Ben & Phil Ch    

Disclaimer: This story is written for the private entertainment of fans.
The author makes no claims on the characters or their portrayal by the
creation of this story. Fraser, Vecchio, et.al. belong to Alliance; the
McKenzies and friends belong to me. No infringement of any copyrights held
by CBS, Alliance, CTV, or any other copyright holders of DUE SOUTH is
intended. This story is not published for profit, and the author does not
give permission for this story to be reproduced for profit. 

Rated PG 

Now...to the tune of "Lions, and Tigers, and Bears, Oh My!" from "The
Wizard of Oz", I present for your reading pleasure: 

  Ichnites, Montmorillonite, and Bentonite, Oh My! 

By SL Haas 

(Copyright November 1996, Revised April 1999) 

July 1984 

"Phil, this is the third time I've asked you to spend our day off
together. What's happened? I though we had agreed to get to know each
other better." The plaintive note in his voice didn't seem to have any
effect on the woman sitting at the desk. Benton Fraser settled his frame
on the corner and waited patiently. 

Phil McKenzie looked at the man sitting there and her lips curled into a
lopsided smile. 'How does he do it? How can he whine so beautifully?' she
asked herself. "T, it's not that I don't want to spend time with you, but
I do have other obligations that I have to take care of." 

"What other obligations?" 

"Well, when September rolls around, my classes will be starting and I'm in
the process of organizing my field geology class. I've been spending my
days off scoping out possible field trip localities." 

"Field geology? Field trip localities?" 

"Yes, field geology and field trip localities." She sighed then settled in
for an explanation. "Field geology teaches, or at least tries to teach,
students how to be observant and what to look for in the field--the great
'outdoors'--you know... out there." A hand waved in the general direction
of the window. "It also teaches mapping techniques used in the field and
how to transfer the data collected into a useable format. It takes all the
'knowledge' a student has supposedly learned in all of his other classes
and gives him practical experience using it. It was, probably, the hardest
class I ever took. It was also the most enjoyable. I learned more during
field camp than I did during any of the courses I took before that." 

"Sounds like a pretty weighty responsibility. I'm surprised that the
school gave it to you." 

"Why? Don't think I can handle it? I'll have you know, Fraser, that my
expertise is field related and I'm damn good at what I do. I'm also pretty
damn good at putting together field trips." Angered at Ben's assumption
that she wasn't capable of handling the responsibility of such a course,
her voice was a bit on the sharp side. Was she going to have to disabuse
Ben of the female stereotyping she had faced so many times already? 

Ben held his hands up in a warding-off motion. "Hold on, Phil. That's not
what I meant at all. I have every confidence in your capabilities. What I
meant was, I'm surprised that the school is giving such an important
course to a brand-new faculty member. It seems to me that it would have
been taught by someone who had been there much longer." 

Phil's hackles slowly settled. "You forget, Ben. I've been there for the
past six years. I've already TA'd the field course for several years. It's
not exactly like I don't know what's going on." 

Ben chuckled. "I surrender, Phil. Obviously the school knows your
capabilities and how to best exploit them." He shook his head. Phil
continually amazed him. Every time he thought he had a handle on what made
her tick, she would do something or say something that threw him for a
loop. His silent musings were cut short when he realized Phil had asked
him a question, and he had no idea what it was. "Pardon? I'm sorry, Phil.
I was miles away." 

Phil propped her feet up on her desk and leaned back in her chair.
Honestly, Ben could be the most aggravating man at times. "I asked you if
you wanted to come with me tomorrow." 

"Tomorrow?" 

She buried her face in her hands and groaned. "Did you or did you not
express a wish to spend tomorrow with me?" 

"Yes, but..." 

"No buts. I already have plans made for tomorrow. You can come with me or
not. It's up to you. However--now don't let this influence your
decision--I wouldn't be adverse to sharing your company for the day." 

"Put that way, how could I possible refuse? I would be delighted to
accompany you wherever it is you're going." 

"Good, I’ll pick you up at 4:30. We can grab a bite to eat while we're on
the road." 

"4:30? As in 4:30 a.m.?" 

Phil nodded and a look of pure mischief hovered in the depths of her eyes.
"Got to get an early start. I want to be in the canyon by 8. I'll pack a
lunch for the both of us. 

Be sure to bring your canteen and your backpack. You can carry some of the
stuff." 

Ben groaned. "Is that all I am to you, a pack animal?" 

"Of course, what else would you be?" and she grinned her most provocative
smile at him.  

He knew what he wanted to be but couldn't tell her just yet. The time
wasn't right and he didn't want to scare her again. * * * 

Ben landed lightly on his feet, then turned to stare up at Phil on the lip
of the embankment.  

"If you think for one minute I'm going to jump down there with you, you
are sadly mistaken." Phil grimaced at him, "How do you do that? If I
jumped off this embankment I'd break a leg or something." She walked along
the edge searching for a way down. It had been awhile since she was last
here and the slope she had negotiated a year ago was no longer there. She
would have to make do with the tiny gully made by a small ephemeral
stream. She scrambled down the narrow cut and soon joined Ben on the wider
dry streambed below. 

"I would have caught you." 

"I'm sure you would, then we'd both be in trouble. No, thank you." She
scanned the area then turned and headed up the streambed. Every once in
awhile she would take her rock hammer and scrape the embankment walls. Not
satisfied, she would continue up the streambed.  

Ben trailed along behind her. What in the world was she looking for? One
spot seemed to be more interesting that any of the others so far. Phil not
only scraped the embankment wall but also dug a small trench at the base
of the wall.  

"Can I help you in some way, Phil? I feel silly just standing here
watching you do whatever it is you're doing." When she turned to him, he
smiled sheepishly at her. "May I ask a stupid question?" 

Phil sat back on the sand and looked up at Ben as he towered over her. She
pulled her cap off and wiped her brow. "Shoot. As I try to tell my
students, there's no such thing as a stupid question, only stupid
answers." 

"Ah...understood. My question, then, is what is it you're looking for? If
I knew what it was, maybe I could look, too?" 

She gave him a considering look and waved to the rock face. "I'm looking
for a facies change from siltstone to shale in this formation." Devilment
sparkled in her eyes as she asked, "Think you can help me find it?" She
was greeted by a blank stare. She laughed and motioned for Ben to join her
on the ground. "Drop your pack and I'll show you what I'm looking for." 

Ben complied and soon found himself digging at the base of the embankment.
He looked on in mild disgust as Phil broke loose a small piece of rock and
bit a chip off. She carefully chewed it between her teeth before offering
the rock to Ben. "No way, Phil. I had a mentor when I was growing up who
chewed on a lot of different things but I draw the line at chewing on
rocks." 

"Trust me, T. I know what I'm doing. One of the ways to tell shale from
siltstone is by chewing a piece between your teeth. A siltstone is
slightly gritty. Here, let me show you what I mean." She fished around
among the rocks littering the streambed and selected a small one. She
handed it to Ben. "This is sandstone. It's composed of sand grains
cemented together. Break off a piece." Ben complied. "Feel the grains with
your fingers? Good. Now, take a small piece and kind of roll it between
your teeth." Seeing the look on his face, she shook her head, "It won't
poison you, T. If I wanted to do that, I wouldn't have invited you along
today." 

Ben warily took the smallest piece he could manage and rolled it between
his teeth. "Now what?" he mumbled around the rock fragment. 

"Bite down on it slightly."  

Ben did so. It was gritty, a lot like having a mouth full of sand.  

"Okay, you can spit it out now." It took several attempts to get all the
sand out of his mouth. A swallow from his canteen removed the last grit
from his mouth. "Now, tell me what you felt as you chewed on that rock." 

"I felt like a fool." 

Phil chuckled. "Aside from that, T. Describe how the rock felt against
your teeth and tongue."  

Ben thought carefully and described the experience to Phil. 

She handed him another rock. "Try this one." 

Ben looked askance at her. 'I can't believe I'm tasting rocks, Quinn. You
said I'd taste many things in my life. How right you were!' He obediently
chewed on the second rock. 

"Now tell me what's different about this rock." 

"It's not as gritty, kind of slimy, and..." he grinned at Phil, "...it's
grey instead of brown." 

Phil rested her forehead in her hand, shook her head resignedly, and
groaned, "Of course, it's grey! I'm interested in what your mouth is
telling you." 

"My mouth is telling me it wants to kiss you." 

She heaved a sigh. "I can tell you one thing, T. I'd hate to have you in
one of my classes." 

"Why?" he asked as he rinsed his mouth out again. 

"Aside from your obvious skepticism of acceptable field techniques, you're
way too much of a distraction for my peace of mind." 

"Understood..." He grinned at her. "What's next?"  

Phil stood up and brushed the seat of her shorts off. "We look for the
facies change from that grey siltstone to a grey shale." 

"And how do you tell a shale from a siltstone?" 

Phil peered intently at the rock face. Almost as an afterthought, she
answered Ben's question. "A shale will feel all slimy, no grit." She
paused and brushed some loose material from the rock face. Several times
she plucked pieces of rock from the face and subjected them to her mouth.
Finally, she turned to Ben with a big grin on her face, "Okay, Mr.
Know-it-all Mountie, find the shale." She sorted through several rock
chips in her hand. "Here try this. It will show you what you're looking
for." 

Ben chewed on the offered fragment. It was definitely slimy. It spat the
residue out and looked at Phil. "You want me to find this rock in that
rock face?" Phil nodded. "Phil, I'm not a geologist. I don't know what to
look for." 

"You know all you need to know, T. Trust yourself. Trust what your senses
tell you." With that said she located a patch of shade, stretched out on
the sand, and motioned for Ben to proceed.  

With a deep put-upon sigh Ben turned to the rock face, picked up Phil's
rock hammer, and began chipping small pieces off. He tasted each chip
working methodically from bottom to top. About three-quarters of the way
up he noticed a change in the texture of the rock chips. He moved back
down the rock face and then back up until he was sure he could tell where
the gritty material ended and the slimy stuff began. 

"Not bad for a first timer, T. You're only off by about three inches.
That's a lot better than most of my students." She rewarded him with a
brilliant smile. Ben grinned and pulled her to him for a brief kiss.
"That's another reason I'm glad you're not in any of my classes." She
slowly pushed away from his arms. 

"Oh dear. Are you saying you would object to me kissing you? What if I did
it when no one was looking?" 

Phil let out a long exasperated sigh and muttered to herself, "Trouble
with a capital T!" To Ben, she said, "Come on, T. There are a couple of
other things I want to check out before we head back home."  

They hiked for about a mile up the dry creek bed and turned into a narrow
cut. It was no more than three feet at it's widest. At times they had to
climb rock piles that marked rapids or a small waterfall when water flowed
in the channel. 

As they climbed one such area, Phil pointed to a slab that was tilted from
the horizontal. She quickly climbed on to the slab and knelt down by some
pits in the surface of the rock. "Ichnites--dinosaur tracks."  

Ben knelt beside her and looked at the indistinct pits on the rock. "How
can you tell? They look like holes to me." 

"I guess after you've seen hundreds of these, you can spot the real things
from other similar features. Besides..." mischief glinted in her eyes,
"...I once came here with a vertebrate paleontologist and he told me they
were tracks." She smiled at him then dug in her pack for her camera. 

Ben dug in his pack and produced a couple of candy bars. "I thought I
would provide the snack this time. Do you like these?" 

Phil took the proffered candy bar. "Kit Kats? Do they have chocolate and
caramel? Need I say more?" Phil shared his grin and devoured the candy.
She then dug in her pack and produced a package of dehydrated fruit. Her
eyes twinkled as she passed the package to Ben. "I do occasionally eat
something other than candy bars!" Ben chuckled and shared the dried fruit.


Phil passed him another plastic bag. "Gorp...great trail food. I make my
own...sunflower seeds, coconut, M&Ms, pumpkin seeds, nuts, whatever
strikes my fancy."  

They snacked on the gorp as they continued up the narrow channel until it
opened into a small basin. "There are two areas I want to check before
we're ready to go. The first is just up ahead." Phil led the way out of
the channel and over a low ridge and up the next. She stopped on the far
side of the second ridge and dropped her pack. "We should be able to find
some dinosaur bone pieces here. This is the Ralston Creek Formation and
I've always had luck here. Look for rocks that are white or light grey. If
it's a bone piece it will look like one." They spent over an hour
collecting bone fragments. Phil kept a couple of pieces, as did Ben. 

"One last stop and we can head out, T." 

"Don't hurry on my account, Phil. I'm having a great time. Learning new
things, too." He shook his head. "I had no idea that tasting rocks could
tell you anything except what dirt tasted like." He did not notice the
sudden gleam of mischief that appeared in Phil's eyes. 

"Good!"  

Good? What could be so good about that? He gave Phil a suspicious look but
she had turned away and was scanning the slope ahead of them. Moving
swiftly, she slid down the slope and made her way to a rock outcrop in the
dry stream bed below. She waited patiently for Ben to catch up with her. 

Somehow he wasn't too surprised when Phil handed him another piece of
rock. "I guess I'm supposed to chew this one, too?" 

She nodded. "This time, concentrate on the taste of the rock." He chewed
the rock. 

"It tastes muddy. Like dirt. What am I supposed to be tasting?" 

"Nothing yet, just remember what that piece tastes like. Now try this
one." She gave him another piece that looked identical to the one he held.
 

He spat out the residue of the first rock and began to chew the second.
"This tastes the same as the first--muddy, like dirt." He rolled the rock
chips around his tongue, a thoughtful look crossed his face. "Wait a
minute, I can taste something like rust...iron?"  

Phil's face was alight with her characteristic crooked smile. "Bingo!
Another reason to taste things. Some minerals have distinctive tastes. The
two shales you have there are identical except one has an iron component
which the other one lacks. Another example would be halite--rock salt.
Unfortunately there are no salt formations around here or I'd have you try
one. Sometimes you can even taste a petroleum residue in a rock." 

Ben groaned then asked, "Do you do this often, Phil? Are all geologists
rock eaters? Do you have some kind of mineral deficiency? Or are you just
warped like Rob says?" 

Phil grinned at the reference to her brother. "Let's just say that I'm not
afraid of utilizing something that may seem a bit 'warped' to someone
else." 

Ben cocked his head and gave her that 'are you referring to me?' look. 

Phil countered with her 'I know what I'm talking about' look. "Think about
it Ben, what makes food desirable? It's the taste! Taste is probably the
least used sense and, as a 

diagnostic tool, it is seldom used. Just think about plants. Most of the
plants we eat have characteristic tastes. That's why we eat them. Believe
me! I certainly don't eat squash because of the way it looks. It's the
taste. Frankly, if I had to depend on looks, I wouldn't each much of
anything!" Ben joined her chuckle. 

She continued, "Of course you do have to exercise some caution. You don't
want to taste anything poisonous. There are some poisonous rocks. In fact
one of the formations we climbed through back in the hogback has arsenic
in it. I guess what I'm trying to say, Ben, is: don’t turn your nose up at
an investigative technique until you've tried it. It's one of the big
stumbling blocks I have with new geology students." She chuckled and shook
her head. "End of soap box." * * * 

They hiked for another mile or so when Phil called a halt to their
progress. "Last stop! Then we hike on out of here, catch the road, and
hike back to the Blazer." They were once more facing a rock face that
comprised an embankment for the dry streambed they had followed. "Tell me
what you see, Ben." Phil stepped back and allowed Ben to approach the rock
face. 

"It looks pretty much like all the other rock faces we have stopped to
look at. It's grey, looks like shale?" He turned to look at Phil for
confirmation. She nodded her head 

and he turned back to the rock wall. "I see some lighter layers here. Are
they something special?" Again he turned to look at Phil. Again she
nodded. 

"This is the Pierre shale. Those whitish layers are layers of volcanic
ash. The glass in the ash has devitrified and turned to a clay mineral
called smectite or, more properly, montmorillonite. It has a
characteristic..." 

"...taste to it. I know, you want me to taste it, don't you?"  

Phil's grinned widened as she nodded her assent. 

Ben carefully dug out a piece of the white stuff and placed it on his
tongue. He was not prepared for what happened next. With a small yelp, he
wrenched the piece away from his tongue and flung it away from him.
Laughter reached his ears and he turned to see Phil sitting on the ground,
arms clutching her sides. Tears rolled down her cheeks. 

"That was priceless, T. Could you do that again so I can get a picture of
you?" And she was laughing again. 

Ben stood over her and glared at her. Each time she looked at him, she
started laughing again. Her laughter was infectious and soon Ben found
himself smiling then laughing at whatever it was Phil found so funny.
Slowly the laughter subsided and Phil wiped her eyes. Slightly jaundiced,
Ben asked, "You mind telling why that rock did that?" 

"That particular rock is composed of montmorillonite, a swelling clay." 

"Swelling clay?" 

"Yeah, that means it can incorporate a large amount of water into its
crystal structure. It can literally suck up water like a sponge and swell
up like one, too." 

"So, when I put it to my tongue..." 

"It began to draw the moisture away from your tongue which caused it..." 

"...to adhere to my tongue like a suction cup." 

"Exactly. It's a characteristic feature of bent...that kind of rock."  

Ben retrieved a piece of the much-discussed rock and placed it on his
tongue. Sure enough it hung there like some cancerous growth.  

Phil couldn't help it, he looked so ridiculous with his tongue hanging out
and a rock attached to it. She laughed again. 

Ben only shook his head. It took so little to amuse Phil. Removing the
rock fragment he turned to her and asked, "What's this rock called?"  

Suppressed giggles met his request. "I'm sorry, T." Phil drew in copious
amounts of air, struggling to overcome her laughter. "It's called..." she
giggled once more, "... it's called bentonite." 

The rock dropped from his hand, "You're kidding me!"  

Phil was laughing again. "No, honestly, Benton. It's called bentonite."
She rolled on the ground, "Oh, I hurt...it hurts...bentonite...Ben,
tonight?...oh, I can't help myself... it's so funny..." Her laughter
punctuated her words. 

"Bentonite! Imagine that! I never knew there was a rock named after
me...or was I named after the rock?" He carefully stowed a piece of the
rock in his pack with the other rocks he had collected. He shook his head
and grinned ruefully at Phil. He patiently waited for the laughter to
cease. Somehow, he would get back at her for this. He helped her to her
feet and they hiked the remaining distance back to her Blazer. * * * 

The drive home was filled with mutual reminiscing of humorous incidents
from their pasts. When Phil dropped him off at his motel room he kissed
her goodbye and thanked her for an enjoyable day. 

"I enjoyed it too, T. I haven't laughed that hard in I don't know how
long."	

"I don't believe I have ever laughed that hard, Phil," he said in
amazement. And it was the truth. There had been little opportunity for
laughter that deep and thorough when he lived with his grandparents. He
smiled at the face turned to him and kissed it again. ‘That's one of the
reasons I love you, Philippe McKenzie,’ he thought. ‘You bring laughter
and joy into my life.’ 

What was he going to do when he had to leave in October? He knew he would
be leaving his heart with Phil. Could he leave Phil? He knew they would
have to face that problem soon. But right now, he was discovering what
love was all about. A love that was different from the love he felt for
Cat Madden--a love that was as different as night was from day. He was
happier than he could ever remember being. He smiled at Phil. "Thank you,
Phil." 

"For what, T?" 

"For being you." 

"You are so strange at times, Benton Fraser. What am I going to do with
you?" She knew what she wanted, but was still fearful of being rejected by
this incredible man. She knew his attraction for her couldn't last and,
sooner or later, he would turn to one of the women who had made it
abundantly clear that they wanted him. Why was he still interested in her?
 

She shook her head. No way would she allow him to get any closer to her.
She didn't want the hurt that she knew was coming. But still, she was
happy when she was with him. He made her feel things she had never felt
before. She wasn't self-conscious with him. She felt at ease with him. She
enjoyed his company. She loved him. 

The realization hit her hard. It was too late to avoid the hurt coming her
way. No matter what happened, she loved this Mountie. She loved Ben. She
turned away before he could read it in her eyes. 

Ben watched the emotions play across her face and reflect in her eyes. He
saw the startled realization and the quick turning of her head. He smiled.
He had been waiting for this...waiting for her to recognize what existed
between them. Now they could discuss the future. 

He smiled in anticipation. 

  

  

To be continued (?) 

Copyright November 1996 by SL Haas 

Revised April 1999 

Comments are welcome at durango@ionet.net 

  

Fraser’s Secret (Book 1)  On a Collision Course Nocturnal Duet Jumping to
Conclusions "In the Kiss of One Girl" Real Conversations Icnites,
Montmorillonite, and Bentonite, Oh My! An Acquired Taste "…a Dish Best
Served Cold" Like Thunder When It Rains Steppingstones The First
Consciousness An Answered Dream Since We Parted The Fine Line That
Separates Moments of Regret Benton's Secret