Hi all! This is my first ever attempt at writing fan fic, as opposed to reading it. This is a work in progress, but I'll try to update it as often as I can. This may turn out to be a Ben/Meg fic, as I love them together, but I hope that doesn't deter haters of "The Dragon Lady" from giving this little story a try. Thank you kindly!

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, Alliance Atlantis does. I'm only borrowing them for a little while. There's no point suing me, as I don't own anything worth taking anyway.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

As usual, Constable Benton Fraser of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police strode confidently through the 27th Precinct o the Chicago PD, once his shift at the Canadian Consulate was over. He would never openly complain about any duty, but he found sentry duty to be extremely tedious. Standing still for hours on end didn't exactly stimulate one's mind. He really enjoyed the usefulness he felt in helping his friend Detective Ray Vecchio with his work, even if it was only typing reports or straightening files.

As usual, he exchanges pleasantries with the people he knew; he was pleased and proud to have made so many friends in his short time in Chicago. Back home in the Yukon, his only companion had been Diefenbaker, a deaf half-wolf, whom Benton considered more a partner than a pet. At this moment, Dief was sniffing around Elaine's desk, since the Civilian Aide was usually good for a snack or two.

On this particular afternoon, Fraser found Ray on the phone at his desk, sounding rather desperate.

"What! How could you do this to me? How could you let this happen, Janet? I was counting on you! pause Yeah, I know, it's not your fault. These things happen when you're on the job. At least now you can add assaulting a police officer to the list of charges. pause I was looking forward to it, too. I'm sorry I got upset. You'll be hard to replace. Take care of that foot, you hear? Catch you later, 'K?"

Benton sat next to Ray's desk and twirled his Stetson in his hands as Ray finished his conversation and hung up. "Good afternoon, Ray. Is there a problem?"

"Hey, Benny," Ray replied with a weary smile. "Yeah, I got a problem. My problem is that I need a new pitcher."

Benton rubbed his left eyebrow with his left thumb, as was his habit when he was confused. "I'm sorry, Ray?"

Ray explained, "Every year, we play a softball game against the Fire Department for charity. Guess who got suckered into organizing this year's team?"

"I assume that would be you, Ray."

"That's right, me. Anyway, the rules say we have to have at least two women in starting positions. So I had Sergeant Janet Dickson from over at the 12th Precinct all set to be our starting pitcher, right? And what should happen but a perp drops a stolen TV set right on her foot! Right as she's trying to arrest him. Now her foot is broken, and I need another woman to replace her."

"Is Sergeant Dickson going to be all right?" Benton asked with concern.

"What? Oh, yeah, she'll have to ride a desk for a while, but she'll be fine," Ray answered distractedly, "but that doesn't solve my problem."

"What about Elaine, or Francesca?" the Mountie asked while tugging on his left earlobe in another habitual gesture.

"Elaine is already playing third base," Ray answered, "and Frannie couldn't play even if she wanted to. The rules say anyone who plays has to be in law enforcement. 'Sides, she'd rather watch the game and flirt with all the hot firemen."

A blush crept across Fraser's face, but it quickly passed. "Well, I'm sure you'll find somebody, Ray. Not to worry."

"Yeah, thanks, Benny," Ray gave a small smile. "How about we forget about it for now. How about we do some actual police work for a while?"

"An excellent idea, Ray," said, Ben, as he stood and carefully placed his Stetson on his head. As he walked toward the door, he looked around for his lupine companion. "Dief, if you're quite finished with your doughnut," he said with an exasperated sigh, "we're leaving now. Come along."

The pair, or trio, if you counted the wolf, spent a fun-filled (yeah, right) afternoon of interviewing witnesses, following up leads, and catching up on paperwork (Ray was so grateful that Benny was such a good typist, it almost made up for the whole tasting stuff off the ground thing). Shortly after five o'clock, Ray was driving Benny back to his apartment. He still couldn't believe the Mountie actually chose to live in such a bad neighborhood, but he kept his mouth shut.

After driving in companionable silence for a while, Benny spoke up. "Ray, I've been thinking about your problem regarding the softball team."

"Oh, yeah? What about it?"

"Well, does the female player you require have to necessarily be an employee of the Chicago Police Department, or is it allowable to have someone from another law enforcement agency who has worked with the police?" An idea had begun to form in his head, but he needed to be sure it wouldn't violate any rules.

Ray cocked an eyebrow at his friend. "No, that should be okay. Why? You're not planning on dressing up in drag again, are you? 'Cause that was just wrong."

Benny sighed in exasperation and fiddled with the Stetson in his lap. "Really, Ray, I only did that to help you, and we closed the case, didn't we?"

Ray pulled over in front of Benny's building. "Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm just giving you a hard time." Ray grinned. "You got someone in mind?"

"Possibly, Ray," the Mountie answered with an enigmatic smile. "Thank you for the ride home. I'll see you tomorrow."

Ray bade his partner farewell as Benny let Diefenbaker out of the classic Buick Riviera, then drove away, wondering what Benny was planning.

Thanks for reading, now if you'd be so kind as to leave a review, that would really make me feel good.