Ray Kowalski laid his head back against the seat of the green Riviera and closed his eyes. The multiple flights to Chicago had left him exhausted. Diefenbaker was attempting to lick the side of Ray Vecchio's face while Liaison had rested his head on Kowalski's lap and was seconds away from falling asleep. Fraser sat quietly in the front, trying to suppress the building chuckle inside of him at the sight of Vecchio trying to dislodge wolf slobber from the side of his face and inside of his ear.
"Benny, if it's one thing I don't miss about you is that damn mutt of yours slobbering all over my car, not to mention my face and the wolf hair that is going to be all over the back seat." Vecchio turned his head towards his friend and gave him a warm smile. "But it is good to see you again, even Sleeping Beauty in the backseat."
Fraser turned his head to the faint snoring coming from Ray and Liaison. Ray had his hand resting across the pup's back, his fingers dug deep into the pup's fur as if he had fallen asleep while petting him. 'He looks good relaxed,' Fraser thought to himself. Turning his attention back to the front seat's occupant, Fraser took in his friend's appearance. Ray looked good as well.
"It's good to see you as well. It is very kind of you to offer us your guest house for the week."
"Well, I don't get to see you much anymore and I didn't want to waste a majority of your visit shuttling to and from a hotel." Vecchio shrugged his shoulders. "I think I can put up with Kowalski for a week." Vecchio glanced in the rearview mirror at Kowalski's sleeping form and smiled. "He's a good guy, Benny. I'm sorry I wasn't nicer to him when I got…" Vecchio's words were lost in the past for a brief moment. "You know, when I got back from undercover."
"No apologies necessary, Ray. He knew it wasn't easy for you. Your undercover assignment was far different from his. I think we all knew that you would need some time when you came back to adjust to your own life again." Fraser gave his friend's shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "It's good to have you back."
Vecchio glanced out the side window at the passing scenery. "Yeah… it's good to be home."
Kowalski woke with a start with the slamming of the trunk. He heard Vecchio's muffled voice outside the car and assumed he was helping Fraser with their bags. He laid his head back on the seat and closed his eyes again. Liaison sat up and stretched, then licked the blonde's face.
"Ray, we're here. Diefenbaker, Liaison, let's go meet Jefferson." The two wolves stepped over Ray and jumped out into the evening air. They set about with noses to the ground, taking in all the new scents surrounding them. Fraser turned back to Ray, who had fallen back asleep. He shook his jean clad thigh and gave his knee a squeeze. "Ray, are you coming?"
"What?" Ray asked disorientated, opening his eyes wide. He sat up in the seat and stretched.
"I asked if you were coming. Ray has already gone inside. He said Stella has dinner waiting." Fraser stepped back as Ray disentangled himself from the backseat.
"Sorry, Ben, didn't mean to fall asleep." Ray leaned forward and caught Fraser's lips in a quick kiss. "Lead the way."
Fraser pulled Ray close and wrapped his arms around his waist. "You okay? If you're not comfortable here, we can get a hotel room. I should have asked first. Ray offered and I didn't want to offend him by declining his offer but then I didn't factor in Stella and how you might not be comfortable in…"
Ray placed a finger over Fraser's lips, quieting his lover. "Shut up, Fraser. It's fine. We've been over this dozens of times. I'm happy for them, just like I hope they're happy for us."
Gently removing Ray's finger from his lips, Fraser pulled him closer and leaned his forehead against Ray's. "I'm happy for us," he whispered into the quiet space between them. "Come on, let's go have dinner with our friends."
Stella Vecchio opened the door wide for Fraser and Ray and gave each friend a warm hug.
"It's so nice to see you both again. I'm glad you brought Diefenbaker and Liaison with you. Jefferson drives Ray up the wall but I love the little guy." Stella winked at Ray and gave him a crooked grin. "I even let him have doughnuts. Ray thinks he just helps himself, he doesn't know that I help him… help himself."
"What he doesn't know won't kill him, huh?" Ray winked back.
"Come on, I ordered pizza for you guys. Thought you might like a taste of home, Ray. I ordered you extra pineapple."
"You're a gem, Stell. You know how hard it is to get good pizza up in the frozen north? Damn near impossible."
Stella led the two men towards the dining room. "Ray took your bags out to the guest house. I put fresh linens in there for you and changed all the bedding. Frannie and Turnbull were here a few weeks ago visiting. They are doing well. Frannie told us they're expecting this winter. She seems to have calmed Turnbull down a bit. He appears more grounded and not as…"
"Flighty?" Ray supplied the word Stella was hung up on.
"Ray…" Fraser scolded his partner.
"What? It's true, admit it, Turnbull used to get on your nerves too. You were just better at hiding it than the rest of us."
She laughed as she nodded in agreement. "Exactly."
"His thoughts did tend to be quite scattered I admit. But I in no way found him to be annoying." Fraser defended himself.
Ray rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say, Ben."
"I still can't believe Frannie settled on Turnbull after she was hung up on Fraser all those years." Vecchio slid the piping hot pizza onto the table with plates and napkins and took a seat next to his wife.
Stella swatted his arm. "Ray Vecchio that is your sister you are talking about. Frannie in no way settled on Turnbull. He swept her off her feet and she fell in love with him. They are wonderful together."
"I find it hard to believe that Francesca would settle either. I'm sure there is something fascinating she has found in Constable Turnbull that the rest of us have overlooked. I would assume there is something in all of our relationships that others just don't understand. A love that others can't figure out or place and that's okay, because it is a love we share with our partner."
Stella held up her glass of wine and smiled at Fraser. "Well said, I agree with you. A toast… to the unique love we share with our partner."
"I second that," Kowalski raised his beer in the air and smiled affectionately at Fraser. "Okay, I've been waiting forever for pizza from home, let's eat." Ray took a plate and placed several pieces of pizza onto it. He took a bite and sighed with content. "God… it's good to be home. You can't get pizza like this in freezer land."
"We have pizza up north, Ray." Fraser looked at his two friends sitting across the table. "Okay, so maybe it isn't as good as what Ray is used to, but it's edible."
"Frase, there is no comparison. Did the long flight make you forget how good Chicago pizza is and how bad Canadian pizza is? Even the beer is better here."
"Then why do you order it if it's so bad?" Vecchio questioned.
"When you're desperate you take desperate measures." Kowalski answered, his mouth full of pineapple pizza. "This is like being in heaven. Thanks, Stell."
"You're welcome."
Fraser was quiet the remainder of dinner, slowly coming to the conclusion that Ray had become homesick during the last few months in Canada with him. Everyone swapped stories about what they had been up to since the last time they had all been together. The Rays traded stories about raising Diefenbaker's puppies, everyone shared a laugh over the loss of puppy teeth that had both Ray's freaking out in different countries.
After dinner, the friends retreated to the backyard so the pups could play. Diefenbaker was curled up at Fraser's feet, napping, after inspecting both his boys, Jefferson and Liaison. Ray and Ray were playing catch with Liaison and Jefferson.
Stella offered Fraser a cup of coffee. "You look like you could use something to keep you awake."
"Thank you kindly. It's been a long day." Fraser took a sip of the steaming coffee and watched as the pups chased the colored tennis balls thrown back and forth across the yard.
"What are your plans tomorrow while those two are bonding at the ball game?" Stella asked Fraser as she sipped her own coffee.
"I brought a book I've been meaning to read. And I promised Ray I would keep an eye on the dogs while they were gone. He has a sinking feeling they are going to tear your house apart or something." Fraser laughed and pointed to Liaison. "That one, you just need to worry about hiding the doughnuts or muffins."
"Our little Jefferson, oh my God, Ben, the first time he chewed one of Ray's slippers I thought I was going to have to find a new home for him. Ray was furious. Then he was getting ready for a meeting with his new boss for this federal job he took and he slipped his foot into one of his dress shoes, only to realize, Jefferson had chewed the tongue out of it." Stella cupped her hand over her mouth to hide the laughter that was escaping. She suddenly turned quiet, her thoughts taking her back into the past. "He was ready to load him into the car and take him to the animal shelter. That was the day Ray called with news about Liaison."
Fraser turned in his chair and watched Stella's expression change on her face as her gaze was fixated on her husband in the yard playing with their dog. "I remember Ray took the phone call, he had been so angry with Jefferson but then Ray starts thanking him for sending a puppy home with you and telling him what a good friend he was to you. My Ray realized that the puppies were helping him bond with your Ray. He's very grateful for what Ray did for him and his family while he was gone. That's what the tickets were for, to thank him. My Ray's not always the best with words."
Fraser shook his head in understanding. "I'm glad he made it home safely. It was very difficult to get used to the idea that I had to pretend Ray was Ray. They have such different personas."
"But in some ways, they are identical." Stella laughed as Jefferson jumped up, trying to catch a lightening bug in mid-air. "That crazy dog will eat anything."
Fraser turned his attention back to the darkened yard. Lightening bugs had emerged for the evening and yellow bursts of light were filling the backyard. A smile spread across his lips as Diefenbaker joined his pups in the yard and showed them the proper mechanics to catching fireflies. Vecchio and Stella retreated to the quiet of the house for the evening as Kowalski joined Fraser on the back porch.
"Look at the fireflies, Ben. Liaison has never seen them before. God I can't believe I miss lightening bugs. It's funny the things you don't think you will ever miss until they aren't there anymore."
"You miss bugs, Ray?" Fraser teased as he wound their fingers together.
"Look at them, they are so mystical, kind of enchanting. I used to catch them in a jar when I was a kid. My mom would give me tin foil and a rubber band to put over the top so they couldn't escape. I'd poke holes in the top with one of her sewing needles and then put it beside my bed when I went to sleep. You ever do that?"
"No, we didn't have any lightening bugs that far north."
"Right… you have the northern lights instead. Did you miss that when you came to Chicago?"
"I can't say that I ever really thought about it. I suppose when I went back home and saw them again, I did appreciate their beauty more than I had in the past." Fraser studied his partner's face. "Ray, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm okay. Just doing a little reminiscing." Ray leaned over and captured Fraser's lips in a lingering kiss. "Let's take the pups in and go to bed. Tomorrow's gonna be a long day. I've got a ball game with Vecchio and you get to doggy sit."
Diefenbaker and Liaison both barked at Ray.
"God, sorry… wolf sit. Happy now?"
Dief and Liaison both nudged Ray with their heads. He leaned over and rubbed them behind their ears. "Come on, Ben. Let's get a jar and catch some fireflies before we go to bed. You can pretend it's the northern lights and I can recapture my youth."
Fraser pulled Ray close as his lover drifted off to sleep. He stared at the flickering yellow lights in the jar beside their bed and wished he knew what was going on in Ray's head.