The Vigil	The Vigil 

He'd never thought in his wildest dreams (or was that his worst
nightmare?) that she'd come back to Chicago, but she had. Her arms
tightened around him, holding him so close he could smell her perfume. He
could feel her hair tickle his cheek and neck, her breath caress his ear.
He tried to check his trembling, but it was impossible.  

"Victoria, why did you come back?"  

"For you, Ben. Why else?"  

"It's been almost a year. Why now? Things have changed."  

"Yeah, well I had other things on my mind. But now I'm free. You were
going to come with me, until he shot you."  

"I was then, but not now. Victoria give it up. You can't win."	

"Can't I? Just watch me."  

"Give me the gun, Victoria."  

She jabbed the gun viciously into his throat and he gasped, closing his
eyes for a moment, sure he was going to die.  

"How are you going to make me, Ben? Do you have a gun?" She laughed,
already knowing the answer.  

"No. But I have. And I'll use it." Meg? He managed to turn his head enough
to see her, off to the right. She didn't have a clear shot. Not quite. The
gun moved away slightly as Victoria considered this new situation.  

"Victoria!"  

"Damn you, Ben..." She brought the gun round, aiming at Ben, and Ray,
waiting silently for this opportunity, wrenched himself out of her arms
and dropped, leaving Meg a clear shot. Two shots rang out. He heard
Victoria hit the ground behind him, but his attention was focused on Ben,
who'd been standing in front of them. He saw Ben fall, screaming in agony
and his blood ran cold as he flung himself across the few feet that
separated them. Ben curled into a ball, his arms wrapped around his body,
still screaming.  

"Benny! Oh, God! Let me see!" He tried to find the wound, certain it must
be mortal, but couldn't straighten Ben out enough to see anything. Then
Ben shuddered, bringing his hands up to his face, pressing them against
his mouth to silence himself. Ray ran his hands carefully over his
friend's body and found nothing. No wound. At least, no physical wound...
but suddenly that didn't seem so reassuring.  

Ray pulled Ben up into his arms, trying to reach him with his voice and
touch, but Ben was oblivious, trapped in his own universe of pain. He
glanced over to where Meg was standing beside Victoria's body, talking
into a cell phone. Their eyes met over Ben's head, then Meg turned away,
her face tight, giving nothing away.  

It didn't take long for the ambulance and the police to arrive. Meg
managed to keep them away from the two figures huddled together on the
ground by flashing her diplomatic credentials. But once the body had been
lifted onto the gurney and placed in the ambulance a paramedic came over. 


"Maybe he should come too. He should be treated for shock."  

"No!" Ray pulled himself together. "Thanks, but I'll look after him."  

The paramedic looked them over doubtfully, Ben's body was still shuddering
uncontrollably. Then he shrugged and went away.  

"Benny? Can you hear me?" No response. "We gotta get outa here, OK?" Still
nothing, but when he dragged Ben to his feet and started walking, Ben
managed to stumble along beside him. On auto pilot, he thought, but at
least it got them away from the scene.	

Ray loaded Ben into the Riv and got out of there as fast as he dared, back
to Ben's apartment. A nightmare journey. When they finally reached the
apartment Dief met them at the door, whining anxiously as Ray dragged Ben
over to his bed and tumbled him onto it. He stripped him down to his
underwear and wrapped him up warmly against the shock. He knew he should
try to get a hot drink into Ben, but that just wasn't going to happen, so
it was a relief when Dief jumped onto the bed and lay down next to Ben.
He'd stopped shaking and just lay there, his eyes empty, seeing nothing.
Ray pulled an armchair over to the bed and sat watching, but all too soon
exhaustion crept up on him. He felt himself falling asleep and tried to
fight it, but he'd hardly slept at all in the last few days.  

Ray woke to the sound of Dief's urgent whining. It was cold, rain sheeting
against the windows, coming in one that he didn't remember opening. He
glanced across and saw the bed was empty. He almost dived through the open
window, Dief right behind him. They found Ben halfway down the fire
escape, soaked to the skin and icy cold.  

Once again, Ray dragged him back to the apartment, dried him off and put
him to bed. This time he lay on the bed with Ben and Dief managed to
squeeze in on the other side of him. Just to be sure, Ray wrapped his arms
around Ben, holding him tightly.  * 

Ray had hoped that in the morning Ben would be at least a little better,
but he simply lay staring into space, not responding to Ray at all. He
touched Ben's flushed cheeks and thought about calling a doctor, since he
was obviously feverish. He didn't do it, mainly because he wasn't sure how
Ben would react to a stranger. He called the precinct and told Welsh he
wouldn't be in for a while. That wasn't a problem, Welsh knew all about it
and had been expecting his call. He called Meg and told her what was
happening. They'd had their differences in the past, but he felt sorry for
her now. She'd only done what she'd had to do, but he doubted Ben would
see it that way. He was glad that he hadn't been in her position.  

Meg called by after hours but wouldn't come further than the doorway,
looking at Ben's motionless figure anxiously. He knew there'd been
something between them, though they'd both been holding back, probably
because of some strange Canadian scruples. If it had been for any other
reason, he would have been glad of this setback, but the intensity of
Ben's silent grief worried him.  

Throughout the long day he'd talked incessantly, trying to get a response
from Ben. Now he decided to try something different. He sat by the bed,
holding Ben's icy cold hand and stroking his hair, not saying a word.
Occasionally Ben's eyes would open, but they never seemed to really see
him. When he became too tired to continue he lay on the bed beside Ben,
holding him.  *  

After three days Ben still hadn't spoken a word or made any effort to move
on his own. When Ray brought him juice or soup, he could usually persuade
Ben to drink it, the rest of the time he would lie with his back to the
window and Ray, either sleeping or staring into space. Meg had come around
each night, looking increasingly worried at Ben's lack of progress.
Tonight she seemed even more upset. She grabbed Ray by the arm and dragged
him into the hallway.  

"Is there any improvement?"  

Ray shook his head. He was nearly at his wit's end.  

"Ray, have you thought about getting him committed?"  

"Over my dead body! Don't even think about it."  

"He needs help, Ray."  

"I'm helping him." It wasn't true and they both knew it.  

"You're almost as big a mess as Ben is."  

"So are you."  

They glared at each other. Then Ray shifted uncomfortably. "This isn't
helping Benny. I won't put him in a psych ward, and I'm listed as his next
of kin, so there's nothing you can do about it. What I want to know is,
what's happened to get you into this state."  

Meg stared at him in surprise, she wouldn't have thought Ray would notice
anything that didn't hit him in the face. Maybe she was looking worse than
she realised. She needed to talk to someone, and there wasn't really
anyone else she could tell this to, but even so, it was hard to get the
words out.  

"I heard from the pathologist today about Victoria's autopsy."	

"Don't tell me... they couldn't find a heart?"	

Ray's flippancy was the last thing she needed. "They found she'd given
birth within the last month."  

Ray did the sums in his head and then stared at her, appalled. "Oh my
God..."  

"That doesn't mean Ben was the father."  

"Who else? Jolly? I don't think so."  

"Ray, it could have been anybody. We still don't know anything about what
she did before she came here the last time, and precious little about
after she left, either."  

"We had other things on our minds, OK? Like whether Benny was going to
make it." Ray didn't need this... he really didn't need this. He was
starting to feel sick. Maybe she met someone after she left, but he
couldn't convince even himself of that.  

"I need to think about this. I'll call you." He ducked back into the
apartment, closing the door quietly. He went over to the bed and stood
staring down at Ben for a long time. How would he react to this news?
Maybe he'd want to go look for the kid... Maybe he'd want to kill himself.
Maybe he just wouldn't care.  

Finally he got his cell phone out and called Meg. "I think we should find
the kid. And make sure we get DNA tests done. When we've got it, we can
bring it here. If that doesn't work..."  

"What if it sends him over the edge?"  

"Wake up, Meg. He's already over the edge. Besides, you haven't seen him
with kids. It may be the only chance we have to snap him out of this."	

Meg agreed reluctantly, not convinced, but without anything better to
suggest. She'd be the one doing all the work, he couldn't leave Ben alone
for a moment. When he disconnected his hands were shaking. He didn't even
want to think about what would happen if the kid wasn't Benny's. For the
first time he admitted to himself how scared he was.  *  

The next day, he finally snapped. He'd been trying without success to get
a glass of milk into Ben for over half an hour when it just got to be too
much for him. He threw the glass across the room, grabbed Ben by the front
of his T-shirt and shook him.  

"All right, I've had enough of this. I'm sick of playing nursemaid to you.
Cleaning up after you. It's about time you did something for yourself."  

He pulled Ben out of the bed bringing one arm up over his shoulder,
forcing him upright. With an arm around his waist, Ray started dragging
him around the room, half carrying him on the first circuit, but gradually
Ben began to cooperate a little. Ray kept him walking as long as he had
the strength to continue, then led Ben back to the bed and settled him
against the pillows. He took Ben's face between his hands and stared into
his eyes. For a moment he thought he saw a flicker of recognition, but
then Ben's eyes slid past his.	

"Benny... please. You've gotta try."  

There was no response.	*  

He wouldn't send Ben to a psych ward, but he was desperate enough to get
the name of a psychiatrist and call her for advice.  

"What you did was good, keep on with it."  

"That's all? Just drag him around the floor?"  

"He wants to be left alone. When he does what you want him to do, like
walk, dress himself or eat, reward him by leaving him alone for a while.
It's basic behavioural conditioning. It can work wonders."  

"I don't believe this. You get paid for this kind of advice?"  

She laughed. "I can't give you much advice if you won't let me see the
patient, Ray."	

"OK, I'll do it."  

"Don't think it'll be easy. It won't. You'll have to be very determined to
make it work. Call me, anytime."  *  

"Vecchio."  

"Ray? It's Meg... how's Ben?"  

"Not much better. I've been making him get out of bed and get dressed. He
still won't do anything, though. Doesn't talk."  

He heard her sigh. "Have you found anything yet, Meg?"	

I've found the hospital where she had the baby. I've tried calling, but I
can't get any information out of them. I'm going to have to go there in
person, maybe get the help of the local police."  

"Where is it?"	

"Houston. I've booked a flight. I'll call you when I get there."  

"Good luck. And thanks."  

"It's the least I can do, don't you think?" She sounded tired, depressed. 


"You didn't have a choice, Meg. Don't beat yourself up over it."  

"Tell that to Ben."  *	

The psychiatrist was right, Ray decided. It had seemed so simple, to make
Benny walk around the room, or to get dressed. It wasn't. There were times
when he just wanted to walk out of the apartment and to hell with the
consequences. Something always stopped him though, perhaps it was the
memories of all the good times he'd shared with Ben, or maybe it was the
guilt he still felt for having shot him the last time Victoria had been
here. It was a measure of his desperation that sometimes he even wondered
if it would have been better for Ben to go with her, to get her out of his
system.  

He looked across at Ben, sitting in the armchair. He hadn't moved at all
in two hours. What he really needed was a reason to go on living, and it
didn't look like Ray's friendship was enough of a reason. Ray considered
that bitter thought for a while. The last call from Meg had sounded
promising, she thought she might have the kid in a day or two. Maybe he
should say something to Benny, prepare him somehow. Only problem was, he
didn't know how to start.  

He went over and knelt in front of the armchair. Ben's hands were lying
loosely clasped on his lap and he put his own over them, holding them
gently.  

"Benny? You listening to me?" He stared up into the blank face, noting the
shadowed, bloodshot eyes, the lines that hadn't been there before. There
was no sign that Ben was even aware of his presence, but then he hadn't
really expected there to be... He finally thought of a way to do it.  

"Benny, I really need your help on this... I've got this friend, he's
sick, really sick, and there's something I know, and I don't know if I
should tell him about it. The thing is, he's got a kid, Benny, only he
doesn't know. And the kid's mother's just died. But I'm scared if I tell
him about the kid it'll only make things worse. What would you do? Would
you tell him Benny?"  

He desperately wished for an Inuit story that would help in this
situation. He'd never thought he'd regret not paying attention to the damn
things, but now he only had his own words to fall back on. He searched
Ben's face again. Had he imagined a flicker of interest, or was it really
there?	

"Sometimes when I think about it, I think I should tell him, it might give
him hope, or something. But then I think it might be the opposite. I just
don't know how to handle this. What do you think, Benny? I mean, kids are
important, right? Would you want to know, if you were him? If the kid was
your's and Victoria's..."  

He stopped, appalled by his own stupidity, hoping now that Ben wasn't
listening. But he felt the hands under his jerk violently and then he was
pushed aside as Ben lunged out of the armchair and staggered towards the
apartment door. Ray threw himself after Ben and Dief, acting on some
instinct, was there in the doorway, growling. Ben hesitated long enough
for Ray to tackle him and they fell to the floor, struggling.  

"Benny, stop it, I don't want to hurt you."  

"I have to find her!" It was an almost unintelligible croak. Then what Ben
was saying sank in...  

"She's dead Benny. Dead."  

The body twisting beneath his collapsed into stillness and Ben stared up
at him. For a split second he was the Ben that Ray knew, sane and aware.
Then he screamed, his body beginning to convulse. It took all Ray's
strength to hold him down so he wouldn't hurt either of them. Then the
screams turned into sobs and Ray was able to cradle Ben in his arms, as he
had that awful night. He pressed his face against the dark hair and wept
too.  *  

In spite of what had happened, Ben continued to improve, though with
agonising slowness. He was getting out of bed now of his own volition, but
only to go as far as the bathroom. Shaving and washing regularly didn't
appear to be included in his routine. Or feeding himself. He'd pick at
whatever food Ray put in front of him, eating very little of it. Most of
the time he sat in the armchair or lay on the bed saying nothing, not
responding to Ray's attempts to start a conversation. He ignored Dief
completely even though the wolf rarely left his side. Ray never left Ben
alone. Even when he went to the bathroom he left the door open.  *  

"Ray? I've got the baby..."  

He let his breath out in a huge sigh of relief. "When will you be back in
Chicago?"  

"Late tomorrow. I'll pick it up in the morning, there are a few papers to
sign. Ben's name is on the birth certificate..."  

"I still want tests done, Meg. The last thing we need is for this to
backfire on us."  

I've checked with the hospital here. DNA tests, the kind we want, can take
weeks to run. Do you really want to wait that long?"  

"Shit!" He thought about it. "What about blood typing?"  

"That takes a couple of days, but it only gives probabilities, not a
definite answer."  

"We can't wait for weeks... it's been nearly three weeks now. We'll have
to go with the blood tests. If they look good..."  

"And if they don't?"  

"I don't know, Meg... I don't know what to do..."  *  

He'd put all his hopes into this. The preliminary tests had come back, the
baby was almost certainly Ben's. He'd discussed it with Meg and they'd
decided to go ahead with the plan. Now he was wondering if this was the
right thing to do. But when he looked at Ben he knew there was no choice,
he couldn't be allowed to continue like this. It was just a slow form of
suicide.  *  

They were over half an hour late and it was driving Ray crazy. He'd spent
the whole time since Meg's phone call cleaning out the apartment, washing
everything in sight. He'd even forcibly stripped Ben and made him take a
shower, washing him down himself, though it was only a couple of days
since the last time.  

Even so, the knock on the door made him jump half out of his skin. He
looked over at Ben, who was showing no interest at all. He didn't know how
he was going to handle this, or Ben, if it went wrong...  

The social worker outside looked at Ray doubtfully, he guessed he wasn't
exactly looking his best, but she handed over the cocoon and the huge bag
of baby things. He looked at the baby. It was sleeping, rosebud lips
pursed as if in thought. It had a scattering of dark hair and didn't look
like anybody in particular, to his relief. He didn't want to think of it
as Benny's child, it was just a way to reach Benny, he didn't even know if
it was a boy or a girl. The social worker gave him some papers, on one of
them it said the baby's name was Fraser Metcalfe. God, what a name. He
guessed that made it a boy, though. He turned back inside without even
thanking her, just wanting to get it over with.  

Ben didn't look up when Ray came back into the room. He dumped everything
on the table and stood thinking about how he was going to do this. In the
end he took the baby out of the cocoon and carried him over to where Ben
was sitting.  

For a moment there was no response when he put the baby on Ben's lap and
Ray thought he'd failed. Then the baby's eyes opened and he stared
solemnly up at his father. Ben reached out a trembling finger and touched
a rounded cheek, then lifted his head to look at Ray, his eyes
questioning. Ray had to swallow hard before he could speak.  

"He's your son, Benny. Yours and Victoria's."  

It was impossible to tell if Ben had understood, he just looked down again
at the tiny baby on his lap. Then, without any warning he picked up the
baby and stood, carrying him over to where Dief was sitting watching them
intently from the rug. He knelt in front of the wolf, put the baby down
between them and started to take his clothes off. Ray was getting
increasingly worried, he couldn't let Ben hurt his son, but remembering
how Dief had been with the other baby, he waited.  

When the baby was naked Ben whispered "Dief" The wolf lowered his head,
and Ray literally held his breath. Dief investigated the baby thoroughly,
while he waved his arms randomly, fingers opening and closing on empty
air. Then Dief lay down, his paws extended protectively on either side of
the infant. Ray heaved a sigh of relief as Ben began to dress his son
again. By the time he'd finished the baby was crying, probably needing to
be fed, Ray thought, so he started hunting through the bag for formula. He
was in luck, there was some already made up, kept warm in a thermos. He
handed the bottle to Ben and watched while the baby fed, sucking hungrily.
 

Ray could see the silent tears running down Ben's face as he watched his
son, and was close to tears himself. He turned away, leaving them alone
together and started organising the pile of baby things... diapers,
clothes, creams and powder. No toys. Surely there should be something. A
fluffy bunny maybe? He'd have to do something about that... He wondered
where all this stuff was going to go. They have to get a proper crib, he'd
have to ask Maria what else they'd need.  

Ben came past him, snagged the cocoon from the table and carried it over
to the bed, settling the now sleeping baby in it. Dief set himself on
guard duty without having to be told and it occurred to Ray that at least
they had a baby-sitter. He went over to sit beside Ben on the bed and for
a long time they just watched the sleeping baby. Finally Ben looked at
him.  

"Ray..." His voice was hoarse, all the beauty of it ravaged away. His face
was still haunted.  

"Welcome back, Benny... I've missed you."  

Ben blinked, still in shock. "How..." he swallowed, "...how did you
know..."  

Ray didn't want to tell him the truth about that, not yet anyway. "The
cops found some things of Victoria's, Meg found out about him and tracked
him down. She handled all the arrangements to get him here." He got the
papers from the table and handed them to Ben. "His name's Fraser... Fraser
Metcalfe." He grinned, briefly. "You can always change it."  

Ben was staring at the baby again, he shook his head slowly. "No. If
that's what she wanted him to be called..." His voice broke and Ray put
his arm around Ben's shoulders.  

"He needs you Benny, you're all he's got." He paused, not believing he was
going to say this, but Benny was going to need every bit of help he could
find. "You know, Meg's really cut up about this. She had to do it, she
saved your life. And mine."  

"Don't, Ray."  

"I thought you two had something going."  

"I can't..." Ben took a deep breath. "I don't blame her, but I can't live
with what she did either. Especially now."  

"Because of him?" Ben nodded. "Kid's gonna need a mother Benny." That
probably wasn't the most tactful way of putting it and Ray cursed himself.
 

"And how would I explain to him, when he's older, that the woman he thinks
is his mother killed his real one?"  

Ray had no answer for that, but at least he'd tried. He sighed, holding
Ben a little tighter and Ben leaned into him, both of them feeling
exhausted. "Benny... you know, anything you need, you just gotta say..."  

Ben nodded wearily and they continued to sit in silence.  *  

By ten o'clock that night they were both exhausted and stressed out.
Fraser had been fretful and crying on and off all evening. They'd taken
turns at feeding and changing him, had even given him a bath in the hope
of tiring him enough to sleep soundly, but nothing had worked. Ray had
been walking up and down with Fraser draped across his shoulder for nearly
half an hour. Finally Ben took him off Ray and laid him down on the bed.
He sat down and stripped off his shirt and undershirt.	

"Benny, what the hell are you doing?" Ray was still very nervous about any
unexpected behaviour from Ben.	

"He's frightened. He's in a strange place and he doesn't know us."  

"It takes time. He'll get to know us in a few days." God, what a thought,
days of this...  

"Babies his age don't see well. He'll react better to scent and touch."
Ben stripped the baby too, picked him up and cradled the tiny body against
his bare chest, stroking his back and crooning softly. After a while the
crying eased into quiet, but Ben continued to hold him. Ray came over and
sat staring at the two of them, really seeing them as father and son for
the first time.  

"Take your shirt off, Ray."  

Ben hadn't looked up, and Ray wasn't sure he heard him right... "What!?"  

"He needs to know you too, Ray."  

Ray wasn't sure he was ready for this, it was way too intimate an
experience, but he did as Ben said. Fraser felt incredibly small in his
arms, he'd never held his nephews or niece when they were so young. Tiny
hands spread starfish-like on his chest making random movements and a
small face snuffled against his shoulder. He realised he was crying. He'd
never expected to feel like this, the kid wasn't even his. But he was
Benny's kid, and he didn't think that even his own could be more important
to him.  

Ray felt gentle fingers brushing against his cheek, as soft as the touch
on his chest. He looked up in surprise at Ben, but didn't resist when Ben
leaned forward, wrapping strong arms around him. As he had that afternoon,
he found the contact comforting. Too much had happened, he'd been too
isolated sitting here alone day after day. It had been the loneliest
experience in his life.  

And when Ben kissed him, he didn't resist that either.	

Ray didn't know what was happening, or what Benny thought he was doing,
but it was answering a need in him buried so deep he hadn't been aware of
its existence until Benny touched him. He found he could hold the baby
with one hand and use the other to stroke Ben's cheek lightly. He lost all
sense of time until a warm wet feeling on his chest made him draw back.  

"Geez, Benny, he's piddling on me!" Ben grabbed the discarded diaper and
handed it to Ray, trying not to laugh at the expression on his face.  

"It could have been worse, Ray."  

"Oh, please! I don't wanna know!"  

Ray handed the baby back to Ben and cleaned himself up while Ben dressed
Fraser again and settled him in the cocoon. Then there was an awkward
silence. They were still sitting on the bed, still bare to the waist.  

"Benny, what's happening?"  

But Ben just leaned forward again and nothing was said for a long time.  *
 

He was warm and safe, drifting between sleep and wakefulness. Someone was
there with him, a gentle comforting presence... hands touching him, breath
whispering across his skin...  

"Oh God... Benny..." His own voice, quiet as it was, startled him,
bringing him closer to the surface, while a soft voice guided him...  

"Here... oh, Ray..." A hand took his and drew it over silken skin... lips
caressed a nipple sending molten pleasure through his belly...	

He was pressed against a warm hard body... he ached so much... "Touch
me... yes... oh, yes..."  *  

A little later he lifted his head from a broad chest and contemplated the
still, pale form beside him. Ben was sleeping, his breathing slow and
peaceful, so Ray was able to study him to his heart's content. He didn't
know what was going to happen tomorrow... whether Benny would still want
him, or whether this was just the result of his terrible need for comfort.
He knew that he could never go back from this point, whatever happened. He
had never anticipated a joy that was so intense it felt like pain... or
that incredible sense of belonging that had swept over him when he'd held
Fraser in his arms.  

The heat generated by their lovemaking was almost gone now. He reached
down and pulled the blankets up over Ben and himself and lay down,
snuggling up against Ben. He decided he wouldn't worry about the future,
he would make the most of this unexpected development. Even if it only
lasted a few days it would be worth it.  *  

And I would be the one
 to hold you down,
 kiss you so hard
 I'll take your breath away.
 And after I
 wipe away your tears
 just close your eyes, dear.
  

_ Sarah McLachlan, Possession  

*  Epilogue  

Today was Fraser's first day at school, and his dad was fussing around
him. Making sure he had enough pencils, making sure he had enough paper,
making sure he had enough food (to feed an army, he thought rebelliously).
Making sure he had enough love and reassurance, he realised with one of
those insights that even five-year-olds can have sometimes. He grinned
wickedly.  

"I'm fine... Mum."  

"Mum? Did you say Mum?" A pair of hands picked him up and threw him into
the air, caught him and held him against a warm chest for a moment before
tickling him mercilessly, while his dad demanded an apology. He shrieked,
incapable of speech, until the tickling stopped.  

"I'm sorry, Ray."  

"So-rey...? Why can't you speak like an American?"  

This was familiar ground. He appealed silently to his other dad, his real
one, though that was not a distinction he really understood yet.  

"Because he's a Canadian, Ray?"  

"Oh, is that it? I thought Canadians were polite?"  

Fraser wriggled, he was five after all. Too big to be cuddled, at least
for very long. "Can I get down now?"  

Ray's arms tightened momentarily.  

"It's time to go, Ray. We don't want to be late for school."  

Ben came over and put his arms around both of them as he kissed Ray.
Fraser liked it when they did that, it was the safest, most comfortable
place in the world, being held between them. Still, today was his first
day at school... He wriggled again and Ray reluctantly let him slide to
the floor. He grabbed his backpack from the table and headed for the door.
Dief was waiting there looking mournful.  

As Fraser stopped to console him, Ray called out "Remember, if anyone
tries to bully you, tell them that both your dads are cops, and that
you've got a wolf at home."  

"Ray, nobody's going to bully Fraser. Stop worrying."  

"Yeah, Mum, nobody's gonna bully me." Fraser danced out of reach,
laughing, as Ray lunged for him, nearly running into Granma Vecchio as she
came into the kitchen. She smiled indulgently at him. He smiled back at
her.  

Even though he'd only known her for a few months, she was his favourite
person in the whole world, apart from his dads and Dief. The fact that she
slipped him cookies when he was sent to bed for being naughty had nothing
to do with it, he told himself. When Ben and Ray had told him they'd all
be going to live with Ray's Mum, he hadn't wanted to, he'd asked why
Granma Vecchio didn't like them. Ben had laughed and said she didn't think
he was good enough for her son, Ray had protested loudly and it had ended
up in a three way wrestling match, with him and Ray sitting on Ben's
chest. And he'd decided he really liked living here with all his cousins
and aunts and uncles, once he'd gotten used to it, though he wasn't sure
what Dief thought.  

"Young man, come over here." Fraser knew that when Ben spoke in that tone
it was better to do exactly what he was told. Ben straightened his shirt
and smoothed down his hair before grasping him firmly by the hand. "Now
say goodbye."  

This was something he'd had to learn when they came to live at Granma
Vecchio's. He pulled a face, but he knew there was no getting out of the
house without giving her and Ray a kiss on each cheek. Ben had told him it
was an Italian thing... at least Ben had to do it too. Finally they made
their escape, Dief trotting at their heels as they walked down the path
towards the school. Granma Vecchio would be there when he got home, Aunt
Frannie had promised to pick him up from school. Ben was giving him lots
of instructions that he wasn't listening to. He was really going to
school! It was going to be a good day.