notes/disclaimers
Ray sighed as he rubbed his eyes. It was Valentine's
Day, and it was shaping up to be a miserable holiday
for him.
All around him the other detective's desks were
covered with flowers and balloon bouquets and other
holiday gifts, while his desk sat empty. It didn't
have to be this way, and Ray knew it.
He and Benny had been lovers for nearly six months
now, but mainly at Ray's insistence they kept the true
nature of their relationship under wraps.
It had been a huge step for Ray to admit to himself
that he was romantically and sexually attracted to
another man- and and even bigger step for him to admit
it to Benny.
But Ben most definitely reciprocated his feelings, and
they were still in the "honeymoon" phase of their
relationship, even after all these months.
That was another reason Ray wanted to keep their
relationship quiet. It felt like he and Benny were in
a safe, protected bubble, where nothing could intrude
on them. Ray wasn't at all sure how his family and
co-workers were going to react to the news that he and
Benny were lovers; and he didn't want to have to deal
with the possible negative fallout yet.
He was happy- happier than he had ever been- and he
didn't want anything to ruin his happiness. And if he
had to pay a price for that happiness, like not being
able to go out on an "official" date with Benny or not
receiving flowers from him on Valentine's Day, Ray was
more than willing to pay that price. For now at
least.
Another result of keeping their relationship hidden
was that he was working late tonight.
Most of the detectives in the precinct had spent the
last several weeks trying to bust a major drug ring,
and their efforts were finally starting to pay off.
There were reports and interview notes from several
detectives that needed to be merged into one coherent
report. Since all the other detectives had plans for
Valentines Day and Ray, to all appearances had no one
special in his life, he had been elected to coordinate
the report.
Ray looked at the stack of files on his desk and
picked up the phone to call Ben.
"Constable Fraser."
Ray smiled at the sound of Ben's voice, his day
brightening a little bit. "Hey, Benny."
"Ray!" Ben's voice lowered slightly. "Happy
Valentine's Day."
"The same to you, Benny. Listen, I've got some bad
news."
"What's wrong?" Ben asked, worry in his voice.
"I have to work on this stupid report for the case,
and I'm going to be stuck here late tonight."
"Oh. Well, that's all right, Ray. We didn't really
have any special plans for the evening."
That was true. Ben was very busy at the Consulate,
and Ray had been working twelve and fourteen-hour days
for nearly a month.
The fact that both men's lives were so busy and hectic
and that Ray was so tired lately was not conducive to
an evening of romance.
So Benny and Ray had agreed to have a low-key evening
on Valentine's Day and have a more romantic
celebration in a couple of weeks, when things had
calmed down.
"I know Benny," Ray sighed, "but I was hoping I would
at least get to see you tonight."
"How late are you working?" Ben asked.
"Probably until 8:30 or so."
"Well, you can come over that, can't you?"
"Sure I can," Ray said, smiling.
"Unless that's too late for you," Ben added worriedly.
"I don't want to keep you up too late when you've
been working so hard."
"No, I'm fine Benny. I want to see you tonight."
"If you're sure, Ray."
"I'm sure."
"Good. I want to see you, too. I'll make you dinner
if you like."
"Yeah, that sounds great. I'll see you tonight,
Benny."
"All right. I love you, Ray."
"Same to you, Benny." Ray hung up the phone in a much
better mood than he had been in a few minutes earlier.
Ray fought back a yawn as he walked up the stairs to
Ben's apartment. Once he had started work on the
report, he had become totally absorbed in it, working
very hard at putting everyone's notes in order and
writing a report that flowed smoothly from one point
to the next.
He had become completely caught up in his work and
lost all track of time, and when he had finally looked
at his watch he had been shocked to discover it was
after 11:00.
He paused outside the door to apartment 3J, hoping
Benny would not be too upset with him. He entered the
apartment and took a few steps before pausing in
shock.
The kitchen table had been elegantly set, with linens
and china, crystal, and silverware. A bottle of
non-alcoholic wine sat in an ice bucket, the ice
mostly melted now.
Two red tapered candles sat in silver candlesticks in
the middle of the table. The candles had burned about
halfway down before being blown out.
There was a bouquet of long-stemmed red roses lying
next to one of the plates, and Ray walked over and
picked it up. The card nestled among the flowers read
simply 'Love, Ben'.
Ray placed the roses back on the table and moved over
to the counter. There were two bags on the counter
from Tuscany, Ray's favorite Italian restaurant.
"Oh, Benny..." Ray whispered.
He walked into the living room, and a soft smile
crossed his face. Benny was wearing a pair of black
dress pants and the cream-colored sweater that Ray had
given him as a Christmas gift. He was sound asleep in
the easy chair, a book lying open on his lap.
Ray crossed over and placed the book on the table,
then sat down on the arm of the chair. He ran a hand
lightly over Ben's hair, then gave him a kiss on the
forehead.
Ben started slightly and his eyes blinked open.
"Ray!"
"Hi, love," Ray said, giving him a quick kiss on the
lips.
"What time is it?"
"Almost 11:30."
Ben's eyes widened in surprise. "Have you been
working all this time?"
"Yeah. I'm sorry, I lost track of the time."
"That's all right."
"Benny, I..." Ray trailed off and gestured towards
the decorated table.
Ben smiled ruefully. "Surprise."
"Oh, Benny, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to ruin
dinner."
"I know you didn't. Like you said, you just lost
track of the time. Besides, you didn't know I had
anything special planned.
"I know we said we wouldn't make a fuss about
Valentine's Day, but you've been working so hard
lately that I wanted to do something special for you."
"So I guess you didn't eat any dinner?" Ray asked.
"No. Did you?"
Ray shook his head.
Ben smiled at Ray and gave him a quick kiss, then
stood up and led him into the kitchen.
"Where's Dief?" Ray asked, noting the wolf's absence
for the first time.
"He's spending the evening with Maggie."
"Oh. Well, at least someone is having a romantic
Valentine's Day."
Ben laughed, then turned his attention to the take-out
bags on the counter. "I think the food will still be
good if we heat it up."
"Oh, it will be," Ray answered. He helped Benny
unpack the bags. "Did you get me veal parmesan?"
"Of course," Ben answered with a grin.
"Good job."
Ben set the entrees onto plates and put the plates in
the microwave that Ray had insisted on purchasing for
the apartment; and Ray busied himself putting the
salad into bowls and pouring the wine.
After just a few minutes they were seated at the table
with their meals before them and soft romantic music
playing on the radio.
The food was very good, even in its re-heated
condition, and the two men ate quietly, content to
listen to the music while exchanging only a few words.
When they had finished eating, Benny carried his plate
over to the sink and rinsed it off. Ray stepped up
behind him and handed him his plate, then wrapped his
arms around Ben's waist. "I'm sorry I ruined
Valentine's Day, Benny."
Ben dropped Ray's plate into the sink and turned off
the water. "You didn't ruin anything, Ray," he said,
turning to face his partner. "We got to have our
dinner, and most importantly, you are here with me."
"And it is still Valentine's Day, if only for a few
more minutes," Ray smiled.
"Oh, Ray. Do you think I need to wait until a special
day to celebrate our love? I waited my entire life
for you, Ray Vecchio. And now that I have found you,
I am not going to limit myself to one day a year.
"I am going to declare and show my love for you
whenever, wherever, and as often as I can."
Ray smiled at him. "Oh, Benny, I love you." He
pulled Ben into a kiss.
Ben slid his arms around Ray's waist and closed his
eyes in enjoyment.
Ray yawned suddenly, then pulled away in
embarrassment. "Oh God, Benny. I'm sorry." He
buried his face against Ben's shoulder.
"It's quite all right." Ben ran his hand soothingly
up and down Ray's back. "You're exhausted, Ray.
You've been pushing yourself far too hard lately."
Ray straightened up to look at his partner. "It's
this case, Benny. I have to make sure everything goes
right."
"I know that this case is important, Ray. But you are
more important. You need to take it easy every once
in a while, take care of yourself. I don't want you
working yourself so hard that you get sick."
"Benny..." Ray shook his head and sighed.
Ben gave him a gentle kiss, then took his hand and led
him into the bedroom. "Get undressed, Ray."
"Oh Benny, I'm really not up to any love making
tonight."
Ben looked surprised- and offended. "What do you take
me for, Ray?" He went to the dresser and pulled out a
pair of Ray's pajamas.
"Oh. I'm sorry, Benny," Ray said, sounding
embarrassed.
"It's quite all right," Ben answered, a amused grin
tugging at the corners of his mouth.
Between the two of them, they had Ray undressed and in
his pajamas in a very short time, and Ben tucked Ray
into bed.
Ray sighed and shifted against the pillow, trying to
get comfortable.
"Sit up," Ben said.
Ray looked at Ben, confused, but shrugged and sat up.
Ben took the pillow and tossed it aside, then sat down
on the bed and pulled Ray back down, resting his head
and shoulders in his lap. "Is that more comfortable?"
"Oh yeah," Ray said. He shifted again, more
comfortably now, and sighed happily.
"Go to sleep now, my love," Ben whispered; and began
gently stroking Ray's face. Within five minutes, Ray
was sound asleep.
Ben sat quietly for a few minutes, then looked over at
the kitchen with a sigh. He really should clean up in
there. There were dishes on the table and in the
sink, and the bags and food containers were still on
the counter.
Then Benny looked back down at his lover, asleep in
his lap, and he smiled softly. The dishes could wait.
THE END