Cuddle

By Tanya Reed

Here's one that's been in my brain for awhile, and I just got around to writing it. I am seriously really starting to love this pairing.

Disclaimer: I don't own Due South. If I did, things would have ended differently for many of the characters.

XXX

Meg entered her front door not sure whether to scream or cry. It had been a terrible day. Both of her Constables had seemed extremely obtuse, Ottawa had given her an assignment she'd never finish on time, paperwork went missing, she spent most of the afternoon on the phone with a snobbish prig, and, to top it off, Diefenbaker had thrown up in her office.

All she wanted to do was slam her door—hard—and stomp off to bed. She slipped off her shoes, prepared to do just that, when she noticed a familiar figure perched on her couch.

"What are you doing here?" Her voice came out even harsher than she intended.

Ray shut off the TV and turned. She was immediately sorry for snapping when she saw the concerned look on his face. She tried to give him a wobbly half smile to take the sting from her words but didn't quite succeed.

"I haven't seen you in a couple of days, so I thought we could have some dinner. I just put it in the oven."

Now that he mentioned it, Meg could smell something delicious coming from the direction of her kitchen.

"You don't want to be near me tonight," she told him. I'm in a bitchy mood."

His eyes twinkled briefly. "I've seen you bitchy before."

She grimaced at him.

"Hey, you okay?"

He got up and came towards her.

"I'm fine," she said shortly, turning away. "I just need to be by myself."

"Meg." His hand was gentle on her arm.

She sighed. "I'm sorry, Ray. I'm just not going to be much company tonight."

"What happened?"

"I wanted to strangle Fraser and Turnbull at least three times each today," she said crankily. "Of course, you weren't working, so I had them both all day. I guess I wouldn't have found them so annoying if I didn't rip my pantyhose within two minutes of arriving at work...or if I hadn't had a very unsatisfactory phone call from Ottawa before I even put down my purse. Then, the wolf ate too much junk food, and it ended up all over my carpet..." Her voice had started to shake, so she snapped her mouth shut, shoving down an unfamiliar feeling of helplessness.

"Bad day, huh?" his hand slid down her arm to capture her fingers, giving them a squeeze.

She swallowed and nodded.

"C'mere."

He tugged gently, and she let him lead her to the couch. Dropping down, he released her hand and patted his knees.

"Sit."

"Ray..." she protested.

"Sit." His voice was firm.

With a sigh, she gave in and settled into his lap. Immediately, his arms surrounded her, pulling her closer until he tucked her head against his shoulder, under his cheek.

Warmth enveloped her, and Meg felt herself relaxing for the first time on that miserable day. Ray's hands began stroking her back and her hair, releasing tension as they went. She found herself snuggling closer against him. A sudden feeling of peace made her slightly drowsy, and she thought she might never move.

She smiled when Ray kissed her on the top of her head, and she brought her arm up to give him a hug.

"Better?" he asked.

"Yes."

Meg had never considered herself much of a cuddler, but she recently realized that had mostly been because of the type of men she had dated. She was discovering that she enjoyed being touched, and she loved being held by Ray. It made her feel cared for and cherished in a way she'd never really believed she could be.

After a few more seconds of cuddling and tender caresses, she mumbled, "This is your fault, you know."

"Me?" His chest rumbled against her cheek comfortingly. "I didn't even work today."

She chuckled. "Not that. This. You've made me need this. What am I going to do if you leave me?"

His arms tightened. "That's something you're never going to need to find out."

The absolute certainty in his tone touched her, and she gave his neck a soft kiss in response.

"Thank you for being here, Ray."

"Thanks for letting me."

A sweet silence surrounded them as Meg let herself enjoy the feeling of being held by someone who loved her. The world seemed so far away, and Ray's breathing and heartbeat soothed her to the edge of sleep. As she felt herself slip over, she wondered if he knew that she loved him too.

The end