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ds_flashfictionI think this does fit the Mix and Match challenge... I think. Mostly adapted from "Heaven and Earth" and a few lines from "Strange Bedfellows". Implied F/K. Rating: mild language, about 1200 words.
You and Me Have to Talk
Ray let her push him into the interrogation room, spluttering. "Frannie, what the-"
"Spill the jellybeans, Kowalski." The door banged shut behind her as she closed in. "What's going on with you and Fraser? Did you - did you sleep with him?"
Ray jumped back and glared. "What the hell kinda question is that?"
Frannie followed, pointing a finger under his nose. "The dispatcher called you at 4 a.m. You weren't home. You called in fifteen minutes later-"
"How'd you know that?"
"I've got sources, okay? You called in and said, and allow me to quote, 'We're checking it out. We'll be there in twenty.' When you showed up at the station to report afterwards, Fraser was with you. At 5:15 a.m."
"So I dropped by the Consulate. So?"
"At four in the morning?"
"I'd just gotten this really good lead, all right? They matched the plates on this guy who humped a bottle at me. I figure we should check it out. I figure Fraser isn't sleeping, probably gets up at the crack of dawn, maybe he doesn't even sleep, just hangs from the ceiling in the Batcave. I'll just go in and knock on his door."
"So you just thought - 'hey, why don't I drive over there at four in the morning and see if Fraser's awake and wants to do some free police work,' and he just - oh, happened to be up."
"Yeah, that's how it happened."
"And I'm a monkey's necktie."
"Uh... huh?"
"Look. When you started this assignment I thought you were kind of a wolf. Leering at me, asking me out." She shrugged. "I didn't mind."
"Oh, hey, well in that case-"
"Stop it! Just stop it, will you? You seemed like a decent cop. Nothing on my brother, but, you know. It seemed like you were gonna look out for him. Do your best. Maybe be part of the family, a little."
Ray began to pull into his leather jacket like a turtle.
"Then Fraser came back from vacation and you - you went off to Fraserland. I don't know if anyone else noticed, but you can't kid me, 'brother.' I know that look. If anybody knows that look, believe me, it's me. You are in over your head."
"Frannie, do I seem like that kind of guy to you? Huh? Do I? You've met my wife, right?"
"And instead of my brother and the Mountie all the time, it's you and the Mountie, and you're not even nice to him, are you? You're not even good to him like Ray was. But you can't just let him be, either, you never leave him alone."
"Beautiful blonde woman, high heels, breasts? This ringing any bells?"
"Fraser had Ray on a string right from the beginning. Get in trouble at work because of him, nearly break his neck because of him, give him money, walk the dog, fly to Canada, take a bullet? Sure, nothing's too good for Fraser. And hey, you know I'm not arguing." She spun around with years of frustration singing in her voice. "But he never looked at my brother the way he looks at you!"
Ray stopped fidgeting. "How... how's that?" he asked in a small voice.
"Like it's kindergarten and you're his favorite teacher." She waved her hands and turned away. "I don't know, maybe it doesn't mean anything. I hope to God it doesn't. Maybe I'm crazy to even wonder."
"Pretty sure he's not like that."
"I know. I know. But Fraser's so innocent, you could tell him anything, you could trick him... no, I'm sorry. I said I'm sorry, I'm sorry, okay? Stop looking at me like that."
"Then stop talking at me like I'm a piece of trash who'd lie to his best friend to get in his pants." Ray turned away abruptly. "Come on, Frannie. Think about it. Those pants? They've got like a... security system, and... airbags."
He wasn't smiling, but she couldn't see that.
Frannie looked at his back and hesitated. "Really, Ray? I guess it sounds stupid. But Fraser's always been like a, a glass wall, you know? I thought maybe if anybody could crack him, it'd be you."
"I'm not gonna break him, Frannie. I'm not touching him. He's fine." Ray stared at the floor.
"I'm not so much worried about him, Ray."
He looked up and she crossed to him, lifting a hand.
"Meaning?"
"Meaning I do know what I'm talking about here. Maybe I don't have much chance with him, but at least I've got a chance. Guys like him don't end up with guys like you. That's bizarro world. And guys like you get all confused and go off the deep end and guys like him don't even notice. And that's life."
"I know this. I know this, Frannie. Look, I'm not a problem for you, okay? You, you're big on the dreaming. You want something, you make a grab for it. You think you're gonna marry him, do the whole fairy tale Niagara Falls thing, have a bunch of kids with brass buttons on their diapers. You know what happens to people like you? Sometimes they get their hearts broken, sure. Sometimes they get what they want."
He paced. "Well, that's not me. Maybe I'll just get old and alone and die. Maybe I'll crack a big case, meet a girl, get a medal, climb a mountain, I don't know. I stopped dreaming when Stella left."
Frannie raised her chin. "You want me to feel sorry for you?"
"Nah."
"Things with Fraser... It gets hard after a while, you know?"
"Yeah. I know."
Frannie's eyes softened. "Come here." She reached up and grasped his arms, instinctively going on tiptoe. "Ray, you may not really be my brother, but... I care about you."
Ray started to blush. "Thanks."
Without changing expression, Frannie asked, "Did you sleep with him?"
Ray pulled away. "Frannie! Give it a rest!" He went to the door.
She said wistfully, "But you like him, right?"
He turned and gave her the same look she was giving him, then slunk out.
Frannie let the door close. She turned away and clenched her fists. "Damn it, damn it, damn it!" She kicked the table, hopped, cursed, and came over to the mirror. Here she examined herself, face falling. She touched her chin and turned her head from side to side.
Watching through the one-way glass, Fraser stood still, his hand forgotten on the intercom. He had sustained many shocks in the last few years, but it seemed his blind side never grew smaller. And now once again things had taken a turn that he had not anticipated, or had even been aware of as a remote possibility.
Francesca was smoothing her hair back behind her ears. His best friend's sister was unhappy, and as usual, it was his fault. He should go to her. Or fetch – without lowering her unseeing eyes from his, she opened her purse, pulled out a lipstick, sighed and began to apply it, slowly and carefully. Good. She was composing herself. That meant...
Fraser's hand dropped. That meant that if he started now, he could catch Ray before he left the building.
The observation room door swung wildly.
On the other side of the glass, Frannie puckered her lips.
You and Me Have to Talk
Ray let her push him into the interrogation room, spluttering. "Frannie, what the-"
"Spill the jellybeans, Kowalski." The door banged shut behind her as she closed in. "What's going on with you and Fraser? Did you - did you sleep with him?"
Ray jumped back and glared. "What the hell kinda question is that?"
Frannie followed, pointing a finger under his nose. "The dispatcher called you at 4 a.m. You weren't home. You called in fifteen minutes later-"
"How'd you know that?"
"I've got sources, okay? You called in and said, and allow me to quote, 'We're checking it out. We'll be there in twenty.' When you showed up at the station to report afterwards, Fraser was with you. At 5:15 a.m."
"So I dropped by the Consulate. So?"
"At four in the morning?"
"I'd just gotten this really good lead, all right? They matched the plates on this guy who humped a bottle at me. I figure we should check it out. I figure Fraser isn't sleeping, probably gets up at the crack of dawn, maybe he doesn't even sleep, just hangs from the ceiling in the Batcave. I'll just go in and knock on his door."
"So you just thought - 'hey, why don't I drive over there at four in the morning and see if Fraser's awake and wants to do some free police work,' and he just - oh, happened to be up."
"Yeah, that's how it happened."
"And I'm a monkey's necktie."
"Uh... huh?"
"Look. When you started this assignment I thought you were kind of a wolf. Leering at me, asking me out." She shrugged. "I didn't mind."
"Oh, hey, well in that case-"
"Stop it! Just stop it, will you? You seemed like a decent cop. Nothing on my brother, but, you know. It seemed like you were gonna look out for him. Do your best. Maybe be part of the family, a little."
Ray began to pull into his leather jacket like a turtle.
"Then Fraser came back from vacation and you - you went off to Fraserland. I don't know if anyone else noticed, but you can't kid me, 'brother.' I know that look. If anybody knows that look, believe me, it's me. You are in over your head."
"Frannie, do I seem like that kind of guy to you? Huh? Do I? You've met my wife, right?"
"And instead of my brother and the Mountie all the time, it's you and the Mountie, and you're not even nice to him, are you? You're not even good to him like Ray was. But you can't just let him be, either, you never leave him alone."
"Beautiful blonde woman, high heels, breasts? This ringing any bells?"
"Fraser had Ray on a string right from the beginning. Get in trouble at work because of him, nearly break his neck because of him, give him money, walk the dog, fly to Canada, take a bullet? Sure, nothing's too good for Fraser. And hey, you know I'm not arguing." She spun around with years of frustration singing in her voice. "But he never looked at my brother the way he looks at you!"
Ray stopped fidgeting. "How... how's that?" he asked in a small voice.
"Like it's kindergarten and you're his favorite teacher." She waved her hands and turned away. "I don't know, maybe it doesn't mean anything. I hope to God it doesn't. Maybe I'm crazy to even wonder."
"Pretty sure he's not like that."
"I know. I know. But Fraser's so innocent, you could tell him anything, you could trick him... no, I'm sorry. I said I'm sorry, I'm sorry, okay? Stop looking at me like that."
"Then stop talking at me like I'm a piece of trash who'd lie to his best friend to get in his pants." Ray turned away abruptly. "Come on, Frannie. Think about it. Those pants? They've got like a... security system, and... airbags."
He wasn't smiling, but she couldn't see that.
Frannie looked at his back and hesitated. "Really, Ray? I guess it sounds stupid. But Fraser's always been like a, a glass wall, you know? I thought maybe if anybody could crack him, it'd be you."
"I'm not gonna break him, Frannie. I'm not touching him. He's fine." Ray stared at the floor.
"I'm not so much worried about him, Ray."
He looked up and she crossed to him, lifting a hand.
"Meaning?"
"Meaning I do know what I'm talking about here. Maybe I don't have much chance with him, but at least I've got a chance. Guys like him don't end up with guys like you. That's bizarro world. And guys like you get all confused and go off the deep end and guys like him don't even notice. And that's life."
"I know this. I know this, Frannie. Look, I'm not a problem for you, okay? You, you're big on the dreaming. You want something, you make a grab for it. You think you're gonna marry him, do the whole fairy tale Niagara Falls thing, have a bunch of kids with brass buttons on their diapers. You know what happens to people like you? Sometimes they get their hearts broken, sure. Sometimes they get what they want."
He paced. "Well, that's not me. Maybe I'll just get old and alone and die. Maybe I'll crack a big case, meet a girl, get a medal, climb a mountain, I don't know. I stopped dreaming when Stella left."
Frannie raised her chin. "You want me to feel sorry for you?"
"Nah."
"Things with Fraser... It gets hard after a while, you know?"
"Yeah. I know."
Frannie's eyes softened. "Come here." She reached up and grasped his arms, instinctively going on tiptoe. "Ray, you may not really be my brother, but... I care about you."
Ray started to blush. "Thanks."
Without changing expression, Frannie asked, "Did you sleep with him?"
Ray pulled away. "Frannie! Give it a rest!" He went to the door.
She said wistfully, "But you like him, right?"
He turned and gave her the same look she was giving him, then slunk out.
Frannie let the door close. She turned away and clenched her fists. "Damn it, damn it, damn it!" She kicked the table, hopped, cursed, and came over to the mirror. Here she examined herself, face falling. She touched her chin and turned her head from side to side.
Watching through the one-way glass, Fraser stood still, his hand forgotten on the intercom. He had sustained many shocks in the last few years, but it seemed his blind side never grew smaller. And now once again things had taken a turn that he had not anticipated, or had even been aware of as a remote possibility.
Francesca was smoothing her hair back behind her ears. His best friend's sister was unhappy, and as usual, it was his fault. He should go to her. Or fetch – without lowering her unseeing eyes from his, she opened her purse, pulled out a lipstick, sighed and began to apply it, slowly and carefully. Good. She was composing herself. That meant...
Fraser's hand dropped. That meant that if he started now, he could catch Ray before he left the building.
The observation room door swung wildly.
On the other side of the glass, Frannie puckered her lips.
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no subject
Date: 2005-12-26 12:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-26 01:18 pm (UTC)But she also clearly cares for Ray K not just because he's keeping her brother safe, but also because she cares about -HIM,- as an individual!!! And she wants him to be happy (the way Ray V wanted -her- to be happy) and she can't see anything but heartbreak with him pining after Fraser (probably because that's all she's gotten.) And Ray's squirming under the lens!! I think, again, that people underestimate Frannie's skills at observation and deduction (again, that sibling thing again!) and her ability to call a spade a spade.
I adored how you got Fraser in, too; hand on intercom, eavesdropping, observing without being seen....
And, naturally, going to hunt down his quarry.
*grins widely* A delightful Boxing Day treat!!! Thank you so much!!
(*glances around and then asks conspiratorily* so -- you gonna tell us what happened when Fraser caught up with Ray?)
no subject
Date: 2005-12-26 06:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-26 07:05 pm (UTC)(*glances around and then asks conspiratorily* so -- you gonna tell us what happened when Fraser caught up with Ray?)
Funny you should ask. Posted on my LJ. This is where the plot begins to veer a little (http://www.livejournal.com/users/joandarck/4721.html#cutid1) from "Heaven and Earth."
no subject
Date: 2005-12-26 08:42 pm (UTC)This is Frannie how she's meant to be, the queen of malapropisms but observant just the same. I always was a bit disappointed with the future laid out for her at the end of CoTW, because I always thought she'd be a great cop. You tap into that side of her here, with good results.
I've got to go read the sequel now.
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