This story is set towards the end of Season 3/4 of due South. I've always been interested in exploring the reasons for Ray and Stella's divorce and this fic looks at one of them in particular. This isn't really a kidfic...although parts of it were written especially for my friend Vic32 who loves the kidfic genre. I hope you all enjoy it, all reviews and comments welcome. Thank you kindly.

THIS IS WHY

CHAPTER 1.

"Good morning. You've reached the Canadian Consulate, Constable Benton Fraser speaking. How may I be of assistance?"

It was a dull, grey morning in Chicago and Diefenbaker was pleased that Inspector Thatcher had instructed Fraser to wait in for an important telephone call this morning. The last thing the wolf wanted was a walk in this weather. So far the call for the German Ambassador had not come and Fraser had been using the time to work on a report for Lieutenant Welsh about a case him and Ray – his unofficial partner at the Chicago PD – had recently closed.

Dief yawned as Fraser recited his familiar telephone greeting. He wondered if this was the call the Inspector was so concerned about, or if it was just another tourist with a stupid question.

It was neither.

"Fraser, it's Stella. Stella Kowalski."

Fraser was surprised to hear the Assistant States Attorney's voice. He and Ray had not been working on any cases with her recently and Stella was not known for making social calls to her ex-husband's best friend.

"Ms Kowalski, if you're trying to reach Ray I'm afraid he's not here," began Fraser, but Stella interrupted him.

"Actually Fraser it's you I want to speak to," she said.

"Oh," replied Fraser. Stella sounded tired, but he couldn't imagine what she might want to talk to him about this morning.

"I need your help," she explained with a sigh. "I need someone I can trust. This has to remain between us. I can trust you, can't I? I mean, you're a Mountie."

"Of course," replied Fraser. The notion that all Mounties were completely trustworthy was, of course, erroneous, but in Fraser's case it was the truth.

"Thank you," replied Stella with relief. She took a deep breath before continuing. "I have a friend staying with me," she began to explain, "and she's sick. I was hoping you could come over and take a look at her for me. Please."

Fraser was confused. "I…I'd be happy to," he replied, "but surely your friend needs a doctor, not a policeman?"

Stella let out a long, slow breath. "This is where it gets complicated." It had taken a lot for her to pick up the phone and dial Fraser's number, but she'd realised she couldn't manage the situation she was in alone any more. "My friend, Silvina, was a material witness in a case I successfully prosecuted a few months ago. However, she is not an American citizen and unfortunately, due to a mix up with her documents, she is now living here as an illegal alien."

Fraser took this information in. "So you are concerned that seeking medical attention in this country would alert the authorities to her presence," he concluded.

"Exactly," confirmed Stella. "And Silvina believes if she returns to her own country, the family of the man we sent to jail will kill her. I promised I'd protect her, but she's scared, Fraser and I'm worried about her. She has a new baby and she's too weak to look after her. I don't think she's seriously ill, but I really don't know what to do. I thought maybe you could help her with natural remedies, I know you have some knowledge in that area."

Fraser realised there was far more to this story, but for now his primary concern was for Stella's friend and her baby. He thought for a moment. Inspector Thatcher had given him express instructions to stay at the Consulate and wait for the call from Ambassador Hoefler. He glanced at his watch. Constable Turnbull should be back soon. Until then, he would have to rely on the answerphone to take a message. This was more important, Fraser realised. He would have to deal with the wrath of his superior officer somehow.

"I'll be with you in ten minutes," he said. He put the phone down, scribbled a note for Turnbull and ran out of the building with Diefenbaker at his heels.

xXxXx

True to his word, ten minutes later Stella opened the door of her apartment to Fraser. "Thank you for coming," she said. "I guess you've got a lot of questions."

Fraser was slightly taken aback by Stella's appearance. She was dressed in grey sweat pants and a t-shirt and was wearing very little make up. The dark, grey circles around her eyes exposed her tiredness.

"We'll talk later," replied Fraser, placing his hat on a side table. "I'd like to meet your friend first."

Stella nodded and he followed her to the back bedroom. "Are you alright?" he asked just before they went in.

"Me?" queried Stella. "I'm fine. Just tired, that's all. The baby has been keeping me awake all night."

"I see," replied Fraser and they walked into the bedroom.

"Look at her now. You wouldn't think she screams all night long, would you," said Stella, rolling her eyes and pointing to the corner of the room where the baby lay sleeping in her crib.

"What's her name?" asked Fraser as Dief walked over to the baby and sat beside the crib.

"Carmen," replied Stella. She crossed to the bed and gently nudged her friend's shoulder. "Silvina, this is Fraser. He's the one I was telling you about," she said.

Silvina was lying in the bed propped up on pillows. She had her eyes closed, but Fraser could tell she wasn't sleeping. Her eyes flickered open at the sound of Stella's voice and she managed half a smile. "Hi," she said in a weak voice.

"Hello," replied Fraser and he returned the smile.

"I'm sorry to be so much trouble," said Silvina. "I thought I'd be over this flu by now, but I can't seem to shake it."

Fraser leaned over and placed his hand on her forehead. "How long have you been running a fever?" he asked with concern.

Silvina looked to Stella for an answer.

"Um, four, maybe five days," Stella replied. "Or a week, I'm not sure. The days have all blurred into one."

Just at that moment, Carmen stirred and started to cry. Stella let out a growl of frustration and went to pick her up.

Fraser glanced over his shoulder. He was concerned at the way sleep deprivation was affecting Stella. Dief yapped quietly and Fraser nodded. Apparently the wolf had his concerns too; Dief could be very perceptive when he wanted to be.

"I'll try feeding her again," said Stella with a sigh. "Silvina, let Fraser help you. You can trust him."

Silvina watched with sad eyes as Stella took her baby out of the room with Dief following close behind. "I want to feed my own baby," she said. "She's only eight weeks old."

"I understand," replied Fraser, checking her pulse. "But you need to regain your strength first."

As Fraser continued to examine Silvina, Stella went to the kitchen. She struggled to mix up baby formula with one hand while holding Carmen, desperately trying to soothe the crying infant. She hissed out a curse as she splashed her own fingers with boiling water and nearly threw the measuring scoop across the room as she fumbled to get the correct amount of powder from the carton. "Please, stop crying!" she yelled at Carmen, but the baby took no notice, of course.

Fraser reappeared from the bedroom a short while later. He found Stella dozing on the couch with Carmen asleep in her arms. Fraser picked up the half full bottle of milk that had fallen onto the floor and looked at Stella and the baby with concern. Carmen began to squirm and make noises in her sleep and Fraser tried to take her from Stella's arms before she disturbed her, but the noise was too much and Stella's eyes opened.

"Oh," she exclaimed as she realised what had happened. "I'm sorry, I must have nodded off."

Fraser carefully lifted Carmen up and over his shoulder and began to gently rub her back. "It's quite alright," he said. "It looks like you need more sleep."

Stella nodded. "How's Silvina?" she asked. "Is there anything you can do for her?"

"Possibly," replied Fraser. "That is, I can help with some of her symptoms, but I'm not sure what's causing her illness. She really needs to have proper medical tests to determine the seriousness of her condition."

"I know," agreed Stella. "I've been trying to persuade her to see a doctor, but she is terrified that she'll be deported and then her ex-husband's family will find her and kill her."

"Her ex-husband?" queried Fraser walking slowly around the room with Carmen.

"Yes, didn't I mention that?" asked Stella. "The man she testified against was her ex-husband."

"I see," nodded Fraser as he began to get a clearer picture of the circumstances.

Carmen suddenly let out a loud burp and Fraser smiled. "Ah, now that must feel better," he said to the baby and he pulled the puffin face as Carmen stared at him.

"I can't get her to do that," admitted Stella. "I guess I don't have the technique."

"That might explain why she's so restless," suggested Fraser. "It's quite simple, I'll show you." He sat Carmen on Stella's lap. "This might be easier for you," he said. "Just support her chin," he prompted.

Stella hesitated and nervously followed Fraser's instructions. Fraser could see how tense she was. She was clearly very uncomfortable holding the baby.

"I'm sorry, I just don't want to hurt her," shrugged Stella by way of explanation.

"Relax," urged Fraser. "She's tougher than she looks," he added with a smile as Stella started patting Carmen's back gently and it wasn't long before the baby produced another burp.

"Oh!" Stella was so surprised and her face lit up. "I did it! Thank you. I really don't have a clue when it comes to babies."

Fraser could see that. "Don't worry, you're doing fine," he said encouragingly.

Stella quickly handed Carmen back to Fraser. "I thought they'd only be here for a couple of days while I sorted out the paperwork for Silvina to remain in America," she explained. "Then she got sick and I haven't even been back to the office since; I've been using up my personal days. Would you like coffee?"

"No, thank you," replied Fraser as he rocked Carmen gently.

"I'm sorry I dragged you into this," Stella continued. "I realise you may be uncomfortable with the situation. I'm harbouring an illegal alien in my spare room. If you want to report me then I'll understand."

"I don't think that will be necessary at this juncture," replied Fraser.

"I owe you an explanation, though," Stella continued. Fraser was about to protest, but Stella waved her hand in the air to stop him.

Stella was aware that she hadn't always treated Fraser fairly in the past, but he was Ray's best friend and that made things awkward. This was the first time she'd really been able to talk to him properly and she could see that everything she'd heard about him was true. Stella had only called Fraser out of desperation this morning. She hadn't been able to think of anyone else she could trust and then she'd remembered what people said about Fraser - that he helped people and that he always did the right thing – and so he'd been the only person she'd called.

"I first met Silvina in the run up to her ex-husband's trial for murder," Stella began to explain. "He's been running guns through Mexico and across the border with his brothers and uncles for years. Silvina had tried several times to escape their brutal marriage, but he'd stopped her every time. I'm not sure of the details; she finds it hard to talk about."

"Of course," nodded Fraser, sadly. He had noticed scars on Silvina's arms – cuts and burn marks. He had assumed those represented just the tip of the iceberg.

"Carmen isn't his child," Stella explained. "She met a man, an American, and they developed a relationship while her husband was out of the country. Unfortunately, the bastard had people watching her and he was fully aware of everything. When he returned to Chicago, he forced Silvina to watch as he murdered her lover. Silvina thought she would be killed too, but it seems he wanted to keep her alive so he could punish her some more. One night he got very drunk during a poker game and she was finally able to make her escape. She went straight to the police and they brought him in. She didn't even realise she was pregnant throughout the whole ordeal."

Fraser was stunned at the details of the story. Carmen had fallen asleep in his arms and he glanced down at her. "Your mother is a remarkably strong woman," he said to her.

Stella nodded. "She's an amazing person, I hate seeing her knocked down like this," she said. "You should have seen her on the witness stand, Fraser. She was nine months pregnant at the time of the trial, but she stood up to all the shit the defence team threw at her."

"Were you able to charge any of his family?" asked Fraser.

"No," replied Stella. "The murder charge was impossible to get out of with Silvina's testimony, but we couldn't pin any of the gun running charges on him, or his three brothers. As far as we know they've all left the country now, but they made threats to Silvina and the baby in the courthouse. She can't go back home, not now."

"Weren't you able to secure her protection after the trial?"

Stella sighed. "I asked one of my staff to file the paperwork," she explained. "I don't know what happened. It should have been straightforward, but he screwed up somehow and by the time we realised it was too late and a deportation order had been issued. Silvina called me one morning in a very distressed state and I said she could stay here while I fixed things for her. I just haven't had chance to deal with it." Stella stopped talking and dropped her head into her hands. "She got sick so quickly," she said quietly. "I've tried so hard to take care of her and the baby, but I'm so out of my depth here…" Her voice cracked and she had to stop talking.

Fraser gave her a moment to gather her thoughts. "Why don't I take Carmen out for a while?" he said eventually. "I need to buy ingredients to make Silvina something to eat. I know a few recipes that should help with her nausea. You need to sleep."

Stella nodded and smiled. "Thank you, Fraser," she said. "I'm so exhausted I can't think straight. I don't know why anyone would choose to have a baby; this has been the most horrendous week of my life. I don't know how much more I can take."

Fraser already knew that Stella had never wanted children of her own – it had been one of the catalysts for the end of her marriage to Ray – but to hear her describe her brief experience of parenting as 'horrendous' was still quite startling. He understood that she was tired, but if she really did feel that strongly against the idea of having children then it was no wonder it had caused so much tension between her and Ray.

"You don't have to do this alone anymore," replied Fraser with a smile.