The Christmas Party
by Shannon McKinnon

Benny looked up from the report he was typing as the phone on his desk rang. He picked it up and heard the voice of his boss.

“Could you please come to my office, Constable Fraser? I need to speak with you.”

“Certainly, Sir.”

Fraser stood up and hurried towards the Inspector’s office, wondering what he was in trouble for now. He couldn’t think of anything he had done recently that would incur her wrath, but it often did not take very much.

He walked into the Inspector’s office and stood at formal attention in front of her desk.

“Please Constable, have a seat,” she said, gesturing to the chair in front of her desk.

Ben did as she asked, his eyes widening in surprise. It was rare indeed that he was invited to sit while in this office. As he sat he noticed something else very odd. Inspector Thatcher was fidgeting ever so slightly, and she was having trouble looking at him directly.

He sat silently in the chair, deciding that it was best if his Inspector began this conversation.

Finally, she did. After clearing her throat, she raised her eyes to his and said “Constable, I brought you in here so we could discuss the Consulate Christmas party.”

“Oh,” Ben said, relaxing at once. So that was what had her so nervous and on edge. She had been, as Ray would say, “stressing out” about the party for weeks now, wanting every detail to be perfect.

“Not to worry, Sir. Everything is coming together very well. I think I’ve even got that situation with the caterers ironed out,” he smiled at her.

“Yes, Constable, that’s good, but it’s not what I wanted to discuss with you.”

“Oh?” Ben raised his eyebrows.

The Inspector seemed nervous again, her hands unconsciously playing with the pen on her desk. “No. As you know, Constable Fraser, I extended an invitation to this year’s party to several senators and other influential figures in Ottawa, and they have accepted my invitation.”

“That’s wonderful, Sir. Congratulations.”

“Yes. Thank you.” Thatcher cleared her throat again and dropped her eyes. “As you can imagine, with such powerful and influential people at the party, I’ll want everything to be perfect.”

“Oh, that’s no problem at all, Sir. As I said, everything is going smoothly, and I foresee no problems at all. But I shall be even more vigilant in my efforts to make sure the party is a success.”

“Yes, thank you, Constable, but it’s not just the food and the music and decorations I’m worried about. The guests must be just right, too.”

“Sir?”

Thatcher took a deep, steadying breath, then looked Fraser directly in the eyes. “I’m afraid that Detective Vecchio will not be permitted to be your guest at the party this year.”

For a second, Ben wasn’t sure he had heard her correctly, then he felt a slightly sick sensation wash over him. “But, Sir, Ray has been my guest at this party every year.”

“I’m aware of that, Constable, but I’m afraid the two of you together at this party might give people the wrong impression. We don’t want any black marks against this Consulate’s name.”

“Black mark?” Ben practically whispered. “You think that Ray and I bring a black mark against the Consulate?”

“That’s not what I’m talking about here. It’s what others- people in power, who have control over this Consulate and the futures of the people in it- think that is important this time.”

Ben shook his head. “But Sir, most people wouldn’t even be able to tell that Ray and I are together. We spend most of the night apart. I’m working and he’s with the other guests. When we do spend a moment or two together, all we do is talk. We are much more discreet than most of the straight couples at the party.”

Thatcher’s eyes flashed angrily, then her calm demeanor returned. “Be that as it may, I have made my decision and it is final. Detective Vecchio will not be welcome at the party this year.”

Anger cut through Ben’s shock and disbelief, and he shot to his feet. “Well, Sir that’s your decision, and I can’t change it, but if Detective Vecchio is not at the party, I won’t be either.”

“Are you trying to blackmail me, Constable?”

“No ma’am, I’m just stating a fact. If you reject Ray, you reject me, and I will not attend the party without him. I’m sure you’ll be able to make an excuse for my absence.”

“Fine,” Thatcher nodded. “If that’s the way you want it, that’s the way it will be.”

“No Sir, it’s the way you want it.”

“Dismissed, Constable.”

Ben entered his office and closed the door behind him. He walked over to his chair and collapsed into it, all his energy gone. He couldn’t believe what had just happened.

The thought that Inspector Thatcher would believe that her “special guests” would know or care that he was gay- and give in to that belief- was hard for him to comprehend.

For one thing, it didn’t matter. It was illegal for the RCMP to discriminate against gays. But there were always ways to discriminate without being blatant about it, and he supposed that if that happened, the rest of the Consulate could suffer as well. He had been naive to assume that his superior officer would stick up for him in a situation like this.

His anger cooled rapidly, giving way to depression, although most of his sadness was not for himself. He was used to being shunned and ostracized by his fellow officers in the RCMP. He didn’t like it, but he had learned to accept it over the years, and gotten quite good at dealing with it.

But for the Inspector to imply that Ray- Ray, of all people- was somehow unworthy of their company- that was an outrage, and it angered and hurt him deeply.

Ray was a better police officer- and a better personthan most of the members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police could ever hope to be. And what was he supposed to tell Ray?

Ben briefly toyed with the idea of coming up with some kind of lie as to why he would not be able to attend the party, but he couldn’t bring himself to do that.

For one thing, he never lied to Ray, and he wasn’t going to start now. Not about this. Besides, Ray being Ray, he would probably find out the truth on his own somehow, and then he would be more furious and hurt with Ben than with the situation itself.

So, he would have to tell Ray the real reason. But how could he do that? How could he tell Ray that he was suddenly un-invited to the Christmas party because of something he couldn’t control or change? He knew Ray wouldn’t care about the party itself. He would probably be relieved he didn’t have to attend, he had never enjoyed functions like that to begin with.

But for Ray to hear once again that he wasn’t good enough, that he was considered less than some people... Benny couldn’t bear to have Ray hear that again, and he could barely stomach the thought of being the one to tell him.

He sat at his desk for a long time, ignoring the paperwork he had to finish and staring out the window, trying to figure out the best way to deal with the situation. The only problem was, there was no good way at all.

“Benny?”

He started at the sound of Ray’s voice and turned to see him standing in the door of his office. “Ray.”

“You weren’t downstairs waiting, so I thought something might be up. Are you okay?”

“Yes Ray, I’m fine.”

“Uh-huh.”

Just then Thatcher entered the office. She seemed startled to see Ray, but recovered quickly. “Constable Fraser, do you have last month’s inventory reports?”

“No Sir, I wasn’t able to complete them this afternoon.”

“Oh. Well, that’s all right, Fraser. As long as I have them by noon tomorrow.”

“Yes, Sir.”

Thatcher turned and left the office again, avoiding Ray’s gaze.

Ray stared after Thatcher, then turned to look at Benny. Fraser hadn’t finished some paperwork on time? And Thatcher wasn’t reaming him out about it? Something was going on. “Benny, what’s up?”

Ben got up and put on his coat and his Stetson. “Ray, let’s go home.”

“Benny, talk to me.”

“I will, Ray. At home. Let’s go.” Without waiting for further argument, Fraser left his office, followed by an increasingly worried Ray.

When they got back to Benny’s apartment, the two men hung up their coats, then Ray led Benny over to the sofa. “All right, sit. Talk.”

Ben sat down on the sofa with a sigh, and Ray sat down next to him, looking at Benny expectantly. “What happened at work today?” He asked when it became apparent that Ben wasn’t going to start talking.

Ben sighed and struggled for words. “This afternoon Inspector Thatcher called me into her office to talk about the Consulate Christmas party.”

“Is that all? Jeez, she needs to quit getting on your case about that. The party’s going to be fine. You’ve been working your ass off preparing for it ever since Halloween.”

“She didn’t want to talk about the preparations exactly,” Ben said.

“Well, what exactly did she want to talk about?” Honestly, sometimes the simplest conversation with Benny could turn into a complicated word game.

“She has invited several influential members of the Canadian government to attend the party, and they have accepted the invitation. She is quite anxious that everyone on the guest list give off the right appearance.”

“Well she doesn’t need to worry there. You’re practically the poster boy for the RCMP.”

“Except the poster boy for the RCMP isn’t gay,” Ben said quietly.

Ray’s eyes narrowed. “What did she say to you?”

Ben looked at his lover, Ray’s face so full of concern and love for him, and felt his heart breaking. “Oh, Ray,” he whispered. He placed his hand on the side of Ray’s face.

Ray took Benny’s hand into his, squeezing it gently. “What, Benny?” he asked softly.

“She said... she that you would not be able to attend the Christmas party as my guest this year.”

Ray blinked. “She what?”

“Apparently, having an officer who works in the Consulate show up at the party with his gay lover would harm the Consulate's image.”

Benny looked up at Ray. He had expected to see sorrow in his expression, pain and maybe confusion. What he saw instead was blazing anger.

“That’s bullshit!” Ray exclaimed, jumping to his feet and pacing agitatedly through the room. “No one there would even be able to tell we’re gay. We never do anything ‘inappropriate,’ unlike half the straight couples there who make out and grope each other on the dance floor.”

Benny nodded. “I know. That’s what I told her.”

Ray looked at him in astonishment. “You did?”

“Well, I didn’t use your words, of course.”

“Of course,” Ray smiled. “And it didn’t have any affect on her?”

Ben just shook his head.

“That bitch!” Ray exploded. He paced up and down some more, then sat back down on the couch next to Benny. “You’re still going to the party, aren’t you?”

Ben looked at him, completely shocked. “No, Ray! Of course not. How could I? What am I supposed to do, tell you you’re not welcome there, and go merrily off without you? Besides, if you’re not welcome because you’re gay, then by extension, I’m not welcome because I’m gay.”

“Benny-”

“And I am not going to help Inspector Thatcher perpetuate a false image. I’m not going to attend the party alone, letting everyone there think I’m something I’m not.”

Ray smiled at him and kissed him. “But Benny, you love those parties. Don’t argue with me, I know you do. You think you don’t do well in crowds like that, but you do. You make everyone feel at ease, and they have a better time.

“And I know you enjoy the food and the music and the decorations.”

Ben shrugged. “It’s all right, Ray. It’s no big deal.”

“Yes it is,” Ray said, his anger rapidly returning. “It’s bad enough that Thatcher lets you do all the planning and the work for this party every year and takes all the credit for it, but now she’s not even letting you attend the party?”

“*I’m* not letting me attend, Ray.”

“Bullshit. It’s her, Benny.”

Ben sighed and looked down at his hands, folded in his lap. “It’s not even the party that I mind so much. It’s...” He sighed again and shook his head with a sad smile.

“The Chicago Consulate is known around the RCMP as sort of a dumping-ground for problem or misfit members of the force. And oddly enough, I felt like I had found a home there. Among all the other oddballs and misfits. But now I find out that I’m not really accepted there, either.”

“Benny.” Ray drew Ben into his arms, pulling Benny’s head onto his shoulder. “I can’t believe I’m about to say something that sounds even remotely like I’m sticking up for Thatcher, because believe me, I’m not.

“But I don’t really think this was based on her personal feelings for you at all. It was all about her job, and her image. You know her, Benny. She’s a political animal.

“And anything that might interfere with her plans or her position is dealt with and gotten out of the way.”

“Maybe,” Ben said with a small nod.

“Come on, Benny. You know you’re well-liked there. Jasmine, Turnbull, they’re you’re friends.”

“That’s true,” Ben said, smiling.

“So don’t worry about what your power-hungry boss says or does. She’s wrong.”

“I know.”

They sat quietly for a few minutes, then Ray pulled away and stood up, pulling Benny to his feet as well. “Come on, love, I’ll make you dinner.”

“All right,” Ben nodded.

Ray suddenly drew Benny into a long, passionate kiss, then pulled away and smiled at him gently before taking his hand and leading him into the kitchen.

**

The two weeks leading up to the party passed uneventfully; with both Benny and Ray busy at work. Benny’s days were mostly tied up with final preparations for the party- much to Ray’s ire.

“You still have to do all the work getting the party ready when you’ve been kicked out of the party?”

“I’m not doing all the work, Ray. And I wasn’t kicked out, I un-invited myself.”

“You were kicked out, Benny. And maybe you’re not doing 100% of the work, but you’re probably doing about 99%.”

“It’s my job, Ray. I can’t refuse to perform my duties simply because I won’t be attending the party.”

Ray continued to grumble.

“Besides, I actually enjoy it. It’s a change from my usual routine, and it is nice to see all my efforts come together in a wonderful evening.”

Ray, seeing the sincere look on Benny’s face, choked back the comment he had been about to make. “Fine Benny. I’ll remember that next spring when Theresa makes her First Communion.”

The evening of the party, Ray arrived at the Consulate at 6:00 sharp to take Benny home. As he walked through the lobby he found his attention drawn by the ballroom, and walked over to peer inside.

The room was adorned with small pine trees, all decorated with white lights. There were tables circling the dance floor, elegantly set with fine linen and china and silver. The sounds of the string quartet warming up could be heard, and delicious smells were drifting over from the area where the caterers were setting up their service.

Ray shook his head and turned to leave the room, and came face to face with Inspector Thatcher.

“Good evening, Detective,” she said, looking very uncomfortable.

“Inspector. Everything looks beautiful.”

“It does, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, Benny did a hell of a job.”

Thatcher flushed, and Ray turned to go. He had taken a couple of steps when he turned back to face her again. “I’m here to pick up Benny and take him home now, Inspector. We wouldn’t want any early arriving guests to catch sight of us.

“And don’t worry, if we happen to notice guests arriving, we’ll go down the back stairs and sneak out through the alley.”

He turned and hurried up the stairs, leaving a speechless Thatcher staring after him.

Benny was mostly silent on the drive to Racine, and Ray gritted his teeth. He hated the fact that Benny felt this way due to a bunch of boring stuffed-shirt politicians.

He pulled the Riv to a stop in front of Benny’s building and turned off the engine. “Home sweet home,” he said, giving Benny a kiss.

Benny smiled at him, and Ray gave his hand a quick squeeze. “Come on love, let’s go inside.”

The two men walked silently up the stairs, and Ben led Ray into the apartment. Benny had taken no more than two steps when he froze, then turned in a slow circle, looking around in wonder. His apartment had been transformed.

There was a six-foot Christmas tree in the living room; fully decorated with ornaments and garland and lights, topped by an angel. A stack of Christmas presents sat under the tree, wrapped in festive paper and ribbons.

A nativity scene was set up on Benny’s foot locker, more Christmas lights were hung in each window, and cardboard decorations were taped into place on the kitchen cupboards.

The kitchen table was set with a bright red table cloth and dishes and glasses with a Christmas pattern, and holly-decorated napkins rested next to each plate.

A freshly washed and brushed Diefenbaker sat next to the table, a red bow tied around his neck, and Christmas carols were playing on a portable stereo set up in the corner.

“Ray,” Benny finally said, “what... how...”

“You’re not the only one who can put together a Christmas party, Benny.”

Ray took off his jacket and hung it up, and Benny’s eyes widened again. Ray was dressed in his best Armani, with a crisp white shirt and dark green tie.

“Ray, how on Earth did you do all of this? There is hours of work here,” Ben said, gesturing at all the decorations.

“Well, I’m afraid I lied to you,” Ray smiled. “But it was just a little white lie. I took the day off, and I told you I’d be in court all day so you wouldn’t try to call me at work.

“And if you had, I had that covered, too. I had my calls forwarded to Elaine, and she was in on the secret.”

“Very clever, Ray,” Benny said, wrapping his arms around Ray and giving him a kiss.

“Thank you, Benny.” He looked Ben up and down. “I think you need to get dressed for the party now.”

“Indeed.” Ben hurried into the bedroom and changed into a pair of dark pants and a light blue sweater. Smoothing his hand over his hair, he stepped back over to the Christmas tree and stood in front of it, admiring it.

“So everything looks okay?” Ray asked, stepping up next to him.

“No, not quite.”

“Not quite?” Ray looked surprised and a little hurt.

Ben just smiled at him, then went back to the closet, where he removed some Christmas presents that were hidden behind a stack of blankets. He crossed back over to the tree, then placed his presents under the tree next to the others.

“There, now it looks perfect,” he smiled.

Ray stepped behind Benny and wrapped his arms around Ben’s waist, resting his chin on his shoulder. “I love you, Benny.”

“I love you too, Ray.”

“Come on, let’s eat,” Ray said, giving Benny a quick squeeze before letting go.

At Ray’s insistence, Benny sat at the table while Ray served the food. Benny’s smile grew bigger and bigger as a fresh green salad, hot dinner rolls and baked stuffed shells were placed before him. Finally his glass was filled with sparkling grape juice.

Ray filled Dief’s dinner bowl with a portion of stuffed shells, then took his seat across from Benny.

“This all smells very good, Ray. Did you get it from Giordano’s?”

“No,” Ray replied, sounding offended, “it came from Chez Vecchio.”

“You cooked, too? You prepared all this food?”

“Sure did,” Ray grinned.

Ben opened and closed his mouth a few times, then managed to say, “Thank you.”

“Hey, only the best for you, Benny,” Ray said.

Benny laughed, and the mood was lightened, and the men enjoyed their meal as they listened to the Christmas music playing on the stereo.

After they had finished eating they stacked their dishes in the sink and ran water over them, leaving them to soak until morning. Ray moved over to the stereo and changed the station, and the strains of a romantic love song drifted into the room.

“May I?” Ray asked, holding out his hand.

“Of course.” Ben walked over and took Ray’s hand, and they moved into the living room and began dancing.

“You know Benny, it’s actually a very good thing that we’re not at the Consulate party tonight. If we were, we wouldn’t be able to dance together. And I sure as hell wouldn’t be able to do this.” Ray took Benny’s face in his hands and gave him a kiss.

“No, you wouldn’t,” Benny agreed, sounding slightly breathless. “And it certainly would be frowned upon if I did this.”

He cupped his hands over Ray’s buttocks, pulling him even closer and kissing him again.

“Thank God we’re not at that party,” Ray gasped when they had finally parted.

“Horribly boring and stuffy affair,” Ben agreed. He took Ray’s hand and led him over to the bed, where he quickly removed Ray’s jacket and tie.

“Let’s play a party game,” Ray grinned.

Ben raised an eyebrow at him.

“Let’s see who can take all their clothes off first.”

Ben laughed, and the two men undressed with great haste, tossing clothes and shoes carelessly aside. In the end, the race was a virtual tie.

“Do you know any other games we could play?” Ben asked, trailing a finger down Ray’s chest.

“Yeah. It’s called The horny Detective and the naughty Mountie.”

Benny burst into laughter, and Ray pushed him onto the bed, then dropped on top of him. “The only rules to this game is that there are no rules.”

“Understood.” He wrapped his arms around Ray’s waist and his legs around Ray’s legs, pulling him into another kiss.

Ray eagerly returned the kiss, running one hand through Benny’s hair and stroking his face with the other. He shifted slightly so his cock came into contact with Benny’s; and Ben gasped slightly, then smiled.

Ben shifted his hips, increasing the contact, and Ray continued moving against Benny, increasing the friction. The cries and moans of the two men grew louder and louder, drowning out the music entirely, until with a last loud cry both men came.

They lay tangled together for a long time, panting softly. Finally Ben ran a hand over Ray’s shorn, sweaty, hair, and gave him a kiss on the forehead. “Ray?”

“Mmmmm?”

“Thank you for my Christmas party.”

The two men lay in bed, wrapped around each other, the lights of the Christmas tree washing over them.

THE END