This story is set at Christmas, which I have placed somewhere in the middle of Season 2 of due South. I hope you like it. Please leave a review, good or bad, thank you kindly!
GHOSTS OF CHRISTMAS PAST
Chapter 1
Are you absolutely sure you want to do this Benny?" Detective Ray Vecchio was freezing as he walked along with his best friend Constable Benton Fraser of the RCMP.
"Of course Ray," replied Fraser.
"So you didn't just agree to it to shut my sister up?" Ray queried.
"Not in the least," replied Fraser, "I haven't been able to attend choir practice as often as I'd have liked to recently as we always seem to be involved in one thing or another on Wednesday evenings, but Francesca told me that Susan Murphy has written this particular piece with male and female solo leads and she has asked me to return so that we can perform it at Christmas. The choir is predominately women Ray, I feel honoured to have been asked."
"Yeah, Father Behan is very grateful to you for boosting the numbers in the choir," grinned Ray. Fraser shot him a puzzled look as they walked up the steps and into the church. Ray immediately went to stand by the heater, wrapping his arms around himself as he tried to get warm.
"Hi Frase!" Francesca came running over to them. Evidently she wasn't feeling the cold as much as her brother, Fraser observed, judging by her choice of outfit. He himself was dressed casually in jeans, a blue shirt over a white t-shirt and his favourite brown leather jacket. Of course he was wearing his Mountie hat too, he always felt uncomfortable without it, even when he was off duty.
"Good evening Francesca," Fraser smiled at her, nervously.
Francesca was about to reply when she spotted her brother. "Oh, what did you have to bring him for?" she asked Fraser, looking very disappointed.
"We have a case to discuss," explained Fraser, "Ray and I intend to eat together after this practice and go over the evidence."
"I see," replied Francesca, then she lowered her voice slightly and added, "he's not going to sing, is he?"
"I don't believe so," replied Fraser. He couldn't particularly recall a time when he'd ever heard Ray singing, although he did have a vague recollection of a shared musical interlude taking place when he and Ray had been lost in the Canadian woodland after a plane crash. However, Fraser had suffered a head injury in the crash and he wasn't sure if he was remembering the events correctly at all. He made a mental note to ask Ray about it later.
"Good," Francesca smiled again and grabbed hold of Fraser's arm. "You remember Susan don't you?"
"Of course," nodded Fraser, looking back over his shoulder at Ray with a slightly terrified look as the younger Vecchio sibling pawed at his arm. Ray just shook his head in despair. He'd learnt by now that there was no arguing with Francesca when it came to his best friend and he was more comfortable with the situation now than he had been a year or so ago.
"Benton, it's so good to see you," Susan Murphy, the choir leader, was a slightly overweight woman in her late fifties and she smiled a broad smile and shook Fraser by the hand, "it's been far too long," she added.
"I'm so terribly sorry," replied Fraser, humbly, "I'm afraid my duties as RCMP Liaison Officer have prevented me from attending in recent weeks. I intend to rectify that."
"That's alright, I understand," replied Susan, smiling, "I love reading all about your exploits in the local newspaper," she added with a wink.
Fraser looked confused. "My exploits?" he queried and Susan just laughed.
"Did Francesca give you the music?" Susan asked him as she led them over to the piano.
"Yes," replied Fraser, pulling the neatly folded papers from his jacket pocket. "I must say, it is a beautiful melody," Fraser continued, "you are an excellent composer."
Susan blushed. "Stop it," she replied, laughing coyly, "I just thought it would be nice for us to perform something original this Christmas, I'm sure the congregation gets bored of the same old Christmas carols year after year," she laughed again.
"Who will be singing the female solo part?" Fraser enquired.
"Ah," Susan's shoulders slumped, "well, I had hoped that Vanessa would be singing it with you, but unfortunately, her mother has been taken ill and she's had to go to Arkansas to take care of her.
"Oh dear," said Fraser in a concerned voice, "nothing serious I hope?"
"I don't think so," replied Susan, "but it has left me with a problem. I thought the only fair thing would be to hold open auditions. I did put a poster up outside earlier in the week, so if anyone from outside the choir is interested they would be most welcome. We love to have new members."
"That sounds like an excellent idea," agreed Fraser.
"Could we spend a few minutes going through your part?" Susan asked, "I want anyone who is auditioning to sing with you this evening so I can hear how your voices blend."
"Of course," smiled Fraser and Susan took her seat at the piano. Francesca and Ray listened as Fraser's voice filled the church. Francesca really wanted to try out for the solo part as the opportunity to sing with Fraser would have been wonderful, but she felt that her voice just wasn't strong enough and she didn't want to make a fool of herself in front of the Mountie. She'd only joined the choir in the first place for a chance to spend more time with him anyway, although she had since discovered how much she loved singing and how much being part of the choir meant to her, whether Fraser was there or not. She had actually made some very good friends amongst the other members and now she really looked forward to Wednesday evenings.
The other members of the choir started to arrive and Ray was surprised at the huge turnout. Susan explained about their current predicament and after running through a few familiar songs to get their voices warmed up, she started the audition process. Ray laughed as one of the women got completely distracted by Fraser and kept losing her place in the music. Another really couldn't sing at all, but clearly just wanted the opportunity to sing with Fraser. That was just what Francesca needed to give her the confidence boost to audition herself and she stepped forward, standing unnaturally close to Fraser they sang together as Susan played the piano. When she'd finished, Francesca knew that her initial thoughts about her voice had been correct, although so had her thoughts about how wonderful it would be to sing with Fraser. She smiled up at him. "That was very good Francesca," he said graciously.
Francesca knew he was just being polite, as he'd said much the same thing to Liz and she had been completely off key all the way through, but she didn't care. Fraser had said her singing was very good and she would remember that for a very long time. "Thanks Frase," she said, squeezing his hand before returning to her seat. Ray sighed. This audition process was beginning to descend into a farce and he may not have had the greatest ear for music, but as far as he could tell, not one of the candidates for the female solo lead had been any good.
Susan left the rest of the choir to practice some traditional Christmas carols and led Fraser to the side of the room to discuss the auditions. "I think some of them were a little nervous," suggested Fraser, politely.
Susan smiled ruefully "I am a little disappointed," she admitted. "Caroline Baxter was good, but I think the part is too high for her, she's more of an alto."
"Agreed," nodded Fraser, "Anna Maria has a beautiful voice too," he suggested.
Susan thought for a moment. "It doesn't compliment yours though does it, the balance is all wrong." She sighed.
Just then the church door slowly opened and a young woman stepped inside. She was dressed in rather tatty clothes and she had a bandage around her left hand. "Um, excuse me," she began, nervously, "am I too late for the auditions?"
Susan leapt up, beaming. "Not at all dear," she smiled, "come in, come in. I'm Susan, what's your name?"
"Jennifer," replied the woman, quietly.
"Hello Jennifer, welcome to our choir," said Susan, leading her over to the piano. "Have you sung before?"
"Um, yes," replied Jennifer, "at school, I was in the choir at school."
"I see," replied Susan, glancing hopefully at Fraser who had joined them at the piano. "Do you read music?" Susan asked the shy young woman and Jennifer nodded. "Excellent!" exclaimed Susan, handing her a copy of the solo part to her Christmas composition. "This is Benton Fraser, he'll be singing the male lead."
"Pleased to meet you," said Fraser and offered his hand to Jennifer, who shook it rather weakly. Fraser noticed the rather dirty bandage on her other hand. "Oh dear," he said, "what happened?"
"Oh, it's nothing," dismissed Jennifer. Fraser wasn't at all convinced that it was nothing and he was more than a little concerned about the filthy dressing, but he didn't feel it was an appropriate moment to discuss it further.
Susan began to play and Fraser and Jennifer sang. Almost immediately, everyone fell silent and listened, even Ray. Fraser had trouble concentrating on his part as Jennifer had the most beautiful and pure singing voice he had ever heard. Susan couldn't help smiling. She'd heard enough after the first verse, but she couldn't bring herself to stop them so she carried on playing and Fraser and Jennifer sang the whole piece. When they go to the end, Jennifer looked at them, embarrassed. "Was that OK?" she asked quietly.
"It was wonderful!" exclaimed Susan.
Fraser nodded in agreement. "You have an incredible voice Jennifer," he said with a smile.
Susan glanced at Fraser who gave a tiny nod. "Well," she began, looking back at Jennifer, "I think you've got the job." Jennifer smiled and blushed.
xXx
That evening at Fraser's apartment, Ray and Fraser were meant to be discussing the details of a case over dinner, but their conversation kept returning to Jennifer and the choir practice. "Her singing voice is quite remarkable," commented Fraser.
"Yeah Benny," agreed Ray, "this concert is gonna blow people away on Christmas Eve."
"I can't help being somewhat concerned about her appearance though," Fraser commented, helping himself to some more noodles from the take-out carton, "unfortunately it would seem that her living conditions leave a lot to be desired."
"She'll have to scrub up for the big night," replied Ray, "you know how Susan likes you all to dress up for these occasions."
"Agreed," nodded Fraser, "if she doesn't own a ballgown, perhaps Francesca would be kind enough to lend her one?"
"I'll ask her," said Ray, "and I guess I'll get my tux outta the cleaners. It might be a bit tight for you though."
"Thank you kindly Ray," smiled Fraser, "a tuxedo is not something I own I'm afraid, I'm sure yours will be perfectly fine. I would feel more comfortable in my dress uniform though," he added, "it's not often I have the opportunity to wear the formal belt and gloves."
Ray laughed. "Are you gonna argue with Susan Murphy?" He grinned and Fraser shook his head. Susan was incredibly warm and friendly, but certainly not the kind of woman he wanted to get on the wrong side of.
"We should discuss this case," said Fraser, snapping his mind back to Police work.
"Yeah," agreed Ray. "OK, we got two dead bodies, both John Does, both shot in the head execution style." Fraser shuddered at the stark reminder of the violence he was faced with almost every day in this city. "Doc Pearson's report said both victims were apparently homeless, judging by their clothes and the dirt she dug out from under their fingernails. I asked her to save you some." Fraser was about to point out how that was unnecessary when he realised his partner was being facetious. He frowned disapprovingly at Ray. Ray sighed. "Look, I just don't get why Welsh saddled me with this," he said shaking his head. "I mean it's nearly Christmas and I got a pile of cases on my desk already. Who cares about a couple of winos anyway?"
Fraser looked at his friend, slightly shocked. "I do," he replied seriously, "and if you don't mind me saying, I find your assumption that they were both alcoholics simply because they were most likely of no fixed abode rather discriminatory."
Ray shook his head and got up from the table with his empty plate. He threw it into the sink and it landed with a clatter, startling Diefenbaker who had been dozing by the window. "Fraser, there are just some things about this city that you'll never understand."
"I see, please accept my apologies," replied Fraser sadly.
"No Benny, that's just it, you don't see," Ray spoke angrily, "you think there's some good in everyone if you dig deep enough, but believe me, some people just don't have one iota of good in them and you really shouldn't waste your energy trying to save them. The homeless are pretty high up on that list."
Fraser frowned. "Ray that is a gross generalisation..." began Fraser but Ray interrupted him.
"Benny, drop it OK," Ray sighed, "I'm tired, I should probably go home, Aunt Carmella arrived this afternoon for the holidays and Ma will expect me to talk to her for hours before I hit the sack. What's the Dragon Lady got planned for you tomorrow?"
"Inspector Thatcher has requested that I decorate the Christmas tree tomorrow," explained Fraser.
Ray sighed despondently. "You're a cop Benny," he said, "she doesn't give you any respect."
"It's quite alright Ray," replied Fraser, "actually I'm looking forward to it. It's not an activity I've had occasion to participate in very often in the past"
Ray smiled and nodded. He realised that Fraser's past Christmasses had been nothing like the one's at the Vecchio house. His Ma had always made sure that Christmas was a special time for the whole family, even when his Pa had threatened to ruin everything. "OK Benny," he said, "I gotta go." He headed towards the door, but before he opened it he turned back to Fraser. "Um, forget what I said before OK?" he said, quietly, "I guess I didn't mean it."
"Right you are," replied Fraser. He had been taken aback by the amount of vitriol his friend had directed towards the homeless community. He really hoped that Ray's mood was being caused by tiredness and nothing else.
xXx
The next morning, Fraser had been busy decorating the rather oversized Christmas tree that Inspector Thatcher had ordered for the Consulate and his brown uniform was covered in multi coloured glitter and tiny pieces of tinsel that various decorations had decided to shed in the process. Constable Turnbull had just come off sentry duty and was attempting to help Fraser finish the tree, with varying degrees of success. "Turnbull, perhaps you should stand still and let me untangle you?" Fraser suggested, staring in disbelief at his younger colleague who had managed to get an entire string of fairy lights wrapped tightly around himself.
"I'm alright Sir," Turnbull insisted, spinning first one way and then the other trying to unravel himself. Fraser shook his head in disbelief and he quickly reached out and grabbed one end of the string, while Turnbull continued spinning, eventually resulting in his freedom. "Oh, thank you so much Sir," said a grateful, if a little dizzy, Turnbull. "Now, would you like me to climb the ladder and secure the angel on the top of the tree?"
"No!" exclaimed Fraser, rather more sharply than he would have liked. "I mean, no thank you Turnbull," he quickly corrected himself, desperately trying to forget the image that had just flashed into his mind of Turnbull falling off the ladder and crashing to the ground, bringing the entire tree down with him. "I'll do it later, thank you kindly."
Turnbull saluted and headed back to his desk as Fraser breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced down at Diefenbaker who had been sat watching Fraser for the last hour. Dief made a throaty noise. "It's not a ridiculous custom," Fraser replied, draping the fairy lights around the tree. Dief yapped. "Oh where's your festive spirit?" asked Fraser, shaking his head. "I would have thought Christmas would be your favourite time of year, given your new found passion for over indulgent eating." Fraser waited for his wolf's sarcastic reply and Dief didn't disappoint. Fraser chose to ignore him and climbed up the ladder to place the large plastic angel on top of the tree, then he climbed back down and plugged the fairy lights in.
"Oh let me," Inspector Meg Thatcher appeared from her office and startled Fraser.
Fraser spun around to face his superior officer. "Sir?" he queried.
"I want to switch on the lights," explained the Inspector and she flicked the switch. The tree lit up and Meg drew a sharp breath. "Oh Fraser, it's magnificent!" she exclaimed.
Fraser was stunned at her enthusiastic response, although he was quietly pleased with himself. He'd spent a significant amount of time arranging the decorations so that they were as aesthetically pleasing as they could be and the twinkling lights finished off the effect perfectly. "Thank you kindly Sir," he replied.
Meg stepped closer to the tree and gently lifted one of the glass baubles with her hand. "This is pretty," she said and immediately Fraser was standing close to her.
"I am struck by the colours in that one myself," he agreed, lowering his voice slightly as he spoke. "I think the light refracting through the glass accentuates the colour of the walls and..." he paused for a brief moment and took a deep breath before continuing, "and your eyes." As the words left his lips, he and Meg locked their gazes, neither of them quite sure what to do next. Meg's lips parted as if she were about to speak, but no words would come out.
Fraser couldn't understand why he kept saying things of that nature to her of all people, he couldn't understand it at all, he couldn't understand where it all came from, but it was somewhere deep inside himself and he simply couldn't control it. Just her presence brought out a side of him that he'd never been aware even existed before and he was finding that side of himself emerging more and more often. He was surprised to find out how much he liked it, he liked it a lot, he liked the way it made him feel...the way she made him feel, he corrected his thoughts. Suddenly, it all became too much and he stepped back, clearing his throat and tugging at the starched collar of his shirt, wondering why his neck tie had suddenly started to feel so tight. "Will that be all Sir?" he mumbled.
"Er, yes," replied a slightly bemused Meg. She wasn't quite sure what had just happened. "Dismissed," she said.
xXx
Fraser decided to take Dief for a walk to clear his head, he liked the feel of the snow beneath his feet, it reminded him of home. He wandered the streets of Chicago humming his choir solo under his breath, helping a few elderly ladies across the street as he did so and carrying people's Christmas shopping for them. Soon, he found himself approaching the Police station, maybe subconsciously he'd intended to walk there, he wasn't entirely sure. He was about to go in and see if Ray had any news on the homicide investigation when he spotted Mary, a homeless woman who often made herself at home close to the station. He walked over to her with a wave. "Hello Mary," he said, smiling, "how are you? I hope you're keeping warm, the air temperature has dropped another degree since yesterday."
"I'm fine thanks Constable," replied Mary, reaching out to pat Diefenbaker on the head, "but I'd be happier when I can feel safe again. When are you people going to catch this murderer?"
Fraser frowned. "Do you know the identities of the two victims?" he asked.
Mary shook her head. "Nope, not really," she replied, "they hung around under the old bridge mostly, I never go down there, but it's making us all nervous. What if the killer strikes again?"
"The homeless community are frightened?" Fraser queried and Mary nodded. "Do you believe that you're being targeted?" asked Fraser with some concern.
Mary shrugged. "All I know is that we've got two dead people in a week, seems like more than a coincidence to me, that's all."
"Try not to worry," Fraser smiled, "the Police will do everything they can to catch whoever did this."
Mary tried to smile back, but she didn't seem all that convinced.