on his face, his
hands folded neatly in front of him waiting.  

"Turnbull?" Stan asked, not quite believing what he was seeing.  

"It's good to see you again Detective Kowalski" the giant of a man in
front of him couldn't seem to contain himself. 'Giddy' came to Stan's mind
just as Turnbull lunged towards him and gathered him into a crushing bear
hug.  

Turnbull seemed beyond words, he just stood there squeezing the life out
of Stan.  

"Uh......Turnbull? It's...uh....good to see ya too. Think you can let go
of me now?" Stan gasped as he tried to pry the arms off of him.  

Turnbull pulled back and wiped a tear from his eye. "Sorry, it's
just...well...it's been a while since I've seen anyone. What brings you to
YellowKnife?"  

After Stan was convinced he wasn't about to endure another touchy-feely
moment, he shrugged and turned back to the machine, pressing buttons.  

"Me and Vecchio got stuck with the Ice Queen trying to figure out who took
the missing kids."  

Turnbull leaned past Stan. "May I?" He then hit the change return and
scooped it out of the machine. "I believe I've found the problem. You are
trying to use American coins, when all you need is Canadian. Allow me." He
then fished in his pocket for the correct change, inserted it into the
machine, then stepped aside so Stan could make a selection.  

"Thanks," the shorter man mumbled as he bent down to retrieve his dinner. 


"You're most welcome. So Inspector Thatcher and Detective Vecchio are also
here?"	

"Yeah, they're upstairs, probably playing tonsil hockey." Stan opened the
bag and offered Turnbull some Doritos.	

Turnbull clasped his hands together. "I just love hockey! Though I'm not
familiar with the tonsil version, aren't the rooms in this hotel a little
cramped for such a vigorous game?"  

Stan stared blankly at him, wondering, not for the first time, how he ever
became a member of the RCMP. "Yeah, whatever. What brings you up here
anyway?"  

"After leaving Chicago I was assigned to the detachment at Toronto, then
Ottawa. My last commanding officer suggested that I may do better if I
wasn't as close to him, well.... I'm not sure if he meant him in general,
or simply Ottawa. Either way, I arrived this morning and until I can find
suitable quarters I'm staying here."  

Stan let out a small chuckle. "What, ain't there no cardboard boxes in
Canada?"  

"Oh yes Sir! I had thought of that first, and suggested it to my new
commander, he however ordered me to live in more accommodating quarters." 


Stan shrugged. "Bad break buddy." He started back towards the elevator.
"I'm gonna eat dinner and hit the sack. The Ice Queen's been making us get
up before dawn."  

"Detective, if you don't mind my asking, that's your dinner?" Turnbull
motioned towards the half eaten bag of chips.  

"What's wrong with this?"  

Turnbull gave him a look that Stan was certain he hadn't seen since he was
a small boy. "That will not do at all." He took Stan by the elbow and
started guiding him towards the elevator. "Earlier I made a veal and
vegetable stew and have plenty left over. It'll only take a jiffy to warm
up."  

Stan looked around the deserted lobby as he was being guided towards the
open doors of the elevator. "Well....uh....if you don't mind, I guess I
could come up for a little while. You got cable in your room?"	

As the doors shut, Turnbull could be heard saying, "Why yes indeedy, I do!
If you can't find anything suitable to watch though, you could perhaps
teach me how to play this 'tonsil hockey'."  

Had anyone been in the lobby at the time, they would have heard Detective
Stanley Kowalski pounding on the doors as the elevator carried them up to
the fifth floor.  **************  

Meg knocked on the hotel room door with her elbow and waited for Ray to
open it since her hands were full.  

"Here, let me help you with that," Ray said as he took two cups of coffee
from Meg and sat them on the table. "Where's Stan?"  

"I don't know. He wasn't in his room or down in the lobby. I suppose he
decided to go for a walk. I did however leave a note on his door to let
him know what we'll be doing."	

Ray bobbed his head and swallowed nervously past the lump in his throat.
"Ok then, I guess it's just you and me?"  

"It looks that way." Meg smiled at him. "If you don't mind, I'm going to
change into something more comfortable. It's been a long day and I'd like
to relax a little while we go over the information."  

"Sure! Uh.....I mean, no problem. I'll just....uh. I'll change too," Ray
stammered as he mentally kicked himself.  

Meg smiled at him as she opened the door. "I won't be too long."  

Ray stood still as a statue until the door shut behind her, then balled
his hands into fists and raised them in the air in a victory sign. "YES!
Thank you Lord!"  

The moment of triumph lasted all of three seconds before reality struck
him. 'She's going to be in my hotel room, at night, and she's changing
into something more comfortable.....' he thought. Panic started to set in
and he looked around the room. Frantically, he reached over his bed and
picked up the clothes that were strewn about stuffing them into a drawer,
then went over to the lights and lowered them until he had a 'candlelight
effect'.  

Looking around the room to make sure nothing else was out of place, he
caught his reflection in the mirror and ran a hand through his almost non
existent hair. "Yeah, tonight's your night," he told the image smiling
back at him, then paused.  

Sniffing the air, he looked at his armpit. "Oh geez!" Running into the
bathroom, he pulled off his shirt and gave himself a quick washing at the
sink, then added extra deodorant before putting on a clean shirt.  

Deciding a teeth brushing was in order, he quickly took care of that and
then doused himself with his favorite cologne.	

Not wanting to appear too anxious, Ray had chosen a grey sweatshirt with
Blackhawks on the front. He stood in the middle of the room, noticing for
the first time that the double bed seemed to loom compared to the rest of
the furniture. He quickly turned away, not wanting to think about that
right then. Almost like an intruder, Ray heard Fraser's voice inside his
head. "You know Ray, proper preparation prevents poor performance."  

Ray pulled out his suitcase and rummaged into the small zipper pocket. He
sighed in relief when he found the foil coins he was looking for and
placed them in the top drawer of the night stand.  

"Look casual" he told himself as he went to the table and pulled a chair
out. He sat back in it, trying to look casual, relaxed. The pose didn't
last long before he jumped up and wiped sweaty hands along his jeans.  

1"Come on, I gotta get it together! She's just a woman. That's all," he
reminded himself as he took the chair, turned it backwards and straddled
it like he'd seen Kowalski do many times.  

"No, that won't work either."  

He put the chair back at the table and sat on the edge of the bed just as
there was a knock at the door causing him to jump a mile high.	

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

I woke to find my body strewn halfway across Ben. My legs were wrapped
with his and we were laying naked on a bed of furs. The walrus pelts were
no longer around us and I figured Ben must have freed us after I fell
asleep....after a wonderful night of love making....  

I smiled at the memory and snaked my leg further up Ben's as I caressed
his chest.  

I stilled when I encountered a part of him that was definitely 'awake' and
just then felt his arms pull me closer.  

"Good morning" he mumbled as he nuzzled my hair, biting a couple of curls
with his lips and pulling lightly.  

"Great morning, actually" I corrected as I shifted on top of him and bit
his lower lip.	

"How are you feeling? You didn't overdo it last night, did you?" he asked,
concerned as always.  

"Nope, as a matter of fact, I was hoping for a repeat performance."  

Ben's eyebrows shot up as he pulled back and looked at me. "Which part?"  

Snickering, I tucked my head as I blushed slightly and shrugged my
shoulders. "All of it?"  

"I believe, Mrs. Fraser, that I can accommodate you."  

I laughed as he rolled us over and began to recreate the night before.	

~~~~~~~~~~~~~  

Meg knocked on the door sparing a glance down the corridor. She wasn't
sure exactly what she was expecting to see, but for some odd reason the
image of a blond haired cop came to mind. Before she had time to ponder
any further on the subject, the door opened and she was face to face with
Ray.  

"I hope I didn't take too long" she said as she walked into the room.  

"No! No.....I uh...was just about to get started." Meg nodded and went
over to the table.  

Taking the lid off her coffee, she took a tentative sip as she scanned the
contents of the table, sensing something, she froze.  

"What?" She asked, not turning around.	

Ray jumped. "Huh?"  

"You're staring at me, I can feel it. The question is...." She turned to
face him. "Why?"  

"Oh! I'm sorry. It's just when you said you were going to change into
something more comfortable, I wasn't expecting.....well....that." He
motioned towards her outfit.  

Meg looked down at her Toronto Maple Leafs sweatshirt wondering if she had
a stain on it.	

"Is something wrong with my attire?"  

Ray, back in his element after the awkward moment, smiled his trademark
grin. "Well.....no. Not if you're a Leafs fan. I mean, they lost 5-2 by
the Blackhawks last game."  

Meg folded her arms "I am a Leafs fan and I'm sure they'll turn that score
around when they play the Blackhawks next time."  

Ray scoffed. "Really? What makes you think they'll be able to win next
time?"	

"There's really nothing to think about. The Leafs happen to be the
superior team when it comes to skill, it's just a matter of time."  

Ray looked at her strangely. "Yeah, if you wanna think that go ahead.
Besides, I didn't think you followed hockey."  

Meg smiled as she sensuously sat down at the table. "I guess there's a lot
about me you don't know."  

Ray swallowed visibly as he joined her at the table. "Yet...." He added as
her jaw dropped open.  

Ray was too nervous to hold her gaze. It was if he portrayed an open book
to her as he melted into her eyes. Tearing his gaze away, he looked over
the folders on the table. Sifting through the pile, he handed one to Meg,
and opened a second for himself.  

Meg squinted at her folder for a few moments before looking back to Ray.
"Isn't it a little dim for reviewing paperwork?" She asked, and was
surprised when he started to fidget in his chair.  

"I, uh, hadn't noticed." He went back to pretended to concentrate on the
file in front of him.  

Meg took a sharp intake of breath. 'So, what else does he have planned?'
She thought to herself as she looked around the room. She noticed it was
cleaner than it had been, and taking in his appearance, she sniffed the
air. 'Cologne'. Meg smiled when she realized what Ray must have been
thinking. Not that it was such a bad idea, she told herself, but he
certainly was presumptuous.... Maybe a little *too* presumptuous....  

She almost laughed out loud when she thought of a way to teach him a small
lesson.  

"Something the matter?" Ray asked, bringing her out of her musings.  

"No, nothing at all. As a matter of fact, everything's....perfect."  

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

Stan breathed a sigh of relief as he walked out into the hallway. Trying
to explain to Turnbull exactly what tonsil hockey consisted of was hard
enough, but dealing with his reaction afterwards was almost next to
impossible.  

The six foot tall Mountie blushed every color crimson in the book, then
started babbling incoherently for 15 minutes before Stan sat him in a
chair and bent him over so Turnbull's head was between his knees. For a
minute, he thought the man was going to pass out.  

"You really don't gotta walk me back to my room Turnbull." Stan spoke to
the man's back as he shut the door.  

"It's no trouble at all, I feel I somewhat owe you for your..er...tact,
earlier."  

They started walking down the hallway and Turnbull jogged ahead of him to
push the elevator button. When the doors opened, he motioned for Stan to
go first.  

Stan was reaching over to push the button when Turnbull quickly reached
out and beat him to it. Sighing, Stan leaned against the wall waiting for
his floor.  

When the doors opened and they reached Stan's room, the first thing they
noticed was a piece of paper wedged in the door.  

Stan pulled it out before Turnbull could be 'helpful' and frowned
slightly.  

"I hope you haven't received any ill news," Turnbull offered as he tried
to peer at the note.  

"Naw, Vecchio and the Ice Queen are going over the case again, and she's
basically telling me I gotta go too." Stan crumpled the note and unlocked
his door. When he was halfway through, he threw a "Night Turnbull" over
his shoulder to the blond man.	

Turnbull gave him a bewildered look. "If I may ask, aren't you going to
meet with them?"  

"I never was really good at following orders," he smiled at the Mountie.  

Turnbull's mouth opened and closed like a fish as a look of panic settled
in his eyes. "Oh, but you must! You can't disobey a direct order,
certainly not from Inspector Thatcher! She can be quite persistent and---"
 

Stan cut him off as his patience started to wear thin. "Are you going to
keep this up all night?"  

"Well... if that's what it takes. Really Detective, you should at least go
and see if you can be of any assistance. I'll go with you if you'd like.
After all, I haven't seen the Inspector or Detective Vecchio in quite a
few years." Turnbull was smiling ear to ear and Stan knew it meant a lot
to him.  

Sighing, he shut the door behind him. "Don't get yer knickers twisted. You
can go with me, but I'm not planning on staying long."	

"Oh goodie!" Turnbull practically bounced with anticipation waiting for
Stan to lead the way.  

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

I leaned back into Ben's embrace as we watched some of the villagers
perform for everyone. The air was freezing, but our layers of clothing and
animal skins kept us comfortable. Robert was laying on my stomach, asleep,
and Jacinda was half laying on a fur and using Ben's leg as a pillow. The
past 24 hours had been perfect to me. Though I'd had my doubts, the
bonding ceremony was the best thing that could have happened to us. All
day today Ben had been very affectionate, and also he seemed to have
backed down on his over protectiveness! I took my right hand and placed it
on his inner thigh, idly moving it back and forth. I felt Ben nuzzle my
hair and sigh deeply as he wrapped his free arm, the one that wasn't
placed on Jacinda, around me tighter.  

"They're very good," Ben commented and I glanced up at him. He was
intently watching the dancers/actors as he spoke. I turned my attention
back to them and nodded.  

When I didn't answer right away, he shifted to get a better look at me.
"Are you tired?"  

I shrugged. "A little."  

"You were up late last night," he conceded, "perhaps you should turn in?" 


I sat up and Ben lifted Robert onto the now free side of his lap. "I think
I'm going to stretch my legs first. I'll be back in a few."  

"Be careful."  

I smiled in reply as I started walking around the outskirts of the camp.
My eyes skimmed the surrounding fires, and I watched a group of children
playing near one of the tents.	

I spotted a child staring at me from the side of an igloo, not quite by
the other children. She turned and the light caught her face. I knew it! I
quickly started towards her but Eric appeared, blocking my way.  

"Analise, have you seen the carving Joe made? It is an old style Inuksuk
that was torn down by the government before Inuit rights were
established."  

"Maybe later." I brushed past Eric only to find the child had disappeared.
This was the third time I knew I had seen her, and no matter what Ben
said, I knew she wasn't Inuit!	

I hurried over to where I'd last seen her but she was gone. Thinking she
might have joined the other children, I looked, but they had all
scattered. Wrapping my arms around myself, I sighed.  

The sound of crunching snow came closer and I wasn't surprised to see Ben
come up to stand beside me.  

"It was her Ben. I know it. I saw her again. She was standing right over
there."  

He wrapped his arms around me, and pulled me closer to him. "Analise,
please. We've asked Eric, and I've talked with others around the camp.
There is no little girl."  

I turned angrily at him. "I *saw* her Ben! Three times! Are you calling me
a liar?"  

"I believe, you believe you saw a child. I'm thinking that maybe you've
mistaken one of the Inuit children for...."  

I interrupted him. "I didn't mistake anything Ben. I saw a little white
girl with brown hair. She was maybe three or four years old." My voice was
low as I spoke. I was hurt that he didn't believe me, but I was starting
to wonder myself if I was losing my mind.  

"Come on, it's late. Things will seem clearer in the morning." He led me
back to our igloo and I glanced over my shoulder one last time, but only
the moonlight glistening off the snow was to be seen.  

Ben quickly closed the flap of the igloo, and stretched, taking a deep
breath of moring air. He was genuinely worried for Analise. He knew if she
said she'd seen a child, then there had to be a child. He walked back over
to the place he and Analise had been standing last night and looked out
over the wide expanse of white. His trained eyes noticed some indentations
in the snow and he carefully made his way over to them.  

A light dusting had fallen last night, obscuring most of the tracks, but
there were a few that were still visible. He hunkered down and studied the
evidence before him. Wanting a clearer view, he pulled a small pouch of
black powder from his parka and sprinkled it lightly over the
indentations. The footprints of a child became visible, and he deduced the
child was about 4 years of age. 'So Analise really did see her,' he mused.
 

This posed more questions than answers now. Was the child white? He was
almost certain she had to be. Analise said she had seen her on three
separate occasions. Why was the village hiding her? And where were her
parents?  

Knowing he was going to get answers, for Analise's sake if nothing else,
Ben headed over to the shaman's igloo. He shook the rattle on the outside,
and was surprised to hear 'enter' so soon. It was early.  

He pulled the flap back, and was further surprised to see Eric, as well as
a few elders, sitting with Shaman by the fire.	

"Have a seat."	

Ben looked around a moment longer, then tentatively sat down. "You were
expecting me." It was a statement, not a question.  

"We knew you would find out about the child," Eric said.  

Ben's anger started to rise. For days they had evaded his questions
concerning the child.  

"Why did you keep her a secret?" he demanded to know. "Where did she come
from? Where are her parents?"  

"Patience, all of your questions will be answered." The Shaman nodded to a
woman who brought him a cup of tea as she spoke.  

"One of our hunters found her last week. She was almost frozen to death.
He discovered she had been bit by a tundra beetle and brought her back
here. We were able to remove the poison."  

"Where are her parents?" Ben repeated when Eric finished speaking.  

He shrugged. "I don't know. She was found near an avalanche. They may have
been killed."  

Ben's anger was getting the best of him. "Why didn't you notify the
authorities? We could have put a search party out for them. They're
probably dead by now!" He stood to go, but the Shaman stopped him.  

"Sit down!" Her tone was no nonsense and all eyes watched Ben. He took his
seat again and Shaman continued.  

"We looked for her parents, but no sign was ever found."  

"That doesn't explain why you've kept her. This should have been reported
immediately." Ben absentmindedly placed his tea by the fire.  

Eric spoke next. "The spirits spoke to me that night. I saw a wolf
surrounded by a flock of ravens. The rest of his pack was gone, and the
wolf, being heartbroken, laid down to let the Konquk take him. As the
ravens neared, they'd peck at him, wearing him down. At the last moment,
the wolf decided to live, and turned to attack the nearest raven, biting
some feathers off as it flew away. Though the ravens had left, the wolf
was too weak to hunt and survive on its own. A caribu came across the
injured wolf then, and though the caribu was wary, saw the wolf needed
help and gathered its own herd around him until he was well enough to
survive. Instead of leaving once it was healed, the wolf became the
protector of the caribu, living with them forever."  

Ben rubbed his eyebrow as he took in the information. "I still don't see
how this pertains to the child."  

Eric dug into his pocket and produced a feather. "When I checked on her
the next morning, she had this in her hand. The hunter who'd found her had
just killed a caribu and was bringing it back to the village."	

"I would like to see her."  

Shaman nodded. "After you and Analise have had something to eat. It is
still early, and she's still sleeping."  

Ben stood to go, but before he ducked out of the entrance, he turned back.
 

"Why have you hidden her from us? We're you going to keep her a secret
forever?"  

Shaman made direct eye contact with Ben but didn't speak. He could tell
she was contemplating her answer. "The spirits told you. You were not
ready to listen."  

"What you've done is against the law. If it turns out she's been reported
missing, I'll have no choice but to arrest you."  

Eric nodded, knowing it wasn't likely to happen, and watched as Ben left
the igloo.  

Ben walked slowly back to the igloo, not quite knowing what to make of
everything. The sky was barely a medium grey signaling the dawn of a new
day, though he didn't notice the change. In the least, he thought, his
friends could be charged with kidnapping, even if something had happened
to the child's parents. Though he was suspended, he knew it would still
fall on him to report them if that proved to be the case.  

Another thought that was niggling him was the fact that he had been
hesitant to believe Analise. He knew she'd seen a child, but since his
inquiries yielded no results, he assumed that she'd been mistaken about
the childs heritage.  

The only thing to do now was to go back to the igloo and wait for Analise
to wake up and tell her the news.  

Ducking into the opening, he removed his parka and gloves quietly as he
looked at his sleeping family. Analise was lying on her stomach by the
small fire, and Dief was laying half across her with his head resting on
his paws. Though the wolf looked up when he entered, he showed no
inclination to move, and after a moment, ignored Ben.  

She seemed so peaceful with the way her hair cascaded across her bent
arms, and he knew he wanted to capture that moment forever.  

Ben rummaged through his rucksack and produced his journal. Turning to a
new page, he began to lovingly draw the features he'd memorized in his
heart long ago.  

So intent was he on capturing her essence, he didn't notice at first that
she had awaken and was looking at him with solemn eyes. When he finally
realized she was watching him, he stopped and blushed slightly until she
gave him a smile and a nod that silently told him to continue.	

Ben smiled in return and continued to sketch for another few minutes
before moving to sit beside Analise. He turned the pad to her as she
rolled over, causing Dief to give an indignant woof at being disturbed.  

I sat up and took the small book from Ben as he wrapped his arm around me.
"It's beautiful," I whispered, so I wouldn't disturb the babies.  

"I only draw what I see," he murmured by my ear as I leaned into him.  

"So, do you always draw me in my sleep?" I asked, half teasingly.  

He blushed a little. "I have taken advantage of a few opportunities. Does
that bother you?"  

I shook my head no, but curiosity got the better of me.  

"May I see them?"  

Ben tugged on his ear while he thought about it, then agreed with a nod of
his head.  

I turned the pages of the small book, making sure not to read any of the
writing, until I came to the first picture.  

It was of me laying in the hospital, sleeping. There were a lot of
machines in the background, and I realized it must have been near the
beginning of my stay. I glanced at Ben, but he was staring at the drawing
with a frown. I turned the page quickly before bad memories got the better
of us.	

The next picture was farther back and it was of the twins laying on the
floor of the cabin with Dief. I smiled at the antics of Robert trying to
eat Dief's fur while Jacinda pulled on his ears.  

"You draw beautifully."  

Ben didn't answer me, but when he started to fidget, I knew that I'd made
him uncomfortable with my praise. I shut the book and handed it to him.  

Reaching up, I turned his head toward mine and brushed my lips across his.
"Have I told you how much I love you today?"  

His lips curved into a smile against mine. "Not that I recall."  

"Hmm…then I guess I'll just have to remedy that." I wrapped both my arms
around him as I pulled him into a deep kiss. I barely sought entry before
he opened to me, pulling me close.  

Dief snorted at the two of us, and trotted out of the igloo. Wanting to
play, I leaned forward causing Ben to fall onto the furs beneath us. He
held me to him as his hands splayed across my back.  

"I have something to tell you," Ben informed me as I lightly traced my
fingers along his eyebrows, nose, lips, and jaw line.  

"What's that?"	

Ben cleared his throat and his eyes darted towards the fire. I pulled
myself up on my elbows and looked down at him.	

"What is it Ben?"  

"You were correct."  

"Ohh… I like to hear that!" I teased as I nipped at his jaw, then his
neck.  

"What was I correct about?"  

"There is a little girl."  

I stopped and pulled back to look at him. After a moment I asked, "You saw
her too?"  

"Well, not exactly."  

"What 'exactly' does that mean?" I asked, wondering what he was getting
to.  

"I went back to where you saw her last and found evidence that a child had
been there. Knowing that you hadn't…" Ben cleared his throat before
continuing, "What I mean to say is, I went to the elders where they
confirmed that you did see a child who is not one of them."  

I sat straight up. "I knew it! Who is she? Are her parents around?"  

I cringed when Jacinda started to fuss, and lowered my voice. "I knew I
wasn't imagining it. Who *is* she Ben?"  

I shifted as Ben sat up and picked up JC. "I'm not sure. Apparently last
week one of their hunters found her out on the tundra. No one else was
around. She couldn't have been out there long, or she would have died of
hypothermia. After bringing her back to the village so she could receive
medical attention, they conducted a search of the area but no signs were
found of her origins. A storm had settled in before they could look, and
any tracks there may have been were destroyed."  

"Why didn't they report it? Certainly someone must have reported her, or
her family missing by now." I took a sharp breath "Do you think she could
be one of the missing children?"  

"That is a possibility."  

Meg placed the file she was reading on the table, then stretched sinuously
like a cat. Her back arched away from the chair, causing her breasts to
become Ray's focal point. Pretending not to notice his stare, Meg placed
both hands behind her neck and rubbed an offending muscle.  

"I didn't realize how late it had become." She commented, and smiled when
Ray jumped slightly before tearing his eyes away to her face.  

"You wanna call it quits for tonight?" He asked, trying not to show any
emotion.  

"Perhaps that would be for the best. We've already been over this
information a million times, and there doesn't appear to be any new
leads."  

Ray's shoulders slumped as he nodded in agreement. When Meg went to stand,
she let out a small moan as her hand found her lower back.  

"Stiff?"  

Meg shrugged. "A little. I'm sure it'll go away as soon as I start
moving."  

Ray didn't hesitate to move behind Meg and she jumped slightly when she
felt his hands on her back. "What are you doing?" She asked as she turned
her head to see.  

"Nothing. Just relax."	

Meg was about to protest again when his fingers pressed into a knotted
muscle. She let out a sigh of relief, and wasn't aware when she sank back
into his touch.  

The close proximity was hard enough for Ray to deal with, but when he
heard Meg moan and lean against him, he almost lost control as he leaned
his head closer to her neck. It was all he could do not to kiss the soft
skin millimeters from his lips.  

It came as almost an electric jolt to Meg when she realized how relaxed
she'd become as she leaned against Ray. She was about to snap at him when
she thought this would be the perfect opportunity for her to 'pay him
back.' Hiding a smile, Meg quickly spun around to face him and stopped
short.	

The last thing she expected was the look of pain and longing in his eyes,
the same look she'd seen reflected back at herself everyday in the mirror.
Letting out a breath, a thousand thoughts went through her mind at the
same time. Scenarios of what their future could be like, of their home
life....  

Knowing she couldn't go through with her plan was her first realization.
The second one saddened her more than she would have thought.  

"Ray...." Meg started in barely a whisper. He took that as a sign that she
was feeling the same things he was, and moved closer. Meg held up a hand
that lightly touched his chest as his hands found her waist.  

"Please, don't. I......this isn't right." She continued in a quivering
voice as he strained to hear. "We're too different. We're from different
backgrounds, different places. I couldn't stay in Chicago forever anymore
than you could live in Toronto."  

Meg backed away from him a step until his hands dropped by his sides,
fists clenched.  

"I think we need to keep our relationship on a more professional level."  

Ray listened to her excuses as she schooled her features. He didn't
believe she wanted that anymore than he did.  

Ray moved closer to her once again, but made sure not to touch her. "Kiss
me."  

Meg stared at him wide-eyed, mouth agape. Ray took another step to her and
explained. "If you can kiss me, and tell me that you feel nothing for me
at all, then I'll walk away. Simple enough."  

Meg knew that there was only two ways out of his challenge. Neither looked
too appealing. She turned away from him as she folded her arms
protectively across her chest. Turned away from those green eyes that were
burning into her.  

"That's ridiculous. A kiss can't determine what logic dictates. There's
more at stake here than some childish game---"	

Ray spun her around and took her into his arms. "This is right. I know you
can feel it too. What are you afraid of?" He whispered as his cheek rested
against hers.  

Meg bristled at his words and when he pulled back to look at her, he must
have seen something in her eyes which caused him to stop short. After a
brief moment of indecision, he cupped her cheek and ran a thumb across her
lips, noting that her lower one trembled ever so slightly.  

"I'm not willing to give up on this."  

"There's nothing to give up on, Detective. Whatever you may have imagined
existed between us, was all in your mind." Meg tried to keep her words
neutral as she spoke, but wasn't sure if she succeeded.  

Ray looked thoughtful for a moment as he stared at her. Leaning forward,
he wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and stilled her as his
lips descended on hers.  

Meg gasped, and after the faintest of touches, Ray pulled back, then took
a step back. His voice was low and husky when he spoke.  

"Friends, then."  

Meg fought to find her resolve, then nodded. "Friends" she managed to
agree. Knowing it was getting exceedingly difficult to listen to her head,
and not her heart, Meg stepped backwards the few steps towards the door.  

"I'll see you in the morning." As she reached for the knob, someone
knocked on the door causing her to jump.  

"Yo, you two decent in there? I got a surprise for ya."  

A fleeting look of panic washed over Ray and Meg as they looked at each
other. As Ray moved to the door, Meg stepped away and wiped her eyes with
the back of her hand, making sure no unwanted tears had escaped.  

As Ray opened the door, he spoke. "Look Stan, now's not a good time to--" 


He was cut short as Turnbull grabbed him into a huge bear hug.	

"Detective Vecchio! It's very good to see you again! How's your family?"  

Meg turned, confused, as she tried to make out who was at the door. The
voice seemed very familiar, but with the inner turmoil she was
experiencing, she couldn't quite place it. Stan squeezed in the room
opening the door wider, and Meg was able to see Turnbull squeezing the
life out of Ray, much like an anaconda.  

"Turnbull?"  

"Inspector Thatcher!" Turnbull dropped Ray instantaneously and snapped to
attention. The sight was almost comical with Ray doubled over trying to
catch his breath, and Turnbull showing so much self restraint.	

"Next time, how about a handshake?" Ray suggested as he caught his wind
and staggered back into the room.  

"At ease Constable. You don't work under my command anymore. It is still
Constable, isn't it?" She asked as Turnbull's goofy grin reappeared.  

"Oh yes, ma'am. I must say, it certainly is good to see you again!"  

"The sentiments are returned Turnbull."  

Stan stood smirking by the bed, arms crossed. "Is that what you Canadian's
call a welcome? Come on, you haven't seen each other in a few years. Can't
you give each other a hug?"  

Meg glared at Stan and missed the lunge Turnbull made for her. Before she
knew it, she was scooped up in those powerful arms as her feet dangled
about a foot off the floor.  

"Turnbull! Put......me.......down." Meg showed unbelievable restraint as
she spoke, and glared at Stan as the tall Mountie complied. She took a
step towards him when Ray pulled her back by the arm.  

"What are you doing here Turnbull?" Ray asked, trying to divert Meg's
attention away from killing his partner.  

"I've recently been stationed here Detective. I must say, I was quite
surprised when I saw Detective Kowalski downstairs. Rest assured, it was a
pleasant surprise." He quickly added.  

"It's good to see you again Turnbull, but if you'll excuse me, it's been a
long day and I'm tired." Meg walked to the door. "Of course, don't allow
that to stop the three of you from catching up."  

"Goodnight ma'am. Sleep tight." Turnbull smiled at her, not missing a
beat.  

"Yeah, I'm gonna go too." Stan added as he made a move for the door.  

"Don't even try it!" Ray threatened as he eyed the overgrown boy scout.
There was no way Kowalski was going to leave him stuck by himself. It was
already late, and Turnbull could go on forever.  

"Since you missed our meeting earlier Detective, I suggest you allow
Detective Vecchio to brief you on the details before you retire." Meg
smiled evilly at him. Paybacks were sweet after all.....  

Before he could protest, Meg bid good bye making sure not to make direct
eye contact with Ray, and shut the door.  

Leaning against the wall, she breathed a sigh of relief as she calmed her
nerves and made her way to her room.  

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

Ben waited patiently as I finished dressing, fidgeting with the layers. I
didn't know why, but I was nervous about meeting the girl. It was as if
something very important was going to happen, but I didn't know what.  

I took a deep breath and looked up at Ben.  

"Ready?"  

I nodded and took his outstretched hand as we left the igloo. Ben squeezed
it lightly as he glanced at me, giving me reassurance.	

I laughed nervously. "I don't know why I'm so jittery. I mean, she's just
a little girl, right?"	

"Right."  

We approached Eric who was sitting by the main fire in the center of the
igloos.  

"We're here" I cheerfully announced as I looked around.  

He must have known what I was thinking, not that it was very hard to
figure out.  

"Jubi's bringing her out. Have a seat." He motioned to some fur covered
snow mounds as I heard a yell behind me.  

"Mommy!"  

Ben and I turned to see the girl run up to us, well me, and stop short.
Her smile disappeared and her bottom lip trembled as she looked down. My
heart went out to her and I knelt down.  

"Oh honey, I'm not your mommy." I touched her arm gently as I spoke and
she pulled back angrily. She didn't speak as she wrapped her arms around
Jubi's leg and turned her head away.  

I looked up at Ben and I could tell he was also moved. He joined me as he
studied the child, trying to decide on the best approach I suppose. After
a moment, he motioned to Dief who'd been lounging nearby. The wolf seemed
to know what was expected of him without further encouragement as he
whined and nuzzled the girl's hand.  

When she turned her head towards him, he proceeded to lick her face to
distraction. Pretty soon, she was petting him and using him as her
'shield'.  

"His name's Diefenbaker, but you can call him Dief."  

She quickly turned her head away from Ben and wrapped an arm around Dief. 


"You know, he can't be properly introduced unless he knows your name
also." Ben added, but no response was forthcoming.  

"My name is Constable Benton Fraser, of the RCMP."  

The child's head snapped up to look at him then, and she simply stared
wide-eyed. "This is my wife, Analise." Ben motioned towards me, but she
didn't even blink.  

"Can you tell us your name?"  

She didn't speak and after a few moments, Jubi nudged her motioning
towards the fire. Almost mechanically, she complied, never losing her grip
on Dief.  

I sat next to her, making sure to keep a good space between us, and Ben
sat on the other side of me.  

"Has she told any of you of her origins? Perhaps her name, or her parents
names?" Ben asked Eric.  

"No. She hasn't spoken since we've found her....until now."  

Ben nodded in understanding, and I just wished someone would explain it to
me!  

"How old are you sweetheart?" I asked, hoping she'd answer. She turned her
head and slid a few inches away from me.  

Shaman picked that moment to join us. "So, I see you've met our little
visitor."  

Eric stood to help her sit down beside him. Once she was situated, she
looked around at all of us. "She seems to be fixated with you Analise."  

I shook my head no and quietly explained. "She thought I was her mother." 


"She spoke?" Shaman asked surprised.  

"Only that one word." Eric explained.  

"She hasn't talked to anyone since she's been here?" Ben asked, eyeing the
child who was staring at him again.  

After a few moments with everyone talking, the little girl stood and
cautiously made her way over to Ben. Without looking at him directly, she
snuggled into his arms as she climbed onto his lap.  

Ben was as surprised as everyone else, but quickly wrapped his arms around
her, cuddling her close. The conversation continued on for a little while
longer, everyone focusing on the child, but she didn't seem to notice.	

"I'm going to check on the twins." I said, and leaned over to give Ben a
kiss on the cheek.  

"Would you like me to go with you?" He asked, and I smiled down at the two
of them as I stood.  

"I think you have your hands full as it is. I'll be right back."  

Ben followed Analise with his eyes until a throat being cleared brought
his attention back to the present. He blushed slightly and decided that
now would be the best time to bring up the subject on his mind.  

"When we leave here, I'll need to take her with us. Headquarters will put
out a search for her family, and also look for relatives. She could also
be one of the missing children we've been searching for."  

"What if no one's found?" Jubi asked.  

Ben looked thoughtfully at the fire. "She'll probably be placed in a
temporary care facility until it's proven she's orphaned...if that's the
case. After all efforts have been exhausted, she'll probably be placed for
adoption with a good family."  

"That isn't her destiny." Shaman interrupted.  

Ben sighed. He knew it wasn't going to be easy to convince the Inuit that
she was simply a lost child, not their 'protector' as they seemed to
believe.  

"It's the law. Certain steps must be taken first. If she does become a
ward of the court, then you can petition to become her legal guardians."  

A small group of men approached the fire and the girl clung to Ben
tightly, burring her face in his parka.  

"Shh, it's alright" he reassured her as he rubbed small circles on her
back.  

Eric stood and took the rifle that was offered to him. "It's time for the
hunt. Are you coming?"	

"Of course." Ben tried to place the girl down, but she wouldn't let go of
him. "I'll return shortly" he promised, and nodded to Jubi who helped pry
the child away from him.  

She didn't speak but her lower lip jutted out as she stared at Ben, eyes
full of doubt.	

"I promise." Ben took a weapon from one of the hunters, thanking him, and
looked around the village to say good bye to Analise before leaving.  

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

I rubbed Robert's back gently before pulling another blanket around him.
He and Jacinda were both sound asleep, and I didn't think anything would
be able to wake them at this point.  

Stifling a yawn, I pulled my outer clothes off and unlaced my mukluks.
This would be the first night since my.....incident.....that Ben wouldn't
be here with me, and I had to admit, I wasn't looking forward to the idea
of sleeping alone. What was even harder to believe, is that Dief actually
went willingly with him. It seemed odd not to have the wolf around in
Ben's absence.	

Sighing, I stirred the small fire. Satisfied it wouldn't go out for the
night, I reached for my rucksack and pulled out my medication. I stared at
the small vial for the longest, trying to remember the last time I didn't
feel any pain or discomfort.  

I knew I shouldn't dwell on things like that, but it didn't stop the
feelings from being there. I lifted my shirt and examined the angry skin
on my side. It felt numb to the touch where the nerve endings had been
severed. Though the scar was healing, it was an ugly reminder of how alone
I had been: Of how I had almost lost everyone I cared about.  

Something else caught my eye, and I slowly traced the silvery threads
across my abdomen. At least they were a happy reminder of the twins...that
made them easier to bear.  

I glanced at the medicine bottle again with disdain before scooping it up
and tossing it back into my rucksack. I was sick and tired of taking
medicine! Of being ill! And mostly, I was sick of the pain!  

Angrily, I swiped at a tear as I tugged my shirt back in place and turned
to pull back the furs to lay down.  

"Aaahh!" I let out a startled scream when I saw Ben squatting in the
entrance way, Dief behind him trying to nose past the man. My mouth hung
open as my heart beat wildly. I felt guilty but couldn't figure out why.
It wasn't as if I'd done anything wrong.  

"When did you get back?" I managed to whisper in a semi-calm voice.  

Ben didn't speak as he came the rest of the way in and sat his gear down.
Dief trotted over to the twins and sniffed them thoroughly before laying
down beside them contentedly.  

Ben shucked his parka and mittens off, then made quick work of his
mukluks. "A few minutes ago."  

I nodded as my arms folded defensively across my chest. I knew he had to
have seen my moment of self-pity, and I felt humiliated for giving into
the emotions.  

The silence stretched between us, and I forced myself to speak. "How did
the hunt go?"  

"Good. We managed to bring back 3 caribou." Ben turned to get under the
covers and stopped when he caught sight of my rucksack. I was bracing
myself for a lecture, knowing full well he knew I hadn't taken my
medicine, but Ben didn't say anything as he climbed between the covers,
holding a side open for me.  

Hesitantly, I crawled in beside him, and he covered me before wrapping his
arms around me. Sighing contentedly, Ben inhaled deeply before placing a
kiss on my exposed neck.  

"I missed you." I whispered, and felt him tighten his hold on me.  

"And I, you."  

After a few more moments, curiosity got the better of me, and I had to
ask.  

"You aren't going to say anything?"  

Ben sighed again, an irritated sigh, before he spoke. "Analise, you're a
grown woman, and you've said yourself, many times, that you don't need me
to babysit you. If you......refuse.....to take you medication, regardless
of how I feel, that's your decision. We both know you need to finish all
of it for the threat of infection to be eradicated. If you choose to play
'Russian roulette' with your health, then who am I to say any different?" 


Ben's voice held a definite edge as he spoke, and I could tell he was
angry, as well as tired.  

"You don't have to get snippy about it."  

"I am not 'getting snippy'. I'm simply stating the facts."  

Damn that man was infuriating at times! "Fine!" I sat up and flung the
covers back. "You want me to take the damn pills? I will. But there's no
need for sarcasm. Did you ever think that maybe I'm tired of looking like
this? Of feeling like this? It isn't easy for me, you know. I just want it
all to go away!"  

I had yanked at the rucksack as I spoke, and fought with the childproof
bottle. When it finally did open, the contents flew everywhere.  

"Great! Just what I needed."  

Ben sat up and took me into his arms as I gathered the offending capsules.
"I'm sorry." He quietly stated.  

"What are you apologizing for now?" I snapped, still full of anger at
myself, and frustration.  

"I should have taken into consideration how you were feeling. You're
correct. My reaction was uncalled for."  

Guiltily, I buried my head into his chest. "No, I'm the one who should
apologize. I know how important it is, but it's just......I don't know.
I'm just so sick and tired of feeling like this."  

Ben caressed my hair and rocked us in a gentle, soothing motion. I knew he
was tired, and pulled back, smiling at him slightly. I didn't quite meet
his eyes as I reached for a pill and the water bottle. It seemed hard to
swallow, but I managed to get the offending item down before turning back
to him.  

"Let's go to sleep," I whispered as I gently pushed him down onto the
furs. He didn't protest as he fell backwards, and also didn't hesitate to
pull me into his embrace as I covered us up.  

Cold....... I was so cold and I tucked myself into a tight ball, trying to
find some warmth. It didn't help and I forced myself to open my eyes. The
cold, hard surface beneath me left me confused, and I pushed myself up to
groggily look around the igloo.  

The babies were still sleeping, covered as usual, and Dief was sleeping
beside them. I turned towards Ben and noticed a dark, curly head snuggled
against him, in the spot I normally occupied. I was on the ground cover.  

My stiff muscles protested as I crawled towards the two figures. I pulled
the furs back enough to see the little girl's face peeking out as she laid
halfway across his chest. I rubbed my eyes as I sat back on my heels,
swaying slightly, as I tried to figure out what to do.	

Reaching over and shook Ben, but he didn't budge. "Ben" I whispered.  

Letting out a frustrating groan, I looked around for something I could use
to sleep in. I didn't know what time it was, but all I wanted to do was
collapse. Spying our parkas, I laid his beneath me and covered up with the
other. It didn't cover me completely, but it was better than nothing. I
was too tired to do any more than that. I scooched as close to the fire as
possible and closed my eyes, falling back to sleep almost instantly.  

I felt something go under my legs and back, and then I was being lifted.
Through slitted eyes, I saw a look of concern on Ben's face as he placed
me on the furs. I wanted to say something, but I was so cold...... I
became aware I was shivering, and it was getting progressively worse.  

Ben piled all the furs on me, then turned towards the small fire, adding
fuel to it. Once that was done, he came back over and got under the covers
with me. Ben he blew on my hands and rubbed my arms as he gave me his body
heat.  

"B..Ben?" I stuttered.	

"Shhh, it's all right. Go to sleep."  

"Wh....wh...where is she?"  

"I placed her with the babies. She's fine. Why didn't you wake me?"  

"I tried."  

A coughing fit followed my comment, and Ben held me tighter until I
settled down again.  

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

Ben eyed the child across from him as he cooked breakfast over the small
fire. She hadn't said anything since waking, just stared at him. He
couldn't fathom why she'd come in the middle of the night, or how she
ended up in Analise's spot.  

He scooped the pancakes onto a tin plate and handed them to the child. She
took it and ate greedily, as if she hadn't eaten in days. Ben rubbed a
knuckle across his eyebrow as he studied her, then put a pot over the fire
to boil so he could make Analise tea when she awoke.  

A noise from the small entrance way caught his attention, and Ben turned
to see Eric come in.  

"Fraser, have you seen--?" Eric stopped as he spied the girl. "What's she
doing in here?"  

Ben motioned for him to come in, and whispered in reply, "She showed up
sometime last night."  

"When Jubi woke this morning and she was gone, she panicked. I'll let her
know she's safe."  

Ben nodded and added some spices to an empty cup. "Would you like some
tea? I'm making some for Analise."  

Eric spied the contents Ben was adding to a cup, and knowing the
properties of some, looked critically at Analise. "No thanks, not really a
tea drinker. She's not feeling well?" Eric nodded towards the covers.  

Ben paused before answering. "She had a rough night last night."  

The girl put the plate down and picked up a rag doll, made from animal
skins. She hugged it to her as she stared at the two men.  

"Are you ready to go? Jubi's worried about you," Eric asked.  

The girl ducked her head and scrambled towards Ben, clinging to him with
her little arms. Eric smiled and shook his head. "Looks like you've got a
new friend."  

Ben studied the little girl and his surprise turned to a small. "It
appears so." Clearing his throat, he continued. "I don't mind if she wants
to stay a little while longer. That is, if you don't mind?"  

Eric turned and started on his way out. "Fine with me. You're the first
male she'd let get close to her anyway."  

Ben filed that tidbit of information away with everything else he'd
gathered about the child so far.  

Hearing a noise behind him, he turned to see Analise stirring.	

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

Maggie hoisted her pack as she looked around the small terminal. She knew
Analise didn't know she was coming, but she had to admit she was looking
forward to spending the holidays with her family. Just being around her
niece and nephew made her smile.  

"Andy! How've you been?" Maggie asked, spying her ride.  

"Mac!" He scooped her into his arms and spun her in a circle. "I've
wondered when you were gonna get around to visiting. Did you miss me?"	

Maggie pretended to think seriously on the question, causing Andy to laugh
and give her a little push before pulling her close again, and kissing her
cheek.	

"Thanks for picking me up. I know it's an inconvenience."  

Andy took her bag from her and shook his head. "Nonsense, I've missed my
partner long enough. As a matter of fact, I'll talk to the Sarge if you
want to come back." He looked hopefully at her, as he led them through the
small airport towards his jeep.  

Maggie shook her head and laughed. "I do miss it, but...."  

"Too many memories." Andy finished grimly.  

Maggie nodded slightly. "Yeah.... You do have my brother here though,
certainly he must be taking up some slack!"  

Andy frowned at the mention of Fraser, and shrugged. "I didn't really
spend much time around him. Now since he's been.....well, I haven't seen
him."  

"I heard the Sergeant was pretty upset with him." Maggie hedged, hoping
for more information.  

"That's an understatement. He was outright pissed! The way I heard it, he
went to the hospital and suspended him right there in the room!"  

Maggie stared at him in astonishment. "In the hospital room? With Analise
there?"  

"Yep. I saw him when he came back though, he seemed miserable. Not that
anyone had the guts to ask him if it was true."  

"I hope Benton's alright." Maggie frowned as Andy opened the door to the
jeep for her. "Thank you."  

"I'm sure he's fine. Some of the guys took up a collection and sent some
flowers to his wife. The last I heard she was out of the hospital."  

Maggie nodded. "Benton called me. They stopped by to visit Eric's village
for a few days until I could arrive."  

"So how long are you planning on staying?" Andy asked, hoping it would be
forever.  

"I'm not sure yet. I put in for three weeks from the Consulate, but right
now everything's up in the air."  

Andy cleared his throat "In that case, how about dinner tonight?"  

Maggie smiled at him apologetically. "I was hoping to go directly to the
cabin. I want to be there when they arrive."  

Andy's shoulder's slumped almost imperceptibly, but he quickly
straightened. "Didn't you say you had a package to pick up from the Post?"
 

"Yes, it's from Frannie. Apparently Analise asked her to send some things
along for the holidays."  

"Well, it's Sunday so you won't be able to get it until tomorrow at the
earliest, so what do you say? I cook a pretty mean lasagna?"  

Maggie laughed at him "I've had your cooking before, remember?"  

Andy smiled sheepishly, "Then why don't we both cook?"	

"It's a deal."	

Andy hid the triumphant grin he wore, as he turned the jeep towards his
place.	

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

I stretched and took a deep breath, only to have it end in a coughing fit.
My head pounded and my entire body was stiff.  

"Good morning."  

I focused on Ben and smiled. "What time is it?"  

"Late. You needed your sleep though."  

Looking towards the twins, I spied the girl and remembered last night.	

"Hello there." I smiled at her, but she didn't acknowledge me.	

Moving the covers, I sat up and found a hot cup of tea being placed in my
hands. I sniffed the contents and made a face. Just what did he put *in*
it?  

Ben must have read my mind.  

Clearing his throat, he started. "The tea is well known for staving off
illness. I assure you it doesn't taste as bad as it smells."  

I skeptically raised an eyebrow at him, but took a sip anyway. After
swilling the liquid around, and not finding the horrid taste I thought I
would, I swallowed and offered a smile of thanks.  

Then I leaned over to give Ben a kiss, and was surprised to feel a sharp
pain in my side.  

"Ow!"  

I jerked back and stared at the child. "She elbowed me!" I exclaimed as I
held my side. A few more inches and she would have hit my incision site.  

"Are you alright?" Ben asked concerned.  

I nodded and stared at her as she clung to Ben's arm. Ben pulled her back
so he could face her.  

"Why did you hurt Analise?"  

She didn't answer him, just stared blankly, defiantly at Ben.  

"That is unacceptable behavior, and if you continue to act in that manner,
you will not be welcome in here. Do you understand? An apology is in
order."  

The girl's eyes darted towards me, and her face took on a stubborn set.
She clutched her doll to her chest, lips pressed tight.  

I glanced at Ben who was sitting there, looking confused. "What now
Sherlock?"  

"Well, I'm sure once I've explained to her the reasons her actions were
unacceptable, and the consequences attached, she'll have a different
outlook."  

"Uh-huh. Just make sure you throw a few caribou into your explanation for
good measure."	

"Now that's just silly" he protested as I went to check on the babies. I
smiled in return as I picked up JC.  

"How's mommy's little girl? Hhmm? Did you sleep well?" When I turned back
to the fire, I noticed the child was clutching the doll, white knuckled,
as her little hands squeezed its neck.	

"Ben?" I whispered and he took note of the girl's behavior. He looked back
to me and I shrugged, not knowing what to make of it.  

"Er....perhaps it would be best if we went to get some fresh air?" He
suggested, and lifted the girl, carrying her out of the igloo.	

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 

"She's what?!"	

Ben tugged at the collar of his henley as he cleared his throat. He
avoided making direct eye contact with me as he stuffed his belongings
into his bag.  

"She's....well, I'm......" He took a deep breath and started again. "I
have to take her back to Inuvit. Someone must be looking for her, and a
report has to be filed."  

I folded my arms as I stared at him. "When were you planning on telling
me? We're leaving in an hour, Ben. How long ago had you planned this?"	

Ben glanced at me, then concentrated on his bag again. I sighed as I
walked over and knelt beside him.  

"I know you're trying to do the right thing, but you aren't responsible
for everyone. Yes, she does like you--alot. But look at the way she acts
around me, and don't forget her reaction to Robert and Jacinda."  

"She's been through a very tramatic experience. Her behavior is reflecting
everything she's feeling inside," he quietly replied. "If I thought there
was any danger what-so-ever for you or the children, I wouldn't do this.
She's just a little girl. She's lost everything and she's all alone."  

Ben looked up at me then, and I could tell from his eyes we weren't just
talking about the child anymore.  

"It's not easy to be alone," he finished.  

I leaned over and pulled Ben to me. "I'm sorry. She's more than welcome to
join us. Does she know she's coming along?"  

Ben lifted his hand and caressed my cheek with his thumb, then tucked a
strand of hair behind my ear as he answered. "Yes. Shaman informed her
last evening."	

I leaned into the warmth of his hand as I closed my eyes, then kissed his
palm lightly. The soft murmur of his voice washed over me as he whispered
huskily, "Have I told you how much I love you today?"  

I smiled as I opened my eyes to his look of love. "All the time," I
whispered back, "but a girl likes to hear it alot."  

Ben chuckled as he shook his head. "I love you."  

"I love you too... Come on." I motioned as I picked up my bag. "I want to
go home."  

"Understood."  

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

Ben opened the door while holding Jacinda, then nudged the little girl
into the cabin. I wearily followed him in, and placed Robert down before
lighting the lantern as Ben started the fire in the stove.  

"We're home," I cheerfully announced as I smiled at the child. She'd
barely moved the entire car trip and had yet to speak.	

"I'll warm the bedrooms," Ben announced as he disappeared into the
nursery.  

"Are you hungry?" I asked, and wasn't surprised when she ignored me. At
least with Ben she shows some interest when he talks to her. 'Who am I
kidding? She seems to hang onto his every word!'  

I tried again. "You know, we can't keep calling you 'she', and since you
won't tell us your name, perhaps we should think of one you can use for
the time being. How does that sound?"  

At least she was looking at me now. That was a slight improvement. I
pretended to study her seriously as I rubbed my chin. "Now let's
see.......hhmm......how about Amy?"  

She frowned and I tried to hide a smile. "Ok not Amy. What about....Lori?"
 

She frowned again and turned from me, suddenly finding her doll more
interesting. "I guess not," I muttered, half under my breath.  

Dief picked that moment to come over to the sofa and rest his head on her
lap. She smiled at him as she began petting him.  

"How about Piaraq?" Ben offered from the doorway, before approaching us.  

"It's Inuit, meaning 'wolf cub'. It seems to suit her."  

Ben squatted down and smiled at the child. "What do you think?"  

She leaned forward and hugged him, resting her head on his shoulder.  

"Pe-a-rack?" I asked, trying to pronounce it correctly.  

"Piaraq," Ben corrected, as he released the girl and came to sit beside
me. I couldn't see a difference in the way I pronounced it though.
Wrapping his arm around me, Ben pulled me back to lean against him as he
sank into the couch.  

"Tired?" Ben asked softly.  

"Hhmm. I'll go to bed in a little bit. I'm just soaking it all in."  

Ben looked around the small cabin. "Yes, I have missed being home as
well."	

I turned my face to look at him and smiled. He seemed so relaxed. How many
times had I wished he could stay with me here at the cabin, content like
this?  

I jumped slightly.  

"What?" Ben looked at me, curious as to my reaction.  

"I just realized how close it was to Christmas. We haven't even started
decorating, and we need to get everything for Christmas dinner, and
presents for the children, and--"  

Ben placed his fingers on my lips, silencing me. "We have plenty of time
to prepare. There's no need to work yourself up over it now."  

I arched an eyebrow at Ben but smiled. "I know, I just want everything to
be perfect."  

"It already is."  

I rested my head on his shoulder as I glanced at Piaraq. "I wonder if any
of her family will claim her before then."  

"I'm sure they will."  

"When are you leaving?" I asked. I didn't want him to go, but I knew it
was necessary.	

Ben rubbed his ear as he glanced at me. I sat up, knowing something was
coming.  

"There's something you haven't told me, isn't there?" I asked cautiously. 


"Well, yes. You see, er.....Maggie wanted to spend the holidays with us,
so I told her she was more than welcome. She's arriving in the next day or
two I'm assuming. I thought I'd wait until then to leave."  

"Maggie's coming? When? How? Why didn't you tell me?" I asked, excited
about seeing her again.  

Ben cleared his throat but I held up a hand.  

"You wanted to keep it a surprise, didn't you? I love you so much!" I
declared as I grabbed him into a bear hug.  

Ben hesitantly returned my embrace and sensing something, I pulled back to
look at him.  

"What aren't you telling me?"  

He blushed and started to fidget slightly. "I....uh......asked her to
come."	

As the meaning of his words started to sink in, I realized what he meant.
"You asked her to babysit me?"	

"No! Not exactly. I knew you missed her, as did I, and the holidays aren't
really the time of year to be alone. Everything seemed to work out with
timing and it just seemed like a perfect solution."  

I squinted at Ben. "Just out of curiosity, did you ask her to come before
or after we found out about the girl?"	

He hesitated momentairly before answering. "After."  

I nodded. "That's what I thought."  

"I didn't mean to upset you."  

Sighing, I looked at him. "You didn't upset me Ben. I would love to see
Maggie again. You knew you were going to be leaving to take Piaraq to
Inuvit. I just wish you'd realize that I can take care of myself."  

"I know that you can Analise. I just....well....I do worry about you and
the babies."  

I folded my arms across my chest as I sat back. "If you don't stop acting
like this, I'm not going to be able to stand it much longer."  

"I'll attempt to control my....." He searched for a word, and I readily
supplied one for him.  

"Fretting? Doting? Over-posessiveness? Obsess----"  

"I get your point," He finished, smiling slightly.  

"Good. Cuz I don't want to have this conversation again." I leaned over
and kissed him, then looked around the room. The twins were sleepy, JC
laying on Dief and Robert laying on the throw rug. Even our 'house
guest's' eyes were drooping.  

"Let's get these kids to bed. Where's she going to sleep?"  

Ben hesitated, then spoke softly. "There is one solution...."  

"You'd better not say stick her in our bed."  

Ben smiled slightly at me. "No. The old cot that used to be in the cabin.
It's, uh, in the barn."  

I did a double take. "You still have that?"  

After he told me what Victoria had done to him, and when we got here the
cot was gone. I just assumed that he had Eric get rid of it. I didn't even
remember seeing it in the barn!  

"Yes. I never thought that I'd have to--" He stopped mid-sentence, then
looked down.  

I cradled his head to me. "I know. If you don't want to use it, we can
come up with something else."  

"No" Ben shook his head as he fought his personal demons away. "This is
the easiest solution all around." He stood and donned his parka and
mittens. "I'll be right back. We can set it up in the babies' room."  

I watched as he left, then picked up the babies to get them changed.  

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

After spending almost half the night catching up with Ray and Stan,
Turnbull finally retired to his room -- much to their relief. The alarm
went off way to early as far as Ray was concerned, and he had spent the
last half hour packing his suitcase for yet another road trip. If they
didn't find a break soon he was going to miss Christmas with his family.  

Not that the reason wasn't important enough, he knew Ma would understand,
but lately he'd been thinking a lot about family and he didn't want to
miss out on being with his own.  

A knock at the door brought him out of his reverie, and he opened it to
see a smiling Turnbull, tray in hand.  

"Good morning Ray! I thought you'd like a home cooked breakfast before
heading out. I wasn't quite sure what you'd like so I made an assortment.
There's Belgium waffles, eggs benedict, English muffins, Canadian bacon,
orange juice, milk and," Turnbull leaned in and lowered his voice, though
his smile didn't wane. It was as if he were sharing a particularly
wonderful secret. "French toast."  

Ray nodded wide-eyed at the tray of food Turnbull was holding. He hadn't
had a decent breakfast since leaving Ma's cooking. "You shouldn't of."	

Turnbull brushed past him into the room, dismissing the Italian with a
wave of his hand.  

"Oh piddle-e-poo. After I retired for the evening, I found I wasn't tired
so I decided to do something for my friends."  

The meaning of his words sank in and Ray felt a twinge of guilt. He never
really considered the tall Mountie his friend.	

"So uh, you made breakfast for Kowalski and Thatcher?"	

"Oh yes, I delivered it before I came here." Renfield took the food off
the tray and set it up on the table as if he were in a fancy restaurant.
There was a moment of silence in the room, and Turnbull clapped his hands
together as he rocked on his heels.  

"Well, I'd better be going. I'm sure you still have a lot of packing to
do. I'll be back for the tray later." Turnbull smiled as he headed for the
door.  

Ray stared at the food one more time, and sighing, called out as he turned
towards the blond man. "Hey, wait a minute."  

Turnbull turned expectantly.  

"Did you eat yet?" Ray asked.  

"Ah....no. I was going to make myself something now."  

Ray smiled at him. "Why don't you eat with me? You've made enough food for
a small army anyway."  

Turnbull's face lit up, and he took a step towards Ray before hesitating.
"I wouldn't want to intrude."  

"What intrude?" Ray knew he would have to 'nudge' him a little so he
stepped forward, put his arm around Turnbull's shoulder and guided him
back to the table. "Besides, it'll give us a chance to talk before we
leave."  

Turnbull's eyes misted over as he thought of the gesture of friendship Ray
had extended to him.  

"I'd like that, thank you."  

"Geez, you don't have to get all mushy on me." Ray complained, but the
smile on his face belied his words.  

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

I dressed quietly in the pre-dawn hours, if you could consider what we had
here as 'dawn', and closed the bedroom door quietly. Stretching, I made my
way into the front room and dug a small tablet out of the desk drawer.	

'Dear Ben,  

I had something to take care of -- alone. Don't worry, I'll be back before
supper. If not, by nightfall at he latest.  

Love,  

Analise'  

I placed the note on the table and picked up one of the axes and keys to
the jeep before quietly heading out.  

Ben rolled over in bed with the intentions of wrapping an arm around
Analise. When he didn't encounter her warm body, he groggily opened his
eyes.  

'She must have gone to check on the babies' he assumed, and closed his
eyes again.  

He wasn't quite sure how much time had passed since he'd last awoken, but
the dark curly head beside him didn't belong to his wife. He had a brief
flash of Victoria, but logic quickly reminded him she was gone. He pulled
the covers back to see Piaraq sleeping soundly in one of his old T-shirts
as she clutched her doll.  

He knew Analise probably gave up her spot again, and groaned as he got out
of bed. Scooping the child into his arms, he took her back into the
nursery and placed her back into bed.  

Now to get Analise and bring her back to his bed, Ben smiled to himself.
When he entered the living room, he was surprised to not see her laying on
the love seat. A lantern was dimly lighting the room and he went to the
table to douse it. The small note laying beneath it piqued his curiosity
and he pulled it out, leaning closer to the light so he could make out the
words.	

Ben's lips formed a tight line as he read the words and needing to confirm
it, opened the front door to see the jeep, in fact, gone.  

He shut the door and leaned against it. What was she up to now? Knowing he
wouldn't be able to track her with the children, and also knowing he
wouldn't be able to sleep, Ben went back into the bedroom to dress for the
day.  

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

Ben hoisted the ax above his head momentarily before thrusting it into the
log. It split easily, and he repeated the motion until it was an
acceptable size. He loved this time of day. Normally it gave him time to
reflect on his thoughts, make plans, and enjoy the surrounding area. Now
though, he couldn't help but feel some trepidation concerning Analise. He
knew the last thing she'd want would be for him to chase after her. 'A
baby-sitter' as she would call it. Though he honed his skills years ago in
the patience category, he still couldn't understand why he didn't seem to
have any when it came to his wife. Wanting to protect her outweighed his
logic.	

Off in the distance, he caught the faint sounds of humming. A motor, he
deduced. When it became apparent it was moving closer, Ben dropped the ax
and went to the front of the cabin. Puzzled, he looked at his watch. It
had only been three hours since he'd noticed Analise was gone. He hoped
she was coming home.  

An unfamiliar jeep came into view and Ben realized it had to be Maggie. He
waved when it was close enough to see the occupant and when it stopped, he
opened the door for his sister.  

"Ben!" She gave him a tight hug, which he returned, as he lifted her from
the driver's seat.  

"I've missed you!" She exclaimed as she pulled back to study his face. He
was as handsome as ever, but his eyes were showing signs of strain.  

"It's good to have you here Maggie." Ben opened the rear door and took her
rucksack for her.  

"You're rather early, you must have been driving half the night."  

Maggie shrugged as color rose to her face. "Yes well, I....visited an old
friend and he....let's say the sleeping arrangements weren't what I had in
mind."	

Ben's look turned hard. "Who is this 'friend'?"  

Maggie laughed as she continued walking to the cabin. "You don't need to
go and 'beat him up' Ben, I can handle my own business, which I did last
night."  

Ben nodded as he opened the door for Maggie. "You'll tell me if you change
your mind?"  

"Yes, Ben." Maggie couldn't help but feel warm at the fact she had family
who was willing to look out for her. Not that she needed it, but it was
nice to have......  

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

Meg rolled her neck slightly as she kept her eyes trained to the road. It
was her turn to drive. She was grateful for the fact everyone else had
fallen asleep hours ago. That's one of the main reasons she volunteered
for this shift.  

A loud snore came from her right, and Meg glanced at Kowalski. His head
was back, leaning against the window, mouth open. She shook her head
wondering how anyone could have stood to sleep in the same bed. She smiled
when she thought of asking States Attorney Kowalski that question when
they returned.	

Glancing in the rear view, she spied another blond head fast asleep. He
was holding what looked to be like a stuffed moose and had a goofy grin on
his face. Shaking her head, Meg still couldn't figure out how she got
manipulated in allowing him to join them. One moment, she was thanking him
for breakfast, the next, Ray was doing a song and dance --complete with
guilt trip. She thought convincing his superiors to allow him to go would
be difficult. Anger still welled inside her when she thought of their
reaction. Yes, Turnbull was a bit of a klutz and somewhat thickheaded, but
he was loyal to a fault. Pausing, Meg decided he deserved better than how
they had treated him, and made a mental note to write a complaint once
this case was over.  

Not being able to stop herself, Meg glanced at the last occupant of the
car. The dark haired Italian was directly behind her, and she had to move
her rear view mirror to get a better view.  

Meg didn't know what was actually stopping her from opening up to him
completely. There were a number of things, she guessed. For a few years
now, she's known the cop, *but always as a friend of Fraser's.* There was
a time, she had to admit, she thought she loved Fraser. Meg shook her head
ruefully. Thought was not the right word. She *knew* she did. She just
didn't know how to tell him. Then, when he was lost and everyone started
to presume he was dead......well, she grieved for him. It was if a part of
her soul had died right along with him. Nothing had really mattered to her
after that. She went through the motions of each day, but that was all.
When she received word he was still alive, she vowed right then and there
to tell him her true feelings. What she wasn't counting on was for him to
fall in love with someone else.  

Meg sighed as she reached for her coffee. Taking a sip, she replaced it in
the cup holder and shifted in her seat to try and get comfortable. After
that, she realized as she continued her musings, she shut herself off from
the world. She had actually convinced herself that some people weren't
meant to find that 'special someone'. Once she stopped humoring herself
with thoughts that were getting her nowhere, Meg had been able to
concentrate fully on her career. Who needed a man, anyway?  

Ray mumbled in his sleep, and her eyes shifted to him again. Sighing, she
thought, 'who was she kidding? She may not 'need' a man, but she certainly
wouldn't mind having one.'  

But......was Ray the right choice? If they were to allow their
relationship to bloom, could they really be happy? After all, Meg wanted
more than almost anything to return to Toronto, to return home. Ray would
stick out like a sore thumb there. Could she be happy living the rest of
her life in Chicago? In a foreign country? That wasn't something she had
even considered. Her whole body screamed 'No!'.  

Until she could figure out her own misgivings, it wouldn't be fair to lead
Ray on. Friendship was the only solution she could see, despite what she
felt inside.  

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

Maggie walked Robert slowly around the cabin, humming a nameless tune
under her breath. Dinner had been over an hour ago, and every once in a
while she'd glance out the window to see if she could spot Analise
returning.  

Ben had tried to act like it didn't bother him that she had taken off to
do whatever it was, but Maggie knew him better than that. It was all she
could do to keep his misgivings in check. All day she distracted him as
best she could, and after lunch had to outright 'tell' him to give Analise
the space she needed. After all, she was a grown woman.  

It seemed to have the desired effect she was looking for, because Ben
calmed down again, and settled in for the day with them. Maggie tried to
get to know Piaraq better, but the child ignored her. Ben had spent a
great deal of his time talking to her and trying to get her to open up.  

"Anything?" Ben asked, and Maggie turned from the window.  

"Not yet. I'm sure she'll be back soon though."  

Ben nodded, "tea?"  

"Thank you. So, when are you planning on taking Piaraq to the detachment?"
Maggie asked as she sat at the table.  

"I was planning on leaving in the morning. The sooner we find her family,
the better it'll be for her."  

"I was supposed to pick up a package at the post office for Analise.
Frannie sent if for her. With my unexpected 'detour' I had to leave before
it opened. Do you think you could get it?"  

"Of course. I'm sure Analise will be delighted to hear from Francesca."  

The sound of a horn beeping caught their attention. By the time Maggie
stood to see, Ben had already made it to the window. She saw him let out a
breath then reach for his parka. He turned to her smiling.  

"Analise is home."  

As Ben went outside, Maggie pulled Jacinda off the floor and sat her on
the other side of her lap.  

A moment later, the door reopened and Analise walked in, followed by Ben. 


"Maggie! When did you get here?" I asked as I took off my mittens, then
Ben helped me with my parka. Once I was 'freed' I gave her a hug. She
couldn't return it though, since she held a baby in each arm.  

"This morning. How are you feeling?" She smiled at me.	

I rolled my eyes. "I'm perfectly fine. Has Ben been telling tales again?" 


Maggie grinned at him but shook her head. "He's been good."  

I turned to find Ben standing a step behind me, and wrapped my arms around
his neck as I pulled him down for a kiss.  

"Thank you."  

He pulled back and looked surprised. "For what?"  

I shrugged. "For treating me like an adult for once."  

Ben didn't say anything, just pulled me to him as he buried his head in my
neck. After a moment, I heard a muffled reply.	

"I suppose I have been a bit overbearing, haven't I?"  

"Yeah, but I still love you."  

My stomach growled and I looked over Ben's shoulder towards the stove. "Is
there any dinner left? I wanted to get back so I didn't pick anything up."
 

"Where did you go?" Ben asked as he released me and took down a bowl. He
opened a latch in the upper oven of the stove and carefully removed a pot.
 

I sat at the table, and couldn't hide my smile. "I went into town. I had
to pick up a package I was expecting, then I..." Ben sat the bowl in front
of me. "Thank you, I decided that we needed a Christmas tree, so I chopped
one down."  

Maggie and Ben looked at each other with surprise. "You what?"	

I asked Mrs. Firesun where I could find a Christmas tree, not the straggly
kind we have around here, and she gave me directions to a wonderful area.
I wouldn't have taken this long, but it was hard getting that thing tied
to the top of the jeep!"  

Ben went back to the window and peered out. "You did this all by
yourself?"  

I nodded as I took a big bite of stew. "This is good." I looked at Maggie.
"Did you make this?"  

"Yes. It's the least I could do."  

"I figured tomorrow we could bring it in a decorate it. And the box is off
limits Ben, got it? I have something special in there I don't want you to
see."  

"Sounds like someone is getting a Christmas surprise," Maggie teased and I
laughed at her.  

Ben sat in the chair across from me, his smile gone. "What's wrong?" If he
was going to get anal about what I did, I didn't think I could restrain
myself from letting him have it.  

"I have to leave in the morning to take Piaraq into town."  

"Oh. Well, at least you'll be back by nightfall if you take the
jeep....and drive *over* the speed limit. We can decorate the tree when
you return."  

"I'll probably be a few days." He admitted as he tugged at his ear.  

I was shocked to say the least. "Why? All you have to do is drop her off
and file a report, right? What would take so long?"  

"I also have to check on the status of my review, and there may be other
consequences attached to my earlier actions. All in all, I'd say no more
than three days tops."	

My heart sunk as he spoke. Quietly, I reminded him, "Ben, in three days
it's Christmas."  

"I know. I promise that I'll make it back as soon as possible."  

"What about the decorating?" I played with the food in the bowl so I
didn't have to look at him.  

"I'm sure you'll have the cabin looking beautiful. Maggie can also help." 


Ben looked to Maggie hopefully, and she spoke up.  

"Uh.... That's right. It's been awhile since I've done an all out
decorating. This will be fun."	

I nodded, but didn't look up from my food. Suddenly things didn't seem as
great as they had a few minutes ago. Ben sat next to me and covered my
hand with his own.  

"I promise I'll do my best to return in time."	

"Yeah, I know." I stood, taking the bowl to the sink. 'I'm used to hearing
that line.' I thought to myself.  

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

Meg plodded down the street along with Ray, Stan and Turnbull. Talk about
your small town! They were offered a choice. Either sleep in the barracks,
or a nearby boarding house. They chose the latter. Their guide assured
them it was too close to drive, but Meg certainly had a different opinion
on that! The snow made it impossible for her to wheel her suitcase behind
her, and with her bulky winter gloves, it was difficult to get a good grip
on the bag.  

"Need some help?" Ray asked, moving along beside her.  

She glanced at him quickly before returning her gaze to her path. "No,
thank you. I'm quite capable of carrying my own luggage."  

"Just trying to help."	

Turnbull had also tried to carry her luggage, but when she saw the size of
the bag he carried, she didn't feel right giving him her burden also. He
was quite insistent, but she leveled him with one of her best glares, and
he backed down.  

Meg breathed a sigh of relief when they reached the large house, and it
wasn't long before they were settled into their own rooms. They met in
parlor an hour later, and Meg gave them the rest of the day off. She
herself, had a certain Sergeant she needed to speak with. She was going to
know what his position was concerning Fraser's punishment once and for
all.  

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

Ben glanced at the child sitting forlorn beside him in the jeep. He'd
tried making conversation with her, mostly to fill the silence, but gave
up after a few hours. She refused to look at him, and sat sullenly
clutching her doll.  

Turning into the detachment, Ben placed the jeep in park and took a deep
breath. "We're here," he stated cheerfully.  

He knew this was the best thing for her. It was almost Christmas, and he
was sure that she had family looking for her somewhere. Once she saw them,
she'd open up. He walked around to her side of the jeep and opened her
door. When she didn't readily move, Ben undid her seatbelt and lifted her
gently from the vehicle.  

The two of them emitted stares from those who were around as they entered
the building. "Who do we have here?" Buck asked as he came around the
corner of the desk.  

"She needs some help finding her family. Eric's village found her out on
the tundra. They looked for her parents, but couldn't find anything."  

Buck gave him a considering look. "Don't suppose she's one of the children
we've been looking for, do you?" "That thought had occurred to me. Do you
have the information on the children readily available?"  

Buck nodded for Ben to follow him to the back offices. Along the far wall,
there were pictures and bios of all the missing children they've managed
to attach to this case, both from the US and Canada.  

Ben sat Piaraq on a chair, then walked to the far wall and scanned the
photos. At first he was fairly confident that she would be among them, but
his heart fell when he realized she wasn't there. Ben glanced across the
room at the little girl, who sat quietly at the table. One of the female
officers had sat down beside her and was talking, it seemed, about
Piaraq's doll.	

Ben followed Buck to an empty desk with a computer terminal which was
hooked up with all the other police outposts. He was determined to find
where Piaraq was missing from, no matter what. His fingers flew at
lightening speed across the keyboard as face after face of other missing
children flashed before him. At an adjacent computer, Buck was sorting
through all missing persons reports.  

"What do you think you're doing?" Ben snapped to attention as the voice
boomed throughout the room. His Sergeant walked over to him, and eyed man.
"These computers are for use by active personnel *only*. You have been
suspended, or have you forgotten that?" "No Sir."  

Buck approached them. "If I may explain, Con....Benton found whom we
believe is a missing child. We were searching for evidence as to her
whereabouts."  

The Sergeant's face grew thoughtful as he took in Buck's words. "Is she
one of ours?" Both men knew he was referring to the case that was open.  

"It doesn't appear that way, no." Ben offered, before he could continue,
Buck added, "We're tracking other possibilities."  

"I see. Where is this child now?"  

Buck nodded towards the canteen "Constable Floren is entertaining her."  

The Sergeant gave Ben a hard look. "Sergeant Frobisher, you may continue
with your search. You however," he faced Ben then, "are not permitted to
investigate, or use our equipment until after a review board determines
your status. Is that understood?"  

"Yes Sir." Ben paused, then cleared his throat as he asked, "I don't
suppose you know when the review will be yet?"	

"January 12th, 0800 hours sharp." With that said, he turned and marched
out of the room.  

Ben rubbed his eyebrow as he thought of a way around his restriction, then
glanced at Buck.  

"Well then, I guess I should be getting back to the search." He gave Ben a
small nod of understanding. That small gesture said more than words could.
 

"Understood. I"ll check on Piaraq."  

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

Ben rested his chin in the palm of his hand, his elbow propped on the
table. He was watching the little girl eat french fries when Buck
approached their table and sat down. "I've looked through every database
between here and the US. No one has reported a family missing, or a girl
that remotely fits her description." The older man was exhausted as he
looked at the child.  

Ben sighed and sat back. "What now?"  

"Any luck?" Their conversation had been interrupted by the Sergeant who
came over to the table. When Ben started to rise, he held up his hand to
let him know not to bother. "Hello." The Sergeant addressed his last
comment to the child.  

"She hasn't spoken to anyone since the Inuit found her."  

He nodded as he thought, then took a breath. "I take it no one's come
forward to claim her?"	

Both Buck and Ben shook their heads no. "I see. Well," he looked at his
watch, "It's still early enough to call Children's Services to pick her
up."  

Ben sat up straighter, he was reminded of a time when he and Ray, in a
similar situation, had found a baby in Ray's car. It was almost
Christmas.... He looked at the child again, who was staring back at him
with round eyes. Though she didn't talk, she could hear quite well and
knew what was being said.  

"I'd like to take her home with me."  

Sergeant Peterson stared hard at Ben. "That's not feasible. She needs to
be placed in an appropriate setting where they can assess her needs and
find her a good home."	

Piaraq slowly rose and walked over to Ben, leaning against him. His arm
went protectively around her.  

"What's the difference if she's with my family, or in an institution? It
is only temporary until her family is found, and we don't mind having
her."  

The older man's brow wrinkled as he mulled over Ben's words. He knew
before Fraser had even been transferred here he'd be a problem. The
incident a few years before where he turned in one of his own was almost
as well know as his father's reputation. Despite the fact Fraser's last
commanding officer sent a commendation for him, he knew this man would be
trouble. Not wanting to be bothered with any more from this particular
man, he shook his head.  

"It isn't appropriate to become personally involved in a case. You need to
keep a professional distance."	

"With all due respect Sergeant, you yourself suspended me. Since I am, at
least currently, not an active member of the RCMP, I can not be involved
in any case. I don't see any harm in allowing the child to stay with my
family."  

Sergeant Peterson's look turned hard. How dare he argue with his
commanding officer? Before he could speak, another voice interrupted.  

"I believe his concern's are legitimate. Since it is almost Christmas,
what harm can it do to allow the child to spend the holiday with a
family?"  

Ben, along with Buck, turned to see Margaret Thatcher standing in the
doorway with her arms folded across her chest. Ben stood, a smile gracing
his lips before he managed to suppress it.  

"Who would you be?" The Sergeant demanded.  

Meg approached the men, giving her best dressing down look. "I am
Inspector Thatcher, I've been assigned to the Missing Children's case, as
I'm sure you've been informed."  

Sergeant Peterson snapped to attention as he tried to swallow his anger.
"I wasn't expecting you this early. Of course, all of our assets are at
your disposal."  

Meg ignored him as she turned to Buck and Ben. "It's good to see you again
Sergeant Frobisher." She smiled warmly at Ben. "Fraser, how is Analise
doing?"  

Buck nodded with a smile as Ben answered.  

"She's quite well, are Ray and Stan with you?"	

"They're at the boarding house. I thought I'd stop by and check on a few
things. Who is this?"  

Piaraq hid behind Ben's leg as attention was suddenly turned towards her.
She buried her face in his thigh as Meg leaned down. She looked up at Ben
questioningly.	

"She was found on the tundra. No signs of her family have been located.
Since she's apparently not one of the missing children I thought she would
be more comfortable staying with us during the holidays."  

Buck spoke up. "She seems to have formed a bond with you."  

Ben nodded in agreement as Meg straightened up. "That's a very generous
offer Fraser."	

"It's nothing, really."  

"It's still inappropriate, Inspector. The best thing to do is allow the
proper authorities to care for the girl until a family can be found for
her."  

"I'm afraid I disagree with you Sergeant. What harm can possibly come from
allowing the child to spend the holiday with a family? I have been friends
with Constable Fraser's family for quite some time now, and can assure you
it's more than an appropriate environment."  

Knowing he was sided against, Sergeant Peterson sighed as he glared at
Ben. "Fine. But I hold you responsible for any consequences that might
occur."  

"Understood."  

They all watched as the older man huffed off, almost slamming the door
against the wall as he pushed it open.	

"Touchy." Meg observed as she looked at the swinging door.  

"Mmm" Ben nodded.  

"Well, I need to be getting back to work. Inspector, if you need anything,
let me know."  

"Thank you."  

Ben motioned for Meg to sit, and when she moved towards a chair, he tried
to pull it out for her, but Piaraq was still clinging to his leg and he
couldn't quite make it in time.  

"That's all right Fraser."  

He pulled the girl up into his embrace as he sat down. "How long are you
planning on staying in the area?"  

Meg shrugged. Normally she wouldn't consider opening up to Fraser, though
she considered him a friend. It just wasn't her way. After all, she'd been
his superior officer for years, and had to appear strong. Looking at him
as he made faces at the girl causing her to smile, softened something
inside her. Before she knew it, she was speaking.  

"To be quite honest Fraser, we've hit a dead end. The trail is cold and
there have been no new leads."	

He looked down, the sadness of reality setting in. "Don't lose heart Meg,
I'm sure something will turn up soon."	

Meg looked thoughtful for a moment. "Fraser, since Analise is feeling
better, and you are currently unoccupied, I was wondering if you'd
consider lending us your expertise."  

Ben how hard it was for her to ask what she was asking, and he swallowed.
"I'd be honored Sir." He inadvertently lapsed into using her title. It
felt good to be under her command again.  

"Don't worry about your suspension, I'll talk to your commander. Will you
be able to start right away?"  

Ben looked at the child resting her head against his chest. "I'll need to
take her back to the cabin plus inform Analise and Maggie. If I leave now
I should make it back by tomorrow midmorning."	

Meg nodded "Very well then. I'm glad Constable Mackenzie was able to make
it in time for the holiday. Let Analise know that I'll.....we'll, try and
stop by before long."  

Ben stood and nodded. "I will Sir." He set Piaraq down and took her hand
heading towards the door.  

"Fraser?" Meg called after him, and he turned, looking expectantly at her.
 

"Thank you."  

"You're welcome....Meg."  

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

I locked the bedroom door and hurried over to the large box in the center
of the floor. Taking a hammer, I used the flat end to pry open the lid.
The natural colored stuffing hid the contents, but I knew what they were. 


Digging into the box, the first thing I pulled out was a large thick
cardboard box. I knew what it was before even opening it. Slicing the lid,
the huge smoked and shrink wrapped Turkey stared at me. I almost let out a
'whoop' as I saw how big it was. When I asked Frannie to send one, I
didn't think she'd send one *this* big! Pushing that box aside, I dug into
the crate and pulled out the different gifts I'd asked Frannie to find for
me. Attached to one was a note, and I read it.	

Analise,  

I hope you and Fraser have a great holiday. Give JC and Robert a big kiss
and hug for me. I'm sorry, but I could only find one of the 'special'
items you asked me to pick up. They just don't make those things anymore! 


Love,  

Frannie  

I studied the gift in my hand and sighed. At least one was better than
none. Satisfied that nothing broke in transit, I glanced around the room
for a good hiding place. There really wasn't too many places to hide
things in the small room, but I knew Ben wouldn't cheat and 'peek'. The
bottom of the closet was as good a place as any, and it didn't take me
long to have things rearranged.  

Maggie was reading a story to Robert and JC when I went into the main
room. I took down a tea pot and filled it with water. Setting it on the
stove, I added two more logs to the fire. Taking a hotpad, I lifted the
lid on the cast iron pot and checked on the stew. Maggie had certainly
made enough earlier, and I had heated a loaf of bread.	

Setting the table, I glanced at the three of them on the loveseat. It was
no secret how much she loved the twins, and I only hoped that someday
she'd have a baby of her own to love. She deserved that much.  

"Ready to eat?" I asked as I went over and picked up Jacinda. "They really
love your reading to them."  

Maggie shrugged. "I enjoy it. Besides, I need to make up for lost time.
It's been awhile since I've seen them."  

"I thought that maybe after dinner we could set up the tree and do some
decorating." I suggested.  

"Are you sure? Ben may come back in time?"  

I shook my head. "I've been through this many times. Something always
comes up, and if he makes it at all, it'll probably at the last minute."  

Maggie gave me a questioning look. "Is there something you'd like to talk
about?"  

I sprinkled some salt on my stew, studying my bowl so I wouldn't have to
look at her. "Sometimes I just get tired of being left behind."  

"That's understandable. You know, although his job does take him away
often, he always comes home. This is where his heart is."  

I smiled at her as I shrugged. "I know. That's what makes it bearable."  

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

Ben quietly opened the door to the cabin, and memory guided him to the
table. The smell of pine assaulted him as he used his free hand to light
the lantern. Looking around the small room, the first thing he noticed was
the tree Analise brought home, sitting in the corner decorated. Other,
smaller details caught his attention. The mulberry candles placed about
the room, the Christmas doilies, the popcorn garlands. He shook his head
as he approached the tree. She had decorated it with ornaments that she'd
had since she was a child. He fingered the newest on the tree. It was one
they picked out together last year. The small igloo glittered in the glow
from the lantern.  

Taking Piaraq into the nursery, he wasn't surprised to see Dief sleeping
on the cot, his sister on the floor in her bedroll. Dief whined as he
lifted his head, and Ben gave him a stern look. He was getting way too
soft and Ben made a mental note to have a long talk with him when he
returned. The wolf moved when Ben placed the child down, making sure to
cover her snugly.  

He sighed as he stood and pinched the bridge of his nose with his
forefinger and thumb. He'd been on the go all day, and to return to Inuvik
before midmorning, like he'd promised Meg, he'd have to leave right away.
Ben went to the two cribs making sure not to wake his sister as he checked
on the twins.  

Afterwards, he tiptoed into his bedroom to see Analise laying on the bed
her hair splayed across the pillow. He took a shuddering breath as he
approached her, quietly placing the lantern on the night stand. Placing a
knee on the bed, Ben leaned over her.  

He gently traced her lips with his finger, then traced her cheekbone and
eyebrow. She was so beautiful to him. The fact that she loved him enough
to rearrange her entire life for him was almost impossible for him to
comprehend. He hated to wake her, but Ben knew she'd want to hear of this
latest development from him personally not some letter she'd find in the
morning.  

Ben leaned over and kissed her. When she moved slightly and mumbled
something incoherent, he smiled and began to kiss her neck, inhaling her
scent.	

Something was tickling my neck and I shifted, but it didn't go away. I
roused from my deep sleep to find Ben seducing me. Taking a deep,
stretching breath, I wrapped my arms around his neck pulling him closer.  

"You're back." I stated, surprised.  

"I can't stay." Ben mumbled into my neck. "I wanted to tell you what's
come up."  

Ben was still more or less leaning on the bed, and I patted the spot
beside me so he'd lay down. Gratefully, he sank into the softness and
wrapped an arm around me.  

"You're tired. You should sleep. We can talk more in the morning." I
whispered.  

"I have to leave in a few minutes."  

I groggily snuggled closer to Ben. He wasn't making any sense. It was the
middle of the night, and the rest would do us both good.  

"Analise." He shook me gently.	

"Hmm?"	

"I know you're tired. Please try and listen to me. I brought Piaraq back
with me. We didn't find anyone missing who fit her description. No one's
filed a missing persons report for her."  

As his words started to sink in, I fought off the sleep. "What?"  

"They were going to place her in an orphanage until a suitable family
could be found. That isn't anyway to spend Christmas. I just couldn't let
her go. There's something about her Analise. This will probably only be
temporary. I just need a little more time to search, and I'm sure I'll
find her family."  

I lifted my head to look at Ben in the dim light. Rubbing the sleep from
my eyes, I squinted at him. "You brought her back?"  

"Yes. She had no where else to go. There's more....."  

I sighed as I flopped my head back down. What else could there be? Ben
rolled over more and scooched his body close against mine. "Meg, Ray and
Stan have arrived in Inuvik She asked if I'd help her with the case."  

I stilled, then turned to face Ben. "Meg's here?"  

"Well, not here at the cabin, but in Inuvik. They really need my help
Analise, and....and I told her I would."  

"What about your suspension?"  

"She's talking to Sergeant Peterson about a temporary reprieve. I have to
leave now so I can get back by tomorrow afternoon."  

I shook my head as I held him tighter. I was being childish, I knew, but I
couldn't seem to help it. "Don't go. Please?" Ben sighed as he ran his
hand through my hair. "It's my duty. I promise to come home as soon as
possible. Understand that I don't want to leave you---"  

"But you have a job to do." I finished for him.  

After a few minutes, I broke the silence that spread between us. "Have I
told you how much I love you today?"  

I felt Ben's torso jump as he softly chuckled, and squeezed me tighter.
"No, I don't believe you have."  

"I love you."  

"I love you too."  

It was so comfortable laying here wrapped in his embrace, I didn't want to
let go. A disturbing though occurred to me. "Ben, when did you rest last?"
I knew the answer before he even spoke.  

"I'll be careful. I had a refreshing 30 second nap walking from the jeep
to the cabin."	

"Why not get at least a few hours sleep?"  

"I can't afford the time. I promise to not take any undo chances. Don't
worry."  

I lifted myself on my elbow to look down at him. His eyes were drawn to my
shoulder which was bare. The material had fell away because of my current
position.  

Smiling, I traced a finger across his torso, letting it run under the
buttons of his flannel shirt. He jumped slightly, then covered my hand
with his own.  

Leaning down, I kissed him lightly on the lips, then proceeded to nip and
butterfly kiss his neck while my other hand started to undo the rest of
the buttons.  

"Analise...." Ben ground out as his hand released mine, and he began to
explore my body.  

I shifted on top of him as his hands lifted my night shirt up my torso,
then he tossed it to the floor. Making quick work of the buttons, I ran my
hands under his thermal shirt and sighed as his warm skin responded to my
touch. As I reached for his buckle, he surprised me by flipping us over. I
reached for his belt again, but Ben had beat me to it and was quickly
removing his jeans.  

When he was as naked as I, he paused and just stared at me in the dim
light from the lantern. He didn't move for a few moments, just stared as
he knelt above me.  

"Ben?"	

"Shhh" he leaned over and slowly started to make love to me, bringing me
to the brink of ecstasy time and time again.  

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

Ben wearily opened the door to the detachment, hoping he wasn't too late.
The few people who were in the front office stared at him. Well, they
stared at the brown RCMP uniform he wore. It was no secret he'd been
suspended, and they were curious.  

The room seemed to be getting rather warm, and Ben had to resist the urge
to tug at the collar of his shirt. A throat being cleared snapped
everyone's attention back to their work, and Meg approached him.  

"Fraser, I'm glad you could make it. Are you ready to get started?"  

"Yes ma'am." She turned and he followed her to the back room. Two tables
had been pushed together, and everything they'd gathered on the missing
children was splayed across them.  

"Benny!" Ray came over to where he was standing by the door, and slapped
him on the shoulder. "It's about time you got here. How about you lick
something and give us a lead?"	

Ben smiled at his friend before shaking his head. "Now Ray, you know
that's not how---"  

"Constable Fraser!"  

Ben was interrupted and looked towards the back door to see Turnbull
standing there, as if he'd just seen a ghost.  

"Turnbull?"  

Turnbull crossed the distance in record time and grabbed Ben into a bear
hug. "It's good to see you again, Sir!"  

Ben was trying to pry Turnbull off him when Stan walked into the room. "I
see you've found our surprise."  

Ben nodded as Turnbull finally pulled back, letting go. He took a deep
breath and straightened his uniform. "It's good to see you again also
Turnbull."  

Meg explained how they ran into Turnbull and how circumstances led them to
be here together. After pleasantries were over with, they got down to
business, filling Ben in on all the details they'd gathered so far. After
all, he knew these parts better than just about anyone, and they were
hoping he'd find something they'd missed.  

Lutris walked into the detachment, dropping his pack by the door. Everyone
was milling about in small groups, and he could tell it was another
'gossip' round in session. Sauntering over to two of the female
Constables, he gave his best charming smile.  

"What has everyone clucking away?" He teasingly asked.	

"Since when are you interested in 'office gossip', Hyde?" Constable Floren
asked.	

He shrugged and picked up a paperweight from a nearby desk as he propped
himself on the corner. "Who says I'm interested?"  

"Where've you been anyway? You've missed all the excitement."  

Lutris looked down, hiding his facial expressions. Hal had shown up in
town a few days ago demanding ammunition. Lots of it. He'd spent the last
few days trying to get as much as he could without causing suspicion. When
he asked Hal was he needed it for, he was told in no uncertain terms it
was none of his business and to do what he was told.  

Shrugging, Lutris looked back up and smiled at the woman. "Did you miss
me?"  

"Hah! Don't you wish."	

"Then why'd you ask?" He feigned hurt as he replaced the paperweight and
moved closer to the woman.  

"No reason, I just thought you'd like to know that your 'partner's' back,
and in uniform."  

Lutris's eyes grew wide. "What?"  

Constable Toomey spoke up then. "Yep. That special team assigned to the
children showed up yesterday and recruited him. They even had Sergeant
Peterson temporarily reverse his suspension. They're back there now
brainstorming."  

The blood drained from Lutris's face. The last thing he needed was for
them to find out when he was this close to getting everything taken care
of.  

"It gets better."  

"What?" Lutris focused on Constable Floren again.  

"He found a kid. A little girl. They thought she could have been one of
the missing kids, but she's not on the list."  

A pain of a headache shot through his head from the revelations. "What
does she look like?" He asked, hoping it wasn't the same kid that Hal had
bragged about leaving in the middle of no where.  

"Cute little thing. Around 4 years old, dark, curly hair. She won't talk
to anyone though. Poor thing must be traumatized."  

He could only nod, swallowing past the lump in his throat. He knew exactly
who they were talking about. He saw her at the hideaway a few times when
he was making plans with Vic. Of course, that was before he knew what the
cargo was, or how involved everything would become. If she ID'd him, he's
as good as done for. "Where is she now?" He asked, hoping not to run into
her.  

"The Sarge wanted to send her to Millford, but Fraser insisted on letting
her stay at his house. I don't know what all happened, but that's where
she's at now."	

Lutris knew of the government run institution for homeless children, and
nodded. Things were getting way too dangerous as far as he was concerned.
He needed to get the ammo to Hal, and get out. The other man was supposed
to meet him tomorrow at the edge of town in an hour to make the swap.  

"I uh, forgot something I needed to do. I'll be back later." Lutris
stammered and headed to the door. Constable's Floren and Windso looked at
each other and shrugged. He was still as odd as always.  

Lutris paced back and forth, blowing on his hands for warmth. Hal was
supposed to have been there almost a half hour ago. He was just about to
give up and head back to the detachment when a figure stepped out from
behind a building.  

"It's about time! Where've you been?" Lutris demanded. He never did like
to be kept waiting. Plus, the longer he stood out here, the easier it
would be for someone to see him.  

"Do you got it?" Hal leveled him with a hard gaze, ignoring his question. 


"Yeah I got it. But we got problems. That kid you 'took care of' is at
Fraser's house."  

"Who's Fraser?"  

Lutris sighed in frustration. Didn't that man listen to *anything* he ever
told him? "My partner you idiot! He found her where you dumped her, and
she's at his place now. If she decides to talk, both of our asses are
gone!"	

Hal's face turned red as he clenched his fists. He should have just shot
her when he had the chance. Of course, that wouldn't have made it look
like an accident, if anyone happened upon the kid.  

"She aint said nothing yet?"  

Lutris shook his head no, and waited. It was obvious he was thinking of a
plan. Finally, he nodded and looked at Lutris hard. "Don't worry. We'll go
to your partners house, take care of her, and then finish with the
others."  

Hal turned to leave and Lutris grabbed his arm, turning him around. "What
do you mean, take care of the others? They're going to the drop, right?"  

"What drop? It's too late for a damn drop. This smells and we're getting
out. No witnesses. The day after tomorrow we'll off them, then leave.
It'll be Christmas and most everyone will be with their families. It's the
best time to travel."  

Lutris shook his head. "No. I don't want any part of that." He started to
walk away, but Hal knocked him down.  

Lutris landed face first into the snow, turning over, he glared at the man
hovering over him. "Don't even think of getting any ideas. One more person
isn't going to matter to me one way or another. If I were you, I'd get out
when we do. But you're gonna do one more thing first."	

"What's that?" Lutris was half afraid of what was expected of him. The
longer he'd been around Hal, the more demented the man seemed.	

He smiled evilly at Lutris as he squatted down to his level. "Nothing
much......just give me directions to Fraser's place. I'll take care of
'the rest'."  

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

Maggie quietly shut the bedroom door and made her way into the front room.
It was hard convincing Analise to rest for awhile, and she'd finally
drifted off. The twins were also sleeping and Piaraq was playing in a
corner of the main room. Maggie thought it was odd how the child preferred
to stay in the corner. It was almost as if she was afraid to get into
anyone's way.  

Sighing, Maggie went to her bag and pulled out the file she hadn't had a
chance to study in days. She knew it was hopeless, and Maggie was taking
one last look through the information before destroying it. The last thing
she needed was to expose her brother and his wife to a mystery that
wouldn't be solved. Especially one so close to home. She stared at the
police photo of Victoria, wondering what all the woman had done between
giving birth, and ending up at Fortitude pass. Somewhere, there was a boy
or a girl who was better off without her. The one question that she
couldn't seem to let die, was, where was the child?  

One of the twins started to cry, and Maggie placed the folder on the table
and quickly hurried into the nursery before the noise woke Analise.  

She saw Robert sitting up in his crib, sleep disoriented. She picked him
up, bouncing him slightly as she hummed softly. Dief thumped his tail and
Maggie smiled at him as she paced the room. After about five minutes, he
fell back asleep on her shoulder, and Maggie gently placed him back in his
crib, making sure to cover him.  

She gasped when she reached the front room. Seeing Piaraq at the table,
and looking at the folder. She hurried forward to make sure everything was
still in there, but stopped short when she saw the girl silently crying.
Maggie hunkered down to her level as she placed her hand on the girl's
back, soothingly rubbing it.  

Piaraq didn't turn to her, she just kept staring at the picture. "Mommy." 


Maggie was startled to the point where she fell the foot backwards onto
her rear. Staring slack jawed at the girl, she knew she must have heard
wrong. "W-what?"  

Piaraq patted the picture and looked at Maggie. "Where's my mommy?" She
demanded in a four year old voice.  

Maggie didn't know what shocked her more. The fact that she could talk,
quite clearly at that, or the fact that she *seemed* to think Victoria was
her mother. She scrambled to her feet and leaned over the table by the
girl.  

"Who's your mommy?" Maggie asked, hoping for clarification.  

Piaraq pointed to the picture again, and looked at Maggie with hope in her
eyes.  

"Are you sure?" Maggie asked, in barely a whisper.  

Piaraq nodded and the tears started again. "Where's mommy?"  

Maggie couldn't find her voice as she stared at the small face, then to
the picture. The resemblance was remarkable, and she couldn't figure out
why she didn't see it before. If Victoria was her mother...  

Maggie peered closer at the child, trying to find signs of her parentage.
She had so much of her mother in her, it was hard for her to tell whether
or not Ben could be....  

She shook herself back into the present and tried to think logically. The
first thing she needed to do was get as much information she could from
Piaraq. Pulling a chair up, she sat down beside her and tried to give her
a friendly smile.  

"Can you tell me what your name is?"  

The child fidgeted in her chair as she looked at the photo. Her mother,
when she was there, had told her many things. One of them was to never
trust anyone. Never tell them who we are. She remembered her mother
telling her that if anyone found out, they would take her away forever.  

Maggie could sense her discomfort, and tried to encourage the girl.
Leaning forward, she placed her hand on Piaraq's arm and smiled. "It's all
right. I only want to help you find your family." Maggie knew she was
leading the girl on, and felt badly about it. Although she really wanted
to find her father, hoping it wasn't her brother, she knew the family
Piaraq was thinking she meant, was Victoria.  

The girl glanced nervously at the Maggie and back at the photo. More than
anything, she wanted her Mommy. Should she trust her? Fear made her keep
quiet, and Maggie tried a different tactic.  

"Can you tell me where your mommy is?" Maggie asked, not really knowing
what to expect as an answer.  

Piaraq thought that over for a moment. Her mother never said she couldn't
mention that. After all, her mother was really happy then. Piaraq smiled
with the memory of the promise. "Mommy said she was gonna go Chi-go to get
my Daddy."  

Maggie stopped breathing as she stared at the girl. She didn't seem to
notice though as she looked back at the photo. Reminding herself to
inhale, Maggie took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Who's your
Daddy?" She tried to keep her voice light as she asked, but even she could
tell her voice quivered slightly.  

Piaraq shrugged as she played with the papers in the file. Maggie tried
again. "Did you ever meet your Daddy?"	

Piaraq nodded, then thought for a moment. "My mommy said he was
had-nosme."  

Maggie looked puzzled and then it dawned on her. "Do you mean handsome?"  

The girl nodded as she picked up her doll. She sat still then, looking at
Maggie, waiting. The grown up was acting kind of strange, but at least she
wasn't yelling at her like the bad men did. They never talked to her at
all unless they yelled. She still didn't know why her Mommy left her with
them. "Do you know where you Daddy is now?"  

Piaraq shrugged. "He drove'd me back. Now he's at working."  

Maggie shook her head and stood up, backing away as she stared at the
girl, then turned quickly so she wouldn't see her expression. Her mind was
whirling and she felt as if she would throw up. It was true...	

Maggie, are you alright?" I asked as I went to her side. She literally
jumped a foot as she whirled to face me. My heart started as I stared at
her pale face. Something was terribly wrong. "What happened?" I demanded,
hoping it wasn't something to do with Ben.  

"I'm....I'm fine. I just..." Maggie darted past me then and I watched as
she gathered some papers on the table, putting them in a folder. "I need
to go into town. With Piaraq. I need to speak with Ben about something and
she needs to go with me."  

"What's wrong? Don't lie to me Maggie. I can tell something's bothering
you. Does this have anything to do with Ben?" I asked, and when her head
snapped up to look at me, I winced. Something did happen to Ben! Moving
foward, I grabbed her arm. "What happened? Please tell me!"  

Maggie shook her head and tried to smile. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to
scare you. Nothing's happened to him. He's fine. I think I may have found
a.....a lead on Piaraq's family and I need to take her into town."  

I sighed in relief as I looked at the girl. She seemed happier and I was
floored when she spoke.  

"She's gonna ta'ge me to my Mommy." She proudly announced, then scrambled
off the chair and grabbed her parka, wrestling to put it on.  

"She's talking?" I asked, astounded.  

Maggie nodded, but avoided my gaze as she donned her own parka.  

"Did she say who her family was?" I asked, and I could have swore I saw
her flinch. She took a deep breath and looked directly at me.  

"I'm sorry. I can't talk about it right now. I'll explain everything
later. I promise."  

I nodded and picked up her pack as she went to the door. She opened it and
looked back at me. I handed it to her and then bent to adjust the hood on
Piaraq's parka. "I'm very happy for you honey. I hope you have a wonderful
Christmas!" I smiled at her and was surprised as she smiled back. She
barely contained her excitement as she ran outside to the jeep.  

"I hope everything works out Maggie."  

She smiled and swallowed hard, but didn't look at me directly. She walked
down the porch and I shut the door.  

Maggie looked back at the cabin as Piaraq settled in the seat. "Oh
Analise," she sighed. "How can anything be all right now?"  

She started the engine and glanced at the girl as the cabin became smaller
in the rear view mirror.  

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

 

Ben ignored the dull ache in his back as he leaned over the table. He had
long since removed his brown jacket, loosened his tie, and rolled his
sleeves to his elbows. Normally not a coffee drinker, he found himself
nursing his third cup as he peered over the information. Behind him was
the large cork board with the photos of the missing children. Each seemed
to stare at him with pleading eyes. He felt as if he was their last hope. 


Stan came up to him and placed his hand on Ben's shoulder. "Why don't ya
take a break? You've been at it forever."  

Ben glanced up at him, then straightened. He looked over at Ray and Meg
who were at opposite ends of the room. Each seemed to be avoiding the
other, and he wondered what had transpired between them. He wasn't quite
sure what Turnbull was doing, it kind of reminded him of origami. He was
certain it couldn't be though, since everyone had been pouring themselves
over the files.  

The door opened and an icy blast of air chilled them before they saw who
entered. Everyone was surprised to see Maggie walk in carrying a child.  

"Maggie!" Stan yelled happily and made a bee line for her. Ben was right
on his heels, but concern shrouded his features. Why was she here? Did
something happen at the cabin?	

Maggie barely had time to place Piaraq down before Stan lifted her into a
hug and spun her around. Before she could speak, he leaned forward and
kissed her firmly on the lips. It wasn't until he heard Ben clear his
throat that he reluctantly pulled back. It didn't stop his goofy grin
though.  

"What are you doing here? How long are you staying? You're still stationed
in Chicago, aren't you?" A moment of panic went through Stan when he
thought about losing her.  

Maggie, happy at seeing Stan, momentarily forgot about the grave reason
she was there and laughed at the blond man. "I'm just visiting for the
holidays! I can't believe you're here." She hugged him to her tightly, and
when she glanced around the room, she spied Ben, and reality came crashing
in once again.	

"Ben..."  

Stan moved aside slightly, though he still had an arm wrapped around her
waist.	

She could tell from the look on his face that he was worried. "Nothing's
wrong at the cabin," she quickly assured him, "but something of utmost
importance has come up, and I need to speak with you privately."  

Everyone looked on silently as she relayed the reason for her being here,
and Ben, sensing his sister's discomfort, nodded bluntly. Maggie headed to
a small storage area off to the left, not even bothering to acknowledge
anyone.  

Once Ben had shut the door behind her, Maggie nervously pulled the manilla
file out of her pack. She looked at his face, trying to read his
expression, but he was simply waiting for her to continue.  

"I'm....I'm sorry Ben. I did something I promised I wouldn't do. Please
listen to everything before you say anything, alright?"  

Ben nodded, puzzled, but waited patiently for her to explain. Something
was obviously bothering her.  

"Do you remember the file I found?"  

Ben cocked his head to the side, trying to understand what she was eluding
to.  

"The file that you burned at the Consulate."  

Ben's eyes grew wide and his jaw clenched. Through gritted teeth, he
spoke. "I told you to leave it alone."	

"I couldn't. You didn't see what was in there, I *did*."  

Ben turned to leave and Maggie placed her hand on his arm to stop him. He
jerked away and reached for the door before her words stopped him.  

"Ben, she had a daughter!"  

Frozen in mid air, he absorbed the words before turning towards her. Pain,
grief, anger, it was all there on his face for her to see.  

"I've been searching for months now. Trying to find out what happened to
her. The autopsy said she'd had a cesarean section and I know she gave
birth in Washington. After that, the leads I had ended and it wasn't until
today that things came together."  

"Why are you telling me this?!" Ben demanded. She was gone! She could no
longer hurt him, or his family and now his own sister was throwing her in
his face.  

"Her daughter is 4 years old Ben." She let her words sink in, and when the
math 'clicked' he looked at her with disbelief. Shaking his head, he spoke
in a strained voice.  

"That doesn't mean anything."  

"It could mean something. You and I both know that's around the same time
she came to Chicago to see you. If you tell me that you didn't sleep with
her, then the girl can't possibly be yours." Maggie prayed he'd tell her
just that.  

Ben shook his head slowly and leaned his elbows on a shelf, running his
hands over his face. Maggie could see the tension in his back as he stood
silently, engulfed in turmoil. After what seemed like an eternity, he
turned toward her.  

"Why now? What happened now?"  

Maggie knew this would be the hardest, if not the most unbelievable part.
"I found her daughter. Well, actually, you found her."	

"What are you talking about?" Ben was truly puzzled and his mind was
whirling. She wasn't making any sense.	

"Piaraq Ben! She saw the photo of Victoria in this file and she told me
that was her mother!" Maggie held the file out to him, and Ben stared at
him as if it were a serpent.  

"I asked her again. She's speaking Ben. Not only did she confirm that
Victoria was her mother, but she said her mother was going to Chicago to
bring her 'Daddy' back."  

Ben blanched at the words and sat down on a box. He slowly shook his head
no. "It can't be. I would have known," he whispered.  

"There's still a chance that she isn't yours. You need to have a paternity
test taken. Then we'll know for sure."	

Ben's mind was filled with what this would mean to everyone. If she turned
out to be his daughter.... But if she didn't.... He just didn't know what
to think. The logical part of him kicked in and his head snapped up to
look at Maggie.  

"If she's truly her daughter, then where has she been all this time? Who's
been taking care of her before Eric's village found her? She was in the
middle of no where!"  

Maggie frowned as she thought. "Didn't Analise tell me she was found near
Fortitude Pass?"  

Ben nodded, thinking of where Victoria had led him. It was one hell of a
coincidence if the two weren't related. "Let's take this one step at a
time," Ben offered. "Have you told Analise any of this?"  

Maggie shook her head and Ben nodded. "I think I should be the one to tell
her. I'll arrange for a test to be taken."  

"I agree."  

Ben stood and opened the door for Maggie. He followed her back into the
room, and his heart stopped when Piaraq saw him, smiled, then yelled
"Daddy!" Before running up to him.  

Everyone in the room became silent as she barreled towards him and clung
to his leg. He stumbled slightly as he looked down at her curly head.
Innocent eyes stared up at him as she smiled. It was good to be able to
talk again.  

Though she had been frightened. She slowly came to realize that speaking
around these people didn't get her hurt. The bad men would hit her
whenever she spoke. And the pretty blond lady was going to take her to her
mommy!	

"Benny?" Ray asked, but Ben ignored him as he studied the girl in front of
him. It was almost frightening how much she resembled..... He couldn't
finish the thought as he lifted her up and held her to him. Could she be
his? Could something beautiful have come from that dark time in his life? 


He carried her over to the counter and sat her on it. Taking a step back,
he looked at her from head to toe in wonder.  

"What's your name?" He quietly asked.  

Piaraq frowned, looked down, and shrugged. By now, the others had gathered
around and we're looking at the scene with curiosity.  

"Somebody got their wires crossed?" Stan asked in an amused voice. He was
shocked when Ben actually gave him an annoyed glance, and backed off.  

"What do others call you?" Ben asked, hoping to clarify the question for
her. Perhaps she didn't have a constant name. Since Victoria had been on
the run, it would stand to reason that she could have used aliases for
Piaraq.  

Piaraq thought about that for a minute with a frown. The only people she'd
really been around was her mommy, the bad men and then the funny people
before her daddy took her. She suddenly realized what she was being asked
and her face lit up.  

"The bad men called me Bid'ch."  

Turnbull gasped and looked at her in sympathy, he wasn't the only one
shocked. "Why did they call you that?" He asked, then realized it wasn't
his place to ask.  

Piaraq shrugged. "They'd say go away Bid'ch."  

Maggie shook her head, and glanced at Meg. Neither could believe that
someone would be that harsh to a child.  

Ben asked a question that had been on his mind. "What makes you think I'm
your father?"  

"Mommy showed me your pig'ture. She said you'd come for us." Piaraq
frowned then, and looked at Maggie. "Where's Mommy? You said you'd ta'ge
me to her."  

Ben looked at Maggie wide eyed. "I.....I told her that I'd try and find
her family."  

While they were talking, Piaraq looked around and saw the pictures on the
bulletin board. "Bobby."  

Ben turned to the girl to see her staring at the picture of one of the
missing children.  

Ray pushed his way forward and yanked the photo from the wall. He held it
up to her. "Do you know this boy?" He demanded.  

Piaraq shrunk into herself and clung to her doll. Ray took hold of her
arm, anxious for anything! "Come on kid, either you do or you don't!"  

"Ray!" Ben admonished, and Ray dropped his hand. He looked lovingly at the
girl. "Honey, it's very important if you've seen him. Have you seen...."
Ben looked at the name on the bottom of the photo. "Bobby?"  

Piaraq barely nodded, and didn't look up.  

"Where?" Meg asked, her heart was racing with the possibilities.  

Ben reviewed all the information she'd given earlier. "Piaraq, the bad
men, do they have Bobby?"  

She nodded, and he lifted her chin gently. Total fear was in her eyes. "No
one can hurt you anymore. I promise. We're there any other children with
you and Bobby?"  

She looked up at the board again, and Ben lifted her into his arms to give
her a better view. She pointed to three more photos and everyone was wired
with excitement. Wherever she had been, the missing children were with
her!  

Lutris backed away from the door, his heart beating rapidly. He had to get
out, now. Why wasn't the kid at the cabin?  

"Honey, we need to find the children. Do you know where you were at before
the Inuits found you?" Ben asked.  

Piaraq shook her head sadly. "The bad mens gonna kill'd them. I snuck to
find Mommy. They's were gonna kill'd me too."  

Ben knew why her mother wasn't there, and wondered how much other evil the
woman had done before her life ended.  

Ben looked around the room. "We have to find them. We can start with
Eric's village. Find out if anything new or suspicious has turned up
around the area where she was found. Also, we need to send out a search
party of the Fortitude Pass area." Ben looked puzzled. "I can't remember
anything being around that area though. It's too harsh of an area with the
range. There's quite a few avalanches and it's generally known to be
avoided."  

Before Lutris left, he heard the girl's last comment and paled. That's
what the ammo was for. His attention was focused on the room again as Ben
continued.  

"We'll take her back to the cabin, then go to the village. From there we
can gather information and head to the Pass. It will be almost a straight
line, so we should miss too much time."  

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

I hummed a Christmas tune under my breath as I added a few final touches
to the decorations. Tomorrow was Christmas, and somehow I just knew Ben
would make it home. Jacinda and Robert we're playing by Dief near the love
seat, and I had to smile as they both tugged and tried to climb onto him,
only to roll off unsteadily before trying again. I had to laugh out loud
at their tenacity!  

I was shocked when Dief let out a low growl, and jumped when it was
followed by a knock on the door. Dief stood and paced over to the door,
the growl growing. Looking out the window, I could barely make out the
silhouette of a man.  

"Dief, hush." I admonished him as I opened the door a crack.  

"Hello Ma'am, I'm sorry to trouble you at this hour. My snowmobile ran out
of gas a few miles back and I was wondering if you had some gasoline I
could borrow?"	

I eyed the stranger in front of me. Though he had a smile on his face,
something about him seemed on edge. He also looked somewhat familiar, and
it nagged at me that I couldn't place it. He wrapped his arms around
himself, and rubbed briskly. Dief was baring his teeth now, and I glanced
down to make sure he wouldn't do anything.  

"Nice dog. Like I said, I know it's an imposition. Maybe if you had a
radio, I could just call ahead?" He glanced past me into the cabin as he
spoke.	

"We have some gas in the barn, if you give me a minute, I'll get my
parka." I didn't want to be rude, but I also didn't want to let this
stranger in the house. I shut the door and reached for my parka. "Dief,
you stay here with the twins. I'll be back in a minute."  

Dief barked at me, and scratched at the door. "Stop that! He's just
looking for some gas, and then he'll be on his way."  

I opened the door and quickly shut it behind me so he couldn't follow.
Smiling at the man to apologize, I glanced at the door. Dief was barking
up a storm and the door shook slightly. "I'm sorry. I don't know what's
gotten into him. He's normally not like this."	

"That's understandable. I'm a stranger. He's just looking out for you and
your family."  

We started walking to the barn, and I was glad he understood.  

"Where's your husband?"  

I almost faltered mid stride and swallowed hard. "He's....he'll be back
soon. He just went to check some traps he'd set." I lied. The sooner he
had the gas the better. I opened the barn door and quickly went to the
corner where Ben stored it. Shaking a can, I handed it to him.	

"This should last you until you get to town." I smiled sweetly and after
an awkward moment, walked quickly to the barn door. On the way back to the
cabin, my heart rate increased when I realized he was right behind me.	

"Thanks again, ma'am. It's nice to know there's kind people around. I
don't know what I would have done. Especially since tomorrow's Christmas.
I wouldn't want to disappoint the family." I turned to look at him as I
walked. "You're married?"  

He smiled brightly. "Yes ma'am. Have two wonderful children also. How
about yourself?"  

"We have a boy and a girl."  

We reached the cabin and I climbed the stairs to the porch. Turning I
smiled at him. "I'm glad we could help. Merry Christmas."  

His smile waned somewhat and he took a step forward. "I don't suppose it
would be too much to ask for a cup of coffee before I go? It's a long walk
back to the mobile."  

I could still hear Dief growling on the other side, and frowned. "I
suppose it would be alright." I knew Dief wouldn't let anything happen to
us. I opened the door and motioned for Dief to go lay down. Reluctantly he
complied, but his eyes didn't waver from the man.  

Hal smiled winningly as he accepted the seat at the table. Looking around,
he could see two babies nearby, but no sign of the brat. 'Maybe she's in
another room,' he thought to himself as he watched the woman prepare the
pot for coffee. Never had he been one to leave loose ends lying about, and
it looked like he had more than one to tie up here. Feeling the pistol in
his pocket lining, he knew he'd have to take the dog out first....  

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

Everyone had agreed to take two jeeps. It would be easier if they split
into two groups to cover more ground. Meg, Turnbull and Maggie were going
to take Piaraq back to the cabin, while he, Ray, and Stan headed toward
the village. They would all meet up at the pass by morning.  

Ben carried Piaraq outside, and strapped her into the one jeep. She looked
at him with round eyes and he smiled at her as he ran a finger across her
cheek. "I'll be back in a little while. Maggie will take you back to the
cabin with Analise." Piaraq's lower lip quivered and another tear ran down
her cheek. She spoke in a small voice. "She prom'bised to ta'ge me to
mommy."  

Ben's throat constricted. She needed to know about her mother, and he'd
tell her as soon as this was over with. "You're mother isn't here right
now. I'll be back soon. Listen to Analise." He took a step back and shut
the door, then placed his hands on the driver's door. Meg was behind the
wheel, and she offered him a small smile.  

"We'll meet up with you as soon as possible."  

Ben nodded and shut her door. He waited until they pulled out of the
detachment, then turned to his own jeep. He was surprised when Lutris
appeared in front of him.  

"Hey partner. Going somewhere?"  

Ben kept walking, and unlatched the rear of the jeep as Ray loaded up a
supply of weapons.  

When Ben didn't respond to him, he tried again. "I want to go with you."  

Ben turned to face him, measuring the other man. Everyone had worked long
hours on this case, and they could use all the man power they could find.
This may pan out to be nothing, but just in case....  

Ben nodded. "All right, get in."  

Stan and Ray were already seated and Ben climbed in, starting the engine.
The detachment was readying in case there was news. They were to radio
from the jeep if they found anything, and a team would be dispatched
within minutes. Though most had lost hope, Christmas was the season of
miracles, and they were all praying for at least one more.  

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

I lifted the fussy twins and turned to smile at my guest. "I'll be right
back. These little ones need to get to bed!" He nodded and I disappeared
into the nursery.  

Hal saw his opportunity and looked over at the dog, who hadn't taken his
eyes off him. Reaching slowly into his pocket, he started to pull out his
pistol when Dief let out a low menacing growl. The wolf stood and took a
defensive stance.  

Hal quickly pulled the weapon from his pocket but before he could take
aim, Dief lunged at him, sinking his powerful jaws into the man's arm. Hal
let out a scream as he fell backwards out of the chair. The force of the
wolf landing on him, as well as the pain coursing through his arm winded
him but he recovered enough to hit the dog with his free hand over and
over. Though he couldn't aim for the dog, he still held his weapon and let
off a shot, hoping to stun the dog momentarily.  

I ran back into the front room to see Dief on top of the man. Shocked at
the scene, it took me a moment to realize he held a gun. I ran forward,
not sure what to do. Taking only a moment to decide, I bent to try and pry
the gun from him as it went off....  

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

 Ben drove intently through the dark of night. Christmas Eve wasn't
supposed to be spent like this, he thought to himself. He only hoped that
they would be able to find the children before long. The thick flakes
landed upon the windshield, making it difficult to see even with the wiper
blades on. Most of the trip was in silence, as the four men picked their
way through the frozen land.  

Lutris reached up to the front seat and picked up the radio they'd been
issued. A questioning glance from Ben in the rear view mirror caused him
to shrug. "I thought I'd hold this for us."  

Ben nodded and his eyes returned to the road. The detachment was on stand
by, and if they found anything, Lutris would be able to radio. Back up
would fly, and drive, out immediately. Ben glanced at Ray who was checking
his weapon. He was full of nervous energy, and Ben knew these past few
weeks had stretched his friend almost to the limit.  

Stan leaned forward to peer out the window. "How much longer do ya think
it'll be?" He asked.  

Ben was about to answer him when Ray interrupted. "Ten minutes less than
the last time you asked!"  

"You don't gotta get yer chain in a knot." Stan sarcastically replied.	

"I'm sure it isn't much farther," Ben offered, hoping to quell the tension
between his friends. Stan flopped back into his seat and looked to his
left. Noticing Lutris was staring at him, he glared in return. "What are
you looking at?" He demanded.  

Lutris declined to reply and turned to look out his window. He had enough
things to worry about as it was.  

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

 

I jumped as the gun went off, the bullet whizzing by the side of my head.
It embedded itself in the hard wood of the cabin wall. Dief let out a
vicious snarl, and clamped down tighter on the man's arm. He shook it
violently, making it was easy for me to remove the gun from his hand.  

I pointed it at the man, hoping I wouldn't have to shoot him. "Dief,
stop!" I shouted, and remembering he couldn't hear me, I pulled him back
by the gruff of his neck while keeping the weapon trained on him with my
other hand. Dief reluctantly let go, and the man rolled to his side
clutching his damaged arm.  

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" I demanded. My entire body
shook, and I could hear the babies crying from the other room. I didn't
know what to do! I knew I wouldn't be able to stand here all night keeping
him at bay, but I didn't want him to just leave either. What if he came
back?  

The man just glared at me, and I tried to school my features. The last
thing I needed was for him to sense my fear. The babies were outright
wailing at this time, and I knew I had to calm them down.  

"Dief, watch him. If he moves, kill him." I spoke slowly to make sure he
understood the message. He barked in reply, then focused his full
attention on the injured man growling out a warning.  

I backed away towards the nursery, not taking my eyes off the stranger.
His stare was cold and deadly, and I didn't doubt that he wouldn't make
the same mistake twice. Going into the nursery, I placed the gun on the
changing table, and picked up Robert and JC.  

"Shh...it's ok, it's all right, mommy's here," I repeated, trying to calm
myself as well as them. I bounced them around the room speaking softly,
and after a few moments they were gratefully starting to calm down. I just
wish I was! Knowing I had to get back out there, I placed each of them in
their cribs, and handed each a bottle of water.  

As I was about to leave the room, a loud commotion came from the main room
and I grabbed the gun, running out. I saw Dief attached to the man's leg
as he shuffled out the door. From the looks of things, Dief had a good
hold on him.  

"Stop!" I yelled as I pointed the gun. He turned around, off balance, and
fell out the door, Dief with him. I ran to the door in time to see him hit
Dief with something, and scramble off the porch. Aiming, I pulled the
trigger but he kept running. I fired two more times until he was out of
sight from the trees. I doubted I actually hit him, and wished for the
first time I'd kept practicing with Ben and the rifle.	

"Dief," I knelt beside him, and he whined as he tried to stand. "Oh
Dief..."  

Looking to make sure the man wasn't coming back, I tried to support the
large wolf as we made our way back into the cabin. I slid a chair under
the door knob, and went to the love seat where Dief had hoisted himself. I
felt around him, trying to find a wound. He was bleeding slightly on the
left side of his head, but besides that I didn't see anything wrong. I
quickly went into the nursery and brought the babies into the main room,
placing them in the play yard.	

Afterwards, I went into each room, locking the shutters over the windows.
That done, I turned my attention back to the main room. Ben's rifle was
still over the door, and I brought it down. Taking the ammunition from the
cupboard in the kitchen, I loaded it the way Ben had shown me.	

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

The hours seemed to drag on forever, and I tried to keep my eyes open.
This wasn't the way I had expected to spend Christmas Eve. I stretched,
then stood to make my rounds one more time. Dimming the lantern, I
cautiously opened the wooden shutter of a window, peered into the darkness
to see if I could see any movement, then locked them again, repeating the
process from all sides.  

No sooner was I finished than the hum of an engine could be heard.  

I leaned against the wall, panicked, as I clutched the rifle to me. He had
come back! I didn't know what I should do, and right then and there I
decided that Ben needed to bring some kind of radio home. Just something
that I could use to call for help.  

I could see the headlights shining through the cracks of the shutters, and
closed my eyes, to try and will my fear back down.  

I could hear car doors and muted voices. He had come back and brought help
to finish the job! I started sobbing as I slid to the floor beside the
front door. It was too much to bear. I was aware of footsteps on the
porch, and then there was a knock on the door. I screamed despite the fact
I was trying not to make any noise, and the knocking soon turned into a
pounding.  

I scrambled away from the door, over to Dief. I aimed the rifle at the
door, though it was hard to see through my tears. I was sitting on the
floor, with the barrel resting on my knees. I could hear someone pounding
against the door, like they were using a battering ram, and braced myself
as the chair shook.  

I was crying incoherently now, and trying to keep steady. Dief whined and
licked the salty tears from my face as I waited. "Oh God..." I repeated
over and over, hoping they would just go away. Within another minute, the
door burst open and Dief nudged the rifle out of aim as I fired off a
shot. The force of it left me on my back, and the next thing I knew it was
being taken out of my hands.  

I couldn't figure out what was happening. I knew I was hysterical, and I
cowered into a ball hiding my face, trying to protect myself.  

"Analise! Analise, it's ok, it's Meg. What happened? Analise!"	

I could feel myself being shaken, and slowly a familiar voice started to
penetrate the fog I was in. I tried to focus on the face as the lanterns
were turned up.  

"Meg?" I asked, not believing what I was seeing. When she nodded, I
reached for her holding on for dear life as I cried out my fear.  

It was some time later before I was able to calm down enough to tell them
what had happened. The babies were back in the nursery, along with Piaraq,
and Maggie had given me a tea she assured me would help calm my nerves
before she looked at Dief's wound.  

Meg's look was one of sheer anger as she heard the story, and she decided
that Turnbull would stay here with me while she and Maggie continued on to
meet up with Ben. At first I was reluctant to let a total stranger stay
here, with everything that just happened, but Ben had talked about the
Mountie from time to time, and Meg assured me that he had her trust
completely. It was only 4 in the morning when they left, and Turnbull
doted over me, convincing me he wouldn't let anything happen to any of us.
He ushered me into the bedroom, and made sure I was tucked in before
taking up his post in the front room. I didn't know how I'd actually be
able to sleep, but it was a relief to have someone else here.  

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

"I'm telling you Fraser, there's nothing over this way! Our best bet would
be to double back to the rock face, and look in that direction," Lutris
insisted.  

Ben didn't answer him. He didn't know why, but something was telling him
this was the right direction to look in. He lifted the bag with weapons
out of the back, and spoke to Ray and Stan.  

"We'll have to go on foot from here. The jeep won't make the steep grade."
The cops nodded and each dug in the bag to arm themselves to the hilt.	

Ben knew that dawn was upon them, and it would be harder to approach
anyone if they found something. The darkness had provided them with an
advantage.  

"Do you have the radio?" Ben asked Lutris, who nodded in reply. "Let's
go."  

Ben took the lead, followed by Stan, then Ray, and finally Lutris.  

They hiked in silence for about an hour before Ben hunkered down to
examine the snow. Ray was at his side in an instant, though he made sure
not to disturb the ground.  

"Find something Benny?"  

Ben nodded and pointed to a small red spot. Blood. He scanned the area,
and nodding, stood and walked quickly to another spot. "Snowmobile tracks.
From the looks of them, they were made recently. It didn't stop snowing
until two hours ago. Whoever made these is still in the area."	

Lutris's look turned hard. He knew the cabin was just on the other side of
the outcrop, and once they found that, all would be lost. He wasn't about
to spend the rest of his life in a jail cell for anyone. With only a nod,
the three men headed out. Lutris pulled the radio out of his pack when
they were far enough ahead, and prying open the back, ripped a handful of
wires out, tossing them as far as he could. Strapping it back on, he
checked the ammo in his gun, and picked up his rifle. This was going to
end only one way, and he was going to see to it.  

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

Ben low-crawled on his stomach, barely daring to breathe. Behind him, Ray,
Stan and Lutris looked on from behind the large rocks. Once he felt he was
close enough, Ben pulled a pair of binoculars from his parka and focused
on the cabin below. The small windows were not at the right angle to get a
good view, but he could see movement from inside. There was a snow mobile
behind the cabin. He knew this was an extremely secluded spot. Perfect for
hiding illegal activity. The occupants of the cabin didn't appear to have
a lookout posted, and Ben's keen hearing picked up yelling from inside.
Looking back, he motioned for the rest to join him.  

They all scrambled towards Ben, not crawling, but at least they'd hunkered
down. When they were beside him, Ben spoke.  

"There appears to be at least two or more. Whomever is yelling, unless
he's unhinged, must be yelling at someone. Also, there is a snow mobile in
back," he motioned towards the item, "and if you look closely," he raised
the binoculars, "you can still see steam from the heat of the engine."	

"So our guy just got here." Ray summed up.  

"It would appear so, yes."  

"What's the plan?" Stan asked, anxious to kick some ass.  

"Lutris and you can take the east side of the cabin, Ray and I will
approach from the south. See if you can see anything suspicious inside
before we disturb the occupants."  

"So how do we contact you if we do find something?" Stan asked, causing
Ray to break out in a huge smile before replying.  

"Don't suppose you know how to do a moose call, do you?"  

Ben suppressed a laugh at the old joke between him and Ray, and managed to
school his features.  

"Huh?" Stan was confused at the obvious internal joke. Ray shook his head.
"Never mind. Long story."  

Ben interrupted. "We'll keep an eye out for a signal from you."  

Stan nodded, then checked his gun. Making sure it was ready to go, he
fished in his thick coat before pulling out his glasses. Lutris looked at
him oddly.  

As the men were about to split up, Ray stilled them. With a sad look on
his face, he swallowed hard. "Merry Christmas."  

All four men paused in the despair of the moment. Ray for missing his
mother's home cooked meal, Stan for knowing he'd be spending the holiday
alone. Ben for knowing Analise would wake soon and he'd miss yet another
holiday, and Lutris, for knowing what he knew he had to do...  

Meg parked behind the other RCMP jeep, and getting out to stretch her
legs, looked to see which direction the men had taken. It wasn't hard to
find their trail. After all, the 'Americans' boots had a very distinct
tread. Of course, new boots often did. She and Maggie readied themselves,
though they didn't bring the supply of weapons the others had. Both had
their standard RCMP issued pistol, and extra ammo. Taking a deep breath,
Meg started on the trail, Maggie following behind.  

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

Ray could here things being thrown about the cabin as he squatted
underneath a window. Ben was on the other side, and when the voice grew
farther away, Ben looked up quickly to scan the interior and was hidden
again before anyone saw.  

"What'da you got?" Ray whispered.  

"There appear to be two men, heavily armed. There's another room off the
west wall, and an unordinary amount of foot lockers."  

"How do you wanna do this?"  

Just then Stan came around from the side of the building. "What are you
doing over here? You're supposed to be covering the back with Lutris!" Ray
hissed in a low whisper. Stan gave him a hard glare.  

"Well I would be if he was over there! One minute he was behind me, the
next, gone. I thought he came over here."  

Ben frowned at the unexplainable behavior. Perhaps he saw something they'd
missed? "From what I could tell, the back room doesn't sport an exit.
There is a window, but it's only approximately 10 centimeters across. I
don't believe either man could fit through it without quite a bit of
effort." Ben explained.  

"I say take the front door. Catch them off guard. That way they'll not
have a chance to react." Stan suggested.  

Ray and Ben looked at each other, and shrugged their shoulders. Neither
had any better ideas. It wasn't as if there was a sky light at the cabin.
"Sounds good to me." Ray conceded.  

They quietly made their way to the front door, and on the count of three,
both Ray and Stan kicked it open, charging the room like mad men.  

"FREEZE, POLICE!" They shouted almost in unison. Both men paused only for
a moment, then the one who'd been throwing a fit, reached for the table
where his hand gun was. Before he could reach it, a shot was fired,
knocking it out of the way. Both American cops looked at Ben wide eyed. He
didn't seem to notice his action had caused astonishment from his friends
as he kept his eyes trained on the two men.  

"Gentlemen, if you'd kindly place your hands over your head, and step into
the center of the room." Ben recognized the larger man from the boarding
house, and shook his head.  

They stole a glance at each other, then slowly complied. Ray breathed a
sigh of relief, thinking it was almost too easy. Once the initial
adrenaline rush ended, he became aware of the horrid stench in the room.  

"Whew, what's that smell?" Ray asked, crinkling his nose in disgust. Ben
sniffed the air, analyzing it, and came to a conclusion. "Human
secretions. Apparently there is no out house in the area, or indoor
plumbing."  

"Eewww." Ray looked at the bottom of his boots, just to make sure he
didn't step in anything. Ben looked around the room.  

"What's in the foot lockers?" He asked, neither man answered. Stan went
over to the closest one, and tried to open it. Finding it locked, he took
the butt of his gun and whacked at it. It only took two tries before the
lock broke, and he opened the lid.  

The smell alone was enough to make him sick, but what he saw, it was
inhuman! He stumbled back from the locker and looked in shock at the two
men.  

"What is it?" Ray impatiently asked. Stan stared into the foot locker
again. What he saw was a small boy laying in his own waste, his hands
cowering over his eyes from the brightness in the cabin. He was
malnourished, and didn't look like he'd have enough energy to even walk.  

In barely a whisper, Stan managed to choke out. "It's a kid." Looking
around the room, his anger started to boil. "They put the kids in the damn
foot lockers!" Ray rushed over to him, still keeping gun trained on the
two men. He wanted to vomit at the sight, but kept his anger in check.	

"Get them out! Now!" Ray yelled in barely contained anger. Ben advanced on
the two men, as Stan and Ray frantically banged at the locks, opening
lids, hoping they wouldn't find....well, they didn't even want to think of
that.  

"You are both under arrest for kidnapping, endangering the welfare of
children, as well as any and every other charge I can possibly think up
between here and Inuvik!" Ben informed them. Most of the foot lockers were
open, and Stan couldn't contain his rage any longer. He lunged at the
bigger man, punching him in the face, and watched in satisfaction as he
hit the floor.	

"Stan." Ben warned. As much as he'd have loved to pull the trigger right
then and there, he knew they had to be brought in the right way.  

Just as Ray was about to handcuff the first man, a voice from the doorway
spoke. "I wouldn't do that if I were you."  

All the men, except Ben, turned to see Lutris standing in the doorway of
the cabin. He had a rifle trained on them, a hard look on his face. Ray
had no choice but to take a step away. Ben dropped his head to his chest,
as he unconsciously licked his bottom lip.  

"I was expecting you, Lutris." He turned slowly to face his 'partner'.
"Tell me, how much were they paying you? Was it worth the lives of these
innocent children?"  

"Shut up! You haven't changed a bit, have you Fraser? Ever since we were
kids you were always spouting off about right and wrong. Always thinking
you were better than the rest of us." As Lutris was speaking, Hal and Mart
stood and quickly disarmed the three cops. With a smirk, Hal strode over
to Stan and back slapped him across the face. Stan's body jerked to the
side, but he refused to fall. Bent over, he held his jaw and glared up at
Hal. As he was starting to stand, Hal kneed him in the stomach, then hit
him on the back of the head with the butt of his pistol. Stan hit the
floor with a loud thud. Ray and Ben advanced to come to his aid, but were
met with a gun in their chests. Ben looked at his fallen comrade, then
back at Hal. The look on his face was masked, well, those who didn't know
him well would think he had no feelings on the issue one way or another.
Ray however, saw the signs he'd learned all those years ago.  

"What now?" Mart asked, as he nervously looked from one cop to another.
Hal's smirk turned evil, and he briefly glanced at Lutris before speaking.
"No problem. It's just a few more bodies to add to the pile. Both of you
get the kids into the back room, all of them!" he ordered Ray and Ben.
They didn't budge and Hal walked over to the closest open footlocker.
Aiming his gun, he cocked it. "I don't like repeating myself!"	

Both men lifted the beaten children as gently as they could, whispering
that everything would be alright. Though the children were afraid,
malnourished, and soaked in their own feces, they either didn't speak at
all, or barely a whimper would escape every once in a while.  

Ben counted 12 children in all once all the footlockers, and two closets
were empty. He could recognize each and every child, despite their current
appearance as the ones missing from the photos they'd been sent. He also
noticed that the ones that were taken earliest, seemed to have suffered
the most. He didn't know when they last had food or water, and it was
obvious none of them had bathed during their entire ordeal. Most had red
open sores and rashes on them, and some didn't even have enough strength
to open their eyes. His heart lurched at the sight of them  

Lutris disappeared into the room with the children, and the four men left
stared at each other. Ben tried his best to stall. "You'll never get away
with this. None of you will. Every detachment between here and Alaska has
been advised of our location, and they will be on a look out." Ben spoke
mostly to Mart, to him, it seemed like he was the weak link in the chain. 


"Shut up!" Hal ordered, and Ben took a deep breath. Just then, a window
shattering broke the standoff, and they saw Maggie aiming her gun at the
two men. "Drop it now!" she ordered. Since they weren't close enough to
Ben or Ray to use as a hostage or shield, Hal slowly started to lower his
gun as Meg came in through the front door.  

"Are you gentlemen alright?" she asked as she aimed at Hal. Once he was
covered, Maggie left her post and joined the rest inside. Ben and Ray
quickly took their weapons back, but didn't notice Maggie rush to Stan's
side. He still laid where he fell earlier.  

"Maggie, get back!" Ben yelled, but not in time. Lurtis barreled from the
back room and grabbed her by her hair, pulling her to him. She couldn't
believe her stupidity! When she and Meg realized it was Lutris, a cold
hatred ran through both of them. Dishonest cops were the worst form of
scum on earth as far as they were concerned. Meg's temper got the better
of her, and she went after Lutris. Before either knew what was happening,
Lutris aimed his gun at her and fired. Meg didn't make a sound as she hit
the hard floor.  

"NO!" Ray screamed and ran full tilt, ramming into Hal causing him to drop
his weapon. Mart ran for the door, knowing the situation was
deteriorating, and not wanting anything more to do with it. They barely
acknowledged the hum of the snow mobile as it took off. Maggie elbowed
Lutris once his aim was off her, and Ben tackled him. Hal was fighting
with all he was worth with Ray, and Ben turned to help him. Lutris kicked
Maggie's leg out from under her, and she went down. Before Ben could reach
him, he had grabbed the nearest gun and aimed it at the crowd.	

Hal smirked in triumph. It seemed they once again had the upper hand. His
smile turned to a look of horror as Lutris backed out of the cabin,
running once he was clear. Ray managed to cuff Hal as the struggling man
muttered every cuss word and threat he'd ever learned.	

Once he was secured, they both scrambled over to Meg. Maggie was just
rolling her over to see how bad it was. Ben took his knife and sliced
through her parka, as well as her other shirts. Ray was muttering an
Italian prayer over and over, begging that she'd be ok. Once Ben found the
entry sight, he breathed a sigh of relief. Though it was on her left side,
it struck low, hitting her abdomen. He pulled a pristine handkerchief from
his pocket and applied pressure. A moan from their left caught their
attention, and Maggie turned to Stan who was just starting to stir.  

Maggie helped him to sit up as she checked him over. He was still dazed,
and holding his ribs. Ben stood and checked his ammo. Ray, who was
cradling Meg's head in his lap, looked up.  

"You can't be serious Benny! He'll kill you."  

Ben pocketed extra ammo, not making direct eye contact with him. "He'll
try."  

Ray's looked turned hard. "I'm going with you."  

"Me too." Stan tried to stand, only to sink back down with a grimace.  

"You need to stay here Ray. We can't leave the children unattended. He's
on foot. We need an air evacuation. Not only for Meg, but for the
children." Maggie cocked her head. She hadn't realized they'd found the
missing kids.  

Something dawned on Ray and his eyes narrowed. "You knew he was rotten."  

Ben shrugged. "I had my suspicions. I ran into him," Ben motioned towards
the cuffed man, "at the boarding house around Thanksgiving. Lutris was
speaking with him. At first I just thought he was being polite. Then when
he disappeared, after trying to get us to avoid this area, it came
together. That and the fact that he couldn't account for a lot of his time
over the past few months."  

Ben looked at Hal, who was still sitting on the floor, hard. His lip was
bleeding and he glared at Ben with pure hatred. "Pat him down and lock him
in the closet until help arrives."  

"How are you gonna get someone? Meg doesn't have much time!" Ray was
starting to get excited. He couldn't lose her, not now. No matter how hard
he'd tried, he couldn't hide the fact that he was in love with Meg
Thatcher.  

Ben gave a sad smile. "The weapons bag that we left on the top of the hill
has an extra radio in it. I didn't want to take the chance. It isn't as
powerful as the one Lutris had but it will suffice."  

Ray breathed a sigh of relief as Maggie ran out the door. They saw the bag
half hidden on their way here.	

"If I'm not back before nightfall...." Ben took a deep breath. He didn't
know how to phrase his thoughts. "Just let Analise know not to worry, and
that I love her."  

Stan and Ray both looked solemnly at their friend. They knew what he
wasn't saying. If he wasn't back, he wouldn't be coming back.  

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  

I carefully wrapped the dishes in newspaper as I placed them in the box,
one by one. This wasn't happening. It shouldn't be happening! When I
reached Ben's favorite mug, my emotions got the better of me once again,
and I sank to the floor as I held the ceramic mug, the words 'World's
Greatest Daddy' on the front, close. It just didn't make any sense. Why?
Thinking over the past month, I tried to process everything.  

Maggie and Stan had come to the cabin Christmas night. It was very late.
They both looked like death warmed over. I had hurried them inside,
fussing at Stan when I saw his injuries. Maggie had been in tears....  

I choked as emotions overtook me with the memory once again. Stan
explained how they had found the children, he also told me about some of
the standoff. That was over a month ago. To this day, I'm sure they had
left out a lot of details.  

When I learned of Meg, I wanted to rush to the hospital right then and
there. They had both assured me she was in good hands and that my being
there wouldn't make the surgery go any faster. Ray had gone with her, and
he'd promised to call as soon as he knew anything. Stan had handed me his
cell phone to reassure me Ray'd call. I knew there was something else, and
begged them to tell me.  

A feeling of foreboding fell over me and I knew it had something to do
with Ben. There had only been a handful of times in the past that I'd
experienced that feeling. The feeling of losing someone very important to
me. Maybe it had just been their expressions, or maybe I just knew
something wasn't right. Either way, I tried to keep my misgivings in check
as they told me how Lutris had been dirty, and that Ben had gone to bring
him in. 'Hal' the man I later learned was the one who'd broken into the
cabin, had been arrested. He's since suffered, I've been told, quite a few
unexplained injuries. The third man had been found frozen to death a week
later.	

I couldn't believe what I had heard as Stan and Maggie took turns filling
me in. The anger inside me warred with disbelief and worry. Afterwards,
the night had dragged on painstakingly slow. 'Why did you let him go
alone?' I had demanded of Stan. 'How could you?' I beat on his chest as I
sobbed, and he never once said anything to me about his ribs. He held me
close as we waited. Turnbull took over with the babies, the look on his
face held utmost concern. For Ben or Meg, I don't know. Probably both.
When his watch beeped at midnight, my despair grew to a new level.  

Long into the night, after I'd convinced Maggie and Stan to take the bed,
and Turnbull had made himself comfortable in the nursery with Piaraq and
the babies, I pushed the blanket off of me and stood from the love seat. I
must have finally dozed off, but I didn't know for how long, or what had
woken me.  

The soft glow of the tree glistening from the light of the lantern danced
softly about. The joy it had brought to the cabin 24 hours ago had fled.
Had it been only 24 hours? I remember something had caught my eye though,
and I had walked towards the wrapped gift on the table by the lantern. I
was sure that hadn't been there when I fell asleep. I thought perhaps
Maggie had put it there. We never did celebrate the holiday. The gifts
were still carefully wrapped under the tree. I was going to wait for Ben,
no matter what.  

Picking up the small package, I had made a sound when I read the tag. It
simply had my name on it, but it was in Ben's writing. A shuffle from
behind caused me to turn. It had to have been a dream. Standing beside the
tree which glistened in the lantern light, was Ben. He had walked slowly
towards me silently pulled me to him. His hand threaded in my hair as he
tilted my head up and kissed me, oh so gently...  

The night was spent in silence as we took comfort in the fact that once
again, fate had been cheated and we were still together. Neither of us
needed to speak to know what the other was feeling. Listening to his
steady breathing, his heart beating against my cheek, his strong arms
around me.... I think no matter how long I live, I'll always treasure that
night as one of the most special moments Ben and I ever had. He'd held me
close as we took in the quiet of the cabin, watching the light from the
lantern dance around the room. The next morning when everyone had awaken,
we truly had reason to celebrate and be thankful.  

Maggie and Stan had been full of questions when they woke to find Ben
home. Since the shock had finally wore off for me, I too, wanted to know
what had happened. Ben sighed as he paced the small cabin, gathering his
thoughts. Looking out the window at the lightly falling snow, he began to
recount the events that happened 24 hours earlier.....	 Ben knew he was
gaining on Lutris. As he tracked him, he noticed how the man's tracks
began to stagger. A sure sign of the elements getting to him. Lutris
hadn't been properly dressed for extended time in the elements when he'd
left the detachment. He also knew Lutris would soon run into a dead end of
sorts. Up ahead was nothing but a series of cliffs. Steep drops that
extended at least two kilometers. So far, the tree line had hid Ben's
approach, but he was now nearing the end of his camouflage.  The dark
figure on white paced back and forth at the cliffs edge. Ben slowly
advanced on him, not making a sound. Ben's heart was racing with
anticipation, anger, betrayal. Lutris was a cop. He was supposed to
protect innocent children, not cause their suffering! Ben was only about
20 feet from Lutris when the man spotted him.  Lutris quickly swung around
to face Ben, his pistol aimed at Ben's chest. Ben stilled and studied the
man. He'd seen that look before. The look of no where else to go. Wild
animals got that look when they became caught in a hunter's snare.  Lutris
didn't speak as he stared at Ben. The emotions across his face were as
varied as night and day. Anger, desperation, disbelief, eventually
acceptance. Finally, Lutris broke the silence.	"I didn't know they were
being treated like that."  Ben tilted his head, confused. "What did you
think would happen Lutris? That they'd be given nice homes with caring
parents?" Ben knew his voice was harsh, bitter, but his anger would won
out.  Lutris shifted from foot to foot. "Look, all I was supposed to do
was keep people away from the area. I didn't even know Hal until after
Vicki disappeared. Besides, the last time I was at the cabin, it wasn't
like that. They weren't in......" Lutris couldn't finish his thought, and
in barely a whisper ended lamely. "It wasn't as bad."  Ben started at the
name he'd given. It couldn't possibly be Victoria, could it? But then
again, Piaraq was found in that area, she knew some of the missing
children.  "Vicki?" Ben asked, hoping for more.  Lutris nodded, his look
begging Ben to believe him. "Metcalf. She said she was working on a deal.
And that I'd get paid $10,000. All I had to do was keep the cops from the
area."	Ben could feel himself go numb. As horrible as the woman had
been....she wouldn't...but she did! Perhaps Piaraq wasn't really hers.
Maybe she had kidnapped her also? Ben knew that was a stretch of his
imagination. After all, the child looked almost identical to Victoria, and
even Maggie confirmed she'd given birth.  Movement from Lutris brought him
back to the present.  "I'm not going to jail. I can't."  Ben took a step
forward. "Perhaps you can arrange for a lighter sentence in exchange for
your testimony?" Ben offered. He knew though, that his ex-partner was
looking at 20 to life for his role in the abductions. Would a few years
make a difference?  Lutris actually laughed. Albeit a bitter, cynical
laugh. "Come on! I know even you're not that dense, Otter boy!"  Ben
ignored the nickname which used to cause him pain. A last stab in the dark
from a doomed man. Lutris was lashing out the only way he could. Ben now
knew what pain really was. Any of the children, or their parents could
tell him what pain really was. He remembered all too well when Robert was
missing. Forcing that thought aside, Ben took two more steps towards
Lutris knowing his life was as close to ending as it ever was. He wanted
to tell an Inuit story, anything to distract the man, but couldn't come up
with one that would work. After all, Lutris had been brought up in the
same environment as he.  Lutris's look turned from pleading to hard.
"Don't come closer!" Another bitter laugh escaped Lutris as he looked at
Ben. "You got it all. A beautiful wife, kids, everything. Why you? What
did you ever do to deserve it?"  Ben shrugged as he pretended to look
around, but never really took his eyes off Lutris. "I was alone for a long
time. I didn't think I'd ever find someone to accept me, and the RCMP. I'm
the first to admit that I'm a very lucky man."	Lutris paused, thinking,
as he took in Ben's words. He nodded then. "If you wanna see them again,
walk away. Do it now before I change my mind."	Ben knew what he was being
offered. "I can't do that." He took another step closer to Lutris. "You
saved my life once, from the poachers, remember?" Ben advanced one more
step. "You are a good man Hyde. If you weren't, I'd already be dead. You
don't want to kill me anymore than you wanted those children to suffer." 
Ben was within arms reach of Lutris now, and searched his eyes. The hatred
normally reflected in his direction was gone. Reaching out, he removed the
gun from Lutris's hand without resistance. The man that stood before him
now was a mere shell. He knew it was over. He had nothing else to lose.
Lutris looked up at Ben pleadingly.  "Will you.....will you tell the
families....that I'm sorry?" His voice broke slightly and Ben knew that at
this moment at least, he was being sincere.  Ben nodded, as he breathed a
sigh of relief. It was over. He'd be able to take Lutris in, and it didn't
look as if he'd give Ben any problems. Lutris turned from him as if
suddenly embarrassed by his emotions and looked out across the great
expanse, taking it all in.  Ben waited patiently for Lutris. He knew that
everyone had to accept their fate in their own way, and their own time.
Sometimes giving respect to that wish made all the difference between a
civilized arrest, and a chaotic one.  When Lutris turned to him, there was
no emotion left in the man's eyes. Without a word or warning, Lutris took
a step back and fell off the cliff, never once breaking eye contact with
Ben. Ben lunged to the edge, almost going over himself, but he was too
late.  The silence engulfed him as no sound was made from the fated man.
Ben looked until he couldn't see Lutris anymore, the mist from the frigid
bottom masking his view, then hung his head. He was on his stomach at the
edge of the precipice and rolled to his back staring up at the heavens as
he said his own silent prayer for his ex-partner.  Ironically, Ben
remembered a reading from his father's journal. 'I believe every man has a
line he won't cross, no matter what.' Ben saw first hand what happens to a
man when that line is crossed without even knowing it. Even Lutris had a
line.  Standing slowly, he pocketed the pistol he still held and turned to
go home. It would be a long walk.   I shook myself back to the present and
smiled wistfully as I finished wrapping the mug, placing it in the box. I
don't know if Ben ever really told us everything that transpired out
there. I'm sure his report was 'official' but there was something about
his mood that let all of us know there were some things a man preferred to
keep to himself, and this was one of them. I do know that Ben truly
believed Lutris had been remorseful, and that he opted to end his life at
the base of a cliff, rather than face jail.  

Time passed, and Ben and I waited. We waited for Ben's hearing, waited for
the results of the paternity test, waited to get on with our lives. Meg
had only spent five days in the hospital before being released. I'm sure
her 'bullying' the doctors had been a big part in their decision. She came
to the cabin and stayed with us for a few days longer while writing out
her reports. Ray and Stan also stayed. I could tell a difference in Ray. I
think everyone, including Meg, knew how he truly felt about her, and
though I can't be sure, I did see a change in Meg that I can't explain,
except for love. When and if she'll ever admit it to herself, I'll never
know. For now though, both seem content to just spend as much time
together as possible.  

The day of the hearing came, and Meg flew back to testify on Ben's behalf.
Her testimony was likely the deciding factor that kept Ben in the RCMP. He
was now associated with bringing down another of his own. It didn't seem
to matter that Lutris was dirty, just as dirty as Girard: Ben was
responsible for airing both their dirty laundries and embarrassing the
force, again.  

Was it irony or fate that the results of the paternity test came in that
night? Ben had been reading quietly to Piaraq as she sat on his lap, her
head resting on his chest. To that day, she still didn't seem to care for
me or the twins, but loved him to death.  

He'd broken the news of her mother to her two weeks before and together
they'd went to visit her grave. I don't know how much the child
understood, but the extra love and attention Ben showered on her on her
seemed to help. They were inseparable. It was Buck who'd come to the cabin
with the papers. He knew Ben would want to see them as soon as possible.
Nervously, Ben took the sealed envelope from him and fingered the flap
before tearing it open. Reading quickly, Buck and I couldn't help but
notice the pain that flitted across his face before he looked down into
Piaraq's eyes.	

"Oh Ben, I'm so sorry." I whispered, but guiltily, I was also very much
relieved. If a man's heart could break though, then his had surely did at
that moment. He'd lost almost everything. Almost. I had known that no
matter how bad things became for Ben, he'd always managed to overcome the
adversity. Always managed to bury the hurt and move on. We both knew that
social services wouldn't allow her to stay with us since the test proved
negative. That was one more thing we had had to come to terms with.  

Buck hated to hand him the next paper. Ben gave him a curious glance.
Opening the large vanilla envelope, he'd read it, then looked at Buck.	

"I'm sorry Benton. Sergeant Peterson argued hard. He doesn't want you here
any longer. It isn't so bad...." Buck's voice trailed off.  

"What is it Ben?" I had asked. I knew it had to be a transfer, but where
were they sending him?	

Ben let out a sad chuckle, and explained with a touch or irony. "It
appears I'm being exiled once again. I'm to report to the Canadian
Consulate in Chicago, no later than February 1st. Until then, I'm on
indefinite 'leave'." I had leaned against the table in shock.  

"Chicago?"  

~~~~~~~~  

Ben walked into the cabin and smiled at me. "The barn's secured."  

I nodded as I sealed up the last box of dishes. Looking around the cabin,
I sighed. We hadn't even been here five months, yet so much had happened.
I never thought we'd be going back to Chicago. "Ben?"  

He came over to me and wrapped his arms around me. "How long?"	

He sighed as he considered. "I believe as long as I stay in the RCMP, I'll
be in Chicago."  

"Are you sure you want to do this?" I asked, even though we'd talked about
the move a lot, I wanted to make sure this is what *he* wanted. This was
his home....our home. It took him almost six years to earn the right to
come back, and once again, it was being taken from him.  

"Positive."  

I nodded, then reached up to kiss him. Our bags had been packed and were
in the jeep. Ben took the babies outside as I looked about the cabin one
last time. Buck was going to send our other belongings later. A rag doll
sticking out from the bottom of the love seat caught my attention. Picking
it up, I thought again of Piaraq. Social services had taken her two days
ago despite the fight Ben had given. No matter what, they weren't going to
allow her to move to the States with us, especially under the
circumstances we were being sent. I'd never seen Ben so angered and lost
in his life. Breaking the news to Piaraq was extremely difficult for him,
and he had held her for hours rocking her, trying to comfort the both of
them. Finally, Ben vowed he'd keep on her case until a good home was found
for her. It would be a long search ahead for the little girl as they look
for any family she may still have.  

My hand rested on the doorknob as I said good bye to our home. I knew we'd
be ok. We were going to be with family. Meg, Ray, Stan, Maggie, even
Turnbull who Meg had fought to get transferred back to Chicago would be
waiting for us, as well as the entire Vecchio clan.  

And if we ever make it home again, back to the cabin, I'll be sure to let
you know.  

~~~finis~~~~