~Part 1:

Ray slid into the no parking zone in front of the Consulate and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, tapping a syncopated dance rhythm out as he waited.  He had no idea why, but the idea of a road trip with Fraser - the first trip they'd taken since returning from the big white North - was itching along his skin.  He'd been surprised when Fraser had opted to come back to the States with him, their jobs both in limbo during their six month jaunt across all that ice and snow, but he guessed that the Mountie just hadn't found another posting to his liking.  Benton Fraser the Hero could afford to be a bit picky now that he was no longer Benton Fraser, persona non grata.

They'd settled back into their routine quickly, the ease of their partnership always surprising everyone, including Ray.  With Vecchio permanently retired, Ray was back to being Stanley Raymond Kowalski who just happened to land a job working with Red.  Not a bad gig, but it was different hearing his own name barked out by Welsh.

He hadn't thought he'd be sorry to use his own name again, but the Vecchio name had come with a large, loud family and suddenly everything was quiet again. They didn't have to pretend anymore and although they still welcomed him, he felt the slight awkwardness he'd previously ignored become more prevalent than ever.  It was odd after so long spent around such a boisterous family to go back to the almost solitary nature of his previous life.

And then there was Stella.  Stella, his Gold Coast girl, who had apparently taken a liking to Vecchio of all people.  He still couldn't get over seeing their wedding photo - heartache and happiness sucker-punching him all at once. 

Glancing at the clock, he rolled his eyes at the time.  Usually his partner's timing was impeccable, but apparently not today. Ray's leg bounced against the steering wheel as he wondered what was taking so long.  He'd bet it was the Ice Queen, still doing the crazy flirt vs ordering thing that she had in abundance.  They needed to be on their way soon if they wanted to make any kind of time on the highway.

Ray had never thought he'd be glad for a law enforcement conference up in Toronto. They'd been specifically invited to for their unusual accomplishments and having notoriety is apparently a blessing when feeling antsy, hemmed in and impatient. However, Ray wasn't certain being in a confined environment for any length of time with his partner was a good idea even if escaping Chicago sounded like bliss.  He couldn't decide whether this road trip was more likely to be a maddening experience or a welcomed relief.

Giving up on waiting for the Mountie to come to him, he turned off the car and snagged the keys before bounding up the familiar steps to burst into the Consulate.

"Morning, Detective Kowalski," the aide cheerfully greeted him before going back to collating some report about the effect of courtesy on Chicago natives or something just as idiotic.  Ray shook his head and managed a salutation under his breath, wondering if all the Mounties they'd send for Turnbull's job would be so much like, well, Turnbull.

Sweeping down the hallway, he heard toenails clicking behind him and he asked, "Where's the crazy Mountie, Dief?"  Ducking his head into the small closet that Fraser still called an office, Ray glanced around quickly.  "Frase?"

"Yes, Ray," came the almost teasing answer from right behind him.

Jumping and trying not to show his surprise, the cop turned to glare at the Mountie.  "Don't do that, Fraser!" 

"I'm sorry, Ray," came the smooth, polite reply.

"Well... okay.  Ready to go?  Gotta get on the road - pitter patter."  Ray tilted his head, eyes meeting cool, welcoming blue.  Benton was dressed in his casual gear for the trip, cotton shirt and tight, crisp jeans that Ray knows he must have ironed at some point.  Every inch of him, unwrinkled - the blond couldn't understand how that was possible, but it always seemed to be the case.

"Yes.  I was just collecting last minute instructions.  Let me just get my bag."  Ray nodded, watching his partner cross to the closet in his office for his backpack and the unnecessary bedroll.  Fraser always used such economical and smooth movements with whatever he did. Even with his correct posture which should have appeared stiff and unnatural, everything flowed.  Ray had found it mesmerizing on their quest, and it was no less so now that they were back in Chicago.  In fact, that might be part of his recent dilemma.

It didn't take long to get everything situated in the trunk of the car and Ray felt the relief flow through him as he pulled away from the Consulate and found his way to the highway, Mountie and wolf in tow.  Glancing sideways at his companion, he noticed Fraser's gaze staring out at the city skyline before they found the countryside. 

The silence between them was filled with the jazz album he'd picked up last week, rubbing away the awkwardness with sax, drum and bass until Ray's anxiety settled somewhere deep, away from his usual nervous mannerisms even though his fingers still twitched and tapped along to the beat.

In Canada, on their quest, everything seemed so much simpler, the camaraderie that had come so naturally drew them both deeper.  Being alone with his partner in the middle of nowhere and seeing things that he would never have dreamed of before had been enlightening, not to mention scary.  It was a different world where Ray felt completely at peace.  It had been a few months since they had returned, and at first, he'd just thought his awkwardness had been about readjusting.  But now, he wasn't so sure.  There was something off, and he was pretty sure it was just him.  Or maybe not.  God, this was so confusing.

"Ray."  The blond detective practically jumped at the exasperated sound behind his name, eyes flickering from the road to the Mountie.  

"Sorry, Fraser," he responded automatically, knowing that lost in his thoughts as he'd been, it was probably the third or fourth time he'd tried to get his attention.

The Mountie offered him his understanding half-smile before continuing.  "I was just wondering if everything was alright.  You seem..."

"Broody?" he offered gamely, flashing a ghost of his usual teasing grin.

"Thoughtful."

"Nah, I'm okay.  Just reminiscing about our trip."  That was a safe topic, right?

"Ah."  After another moment of silence, Ray slanted a look at Fraser, breath catching at the bright smile on his face.

"Yeah."  His eyes flickered up to the rear view mirror, and Ray startled at Dief's intense gaze studying him. "Need a break, Dief?"

Fraser's head whipped around to watch his companion for a moment, eyes narrowing as he commented, "No, I don't think that's a good idea, Diefenbaker."

Dief whined softly, ears flipping forward in question.

"No.  You'll just have to wait."

Ray threw his partner a questioning look, and Fraser answered, "He's just whining about food.  But he was just fed not even two hours ago.  So, there's no need."

"Well, maybe we can stop for Taco Bell before we hit Canada..." Ray offered, knowing how Dief loved fast food.

"No, not at all.  You spoil him, Ray," came the exasperated response, Fraser turning back around to face the front of the car.

"Well, it's Dief."  And that explained everything, at least in the blond's mind.

"Indeed," Fraser intoned softly, hands smoothing down the legs of his jeans.

"Hmph."  Ray rolled his eyes and let the music lull them back into a more fluid silence, less disjointed than before, but still slightly awkward.  Sighing softly, he tried to figure out when this would stop.   Turning the problem over in his mind, it seemed like absolutely no time at all had passed except his stomach growled loudly in protest.  Seeing a McDonald's he perked up and pulled off the highway.  He heard Fraser's shift and sigh when he realized where they were headed and grinned.  At least he could always count on his partner's exasperation.

~ * ~

~Part 2:

The first day of the conference was the busywork of checking into the hotel, finding their rooms which were luckily next to each other.  Once Ray had dropped his bags and hung up his one decent suit, he'd knocked on the adjoining doors.  Benton opened the door and welcomed him in, but it was Dief's greeting pounce that caused him to almost lose his footing before collapsing comfortably back onto Fraser's bed.  Looking up, a thrill went through him to see the warm amusement in his partner's eyes as he regarded him.

"What?"

"I was just noting how comfortable you are making use of my bed." The tone was neutral, but the words shot through Ray, making him squirm uncomfortably.

He flushed slightly at those words, inwardly cursing at how easily flustered he was lately.  "It's comfy."  He squirmed to settle in more and demonstrate.  "See?"

"I have no doubts, Ray."  There was a flash of something that was gone before the blond cop could identify it, hidden beneath cool blue.

"Uh-huh.  Well.  What are we supposed to be doing?" Ray grasped desperately at some task that might distract him from whatever was happening with them.

"I believe that we have a meeting with the conference coordinator.  She'll be organizing everything with the dinner tomorrow night."  The words were volunteered a bit hesitantly, and blue eyes blinked up at the Mountie.

"Why did you agree to come to this thing again?  And why am I supposed to be here?"

"They wanted to reward our international relations which resulted in arrests of an entire brigade of mercenaries," the Mountie answered as if quoting from a formal invitation.

"Yeah, but why did we have to come?" Ray wheedled, knowing his partner was covering something.

"I believe that Lieutenant Welsh informed us that our presence was required.  As did my commanding officer," Benton prevaricated, evading the true essence of his partner's question.

Ray snorted and waved his hand at the other man.  "They just wanted us to out of their hair for a while."

"As you say.  But nevertheless, we are supposed to be discussing our presentation."  There was a tense pause as Ray absorbed those words while Fraser fell into a waiting stillness.

"Our presentation? What presentation?" The blond's words squeaked out in surprise, high enough to cause even Deif's ears to perk up.

Fraser cleared his throat and adjusted the collar of his shirt.  Ray's eyes narrowed at the nervous tick and he waited.  "Well, we are two of the guests of honor at the dinner.  As such, we're expected to deliver a speech or presentation of some kind."

"Wait.  What?"

"Welsh did mention this, I believe."

"Umm... no, he didn't.  I would have remembered the words 'presentation' or 'speech' and 'Kowalski' in the same sentence," Ray shot back, hands flapping demonstratively in front o him.  "This sucks."

"Ray," Fraser managed after a moment of weighted silence.

"What?"

"We need to go meet with the coordinator."

Ray fell back onto the bed and threw his arm over his eyes.  "Are you sure?"

"Yes, Ray.  You're expected to be there as well." The soft exasperation in the otherwise neutral tone caused the blond's lip to twitch.

Eying his partner, Ray sighed and shrugged.  "Yeah, I know.  Just... I'm no good at the public speaking bit, you know?  Maybe you should take the horns on that one and I'll just help answer questions?"  He glanced up hopefully before ducking his head back down to avoid the frustrated look sent his way.

"Ray..." Benton began.

"Oh, alright, fine."  Ray did not pout.  Not at all.  Just like he wasn't jiggling his leg absently to try and alleviate some of his own anxiety.  "Let's go find this all-powerful coordinator."

"Miss Heidbrook," Fraser offered.

"Yeah.  Sure."  Ray heaved himself up from the comfortable impression he'd made in Fraser's bed and barely made it to his feet without tripping on the corner of the comforter.

"Ray," Benton called from the door, the warmth in his tone sliding through the blond detective and the odd feeling he'd had lately around his partner curled around his spine.  Sighing, he rubbed his neck, and concentrated on following his partner out the door, glad for the distraction of Dief by his side.

*~*

"That was fun." Ray's dry words hung between them, expectantly.

"Not particularly."  Fraser's own flat response almost drew a smile from his partner.

"I especially liked the way she pulled out charts and graphs.  Did you know we were supposed to have a thirty minute speech prepared?!"

"Not as such, no."

Ray threw a frustrated glare at his partner and followed him back out of the convention area of the large hotel to the elevators only to be accosted by a very familiar setting - paramedics, patrolmen, and rumpled detectives behind the line.  Two sets of sharp eyes took in the scene, cataloging and noting the odd angle of the body, the tense set of the blond detective's shoulders, and the retreating paramedics making way for the coroner.

"C'mon, we should go find the other set of elevators," Ray turned as he spoke, swearing when he noticed that his partner was already making his way up to the crime scene tape.

"Excuse me, Detective?"

The tense shoulders straightened as the cop turned, and Ray winced at the glare leveled at Benton.

"This is a crime scene.  Sorry, you'll have to go around.  The officers will -"

"I just wanted to offer our services."  Fraser's sincere suggestion was nothing less than Ray would expect.

"And you would be... ?" came the disbelieving question.

"Constable Benton Fraser of RCMP and my partner, Chicago PD Detective Ray Kowalski," Fraser answered smoothly.  "We're here for the conference, and we might be able to offer you some assistance in these matters."

"Look, Constable, I appreciate it, but this isn't your jurisdiction.  It's mine.  So if you don't mind?"

"Of course, Detective..."

"Celluci."

The detective's partner, looked up from his discussion with one of the patrolmen, eyes watching Celluci carefully, Ray noted before stepping into the fray.

"Yo, Frase.  What's goin' on?" Ray interrupted loudly, not liking the stiffness of the atmosphere as he finally slid through the rest of the crowd.

"I was just informing Detective Celluci that we would be happy to help him in any way." Fraser's voice was complacent and polite as always, but something caught his partner's attention and his eyes narrowed for a moment as he turned to the Toronto detective.

"And I was just pointing out that there was no need - this is my jurisdiction."  The words were stilted with annoyance, Mike trying to extradite himself from their company without causing undue ruffled feathers.

"Ah.  Well.  We are supposed to be here at a conference showing our... cooperation, right, Frase?" Ray noted, watching Celluci tense.

"I believe so, yes, Ray."

"And that would include offering assistance to the local police wherever possible?" His tone was leading, and obviously meant to annoy, but Ray couldn't help it.

"Hmmm," the Mountie sounded in agreement.

"I think you might find that your Captain would appreciate our help," Ray said, turning his flat cop eyes on similar grey ones.

"We'll see."  The challenge in those two sharp words reverberated over the American's spine and his face tightened.

"C'mon, Frase." Ray grabbed Fraser's arm after a few moment's of stand off.

"Yes, well.  If you should find yourself needing a fresh perspective, Detective Celluci.  We are staying here at the hotel."

The Toronto detective waved them on their way.  Ray huffed and turned on his heel, muttering under his breath about ungrateful Canadian police.  "...And I thought you were all polite!"

"Ray, I did inform you that -"

"Yeah, yeah, I know."  He sighed as they passed through the door to the stairs, and promptly ran into Fraser's back.  "Fraser, what -"

A hand came up to silence him and when he concentrated, he heard the sniffling of what sounded like a child.  Stepping from behind the tall, tree-like Mountie, telling himself he wasn't paying attention to the heat Benton seemed to put off like a furnace, he quietly walked over to the alcove under the stairs.  "Hello?"

The sniffling immediately stopped and Ray froze, not wanting to scare whoever it was.  "My name's Ray.  I'm a police officer.  Do you need help?"

Another batch of sniffles was accompanied by a small head slowly appearing from the darkness and bright brown eyes blinking up at him.  "I want my daddy."

"Okay.  We can help you with that, can't we, Frase?"

"Of course.  May I ask your name?"

"Adam."  The answer was small and uncertain, dark eyes blinking up at both of them.

"Are you hurt, Adam?" Ray asked softly, eyes taking stock of the little boy and offered him his hand, slowly drawing him out of the shadows.

"N-no."

"Good.  What's your daddy's name?"

Big brown eyes stared up at them.  "Michael."  There was a longer than usual pause.  "Davis."

"Are you staying here in the hotel, Adam?"  Fraser asked kindly, eyes soft as they tried to calm the boy with quiet questions.

"Y-yes."  Fraser opened his arms and Adam looked from Ray to Fraser for a moment, hesitating before allowing himself to be picked up. 

"Well.  My name is Constable Benton Fraser.  Ray and I will be happy to help you find your daddy."  The assurance and confidence of those words seemed to relax the boy even more.  As they headed back out into the lobby, both cops noticed how the little boy cringed at the sight of the crime scene.

"Adam, why were you hiding?" Ray finally asked softly when the scene was out of his eyesight.

"I - I took the elevator down... but it was scary.  The man - I don't know - but I ran away."

Ray's eyes met Fraser's as they arrived at the front desk.  "Okay, little man.  Let's see about finding your dad."

It only took a few moments to determine that Adam and his father were in fact staying at the convention center.  After a few moments, they had the cell number on the account that had been dialed by the front desk and a clipped conversation with the man on the other end had them waiting with Adam in the lounge area.

Ray watched as Fraser fascinated the kid with stories of his childhood - age appropriate ones, of course.  Although the one with the seals and polar bear was skirting the edge, in his opinion.  At the same time, they carefully asked small questions about the man and the elevator, but Adam truly didn't want to talk of it at all.

It didn't take long for the father to appear.  Ray wouldn't have picked him out of the crowd if not for the hurried pace across the lobby, the tense set of his body.  There was something almost predatory about the man that relaxed the moment he saw his son.  Standing, Ray greeted him, "Mr. Davis?"

Cool eyes appraised him before he answered softly, "Yes.  Thank you for finding Adam."

"Daddy!"  The blur of the child as he ran and was caught up in his father's arms made Fraser smile.

"Adam, what have I told you about leaving our room without me?" came the soft reproving voice.  "I was worried!"

The boy's head ducked down and he mumbled an apology. 

"Sir, can I have a word with you?" Fraser managed to ask before the other man had turned away and forgotten them completely.

"Yes?"

"I'm Constable Fraser and this is Detective Ray Kowalski from Chicago.  I... think your son may have seen something important."  The words were careful, measured, but the blond detective saw the immediate reaction in body posture.

"What do you mean?"  The words were quiet, even, and completely calm, and Ray wondered at that.

"Well... there was a murder.  Near the elevators.  I'm not certain as the detective on the case wouldn't inform us of the details, but from what Adam has said, this is what scared him so badly."  Fraser kept his tone kind, trying not to upset the boy anymore than he had been, but Adam seemed so wrapped up in his father that it didn't much matter.  "If you would allow it, I know the detective would appreciate talking to Adam if possible."

Ray saw the hesitation, the weighing of options in Michael's gray eyes which flickered for a moment.  "It's late.  I don't know what help we can be tonight - Adam needs to get back to bed."

"Well, can we have your contact information?" Ray asked, finally breaking into the conversation.  "We'll get it to the detective so he can hook up with you later on?"

"Of course."  Michael pulled out a business card and handed it to Benton, Ray's eyes catching how their fingers accidentally touched.  "Tell him I will be waiting."

"Thank you kindly."

"Good night, Adam!"

"Night, Ray!  Night, Con - con - Fraser!"  came the stumbling reply as Adam tucked his face into his father's shoulder and Michael turned away.   Watching them go, Ray couldn't help but study Michael closely, taking note of slight inconsistencies in the behavior and cataloging them.

"Interesting guy," he offered to Fraser who's eyes were also riveted.

"Yes.  I believe so."

"Think we should go let Detective Bite Me know we got the jump on him?"

"Ray."

"What?"

"It's not nice to tease," Fraser admonished his partner.

"Who said anything about teasing?" Ray asked innocently.

"Ummhmm."

"What?"

~*~

Ray didn't end up teasing Detective Mike Celluci.  At least not much, by Ray's standards.  But he did, however, time how long it took Fraser to sweet talk his way into the case despite the loud protests of one blond Toronto cop and his slightly rotund partner, Dave.  Half an hour with the superiors and Celluci was already glaring daggers at the impervious politeness that was Constable Benton Fraser.

Ignoring the hostility, Ray snagged the file off the desk and thumbed through the crime scene photos, wincing at the idea that Adam might have seen this happen.  "Fraser."  He lifted the file folder over his shoulder, waiting for the Mountie to take possession.

"Hey!  Those were in order!"

"And I assure you they still are."

Uh-oh, Ray thought.  That was the stiff RCMP voice that Fraser only got when he was annoyed.  Not that anyone else would notice that much of a difference from his stiff polite voice, but Ray had taken great care to catalog his partner's moods. 

"Uh-huh.  Why is it that you've horned in on my case again?"

"Well, when I discussed it with your Captain, she suggested that Ray and I might like to assist.  When I told her that we wouldn't want to step on any toes, she stated that you would be glad for the help on this case."

"I'm sure she did," Mike muttered bitterly.

Ray snorted at that tone, knowing that the cop was cursing that Crowley woman.  "So... we've got a guy that died in an elevator, possibly with a kid, with no other evidence that someone else was there, right?"

"Yeah.  I'm just waiting for our ME to get started on the body.  She'll be able to give us a full report in the morning," Mike volunteered grudgingly.

"Great.  So... coffee?  Oh, and is there a candy machine somewhere?"  Ray asked hopefully, ignoring the indulgent look that was sent his way from behind the folder the Mountie was studying.

~ * ~

Their victim was apparently a long-time hotel employee.  Family man, kept to himself at work, always on time.  Celluci had left Ray and Fraser, taking Dave to go inform the family with a look that Ray recognized.  Cops were cops everywhere, he mused, especially murder cops.

"This is curious," Fraser commented into the silent hum of a bullpen late at night.  They should be heading back to the hotel soon.

"What?"

"These crime scene pictures of the body.  It... the body looks odd."

Ray blinked, wondering if he'd missed something and coming around to look over his partner's shoulder.  "What's odd?"

"I'm not sure if I'm just seeing it or if it's there.  It is late."

Ray tilted his head and stared at the gruesome photo before murmuring, "There's not external trauma.  And... his joints are at slightly odd angles."

"Yes.  But what could do that?"

"Nothing I know of, Frase." 

"I'll be interested to see the coroner's report.  I don't know what could possibly explain these wounds."

"Certainly not the usual beat-down.  What do you think Adam actually saw?"  Ray asked, leaning back away from the other man's heat.

"I'm not sure," Fraser answered softly.  "But whatever it was, it disturbed him greatly.  I'm not sure how easily he will talk about it."

"I hope that having his father there will make it easier," the blond offered, settling into Celluci's chair.  "You ready to let this go for the night?"

"We should wait for Detective Celluci to return before leaving, Ray."

"I'm sure he's got everything under control, Frase.  C'mon.  Sleep.  We've had a seriously long day."  The Mountie pinned him with the look that always got Ray to agree and he sighed.  "Fine whatever."  He turned his attention back to the databases of credit and finances that he'd been given access to by a reluctant Celluci.

"Well... nothing interesting in his credit history.  Loans, loans, more loans, but nothing overdue, nothing too big for his salary," Ray finally said after studying what information he could find on the victim.

"Hmmm..." Fraser answered.  "He had a life insurance policy."

"There's motive."

"Possibly.  We'll see what Detective Celluci has to say when he returns."

Ray rolled his eyes and settled in for more research.  It wasn't too much longer that Mike returned and they all compared notes.  Apparently the widow had a nice house with her two children that would be completely paid off and then some with the money from the policy.  Something to look into the next day.

"Well, guys, I'm off until tomorrow.  You need a ride back to the hotel?"  Mike offered.

"It's no trouble to get a cab, Detective."

"Call me Mike.  And it's not a big deal, Fraser.  Let's head out.  We can see what the ME has to say tomorrow." 

~*~

"Home sweet home," Ray sung as the elevator opened up on their floor.  "C'mon, Frase.  Sleeping time.  That bed is calling my name."

Fraser chuckled softly under his breath at the bounce in Ray's step.  "Yes, Ray.  Good night."

"Night."  Ray looked over at Fraser as he unlocked his door and his breath caught somewhere just under his breastbone.  Fumbling with the plastic card, he swore under his breath before managing to get it open.

Throwing his jacket in the general direction the chair, he dragged a hand through his hair and paced the small confines of the room before collapsing on the bed.  A day cooped up in the car with Fraser hadn't solved anything, his skin warming and itching every time his partner got close.  He had no real clue what it was about and refused to delve too deeply into it now - he was too tired.
 
Sighing, he threw an arm over his eyes and took a deep breath.  Maybe something else to get rid of the tension would help. Standing and stripping, he headed into his bathroom and started the water scalding hot.  Stepping under the beating spray, he groaned softly in appreciation, leaning against the cool tiled wall, trying not to think at all. 

His body hummed with familiar anticipation and energy, and he slid one hand along his torso, shivering as the calluses caught on smooth skin, pulling a soft gasp and a shiver, nipples pebbled and aching as he felt his cock stir.  This was what he needed tonight.  Teasing it out slowly, the cool tile and hot water and soft touches, letting the heat pull at him until he wrapped his hand around his half-hard cock and began a lazy rhythm, breathing hitching as he imagined someone else's hands.  It had been so long since someone had touched him and just the thought of large hands wrapping around his hips, his cock, made him moan into the steamy air.

Grabbing for the conditioner, wanting something a little more slick, he shuddered as his own hand tightened and loosened around his cock, drawing out the sensations as he thought about someone else there, behind him, holding him up as his muscles shook and strained for more.  His thumb flicked over the head and the image of Fraser's tongue darting over his lower lip flashed through him and he groaned as the thought of Benton's hands on him tightened the heat inside him almost unbearably.  Panting, his hips rocked forward as he fell back against the wall, using it completely for support, legs spreading wider as his other hand rested on his hip and stroked down.  "Fuck..."  It didn't take long before his body broke apart, Benton's name on his lips, everything shaking and tilting. 

"Fuck," he whispered into the thick air again, uncertainty and need rattling through him.  Washing himself quickly once he trusted his knees, he turned off the water and toweled off, falling into bed naked and crawling under the covers.  Blissfully, the soft edge of sleep pulled him under not long after his arms wrapped around a pillow.

~*~

Part 3:

Ray rolled over and swatted the phone until it shut up.  But he still heard the tinny voice at the end.  "What?!" he managed as he found the receiver in his hand.

"Ray?  It's Mike Celluci.  We've got another body."

He blinked awake instantly.  "What?  Another already?"

"Yeah.  And there doesn't seem to be any apparent connection between the victims so far.  Want to grab the Mountie and meet me?  The second death was in the convention hall."

"Yeah, we'll be there soon.  Thanks for the heads up."

"Whatever.  See you in a few."  The click was loud in his ears as he tried to wrap his head around it.  Another body.  Jesus, this guy worked fast.

Rolling out of bed, he knocked heavily on the door joining his and Fraser's rooms.

"Yes, Ray, I heard."  Damn bat ears.  "I'll be ready shortly."

Shrugging, Ray grabbed his less-rumpled pair of slacks and a t-shirt, grabbing his jacket and his wallet, he knocked again.  The door opened to reveal Fraser in all his RCMP glory, red blinding to Ray's eyes this early in the morning.

Blinking to try and prevent the watering that he knew was inevitable, Ray muttered, "There should be a warning label on those uniforms in the morning."

"I'll bring that up at the next RCMP meeting," Fraser answered, smirking glint in his eye.

"Shut up.  There better be coffee downstairs."

"I'm sure there is."

"And sugar."

"Hmmm..."

"C'mon, Fraser, let's not be late!"  Ray hurried down the never-ending hallway with the carpet that made everything look the same.

"Ray, I don't think one can be that late to a crime scene where the victim is already dead."  Fraser's long strides quickly caught him up to his partner, Dief close on their heels.  "Everything will be there just the same, and forensics are no doubt already preserving evidence."

"Well, let's get there before the coroner takes the body, then."  Ray rolled his eyes when there was no answer, knowing his partner was just humoring his impatience.  He picked up his pace, practically pulling the Mountie along with his speed.

Thank god there was coffee, because dealing with a dead body at o dark thirty was not something to do without caffeine, even if it wasn't sweet enough.  Sipping on the cup as he studied the body in real living color, he winced with the realization that once again all the bones were shifted.  It made something squirm inside him to realize it was probably done before the victim died and was extremely painful. 

"Why didn't anyone hear a scream?" he asked softly, staring at the young woman on the floor in the exercise room.   "She had to have been in pain."

"Well, whatever happened was quiet enough not to bother any of the sleeping guests on either side," Mike answered as he eyed the wolf that was nosing around the crime scene.  Thankfully, the forensics team was mostly finished.  "The manager called the police after coming in to refresh the towel supply and finding her here like that."

"Huh.  That's weird."

"What's weird?" Everyone paused at the new voice, mocking and sultry.

"Vicki.  What are you doing here?" Mike asked, irritated.

"Well, it just so happens that the hotel manager is a former client and he wants me to help on this case."

"No.  Just no.  I don't want you or your freak of the night partner flouncing around.  I've already got help," Mike answered, glaring at his former partner as he gestured toward Ray and Fraser.

"Flouncing?"

Ray winced at that tone - he knew that tone.  Stella had that tone.  Mike was in for a world of hurt if he didn't back down.

"You know what I mean, Vic.  Just... fine.  But you'd better be sharing."

"As much as you do."

Mike sighed heavily, his shoulders dropping in defeat.  "Yeah.  Vicki Nelson, this is Constable Benton Fraser and Detective Ray Kowalski.  They're liaising on this case.  Guys, this is my former partner Vicki.  She's a private detective."

Ray nodded as Fraser greeted, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Nelson."

"Vicki," she automatically corrected.

"Vicki."  Fraser offered his hand and Ray scrounged up a smile and shook her hand as well.

"So, what do you know?"

"Unfortunately, not a lot.  First victim, Jefferson Craig died in the elevator.  He was fifty-three, married with two kids.  No odd finances, no apparent motive.  There was however a substantial life insurance policy, but I talked to the widow - I don't think she's the type for something so violent.  His bones were all out of whack and there had been no screaming.  This victim was i.d.'d as Grace Mattern, 29, single, here for work in the city.  Also no screaming, and you can see the bone thing," Mike ran down the bare facts, gesturing to the body.  "Mohadevan hasn't finished the first autopsy yet and I'm bringing her another.  I'm sure she'll find it fascinating."

"No doubt."  Vicki crouched next to the body, eyes taking in everything possible, wishing that Henry was here even if she didn't want to have to deal with Mike and Henry's continual spats.  "What is that?" She pointed out a black oily substance at the base of the woman's skull, just visible because of the white-blonde of her hair.

All three men leaned in and Ray murmured, "Looks like... tar or oiled ash or something."

"That is unexpected," Fraser commented.

"Weird, you mean," Mike offered, rolling his eyes.  "Vicki, is this going to be one of those cases?"

"I don't know, Mike.  Why don't we find out?"  she challenged, glaring at her ex-partner.

Dief whined slightly, looking up at his Mountie and tilting his head.  "Yes, Dief, I know."

Ray stifled a groan as Fraser continued the conversation with the wolf and the puzzled looks on Vicki and Mike's faces turned from curious to considering.  "Happens all the time," he told them.  "He's a Mountie, what do you want?"

"I'm sure that explains everything, Ray," Fraser commented dryly, his attention pulled back to the humans in the room.  "Dief sometimes helps find things we miss."

"Uh... sure," Vicki agreed, eying the taller man speculatively.

"Oh, I know it sounds weird," Ray muttered.  "But you wouldn't believe how valuable it is to have a wolf help track down some people."

The others looked satisfied at that, even if it was odd that the Mountie had held a conversation with his wolf.  Shaking her head, Vicki reminded herself that this wasn't the first weird thing to cross her path.  "So, when do you think Mojadevan will have the autopsies completed?"

"Few hours, maybe.  If I sweet talk her." Mike tallied up the points of his interesting homicides versus the workload that she already had.  "Maybe sooner.  You know how she likes the odd mystery."

"Oh yeah.  Call me when she does?  I want to have a look."

"Will Henry be  coming with you?" Mike asked, striving to keep his voice neutral in front of strangers.

"He is my partner, Mike.  You need to get over this."

Ray turned a look at Fraser who raised an eyebrow.  Shrugging, he turned back to the interesting by-play, not missing the odd tension even in the ease of their relationship.  The way they just worked around each other on the scene was somewhat like Ray and Fraser or any partners who knew each other that well and had been cops together.  That meant history - probably a complicated one.

"Look, you know I don't like him..."  Her glare could have melted glass.  "Fine.  But if he...don't blame me if he comes back damaged.  Especially if he's being an ass."

Rolling her eyes at her former partner, Vicki said goodbye to Fraser and Ray and took off with the promise of being informed of the autopsy results.  "She'll want to harass Mohadevan herself," Mike told them after she'd left.  "She likes to see what's gone on.  Me too, actually."

"Just let us know - we'll be there," Ray told him.  He'd like to know what the doctor had to say about these bodies.  They were just so odd - nothing he'd ever heard about could do this and it's not like he was a rookie.  Checking his watch and wincing at the time, he continued,  "In a couple of hours, we could contact Adam and his father.  See if they had time today."

"Do you really think the kid saw someone?" Mike asked as they moved away from the crime scene to let the others do their work, Dief trailing behind them as they head toward the hotel's parking garage.

"I don't know, but he was scared to death.  At the very least, he saw the end of it.  Poor kid."  Someone as young as Adam shouldn't have to see death like that.  No one should, really.  Shaking his head, Ray rubbed the back of his neck and snuck a glance at his partner.

"I believe he was in the elevator with Mr. Craig and saw a great deal.  But I'm not certain how much he'll actually be able to tell us.  Children of that age see monsters, not necessarily people."  Fraser noticed Mike's slight wince at his words, and he wondered what had caused that reaction.

"I can contact Mr. Davis and make sure that it would be convenient to see them sometime today," Fraser offered smoothly.  "He seemed disturbed by his son's distress, so I'm not sure how wise it will be, but he will keep the boy calm."

"Yeah, dads are good for that," Ray noted softly.

"When the hour's finally decent, give him a call," Mike ordered.  "I'm going to see how the evidence is moving in the lab - if there is any."  The invitation was implied and all four of them piled into Mike's unmarked car, the detective giving a dubious look at the wolf in the backseat.

"Don't worry about Dief - he's never messed in my car," Ray assured him, smirking at the annoyed look the wolf shot him.

"Uh huh.  Whatever."

"I assure you, Detect - Mike.  He'll behave."

Mike reasoned that he had a vampire and a goth and his ex-partner messing with his professional life already - what could a Mountie, an American policeman and a wolf hurt?

~ * ~

Part 4:

Ray had puzzled over Mojadaven's words all day, unsure of how everything fit, just knowing it was significant.  It had sufficiently distracted him from the non-negotiable, excruciating luncheon that he and Fraser had been required to attend, grateful for his amazingly polite partner who knew exactly what topics of conversation would set their tablemates going without much prompting from either of them.  Thank God. 

He knew that the Mountie was chewing on the ME's words as well.  No one would have been able not to after all that discussion of 'improbable internal wounds' and 'no apparent external trauma'.  What the hell does that mean?  How is it even possible?

Could they have fallen somehow?  But there wasn't any height around either body to do that much damage.  Maybe some kind of pressure on the body... He considered every angle, every plausible explanation and slowly discarded them until he had nothing. 

Eying his partner, he saw that Fraser was just as frustrated as he was, the tightness of his jaw as they walked blissfully away from the chattering LEOs toward the garage.  Time to get back to work.

"So have you figured it out yet?" Ray asked, just to be certain.

"Not as such, Ray," came the clipped reply.

"Not as such?  So..."

"It's not logical.  The manner of their deaths is... improbable.  And completely incomprehensible given the known factors," the Mountie answered, shifting his shoulders under the serge.

"Ah.  So, Mike?"

"Yes, I believe we should find out what Detective Celluci has discovered today."

With that, they caught a taxi and headed back to police headquarters, finding an annoyed Celluci slamming his phone into the cradle.

"No luck?"

"No.  There's dead ends everywhere, but nothing that points to motive and certainly nothing that explains how either of them died that way."  Mike's hands ran through his hair in a frustrated tug, glancing up at the two of them hopefully. 

"Well, Mr Davis and Adam are coming in an hour.  Maybe the kid can shed some light." Ray tried to sound hopeful, but knew he'd failed horribly.  It was unlikely and of course, they would be testing Mr. Davis' patience as well. 

"I certainly hope so, but I may..."  Mike trailed off, catching himself and taking a long drink of coffee, hoping the other two wouldn't press.

"You may what?"

Sighing, the blond cop muttered, "Go talk to Vicki and her partner."

"Uh-huh.  You look thrilled."

"Yeah, well.  Henry is... unique."  Mike spit out the word, mouth twisting slightly.  "But they're good at what they do.  It might be useful."

~ * ~

Fraser had gone to grab some coffee from the break room when he spotted Michael Davis carrying Adam through the crowded hallways, looking slightly lost in the sea of cops and criminal element.  Changing direction, the Mountie met them and offered a welcoming smile with his hand.

"Mr. Davis, thank you for coming."  The shake was firm and cool, even with the slight nervousness that the man's body language radiated even if his eyes did not.

A slight tilt of the other man's head and Michael answered, "Of course.  I just want to help and hopefully get this over with for Adam."

"Yes,  I completely understand.  Hello, Adam."

"Con-sable Fraser,"  the boy greeted shyly, tucking into his father even closer.

"I'd like to introduce you both to the detective in charge of the case," he offered, turning sideways and inviting Michael to follow him back through the station to the homicide division. "If you'll follow me."

The silence was comfortable, which Fraser found surprising.  Usually, people who didn't have much to do with cops were nervous which led to something akin to babbling or awkward silences.  Michael Davis did neither, and that said a lot about the man, in the Mountie's opinion.

Holding open the swinging doors that led to the homicide bullpen, he followed them in, eyes meeting Ray's and then Mike's over Adam's shoulder.  "Detective Celluci," Fraser called in greeting.  "This is Michael Davis and his son Adam.  They're here to speak with us."

Nodding, Mike stood and offered his hand to the father and son both before leading them all into a small conference room that they used for interviews when they weren't trying to intimidate.   "Can we get either of you anything to drink?"

"No, thank you." Michael's voice was smooth and Fraser noted the quality and lack of true inflection.  Odd.  Mr. Davis was certainly proving to be very interesting.

Adam shook his head, and tucked in closer to his father.

"Hi, Adam.  Remember me?" Ray asked quietly, smiling openly at the little boy.

"Ray."

"That's right, buddy.  Well, me and Mike and Fraser kinda wanted to ask you something."

The boy was quiet for a moment, looking over at his father before nodding.  "You want to know about the man in the elevator."

All three cops exchanged a look before Ray nodded, "Yep, that's about right, kiddo.  So, who was in the elevator when you got on?"

"A man - the man who got hurt."  Adam's chin tucked down, voice quiet and he cuddled into Michael's side before he muttered.  "There was a shadow..."

"A shadow, Adam?" Fraser asked softly, offering what encouragement he could.

"Yeah.  I backed away - it was thick, like soup?  It felt icky.  And the man made a strange sound, like..."  Adam demonstrated gargling, having relaxed a bit next to his father.  "And he fell out the doors.  I ran away."

At the shame in those words, Ray leaned down to try and catch the boy's eye.  "Hey.  That's exactly what you should do.  When something scares you, you run away.  Keep safe."

Adam nodded before Mike broke in, trying to keep the frustration from his voice.  He just knew it was going to be one of those cases with Vicki working on it.  "Are you sure it was a shadow?"

Ray shifted at the cool look that Michael shot at the detective.  There was something about that man that made him uneasy.

"Yes, but... it wasn't where it was supposed to be!"

"Why's that?"

"There was light.  There's not supposed to be shadows in the light, right, Daddy?"

Michael turned his gaze to his son, smiling at the question.  "That's right, Adam."  Running a hand through his son's hair he looked up at the policeman, carefully hiding his own anxiety at the odd description.  "Is that all?  I would really rather not prolong this."

Mike sighed in defeat.  He didn't know what else to ask.  What else could Adam have seen?  If it was one of Vicki's cases, it could very well have been a thick shadow.  He rolled his eyes mentally and nodded.  "Yes, of course."

All of the men stood, Fraser holding the door as Michael picked up his son and headed out of the room.  "I'll just show you out," he offered, pleased when the quiet man didn't object.  Smiling slightly at both Michael and Adam, he led them out of the maze of hallways in the police station to the visitor's parking lot.

"Thank you so much for your help," he told them sincerely, offering his hand to the other man, shoulders tightening as a strong one clasped his. 

"Thanks for finding him.  I know that this could have been worse," Michael offered smoothly, eyes flicking over the Mountie as if he knew why Fraser reacted even when he didn't himself.

"Yes, well.  We have your contact information?" he asked unnecessarily, trying not to shift under the stiffness of his serge at that look.

"Yes.  I believe Detective Celluci has it."

Fraser nodded and watched as Michael buckled Adam in the backseat and pulled away, certain that he had missed something.  Shaking his head, he turned to see Ray approaching.

"Hey."  Ray didn't like the tension he could practically see thrumming through Fraser.  That was the odd thing about the Mountie - he always looked tense, but that was just the illusion of perfect posture.  He wasn't sure what had just happened, but he knew it had perturbed his partner in some way.  "You okay?"

"Of course, Ray."

Ray rolled his eyes as he followed Fraser back into the police station.  Damned stonewalling Mountie.

~*~

Ray wasn't exactly sure what to expect from Mike's reluctance and annoyance, but Henry Fitzroy certainly wasn't it.  Smooth, assured, arrogant.  Usually that would have the American rolling his eyes and checking him off as a tool.  But there was something about this guy.  Looked like a kid, for Christ's sake, but no one would dare call him that.

He pulled his gaze away, glancing at Fraser before staring at where Vicki and Mike were arguing about the case with the goth, Coreen, bouncing behind them with barely contained energy.

"Mike -"

"No.  Just no, Vicki.  I know that you've been hired, but I don't have to like it."

"When do you ever?"  Ray winced when he saw Mike flinch at those words.

"Fine.  But you'll have to explain it to our guests, because I'm not going to be the one at the center of the circus," Mike managed through clenched teeth.

Vicki huffed out a breath.  "Fine.  Henry?"

"I'm not your prop, Vicki.  If you want to tell them, fine.  But I'd rather limit the number of people you give this information," he told her calmly, brushing by the American a little too closely for propriety as he settled himself on the couch to watch the drama play out.

Sighing, the private detective turned to Fraser and Ray and bit her lip before telling them, "We think it might be something... more unusual than just odd."

Mike snorted and Henry's eyes gleamed with amusement when she glared at them and Coreen who was bouncing behind her boss with excitement.

"It's..."

"A demon!" Coreen broke in excitedly, unable to stop herself when it seemed that Vicki might drag it out forever.  "You see, Henry's a vampire and he helps Vicki and me when we get these weird cases that seem to come out of nowhere to tackle us.  Very cool."

Fraser's eyebrows rose and Ray stood very still for a few moments, trying to work through what the girl had just said.  Even though he knew Mike was a good cop, he shot the other man a disbelieving look.  "What the fuck?" he managed after a few moments, knowing that Fraser was still processing the decidedly odd information.

"Ray -"

"No. I mean... are you serious?!"

"Ray -"

"Because that's not even possible!"

"Ray -"

"And I don't think that -"

"Ray!"

"What?!"  He turned to stare at his partner, breathing hard as he pulled back from his tirade.

"Before you get too invested in the argument, can we hear Ms Nelson out?" Fraser asked calmly, hand twitching with the need to run a finger under his collar and loosen the constricting wool.

"Fine.  But I still think it's ridiculous," the blond cop muttered, crossing his arms over his chest and trying not to look like he was sulking.

"Right.  Well. Go on, Ms. Nelson."  No one in the room besides Coreen missed the pointed way Fraser distanced himself when addressing the woman.

"About a year ago now, I... got mixed up in a case that changed my view on the world.  Weird and odd and... supernatural.  Henry's a part of that.  And it seems that the supernatural finds me wherever I go now."  Her voice edged into bitterness before Vicki leveled a glare at them, daring them to contradict her.

"I'm sorry, but... this is just unbelievable," Fraser murmured softy, eyes flickering over to Henry and back to Vicki.

"But it's real!  We swear it is!" Coreen exclaimed, smiling brightly as she practically vibrated from her seat.

"Great," Ray muttered under his breath, knowing that Fraser would give them the benefit of the doubt, even as he saw a disturbed expression flicker in the Mountie's eyes as he looked down at Dief.  Wishing he had a habit like smoking, he tapped out a rhythm with his fingers against his thigh as he waited for their words to sink in or at least somehow arrange themselves to make sense.  This world was nothing that Ray had ever thought he'd hear about seriously.  From a cop, an ex-cop and a hyperactive Goth.  Great.

Glancing up, Ray's breath caught as he saw Henry suddenly in front of him.  Resisting the urge to reach for his gun, he stared into dark, mesmerizing eyes and felt the pull for him to forget why and just let go.

"Nice parlor trick," Ray managed as he broke the gaze, breathing hard, body thrumming with adrenaline.  Predator.

"It's nothing more than what I am," Henry stated grandly, both of them ignoring Mike's incredulous snort.

"Knock it off, Henry.  No trying mind control on the newbies," Vicki ordered, collapsing into her chair behind the desk.

"Mind control?" Fraser asked speculatively as he watched Ray and Henry.  When those black eyes turned on him, he caught his breath.  "Ah."

Henry stared for a moment before turning his attention back to Ray and watching the blond cop shiver under the weight of his gaze.  Slowly, letting his eyes bleed back to normal, he reached over and stroked along the inside of the blond detective's wrist, aware of how everyone in the room tensed at that intimate movement. 

Ray's eyebrow rose and he found it hard to take offense at the touch even though he knew he should.  "That's not nice," he murmured, biting his lip as warmth sped through him even as he felt the power slide away.

"But you like it anyways," Henry whispered softly enough that Ray was pretty sure he was the only one who heard it.  Tilting his head in answer, he blinked lazily and suddenly he had his personal space back and Henry was settled in the armchair.

Clearing his throat, he stated, "Okay.  So.  Demons?"  He ignored the way Fraser and Mike were staring at him as he turned his attention to an enthusiastic Coreen who began explaining how the supernatural factored in to their murder cases. 

Soon they were all gathered around the office, reading different texts and researching legends.  Ray shook his head and forced himself to skim at least some of what was on the crackled page of the antique book in his hands.  It was like every supernatural show ever made.  Why has no one put this information on the internet?  Or at least a computerized library.

At some point, Mike ordered Chinese take-out for everyone.  With Benton settled next to him, Ray felt normal.  He knew it was a coping mechanism, but the heat and scent of his partner settled him against what was happening.  Not to mention the odd group dynamics between Mike, Vicki and Henry.  That was a study in and of itself, he decided after watching them watch each other while still trying to research.

It was Coreen who finally squealed in triumph and practically flung herself at Henry with the book she was holding.  "What do you think?"

The vampire studied the entry for a moment before nodded.  "That's actually pretty plausible.  I remember meeting one before - killed a lot of people before they accidentally died."

"Well?" Mike asked testily, staring at Henry as he waited for the information.

"It's called a Leyak.  They are much like a werewolf.  They begin human and then transform themselves into a spirit at night while they appear to be sleeping in their beds."

"Any way to protect against it?" Vicki asked.

"Unfortunately, no.  I think that we will have to solve this like a good old-fashioned homicide.  Who had motive?  Hopefully it isn't just out for a joyride," Henry stated softly. "Otherwise, we won't stop it until it's dead."

"Okay, but we haven't turned anything up motive-wise yet.  I mean, sure there was a life insurance policy on the first guy, but there's no connection that we can find between the victims - no way to tie them together," Mike sighed.  "It's fucking frustrating.  But knowing we can't rely on an alibi helps."

"I think perhaps that we should take a break for the food and then come back and comb over the two victims' lives looking for any detail that might connect them," Fraser suggested.

"Yeah, the takeout should be here any time," Coreen agreed, looking up from where she was playing with Dief.  Fraser turned an exasperated eye on his four-legged companion and sighed. 

"You should not indulge him, Coreen."

The goth stared up at the Mountie through long lashes and protested, "But he's so adorable!"

Ray started laughing at his partner's expression, slapping him on the shoulder.  "You should just let it go, buddy.  I think she's a lot like Frannie."

Fraser nodded and sighed. "It would seem so."

Dief barked once in agreement, eyes watching his pack-mates closely. 

"Well, I think it's about time to go pick up that food," Vicki stated, snagging her wallet and heading out the door.  "Anything special to drink?"

When everyone passed along their orders, she and Coreen headed out, leaving the three men alone in a room with a vampire.  Vampire.  Ray was still getting used to that idea.  It was certainly not the strangest thing, now that he thought about it.  But it was odd having your world shift quite so dramatically in so short a time.  Standing abruptly, he shook his head at Fraser.  "I'm just going to go next door to the coffee shop.  I don't think water's going to do it.  Want anything?"

"No, thank you kindly, Ray."  Both Mike and Henry answered in the negative, but the vampire followed him out to the elevator of Vicki's building.

"What?"

"You're interesting," Henry told him baldly, eyes studying the detective.

"What?"

"You're interesting.  Something I don't come across too often."  His pupils bled black for a moment before pulling back.  "And you smell... delicious." 

"And you're doing this to creep me out."  Ray shivered at those words, body thrumming once again with that strange adrenaline that really had nothing to do with fear or danger.

"No."

Ray blinked and Henry was gone.  Leaning hard against the wall as the elevator announced its presence, he took a deep breath.  Coffee.  Coffee would make it all better.

~*~

Fraser wasn't exactly sure what to think when Henry trailed after Ray, something bitter and ugly twisting in his stomach at the way the vampire stared at his partner.  Holding back the need to throttle something, he studied the homicide detective across from him.

"Do you think we missed something?"  Mike found himself asking into the silence, loathe to let it go too long.

"Most likely.  Maybe if we dig deeper, we will see something else.  But we can't rule out the wife now - not if the culprit seemed to be sleeping when their crimes were committed."

"Yeah.  I just... I mean, it was odd, right?  How crushed the bodies seemed?  How all the bones were ground and broken and odd?"

"Yes, very much so.  But the flesh still in tact.  You don't think they were still alive when that happened, do you?  Because if they were -"

"Someone had to hate them a lot for that," Mike followed the train of thought, interrupting as his brow furrowed in thought.  After another few moments of silence, he added, "Don't mind Henry.  He's just interested.  He'll back off."

Fraser blinked, head snapping up to catch Mike's gaze fast enough that he heard several vertebrae crack.  "Ah."

"Yeah."  Mike looked up, and Fraser slowly came to understand where the heat in Mike's anger with Henry came from.

"That's fine then."

The silence fell again, thick with things carefully ignored and unsaid until Henry returned.  Fraser watched the vampire - predator - carefully for a few moments, noting the way both Dief and Mike were aware of every movement.  Of course, he was as well, Fraser admitted.  There was something intangibly dangerous.  Probably explained by the fight or flight response and instincts that humans have buried under their logical brains.

Standing abruptly, needing some time to think, he stated, "I need to take Dief for a quick walk before we get started with dinner."

"There's a park about two blocks west of here," Mike offered.

"Thank you kindly," Fraser answered automatically, tilting his head at his companion and following the white canine out the door.  A walk would do him well.

Mike watched them leave, eyes flicking over to Henry.  "And then there were two."

"We did just break their world view.  It might take some time to...process."

Mike snorted.  "Break?  How about shattered?"  He shifted uncomfortably as Henry's gaze focused on him.

"Is that what happened, Michael?" Henry asked, drawing out the detective's name in a way that seemed tangible as it slid through the air.

"What did you expect?  For people to just learn that their entire reality is a lie and then just move on like it doesn't truly matter?" Mike threw back angrily, shaking off the effects of Henry's voice.

"No, of course not."  Henry studied the other man, knowing that his full attention made him uncomfortable.  He found it amazing that in such a short period of time, he was introduced to so many fascinating people.

"What?!" Mike finally asked, standing to fetch another water from Vicki's mini-fridge.

"It's just interesting," Henry answered, eyes following the long, lean lines of Mike's body under the rumpled dress shirt and slacks. 

"Henry..." Mike practically growled, dumping sugar into his black coffee with abandon.

"Yes, Mike?"

The detective turned quickly, catching his breath when he saw that Henry had followed him across the room, invading his personal space.  "What are you talking about?"

Henry let the silence grow thick around them, watching as the human fiddled with his coffee cup, eyes flickering up and away from the vampire's gaze.  Breathing in the scent of the other man, he purred, "You."

Smirking, he turned back to his chair, settling in comfortably to watch the astonished expression on Mike's face falter into anger and uncertainty.  "Just don't, Henry."  The indignant order inducing a soft smile.

"Why not?"

Mike had no answer for that and they once again fell into silence with the blond shifting under that penetrating gaze.  Thankfully, Ray arrived soon after with plenty of coffee in tow.

"Hey.  Brought a whole carafe since I wasn't sure who would want some after dinner."  The rich aroma of expensive coffee filled the office as Ray stored the carafe on the small counter in the efficiency kitchen.  "Think Coreen or Vicki might like some?"

"Vicki definitely.  I think she has Coreen restricted from coffee though," Mike responded.

"Restricted?" Ray asked, brow furrowing.

"There was... damage the last time Coreen had unregulated caffeine," Henry answered smoothly.

"And that translates to..."

"Hyper and driving Vicki insane and then performing a spell that she had no training for," Mike noted.  "It wasn't pretty.  I believe that Vicki had her cleaning out the office for three days after that."

"Huh.  Okay.  So, no caffeine for the goth."  Ray took his own cup and settled down in one of the chairs.  "Where'd Fraser go?"

"Took Dief for a walk," Mike answered automatically, picking up the book where Henry and Coreen had found the information on the Leyak.  Skimming the information, he winced at the described rituals that occurred to make a Leyak out of a human.  Voluntary rituals.  "Why would anyone do this to themselves?"

"For power," Henry answered simply.

"Why the hell do people do any of the twisted things they do?  May be weird means, but the motive is still the same if it's a human," Ray muttered.  "Can't be that different."

"No.  Not that different," Henry answered the unspoken question.  "All beings are driven by basic needs.  And Leyaks are made from humans.  Humans choose to become them for some reason or another.  Those reasons can't be that much different from any other motive."

"Exactly.  Money.  Power.  Jealousy.  Love.  We should be looking for the main motives for murder and work backwards!"  Ray exclaimed.

"That certainly sounds workable," Fraser commented as he re-entered the office.  "Much more in the realm of things that we can work with."

"Definitely.  So -"

"Food's here!"  Coreen called out cheerily as she led the way into the office, arms full and Vicki following with two more bags.  There was a rustling as everyone except Henry stood and gathered food and drink before settling once again.

"Ok, so what do we know?"

And thus began hours of picking at food and throwing out theories about the dead people until they were all exhausted.  

"Wait..."  Vicki muttered, shuffling through paperwork.  "Do you have his work schedule?"

"Yeah, umm... here."  Mike shoved the paper at her, everyone looking up as they waited for her to share her idea.

"Yeah.  Look.   Jefferson was always working when Grace came to Toronto on business.  Always."

"Huh,"  Ray muttered.  "But you said the unis didn't get anything out of any of the other staff?"

"Yeah.  None of them noted anything out of the ordinary for either one of them and none of them tied them together."

"Maybe..."

"We need some more information," Fraser noted.  "And I don't think it's going to happen tonight."  They all glanced at the clock and sighed.  It was well past one o'clock.  Time to stop and find a bed.

"Yes, but meet up again tomorrow?"

"I have a pressing engagement," Henry announced.  "So I won't be able to until after I get home."

"Fine.  Whatever," Mike answered, an edge sliding into his tone and Vicki looked up at her former partner closely.

"Mike -"

"I'll see you tomorrow, Vic," he interrupted as he headed out the door quickly with Henry following at a more leisurely pace.

"Ah yes.  And Ray and I would appreciate it if you could call us a cab?" Fraser asked softly of Coreen who shook her head.  "Actually, if you want, I can give you a lift to the hotel."

"Are you sure?  We don't wanna take up your time."

"Nah, it's on the way to my friend's house anyways," she answered nonchalantly, reaching for her cloak.  The pair nodded and waited for her to lead the way.  "Don't sleep here, Vicki!"

"Yeah, yeah,"  the ex-cop muttered under her breath, grabbing for another one of the files as everyone cleared out.  Just one more time through on her own and then she'd head home.

~*~

Mike had reached his car, realizing that he'd basically left Fraser and Ray stranded, but he didn't go back.  He couldn't handle the company right now.   Thumbing the lock release on his keyless entry, he opened the driver's door, and was brought up short when Henry blocked his ability to truly open the door.

"What, Henry?" he managed to grind out, exhausted.  The adrenaline and caffeine thrumming through him the only thing keeping him upright.  He turned his head, breath catching at the emotion in those usually implacable dark eyes.

"Shattered?" came the soft reply, demanding an answer to questions that Mike was sure he didn't want to even ponder.  He shook his head, trying to open his car door without success, cursing the nosy vampire under his breath before he slammed the door shut with force that had the sedan rocking.

"Yes, alright?  It completely altered how I see everything.  You did that.  And you can't take it back and it's maddening!"  He took a deep breath, trying to prevent himself from ranting about nothing, about everything, saying things he was sure would come back to haunt him later.  Sighing, he waited for Henry to move, pointedly reaching out and pulling on the car door to no avail.

Rolling his eyes, he stood back, refusing to believe he was backing away from Henry's presence, and waited for the vampire to decide to move.  Had to happen sometime.  "What?!" he finally exclaimed.

Henry leaned in, lightening fast, until he pressed deep into the detective's personal space, but still not touching.  "You."  And he leaned just enough that his lips brushed Mike's, the cop too stunned to react as that simple touch sent lightening through his body and heat tugging at him that he couldn't ignore.  His breath came quickly, drawing in the vampire's scent, eyes blown wide as he stared helplessly back at the predator in front of him.  "You did that also."

Turning on his heel, Henry took his leave, a bewildered homicide detective left alone with his car in the dark.

~*~

Ray, Fraser and Dief all sat attentively in Coreen's small car, listening to the blasting music as she maneuvered through almost empty city streets.  Ray contemplated that they just needed one more person and it would be a clown car, listening to the girl babbling about Vicki, Henry and Mike, letting more gossip slip that her friends would appreciate.  But it was good to know her high opinion of them and the obvious and complete trust and faith she had that they could find and stop this killer.  It was refreshing, much like Frannie.  But less annoying.

Thankfully, it didn't take long to arrive at the hotel and they all clambered out with thanks to the goth and headed into the hotel.  "Long day," Ray muttered.

"Indeed, Ray."  Fraser glanced sidelong at the blond, wondering what he was thinking about.  Henry or the case.  Or Henry.  He started at those thoughts and tried to push them away.  Nothing would come of any sort of jealousy, he knew that.  But it definitely didn't help his control when his partner allows a vampire into his personal space and not even be offended.

"You okay, Fraser?"  Ray asked, curious at his partner's tone.

"I... am.  It's just quite a bit of information to process.  I'm not sure how it will look in the morning."

"That's so true," Ray beamed, slinging a companionable arm around Benton's shoulders and pulling him tight against his side in a mock hug.  "But I think that you'll definitely deal with it fine."

Fraser's eyes gleamed slightly at the compliment, leaning a bit too long into his partner's embrace.  "Hmmm.  We'll see." 

Ray tightened his grip on Benton's shoulder before pulling back as they neared their rooms.  "Yeah.  Well.  Night, Frase."

"Good night."  His body hummed with anticipation at the heat of his partner and neither of them moved to enter their separate hotel rooms.

Ray couldn't have told you how it happened, but somehow the wall just inside his hotel room was against his back and Benton pressed against his front, wool itching through his thin cotton shirt as he stared up at his partner.  The moment slid to a halt, both of them studying each other, breathing harsh and loud in their ears until the click of the door shutting them in the darkness of the room broke the stalemate.

There was barely time to think before smooth skin and soft lips brushed against him, body arching against the other man as he tried to find some kind of footing.  It didn't take long to just forget about trying to make sense out of anything and just feel.  Moaning softly as lips brushed over his pulsepoint, his hands reached up and undid the serge, fingers shaking at the buttons and fastenings. 

"God... it's like you have twenty layers," he muttered to himself, stripping the Mountie of his uniform, bending to undo the laces of his boots.  "What are we doing?"

Benton grunted, not even truly hearing the words as he buried himself in sweet sweat and coffee, breathing deeply and practically purring as he felt the other man respond.

"Oh."  Desperate hands pushed off red wool and jodhpurs, trying to find skin.  It was blur of cotton and wool and what seemed like torture as they made slow progress across the room, clothes and bodies tangled before landing hard on the bed.  Leaning up for a kiss even as he still struggled with the last of their clothing, everything wrapping around Ray, the heat and slightly sour smell of Benton after a long day's work, the taste of him lingering on his tongue.

For a moment, in the dark, Ray forgot how his hands shook as he slid them along smooth skin, feeling the sparse hairs tickle his palms as he pulled his partner closer, flailing when he realized he couldn't keep his balance before he fell back onto the bed.  "Benton..."

"Ray."  His tone slid along his partner's spine, rough and heavy with lust and need, something Ray never thought he'd hear from his Mountie.  At least not for him.  Blinking up at Benton, seeing the usually perfect hair mussed and sticking up, he reached out and ran his fingers through the thick softness. 

"Yes?" he murmured softly, his gaze finding the darker man's through his lashes.  "Need something, Frase?"  His other hand teased along the sensitive skin of his partner's spine, tracing the scars he found there, watching that strong body tremble at the edge of control.

Smiling, he reached out to pull Benton toward him, closer until bared skin met his, heat bucking and twisting between them.  Lips met, teeth nipping hard, close to drawing blood as Fraser let out a growling groan, hips settling into the cradle of Ray's, cocks sliding together. 

"Fuck!" he cursed, back arching up, hands pulling at his partner, trying to find more.  "Benton... c'mon."

"Impatient," his Mountie panted, leaning down to nip at his jaw, the stinging pain shivering through him even as Benton's bulk held him in place, not allowing him an inch of movement that could help him find more.

Biting his lip hard, Ray tried to glare at the other man, but managed a broken groan at the slow, deliberate slide of their hips, sweat not quite slick enough as sensitive skin caught, making him buck slightly under Fraser.  Or try to.  Fuck when did Fraser get so heavy?  And when did he lose control of this?

"Maybe when you showed me how close you were," Fraser murmured in answer, hot breath against his neck as he answered a question that Ray was sure he hadn't said aloud.  Right?  "Right."

Ray barely had time to register that agreement before he felt sharp teeth at the junction of the neck and shoulder, tongue laving lightly before that mouth settled in, sucking hard enough that his dick twitched between them, leaking precome onto his stomach.  Marking him.  Dear God, Fraser - Benton - was marking him.  His hands scrabbled at a strong back and cool cotton sheets, trying to find some kind of purchase as he shuddered with everything purposeful, rhythmic suck and slow thrust.  Unable to move, unable to find more, lost in the sensations that Benton drew out of him, sounds that he knew he should be ashamed of falling from his lips.

"Benton," he gasped, body shaking with desperate need.  "Please... please, I need."

"I know."  One strong hand slid along his spine, opening his legs farther before teasing back, calloused fingers sliding over his puckered entrance, the other man holding him as he trembled at the touch, unable to think. 

"Please..."  Ray didn't even recognize his own voice as something slick returned, pushing slightly before breaching him, and he whined at the burn.

"Shhhh, Ray," Benton's voice was low, fucked out, and probably the sexiest thing the blond had ever heard as his partner slowly opened him on his fingers, body pinning him, keeping him still, trapped.  His legs kicked out, trying to find the leverage to push up, to push back.  "Relax."

The blond's soft chuckle at that instruction turned into a gasping moan as those fingers brushed against something he hadn't felt in years.  "Fuck," he whispered hoarsely, body going taunt with the lightening of sensations.

"Hmm," the Mountie hummed softly, continuing his methodical exploration, driving his partner mad.  One large hand spread heat as it slid over sensitized skin, fingers teasing, nails running red lines along pale skin while Benton added another finger, murmuring soft encouragement to Ray as his body shook.

Ray couldn't believe this was his Benton Fraser, splaying him wide and open.  Shaking with every sensation, reeling out of control, he whined softly, body begging for more, giving up on trying to take it.  "Please..."

Benton sighed softly, reaching for the condom he'd found in Ray's wallet, his cock twitching at the desperate groan as his fingers slowly pulled away.  Hands shaking, he slid on the condom and slicked himself, clumsy with lack of practice, and his control fraying when his eyes caught Ray's dark blue.

Holding their gaze together, he consciously lifted Ray's hips and teased for a moment before slowly slipping inside, breath catching at the tight heat that gripped him, everything narrowing to the desperation in Ray's eyes and the throbbing of his own body as the need to pound into the body beneath him pulsed through him.

Silent except for groans and the movement of flesh against flesh, the air conditioner clicking on behind them, sweat cooling along his spine as Fraser moved, slow, controlled, loving the way his partner fell apart and soaking up every detail for memorization until he couldn't hold back anymore.  Moans fell with each hard thrust, speeding up until everything broke apart, vision sliding gray and spotted as the most intense, tight orgasm flooded through him, echoed by Ray. 

Panting hard against his lover's shoulder, Benton kissed the sweat soaked skin, smiling at the mark he'd left there before allowing himself to fall to the side.  Cleaning them both up with nearby tissues, he dragged the boneless Ray to him and pulled up the blankets, sleep claiming him before the unavoidable anxiety could raise its head.

~*~

Ray mumbled unhappily as his pillow moved.  Arms tightening around the warmth under him he signed happily, breathing in musk and heat. 

"Ray," his pillow rumbled, causing his brow to furrow in stubbornness.  Curling closer, he tried to ignore it.  "Ray."

Pouting, he turned up toward the voice, eyes slitting open, brain non-functional.  "Nnngh."

"I need to move."  Benton's eyes stared down at him in fond amusement.

"Nuh-uh," he managed in disagreement, refusing to let go of the other man.

"Yes.  Now, please."  Grumbling, Ray allowed Fraser to move, grappling for another pillow and burying his head in it as soft footfalls echoed in the room.  Letting his eyes close, it only took a few more moments for everything to process.  Ray's body tensed as he realized where he was, what they'd done.  Benton had seemed okay, though, right?  Rolling onto his back, he stared at the ceiling, listening to the water run in the bathroom.  What was this?  He really hoped he hadn't fucked up everything, even if he felt better than he had in a long time, the ache in his body a sharp reminder of why.  Fraser.

Rubbing his hands over his face, he sighed and gave in to the inevitable whirling doubts.  Glancing at the door to the bathroom, he muttered under his breath all the things that could go wrong.  "Shit."

Thankfully, he was saved by the phone from thinking too much longer.  Reaching for the handset, he practically barked his greeting.  "Yeah?"

"Ray?  There's another victim," Mike announced tiredly.  "In the hotel again.  Grab Fraser and meet me in the employee locker room?"

"Yeah.  Be there in ten."  Ray practically threw the phone back on the cradle, rolling out of bed in the same motion.  "Frase?  We gotta get downstairs.  There's been another."

His partner's head appeared in a cloud of steam as the bathroom door opened and he leaned out.  "Another, Ray?"

"Yep.  I'm gonna grab shower and clothes in my room.  Ready in five."  He stretched slightly, wincing as he walked gingerly toward his room and a hot shower, ignoring the sharp gaze following him.

~*~

Ray ignored the invisible boundaries that Fraser seemed to draw around himself as they walked down to the employee locker room.  They found another woman, crushed again from the inside.  No witnesses.  Nothing else around.

"Damn, this is so fucking annoying!" Ray exclaimed under his breath as he looked at the kid.  She was only twenty-five, brunette and beautiful in the prime of her life.  Breathing in, he watched as Fraser took in all the details of the room, lingering on different spots where Ray watched the ground around the girl, seeing even more of the tar substance around her neck.  Far more than had been at either of the other murders.  Messy.  "Do you think that the Leyak leaves the substance on purpose?"

"Possible... but it's not corporeal, correct?" Fraser murmured, leaning  down, hand resting in Dief's fur.

"No, but that doesn't mean it doesn't... somehow," Mike muttered.  "Do you think it indicates something that there's more here?  Like... more anger?  Or something?"

Ray turned his head.  "It looks like... where your hands would go if you strangled someone... kinda.  I dunno."

There was a long moment of silence where all three officers stared for a moment.  "I believe you are correct, Ray.  It does seem to be the placement."

"So... more anger?"

"It may be."

"We should check the books again for more information.  Maybe there's something more in them," Mike offered.  "But after we get everything processed."  He nodded as the forensics team arrived, waving all of them back so they could talk and observe without being in the way.

"Yeah.  Think Vicki would mind us all dropping by again later?"

"No.  We need to fill them in anyway," Mike muttered, disgruntled at the thought.  He was just glad that Dave was sick today leaving him partnerless.  It always left a sour taste in his mouth when he had to go running to Vicki and Dave or Kate stared at him like he was an idiot.

"So.  Breakfast?" Ray looked up hopefully, glancing sideways at his partner and cringing at the unforgiving stiffness in the Mountie's posture.  That wasn't a good sign.  Neither was the fairly palpable barrier he'd put between them.  He knew it was probably because he hadn't said anything or they hadn't even tried to discuss why Ray felt like walking sideways.

"Yeah.  There's a diner near the office," Mike offered, ignoring the unspoken questions between the other two as his own stomach growled.  "Serves a great and greasy breakfast."

"Yes.  C'mon then," Ray answered, glancing back at the forensics team and shrugging.  By the time they got done grabbing breakfast, the evidence would be back at the lab.

Three cops and a wolf left the crime scene with purpose, one tail wagging in expectation.

~*~

Ray bit into his sandwich with relish, the sunny-side up egg inside spilling over onto his fingers and making a mess, but he didn't care.  Happily humming softly at the taste and textures, he listened to Fraser and Mike's speculations on the Leyak's motives.  Of course, since the Leyak was actually a human, kind of, applying human motives was as good as they could get.   Feeding Dief a bit of the meat from his plate under the table, Ray gave his partner an innocent look, relieved to see the normal exasperation in the Mountie's polite facade.

"So... is there anyway there was jealousy as a motive?  The guy stepped out and the wife killed him?" Ray threw it out when the other two turned to their food.  Sipping his coffee, he waited for the logic he knew swished through Fraser's brain.

"Well... she was asleep at home," Mike noted before zealously biting into a piece of bacon and chewing loudly.  "I didn't particularly see her as a hardened killer, but she had a good sized insurance policy on him.  I should be getting the paperwork soon to see who actually applied for the policy today."

"That would be auspicious," Benton offered.  "What about someone at the hotel?  I mean... if there was some kind of slight or layoff needed?"

"Hmm... well, Dave said he hadn't noticed any of the workers being particularly suspicious.  We can go over his notes again, but I trust his judgment.  He's got a good grasp of personalities," Mike told them confidently and Fraser nodded his acceptance.

"I have no doubts, Mike."

"Yeah.  He's your partner, and if you say so, that's good enough," Ray confirmed.  "Well.  I guess the wife is the strongest lead?"

"Yeah.  I don't know though, she just doesn't seem... but we can go and talk to her again."  The blond detective tugged a hand through his hair, sighing. 

"Later today, perhaps?  Before we take anything to Ms Nelson or her...partner?" Fraser asked, thumb nervously sliding over his brow at the mention of Henry.  Ray had never seen his Mountie so out of sorts before, but he guessed if anything was going to do it, a vampire would.

"Yeah.  Or maybe with them.   Henry can be...helpful at times.  Just got to get the paperwork through so we know a little bit more and then talk to the ME about the third victim.  Maybe she can shed some more light with this victim."  Mike sounded cautiously hopeful.

"Well, if the Leyak was angrier or... something, maybe there's more damage?" Ray posited, still uncertain at how he was supposed to figure out something so far outside of his experience.  "Maybe there's something more personal in the injuries than just crushing?"

Mike stared at him for a moment, eyes slowly unfocusing as he thought about it for a moment.  "Possible.  I'm not sure.  Who the hell knows how something like this is supposed to work?"

"Indeed," Benton agreed softly.

"But if it is human, we definitely know how that works.  Only so many things a human is willing to kill for, even if he or she turned themselves into a monster to do it."

"Yeah.  Greed. Lust. Jealousy.  Cover the basics and work back from there," Ray muttered mostly to himself before taking the last bite of his sandwich, chewing thoughtfully.  "Yeah.  So let's get to the computers and run it all down."

Nodding, Mike stood, throwing down bills for their breakfast, despite the protests of one Mountie and guiding them back to the police station.  It was a short walk through a relatively busy stretch of Toronto sidewalk, but the crowd parted for them with ease, some staring at the red serge. 

Winding through the maze-like hallways to the bullpen, Mike went over everything that they had to do, glad that for once he had another set of eyes that knew what kind of weird he was looking for.

Settling Fraser and Ray at a computer since there was only Dave's computer not in use, they divided up the work pretty evenly and Mike went to his own computer and started digging into the lives of the victims.  Every family member, every financial record, every friend that had been mentioned during the interviews was sought out in their records, notes taken.  The soft discussions of the odd couple drowned out by his own thoughts as he let everything else fade to the background except these details, weighing each one and trying to decide their import.

It wasn't long before the day had come and gone with only a short lunch break and walk down to Mojadaven's office for the report on the new victim which had heralded interesting news in the viciousness that was much more prevalent.  Taking that into consideration, the three of them doubled their efforts, wanting to have something to discuss once they met up with Vicki.

"Frase, stop reading over my shoulder."

"Ray."  If the Mountie were anyone else, he'd be rolling his eyes.  "How else am I supposed to read the screen?  And why won't you let me type?" 

Sighing heavily, Ray held in the small smile as he stood and gestured gracefully toward his vacated chair, allowing the freakishly technologically proficient Mountie take his place.  Settling in close, noticing the slight twitch of those shoulders under red wool, he bit his lip and read over Benton's shoulder, trying to pay attention to the information that the screen presented and ignore the heat and musky scent in front of him.  Shaking his head, he straightened up and focused on the screen, slowly falling into their usual pattern of discussion and notes as they waded through a wealth of information.

Mike tried not to watch them, but it was difficult.  The way they clicked right into place next to each other, discussing, researching, arguing.  He envied them.  Hell, he even envied the wolf at their feet, lazing about as they did their work, predator's eyes catching his before he turned back to his own work.

By mid-afternoon, the notepad in front of Mike had gotten considerably thick with notes and he looked over to see Ray's notebook just as utilized.  Leaning back, he popped his spine before standing and gathering his file and notes, stuffing the relevant paperwork that he hadn't gotten a chance to look at into it before walking over toward them.  Ray blinked at the screen, looking up when he felt someone standing behind him.  "Yeah?"

"Want to go and hit the widow on the way to Vicki's office?"

"Yeah.  The womens' families aren't really good for this," Ray answered, gesturing to his notes.

"I figured as much.  But the wife.  Well, we'll see."  Mike tilted his head and led everyone out to his car, the wolf dodging between cops just to cause more chaos.  At least, that was his opinion, especially given the disapproving look on Fraser's face.

Ray rolled his eyes as Benton scolded Dief at the car, sliding into the front to force the pouting wolf to sit with his owner.  A wolf that was now refusing to get into the car.   "C'mon, pitter patter.  Don't got all day, Dief."

"Precisely," Fraser agreed, staring the wolf into submission.  When Dief's tail dropped and he slunk into the seat, Mike muttered something under his breath while the Mountie continued.  "If you wouldn't behave like a misbehaving pup, I wouldn't treat you like one... No, I do not think so."

Ray laughed quietly to himself as he sprawled in his seat, content with watching the scenery and listening to the familiar cadence of Fraser-Dief speech while Mike drove them to visit a woman who was their best suspect.  He really hoped it was this easy, but not much ever was.  Especially now that they have something as odd as the supernatural thrown into the mix.

"So... how did you end up working with...Henry?"

"Vicki and he got thrown together on a case.  And Vicki and I were still hanging out and I'd occasionally help with her cases.  Didn't take long to figure out the reason I didn't like him."  Ray had a suspicion Mike was quite the editor when it came to talking about Henry.   "And now... he's just there."

The Chicago cop bit the inside of his lip in an effort not to respond to those words.  He'd seen the tension between those two the night before.  More importantly, he'd seen the flash of uncertainty in Henry when the Mike wasn't looking.   There was definitely something there.

"Hmm," he managed noncommittally. 

"What about you?  How did you end up with a Mountie as a partner?"

"Well... that's a long story."  Before he could continue, he heard familiar words from behind him.

"I first went to Chicago on the trail of my father's killer and - "

"Fraser."

"Sorry, Ray."  Looking over his shoulder, he shot his partner a smile, noting that Benton didn't look particularly sorry.

"As I was saying, it's a long story.  And a little drawn out and unbelievably co-in-s... co-in..."

"Coincidental."

"Thanks, Frase.  Yeah.  Coincidental.  It works for us, though."

"Most certainly."

Uh-oh.  Now he and Fraser were getting a look from Mike as he pulled into a the driveway of a bland house.  "This is it?" he asked hastily, trying to distract the detective from wherever his mind was leading him.

"Yeah.  C'mon.  I'll introduce you both and you can tell me what you think.  We've got a Leyak to catch, after all."

~*~

Mrs. Craig was completely and totally unassuming in her beige skirt and cream top, practically blending into the decor of her home.  That was the one and only impression made at all of the home and its owner, everything blurring until nothing distinguished itself at all.  A content housewife who had recently lost her husband tragically hosting the cops investigating, answering questions in an almost flat, trembling tone.  That's all Ray could see.  There didn't appear to be anything off nor any malicious intent discernible.  Nothing he would associate with something as evil as the Leyak.  Unless she was a superb actor, which was possible but quite unlikely.

She served them coffee in sturdy mugs and allowed them to question her about anything and everything.  He'd deliberately been obtuse and difficult in his questions, trying to get a rise out of the woman, noticing every flash of temper before she reined it in.

"You have kids?" he asked, knowing that she had answered all of this before and trying to gauge her emotions.

"Yes.  Emily is eighteen and Josh is fifteen.  They're both upstairs resting.  It's been so hard on both of them."  She clasped her hands together tightly in her lap, fingers perfectly manicured.

"Of course," Fraser murmured, sincere in his concern.  "Hopefully you've had help?"

"Yes.  My sister came in from Quebec to stay with me for a while.  She works from home, so she can afford to pick up and help me."  Her eyes shone with unshed tears that were blinked away as she reached for her own coffee, looking for something to do, something to distract her.

"That's very fortunate," Fraser answered soothingly.

"May I use your restroom?" Ray asked, setting his mug on the coffee table and waiting expectantly for directions.

"Yes.  Down the hall to the left."

"Thank you."  He walked away listening to both Mike and Fraser continue the quiet questioning, often pausing when the woman had difficulty answering.  He poked around nosily in the kitchen noting the very neutral colors of even there.  He did actually use the bathroom, staring at the sand-colored walls.  The sitting room was across from it, homey but plain.  There was a huge yet somehow unassuming entertainment center with doors, covering up all the electronics so that it blended with the rest of the room's oddly beige colorscheme.  The only objects with any color were a few fake flowers and an oddly carved tribal cup on a side table.  Nothing terribly interesting, everything bland.  He didn't know how people could live without color.   It was getting a bit ridiculous.

After another few minutes of routine questions, Mike pulled them to a halt.  "Thank you so much for your time, Mrs. Craig.  I'll let you know when there's progress on your husband's case."

Nodding, the mousy woman walked them to the door, expressing her appreciation of their work, pleading for information as they pursue it.  "Have a good evening."

"You as well, Mrs. Craig."

With that farewell, they were all headed back to the car, quiet as they thought over the conversation, careful not to voice anything on the open street.  Settled back in their seats, Ray told them, "Well.  She didn't do anything of the sort."

"I would have to agree.  Which is unfortunate as we don't have a better lead."  Fraser's words hit them hard.

"Let's head over to Vicki's.  Maybe they've come up with something."  Mike didn't sound particularly hopeful.

~*~

~Part 5:

When they arrived, Henry was already there and deep in discussion with Vicki and Coreen about the depth of their problem in the Leyak.  Vicki looked just as annoyed with her information as Mike did with his, and Ray shook his head and fell back with Fraser and Dief as he tried to think through their case  step by step while half-listening to the explanations and findings.

"Well, the only thing we've found is that the Leyak uses a talisman to concentrate.  It can be anything, but once it's broken, they become lost in their dreamwalk.  Unable to find their way back to their body.  Or if they do, they lose all their ability to affect physical objects during their dreamwalks," Coreen informed them, pointing to an ancient tome on her desk.

"But can they make a new... talisman?" Mike asked, accepting the girl's research out of habit while both Fraser and Ray watched him head over to the page she had open on her desk.

"Not as easily as the first."

"But they could?" Mike persisted, skimming the Old English on the yellowed pages of the book.

"Possibly.  But it's nearly impossible."

"I just don't want something that can eventually start all over again," Mike clarified, looking up and freezing as his eyes met Henry's who was lounging on Vicki's couch.

"Yeah well.  Find it, smash the talisman, and then we'll see, I guess," Vicki offered impatiently.  "Did you guys find anything?"

"It's not the wife," Ray volunteered gruffly, unhappy that their search had been unsuccessful.  "And it's not any of the girls' families or friends."

"Yes.  It appears we're at an impasse."  Fraser's words settled heavily on everyone in the room.

"Did you at least bring the files.  Maybe fresh eyes can help," Vicki offered.  Mike nodded and set the files he'd grabbed from his car on her desk.

"Hopefully, you see something we missed," he told her, settling into one of the chairs in front of her desk.

"I'm just going to... go look at that book," Ray announced quietly, heading over to Coreen's book to thumb through the pages.  He was pretty sure that the Old English would hold him up, but it should be interesting at least.

"Anyone want coffee?" Coreen offered as everyone settled into their reading and occasional discussions.

"Yeah, please," Ray answered, hearing the affirmative from Mike as well.  They'd been working on this case for way too long.

"Anything of interest, Ray?" Fraser asked, leaning over his shoulder to look at the book.  Ray's breath caught at his proximity, hands itching to reach up and touch. 

"If I could read Old English, maybe.  I'm just looking at the pictures and skimming for the important words," the Chicago cop muttered, keeping his eyes glued to the page and refusing to physically react to Benton, fingers curling against the wood of the desk.

Noise from the other side of the office, forced Ray's eyes up to see Vicki pulling out a whiteboard from the closet.  She started writing all the relevant information on it about each victim, Mike throwing ideas at her while Henry watched them all work, gaze heavy when it brushed over his cop.  Mike threw him an annoyed look, trying to ignore the vampire's attentions as he and Vicki went over every detail of the case, looking for something that they had not seen before, searching for that perfect angle.

"Vicki, I just don't see anything," Mike told her tiredly as he got to the end of his ideas, staring at the board with no success.

"I know.  Neither do I," she admitted harshly, glaring at her writing on the board as if she could make it give up the needed information.  "Hopefully, the Leyak won't kill anyone tonight."

Mike stood almost violently at those words, his anger at their inability to find anything almost causing him to tip over his chair.  "I... I gotta walk.  I'll be back."   He all but fled the room, irritated strides eating up the length of the hallway.

"Fuck," Vicki muttered under her breath as she listened to her former partner run down the stairs.  Not that she blamed him, and he always did think better after a bit of exercise.

"Should we go after him?" Coreen asked, eyes wide at Mike's frustration.

"Nah, just let him vent.  See if we can come up with something while he's gone.  Wait.  Where's Henry?" Vicki sighed heavily when she realized the vampire must have followed him.  "Great.  If Mike goads Henry into beating him up, I'm not feeling pity for either of them."

~*~

Mike walked briskly through the mostly deserted streets around Vicki's office building, thoughts and anger whirling through him as he tried to pin down what felt wrong about the case, what they were missing - there had to be something.  It had to be right in front of them somehow and they needed to figure it out soon or there would be more bodies.  He had no doubts about that.

The detective was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't notice the presence following him for four blocks.  He groaned inwardly when he realized who it would have to be.  "Henry.  Go. Away."  The words were bitten out, but not particularly loud as he knew the vampire would hear him anyways.

"No."  Mike almost jumped out of his skin when the word was murmured right next to his ear.  He blinked and the frustrating man stood in front of him.

"Fuck, Henry!  Don't do that!" he exclaimed, willing his heart to calm.

The vampire smirked, eyebrow quirking up.

"Yeah, yeah... shut up.  And I'm not ready to go back yet," he threw in after a moment of annoying silence, trying to walk around Henry.

"I know that."  Henry moved in front of the detective, blocking his path again and again until Mike growled softly under his breath.  "You shouldn't be out here by yourself - not while this thing's around."

"What do you think you can do to stop it?  It's not even corporeal, for Christ's sake!" Mike threw back at him, shoulders hunching with tension as his own words curled back at him.

"Yes, but it's still not a good idea to be alone," Henry answered calmly, eyes gleaming in the dark, hair haloed in the yellow of streetlights.

"Fine.  Whatever.  But I still don't get why it's killing.  I would think it would be the wife, I mean... who else..." Mike's brow furrowed as something slid along his consciousness and he turned on his heel, intent on finding the others to help him clarify his vague idea.

"What is it?" Henry asked, hand coming up to rest against the back of Mike's neck as the walked, causing a shiver to run down the cop's back.

"I think... I mean, the wife is the only one who makes sense, motive-wise, right?  But... maybe since it can't be the wife, maybe it's a kid.  Or another relative?  Someone who had just as much stake when he was cheating...right?  But I didn't see anything in the house to even hint, so I wanted to get the others' perspective.  Those kids are the right age for messing around in something they definitely shouldn't - stupid and angry."  Mike's tone gained certainty as he spoke, circling back on the idea that he had discarded earlier when the group had been reviewing the case.

"Yes, but I thought you'd all ruled them out for the moment," the vampire answered, fingers stroking over the soft heated skin at the cop's nape.

"Y-yeah... but it's the only thing that makes sense and I'm fucking tired of dead bodies.  I want to go shake up something and see what falls out," Mike answered tiredly, leaning into Henry's touch on instinct.

Henry smiled at the detective before withdrawing and opening the door to Vicki's building.  "Well then.  Let's go, shall we?"  He ignored the confused glances being shot his way and headed back to the others upstairs.

~*~

"Do you really think a teenager could do such a thing?  I know that they are emotional and mercurial creatures, but truly kill this way?"  Fraser asked, politely ignoring the horror he felt at the idea.

"C'mon, Frase.  I know you like to believe in the good in people, but sometimes... that just doesn't matter," Ray argued.  "And I think it sucks, but if one of those kids is doing this?  Totally worth checking out.  It's not like teens are good at covering their lies."

"So Mike and I will go talk to the teenagers first thing in the morning."  They all restlessly looked at the clock, noting the early hour in the morning.  "Which is only a couple hours away.  Maybe Ray and Fraser could head to their schools and ask around.  See if there's been any change of behavior before their father died."

"What does that focus look like?  It can be anything?" Ray asked Coreen who sat with the book in her lap.

"Yeah, but it does need some specific symbols carved on it at some point."  She turned the pages before pulling it up and turning it to face the others.  "See?  Should help us identify it."

"I... think I've seen those," Ray told them.  "At their house."  He blinked when the entire room leaned into him as one.  So he told them about the interesting bowl in the living room, carved with symbols that looked a lot like that picture.  How he'd just thought it was a souvenir for some kind of trip, but now it was clear it was the Leyak's focus.

"Ok.  Well.  I guess that probably answers one thing.  So... this is how this is going to work."  Vicki quickly took charge as they considered the planning for the next day before heading to get some rest.

~*~

Mike sighed after he dropped off Ray and Benton, trying to decide whether to go back to the station or head home for some sleep.  When his car door opened, he reflexively reached for his gun, eyes flickering over to determine who was stepping inside.

"Henry!  What are you doing here?"

"Just thought you might want some company."

Mike huffed his annoyance and rolled his eyes.  "Well, I don't.  So... get out."  The words were forced out and not necessarily the most hostile.  He was getting soft toward the vampire or something.

"I don't think so, Detective.  Let's go have a drink.  At my place."

"No.  Definitely not.  I'm going to go in and get some paperwork done."  He was too wired to actually sleep and he knew it, but paperwork would definitely be a safer option than spending any more time alone with Henry.

"C'mon, Mike.  A drink with me won't kill you."  The vampire gave Mike a sidelong glance.  "I even have the beer you like."

Shaking his head in disbelief, the younger man pulled away from the curb and into the late night traffic heading for Henry's apartment complex.  "Fine.  One drink and then I should go do my paperwork before tomorrow's drama."

Henry smirked in triumph as he settled back into the seats of Mike's unmarked car, watching the detective through his lashes as he competently navigated his way through the few cars that were still on the road.  His apartment wasn't far and in just a few minutes, they were walking past the entertainingly suspicious doorman and into the elevator.  Henry stayed inside the detective's personal space the entire way, relishing the heat rolling off of him and smiling to himself as he shifted uncomfortably.

"Would you back up?  What is with you lately?" Mike finally asked, exasperated, turning to face the vampire before finding himself suddenly flush with the elevator wall.

"You don't like me in your space, Detective Celluci?" Henry asked softly, drawing out each word teasingly.

"N-no."  Mike almost flinched at how flimsy his denial sounded, heart pounding in his chest as he stared into black eyes.

"I don't believe you."

He was saved from having to answer by the bell announcing their arrival at Henry's floor and Mike breathed out when his companion stepped away, debating how cowardly it would make him if he turned around and ran as fast as he possibly could.

Straightening his back to steel himself against whatever game Henry seemed to be playing, he followed the vampire to his apartment, eyes sweeping over his lean frame and cataloging the predatory roll of his hips, the smooth grace that was completely unnatural.

"Stop it, Henry," Mike finally managed as the door shut behind them.

"Stop what?"  The vampire feigned innocence as he poured himself a scotch from the wet bar and pulled a beer from the small beverage fridge for his guest.

"Whatever game you're playing right now," he demanded harshly, "cut it out. Now."

"Hmmm."  Mike shifted under Henry's considering gaze for several long moments, nervously twisting off the cap to his beer bottle and taking a long pull of the bitter brew.  "I don't believe I will.  But maybe not tonight."

Henry settled into his usual seat and waved his hand in invitation to Mike who watched him carefully before joining him on the couch.  "So.  How's your new book?"

~*~

Ray cursed when the alarm went off bright and early, rolling over and into the warm spot next to him on the bed.  It took his brain a bit to catch up, but when it did, he lifted himself up blearily.  "Frase?  You up already?"

"I couldn't sleep, Ray.  It's almost time to meet Vicki."

"What? I thought I had an hour."

"She called - seems the children will be leaving by eight, so she wanted to meet now."

"Shit.  Okay.  Lemme just put on some pants and splash some water on my face.  Coffee.  Coffee would be good, too."

"On the dresser, Ray.  With Smarties."

"I love you, Frase."  Ray took two more steps into the bathroom, only freezing once the water had woken him up enough for the realization of what he'd just said to sink in.  "Shit.  Shitshitshit.  Okay.  Don't panic.  Just... let it go. Yeah?  He'll bring it up if he wants to."

Shaking his head, shedding cold water as he tried to calm himself, Ray met his own eyes in the mirror.  "Stupid fucking Polack."

A few minutes later, he was dressed and sipping nervously on hot coffee, eyes flicking to his partner as they walked down to meet Vicki in the hotel driveway.  They were heading to the wife's house to talk to her and the kids once again, see if they could shake something loose.

With three cops, two teenagers and one mother, Vicki and Fraser took point while Ray wandered around the living room, taking his time before pointing out the bowl that was the center of their interest.  "Hey, what's this?"

"Oh, it's just a souvenir," Mrs. Craig answered.

"Yeah?  It's cool.  What from?"

"I brought it back with me - it was gift when we went to Chicago a couple months ago," the daughter answered.

"That's a nice gift," Benton chimed in.  "Must have meant something to whoever gave it to you, Emily."

"Yeah, Tony's cool."

"Tony?" Vicki prompted, curiously.

"Oh, that's Tony Leyton - our neighbor.  He's a coach at Emily's high school and chaperoned their last trip," Mrs. Craig told them quietly.  "But what does that have to do with my husband?"

"Possibly nothing, ma'am.  But you never know," Fraser answered, flashing his understanding smile.   After probing the three grieving family members for more information, the investigators left, Vicki quickly on the phone to relay the information they had gotten on Tony Leyton, while Ray pulled out the bowl he had lifted from the living room.

"Ray!  You were supposed to wait!"

"I don't think so.  I'm not letting that thing kill another unsuspecting person, I don't fucking care who it is."

"We need to at least wrap up a motive, otherwise, this will stay unsolved."

"Better unsolved than more dead."

"Just... wait, okay?  We'll get some more information and talk to Tony," Vicki told them, interrupting her own phone call.  "Then we'll see how he reacts.... Celluci, get your ass down here so we can talk to this guy."  She hung up on her former partner before turning to her companions.  "Guess who's the Craigs' neighbor?"

"Umm... lemme give it a guess... Tony Leyton?" Ray asked, turning to look at the house next door.

"Got it in one.  Mike's going to swing by and we can do this questioning all official like... after I check and see if he's home."  Vicki smiled and pulled back her hair.  Ray's mouth widened into a grin.

"You know, Vicki, I'm really starting to like you."  He followed her as Fraser waited for a moment at parade rest before trailing after them up the walk to the small house.  She knocked heavily on the door, waiting for an answer.  When no one came, she began looking through windows, aided by Ray.  After a few moments, she announced, "The back door's unlocked!"

Ray bit back a grin and he felt his partner stiffen at the implied felony.  "C'mon, Frase - we should check and make sure that the guy's okay, right?"

"If we must."

"We totally must.  C'mon, big guy."

They backed up Vicki, Ray pulling his gun but quickly handing it over to his partner to avoid the lecture on the legality of his firearm in Canada.

"Mr. Leyton?" Vicki called loudly, relieved when there was no answer.  "It looks clear."

"Oh."

"Frase?" Ray asked, brow furrowing at the Mountie's soft exclamation.  "What is it?"

"In the study, Ray," Benton called, standing still in the middle of the closet-sized room that could barely be called an office with the tiniest desk the Chicago policeman had seen.

"What did you find?" Vicki asked, elbowing her way in and pausing abruptly as she was assaulted with the same images that the other two had.  "Wow."

"That's one way to put it."  Ray muttered, staring at the wall of photos of the Craig family, concentrating on Mrs Craig and Emily.  "Guess we found our reason... in a crazy stalker.  Freakazoid."

"It is... apparent that he was obsessed," Fraser understated softly.

"Yeah.  That's one way to put it.  Can I destroy it now?"  Ray asked, practically bouncing.

"Fine.  Whatever," Vicki told him in exasperation, rolling her eyes as he grabbed the metal trash can, smashed the wooden bowl inside it.  Both Fraser and she turned and stared when Ray pulled out lighter fluid and matches, setting fire to the pieces.

"What?  It's destroyed," Ray muttered, watching the flames turn an odd shade of neon pink and blue.  "Weird.... now that's kind of cool."

"Vicki?!" Mike's call came almost frantic.

"In here, Mike!  It's open in back!"

"Vicki, what did I tell you - some of us have to write reports, you know," he groused as he walked around and into the house.  "I mean, c'mon..."

"Stop your bitching, and come look at this, Mike!"

"You know, I'm not really married to you... so you can stop any time, Vick."  Mike stepped around the corner.  "Whoa.  I think we've found the serial killer's lair.  Anyone have something I can write in my report as a reason to break into the neighbor's house?"

"It.. .was open? And we were worried, weren't we, Ray?"

"Oh.  Yeah.  Completely concerned with the asshole's well being."

"See?  There ya go, Mike."  Vicki slapped him on the chest on the way out, leaving her ex-partner to call it in and get the warrant out for Leyton's arrest.

~*~

"You know, Frase.  That was almost anti-climatic."

"What was, Ray?"

"Well... the whole, finding the bad guy.  Too bad we couldn't arrest him too.  Bet Mike had fun with that one.  Think he'll be able to truly make the guy talk in interrogation?"

"A man like that - obsessed like that - truly doesn't know when he should be quiet.  Detective Celluci just needs to push the right buttons."

"I have no doubts he can do that - he's a solid cop."  Ray flashed his partner a grin.  "But are you sure he didn't ask for more help?"

"Yes, I'm completely certain, Ray.  And no, you can not 'skip' our presentation."

"But -"

"No.  You will do your part and everything will be fine."

"I hate public speaking, Frase."

"I know, but you need to just think of something else and you'll be fine," Fraser smiled at his partner for a moment, tongue tucked behind his teeth.

"Think of something else, huh?  How the hell am I supposed to do that?" Ray exclaimed before he found himself slammed into the the wall, warm lips on his, breath tangling with Benton's, a soft moan escaping him as his surprise melted away.

"Did that help?" Benton murmured against his partner's lips.

"Maybe?" Ray answered, leaning up for more, nipping at Fraser's lip.

"We should go," he said, leaning in for another kiss.

"We really should..."  Ray chuckled softly.  "Well... the sooner we get done, sooner we can finish this, right?"

"Definitely."

~*~

Mike watched Tony Leyton through the one way mirror, eyes studying the nervous behavior, cold eyes and energy that fed it all.  He'd bet anything all that energy was rage - rage and obsession.

"What do you think?" Dave asked from behind his partner.

"I think he's responsible.  Somehow.  I just don't know how."

"Guess it's confession time.  Think you can get it, Mike?"

"I think he wants to give it up."  Mike smirked at his partner and headed in.  Time to rattle the Leyak's cage.  See that rage now that it was all but impotent.  Could be fun.

Dave settled in for a show, looking at his watch to time the interview.  He had a bet riding on this with some of the bullpen.  It didn't take long for something to happen, Dave saw a crack in the guy's demeanor and so did Mike.  The blond kept pushing at it until an all out screaming fit happened.  He wasn't completely sure and would need to play back the recording, but it sounded like a confession to him.

His partner flashed him a smile through the mirror and headed out, leaving the prisoner to be processed into holding.  Another case for the solved column.

~*~

"So how was your day, honey?"

"Jesus, Henry!" Mike exclaimed, jumping and losing the grip on the car door.  "Would you stop that?"

"Why should I?" came the bemused reply.

"I would just rather you didn't try and kill me by heart attack."

Mike didn't really like the toothy grin.  "There are other ways I could try and kill you."

"And I'd rather not try any of those either."

"Suit yourself."

There was a pause as Mike considered.  "Why are you here?"

"Just thought we could get a drink maybe."

Blue eyes studied the vampire for a moment, taking in every familiar line of him.  "Only a drink?"

"Hmm... I thought we established earlier - only a drink.  Until it's time for something else."

Mike snorted at the non-answer and tilted his head toward his car.  "Well, get in.  We'll find something that won't ruffle your delicate taste buds somewhere."

"I have absolute faith in that, Michael."

~*~

"So.  Productive trip, Frase?"

"I'm not sure if it will be counted as such, since there were several questions we couldn't answer, but it will have to do."

"Oh, let it go, partner.  We're done!  Free to roam around.  And Dief maybe will forgive us."

"Forgive us, Ray?  He was begging."

"And what is wrong with that?"

"He was begging during our presentation!"

Ray couldn't hold it in any longer, a long, loud laugh escaping him.  "It was classic, wasn't it?"

"It was completely inappropriate," Fraser answered, a small twitch of his mouth the only indication of his own amusement.

"It was awesome - completely livened up our crowd.  And distracted them from me!"  Ray was pleased at Dief's distraction powers.  At least until Fraser had reined him in.

"You had nothing to worry about - I don't know why you insist on -"

"But productive week," Ray cut his partner off before he could start up the diatribe that had been going on since they'd started packing.  "Caught the bad guy, met some new friends, learned about... well, vampires, and gave a stupid presentation.  I'd call that a win."

"I would think so.  When you look at it like that."

"And I do, so.  Pitter patter, Frase.  We've said our goodbyes, so let's get while the getting's good," Ray gestured, grabbing his luggage, intent on the hotel parking garage.  "Wonder what Huey and Dewey have been up to while we've been gone... and Fran! She better have watered my plants.  Otherwise, she's replacing Bob."

"Bob?"

"My cactus."

"You named your cactus Bob, Ray?"

"Didn't I tell you, Frase?  All plants should be named.  And this flowering cactus just screamed Bob."

"As you say," Benton answered, amusement plain in his tone.

"Are you laughing at me?"

"I would not laugh at you, Ray."

"Are you sure?" Ray double-checked, watching his friend closely from the corner of his eye.

"Yes, Ray."

"Just checking." Ray paused for a moment to pull his duffle bag more securely onto his shoulder before asking again,  "So... home?"

"Home."

Ray studied his partner, wolf at his side, pack over his shoulder for a moment before smiling.  "Chicago here we come!  Maybe we can get back in time for the hockey game tonight!"

Fraser reached out and let a hand slid over the back of his partner's head and down to cup the base of his neck.  "Yes.  Let's head home."

The blond detective tried to fight back the blush he felt rising, leaning into that comforting touch and relishing the simple forthrightness of the moment, but he couldn't quite do it.  Thankfully, the light in the parking lot was dimmer than the hotel's lighting.  Warmth flowed through him at those words and everything twisted and wrong smoothed out inside him, assured that his partner was staying.  There were several issues still hanging over them, but Ray knew they could figure those out.  It's what they do.  "Yeah. Home."