Disclaimer: All characters belong to Alliance and the Pauls, more's the pity.
Notes: I don't think much of this.  I wrote it hoping to jumpstart my muse so that I could work on my other DS stories.

Runway

The moment Welsh stepped out of his office, I got the sudden feeling of impending doom.  Why the hell am I always standing directly in front of the fan when someone decides to start throwing shit?

“Vecchio, my office.”

“Uh, Lieu I was just…”

“Now.”

I pulled myself to my feet.  There was a slight twinge from my back that made me wince.  I reminded myself to guilt trip Frase later for our previous nutty case.  I mean, what is that man’s fascination with going through windows?  Granted he saved me from the explosion, but right about now I wish he hadn’t.  Welsh gave me the fish eye as I stepped into his office and shut the door.

“Detective, I just got a call from Inspector Thatcher.  She was upset to put it mildly.”

“When is she not?”

The Lieutenant shot me his favorite ‘shut the hell up’ look.  I, for once, shut the hell up.

“Apparently there was an incident involving the wolf, Constable Turnbull, and some protestors at charity fashion show downtown.”

I remembered Fraser telling me how the Inspector insisted that all of the Consulate officials attend the event.  Apparently, a Canadian designer was showing his new line or something.  Frase hadn’t seemed to hot on the idea, but apparently Turnbull was all aflutter.  I tried not to laugh at the idea of a Canadian designer or at the mental image of Turnbull aflutter.  I failed at both and he gave me one of those looks of his.  I couldn’t stop myself, really.  Of course, it didn’t help when I asked if most of the designs revolved around plaid flannel.  I mean, I’m no fashion Nazi like the real Vecchio.  A T-shirt and jeans is my usual wardrobe, but I knew it would yank Frase’s chain since he’s got that ‘mountain man’ thing going when he’s not in uniform.

Welsh continued, “Of course, Constable Fraser tried to intervene to maintain the peace and failed spectacularly.”

“So what’s the deal?” I asked getting impatient.

“You need to go down to the 13th precinct and bail the Mounties and wolf out.  The Ice Queen has her hands full at the event.”

“They arrested Fraser?”

“They arrested all of the protesters and Turnbull and Fraser got caught in the crossfire, I would assume.”

“Great.  Turnbull’s probably all to pieces and Frase is gonna be pissy by the time I get there.”

Welsh cocked an eyebrow at me, probably wondering what I was still doing in his office.  I spouted a quick apology and stepped out into the bullpen to get my coat.  It wasn’t until I was half way to the thirteenth that it hit me.  I was heading right back into my old precinct.  No one there would know about the whole ‘Vecchio’ thing, but hopefully someone I knew would be on duty and cut me a break and let the Constables loose.

I went through the back door and headed toward the holding cells.  Sure enough, Dief’s head lifted the moment he saw me.  Fraser and Turnbull were sitting side-by-side on a bunk with the wolf on the floor at their feet.  The rest of the cell’s inhabitants were all crammed on the opposite side of the cell.  No one seemed to want to get within two feet of the Canadians.

“Frase?” I asked.  It was unusual because Mr. Perceptive had yet to notice me.  He was staring ruefully at the rest of the prisoners.  At the sound of his name, he turned his head slightly to look at me, but still kept one eye on the others.

“Hello Ray, I’m sorry about this.”

“It’s no big.  You and Turnbull okay?”

“Yes we’re fine.”

Turnbull who had been looking down at the toes of his boots seemed to realize someone was talking about him because he looked up.  I was suddenly hit full on with what I like to call his ‘abject devotion’ face.  He usually reserves that for Fraser only.  I knew something was up.

“Let me talk to somebody.  I’ll have you three out of here in a jiffy.”

Jiffy turned out to be about forty-five minutes.  Despite my presence and phone calls from both Welsh and the Ice Queen, they just didn’t want to give the guys up.  Some of the charges against them were just crazy and not one cop had given me a straight answer when I asked what had happened.  Finally, Fraser and Turnbull were brought out with Dief close on their heels.  The desk Sergeant handed over the men’s Sam Brownes and Stetsons.  I waited while they fixed their uniforms.

“So where to guys?” I asked hoping for casual and kind of pulling it off.

“The Consulate, please, Ray,” Fraser said and I noticed that he wasn’t looking me in the eye.  Turnbull was still staring at the toes of his boots like they were a Picasso or something.

“Okay.”

I actually made it to the GTO and three blocks away from the 13th before I asked.  I thought I was doing pretty well.

“Either of you going to tell me what the fuck happened?”

Frase frowned out the windshield because of the profanity but he didn’t call me on it.  I thought I was pretty in control considering that in all the silence what I really wanted to do was scream my head off.

“It was all my fault,” I heard Turnbull whisper in the backseat.

“It couldn’t have been prevented, Turnbull,” Fraser said still staring out the windshield.

“What couldn’t have been prevented?”

Both of the Mounties clammed up again.  It was enough to make me want to pull out my hair.  I was used to Fraser pulling that stoic shit when he was upset, but you usually couldn’t shut Turnbull up with a shot gun.  I pulled into a parking space several blocks from the Consulate and shut the engine off.

“Okay, let’s try this again.  What happened?”

Fraser sighed.  I glanced back at Turnbull who looked practically in tears.

“The protesters were there because Mr. Wallace, the designer, used leather and fur,” Frase began.

“Okay, I get that.  Why’d you two get locked up?”

“Diefenbaker accompanied me to the show because Mr. Wallace had taken a liking to him when he visited the Consulate.  He thought having a wolf around would add to the presentation.  I was speaking to Inspector Thatcher while Dief and Turnbull were circulating.  I saw the protestors approach him.  They seemed to be discussing Dief.  The next thing I knew they were yelling at Turnbull and one of the protesters punched him in the stomach.  I immediately intervened but the group was in a state.  They were upset at Turnbull because he was holding a wolf captive.”

“Oh you’re kidding!”

“No, I tried to explain that Diefenbaker was my companion of his own free will.  This didn’t appease them.  They must have realized that Dief was my wolf.  The leader, the one that punched Turnbull, slapped me across the face.  The next thing I knew, Turnbull had picked him up and tossed him clear across the runway.”

“Go Turnbull!” I said and reached back to pat him on the knee.  He blushed and looked even more upset.

“Yes, while I appreciate his regard to my insult, it only exacerbated the situation.  The group attacked us physically.  I had no choice but to defend myself.  The group quickly surrounded us, so the Constable and I were forced to fight back to back.  Suddenly, one of the women yelled something crude and the group began chanting it as they tried to bring the pair of us down to the floor.  Diefenbaker was snarling and biting anyone within reach.  The leader had regained his footing and reentered the fray by this point.  Dief snapped at him, and he kicked Dief into the seats.”

“WHAT?  So much for animals rights, hypocrites.”

“Yes, well, it upset Turnbull as well because before I could react he had the man by the throat and was throttling him.  I had to pry his hands off of the protester.”

“Heh, he’s lucky.  If I was there, I would have shot him.  No one kicks Dief,” I said and reached back and ran my fingers through the scruff of the wolf’s neck.  He immediately started in licking my ear, but for once I didn’t complain and kept petting him.

“Anyway, the police arrived at that point and we were arrested.”

“But they attacked you!  It’s like you said, you were just defending yourselves.”

“True, but I believe the police officers were… swayed,” Fraser replied and looked uncomfortable.

“By what?”

“By what the protesters had been chanting when they arrived.”

Fraser didn’t continue and I knew we’d finally come to the real problem, the problem that had Turnbull obsessed with his toes and Fraser unable to look at me.

I sighed and asked the inevitable, “So what were they chanting, Frase?”

The goat got really quiet except for Dief’s soft whining.  I started petting him again to settle him down.  I waited it out knowing full well that Fraser would have to tell me eventually.  Until he did, we weren’t going anywhere.  But as always, Constable Benton Fraser, RCMP was a stubborn jerk.

“Fraser,” I growled after a few minutes.

“’Mountie fags.’  They were yelling ‘Mountie fags,’ Ray,” Frase practically growled back at me, only he did it in a polite annoyed way that I’d never be able to pull off.

The snort came before I could stop it.  I clamped a hand over my mouth but it was too late.  Fraser finally looked over at me with a slight frown. I cleared my throat and sat straighter hoping my face was calm.

“So that’s why the cops locked you up because they thought you were gay?” I asked.  My voice sounded serious but I was still getting a look from the Mountie.

“I have no evidence of that fact.”

“But you suspect.”

He didn’t answer which is pretty much a yes in Fraserspeak.  I glanced back at Turnbull.  The other Constable was getting his face licked by Dief.  The wolf was worried about him.  Poor guy.

“Well don’t worry about it.  I’m sure that they’ll drop the charges once Thatcher gives her statement.  Now let’s get back to the Consulate.  I bet you guys haven’t had lunch yet because of all of this.  We’ll order something.  We can’t have Canada’s finest with growly tummies.”

I paid for Indian which both of them protested, but I told them that they had had a big day so it was on me.  We ate in silence.  Fraser didn’t even attempt to fill the void with one of his usual ramblings.  I couldn’t help myself.

“It really bothers you doesn’t it?” I asked.

“What, Ray?”

“Them calling you that.  What do you care what those nutjobs call you?”

“Ray.”

“Don’t ‘Ray’ me.  Answer the question.”

“I don’t care what they call me, Ray.  That’s not what upset me.”

I stared at him, but he had that ‘nothing to see here’ face on, so I know that I wasn’t going to get anything else out of him.  I looked over at Turnbull, who still hasn’t spoken since trying to take all the blame in the car.  The poor guy’s head was down and he barely touched his food.  Then I got one of those feelings, the kind that always allowed me to solve a case.  It was one of my hunches, which Frase is always amazed by for some reason.

“You weren’t mad for yourself,” I said still looking at Turnbull.

The man still wasn’t looking up from his plate, but I glanced over and locked eyes with Fraser and I knew I was right.  He gave me a look and I got the point.  ‘Don’t keep this up.’

“Eh, they’re morons.  I mean what kind of animal saviors kick a wolf?  I’ll talk to the guys down at the 13th and have them add animal cruelty to the charges.  That’ll make them look real good.”

The Ice Queen finally showed up later.  She was spitting like a cat and yelling at the top of her lungs.  I watched the guys stand at attention and take it.  Fortunately, that Wallace guy put all the blame on the protesters.  He even promised to send Fraser and Turnbull ‘something nice’ for all their help.  Thatcher dismissed them for the rest of the day and decided to close up the Consulate.  Turnbull practically ran out the door.  I watched Frase lock up and followed him back to his office.  He picked up his things and went to the bathroom to clean up and change out of the uniform.  Dief was looking pretty low so I sat in the floor with him and gently rubbed my hand down his back over and over.

“Did the bad man hurt you?  Huh, buddy?” I said soothingly.  Dief just rested his head on my leg and whined.

I looked up at Fraser who was in the doorway in his jeans.  He stepped over the two of us and hung his uniform up in the closet.  He took a seat behind the desk and rested his face in his hands.  I got up off the floor and walked over to the side of his desk.  I reached up and pet his head.

“Did that bad man hurt you?  Huh, Benton buddy?”

I got a small snort in response.  He leaned back in the chair and I half sat on the edge of the desk with a cackle.  His face was serious.  I knew something was coming.

“You know why I’m posted here, right?” he asked.

“Yeah you did the right thing, but the brass didn’t like it.”

“Do you know why Turnbull is here?”

“I thought because he’s a few bricks shy of a full load, but now I’m starting to think otherwise.”

Fraser sighed unhappily.

”Well his lack of bricks didn’t help matters, but mostly he was put here because of who he is.  It’s in his personnel file.  Not in so many words, but it’s easy to read between the lines.”

“He’s a gay cop, and that doesn’t go over well.”

I knew Fraser wouldn’t come right out and say it.  Sometimes you’ve just got to be blunt about stuff.  I watched him wince and finally nod.

“And since you’ve got that righteous ig… ignore….”

“Indignation.”

“Yeah righteous indignation thing, you feel bad for him.”

“It’s not, fair,” Frase says in a small voice.

“Never is, buddy.  I know a few guys on the force.  They have a hard time.  Let’s just say when they call for backup most of the other cops take their time.  It’s not right, but that’s the way it is.  We ain’t got what you’d call a tolerant profession.”

“No, I suppose not.”

“But, hey, it was just a bunch of stoner PETA wannabes.  What the hell have they got to scream about?  Half of them are probably gay.  They should know better.”

Frase looked at me funny.  I wondered what he was thinking when he finally asked.

“It doesn’t bother you, Ray?”

“What? Homosexuals?  People’s people, Frase.  It’s my job to protect and serve the public.  And in case you haven’t noticed the public is black, white, gay, straight, Jewish, Catholic, and otherwise.  If I stopped to worry about what kind of people I was helping, I wouldn’t have time to help anyone.”

He starts to back peddle with, “I didn’t mean to imply…”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” I say cutting off an apology.  “Besides, how do you know I’m not bent a little?”

I try to keep a straight face when he gives me this shocked look.

“You were married, I just assumed…”

His voice slowly dies out as he looks at me closely.  His eyes squint a little as he looks for any sign of humor.  I can’t help but smirk a bit.  Fraser just looks at me a second more before looking down at Dief.

“Let’s get out of here,” he said.  “Did you still want to see that movie you were telling me about yesterday?”

I nodded and he rose to grab his coat.  I followed him out of the Consulate but I couldn’t help but get in another jibe.

“Fraser, are you trying to get me alone in a dark place?”

“Ray, if you were gay I’d hardly have to force you,” he said deadpan and I chuckled as we headed for the goat.


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