Tomorrow was New Year's Eve, a day neither of the Rays were looking forward too. There was an outdoor ball tomorrow, the first one and a lot of citizens were looking forward to the new tradition. Normally both Rays would frown at the concept and they had until just a few days earlier. Now there was meaning in going thanks to these new detectives. Vecchio and Kowalski had adjourned to the break room to discuss this situation. Somehow, going to the dance sounded fun? "It's too soon isn't it?" Vecchio asked.

"To ask the girls to the dance ya mean?"

"So you're thinking about it too?" Vecchio sighed. This was a conversation they had never had before. Preferably one that would end peacefully.

"Ya know, she's the first girl to smile at me in years?" Kowalski smiled at the floor.

"Exactly. They're here for a reason. This is meant to be?"

"We're never gonna ask 'em though."

"This is childish!" Vecchio said loud enough for Fraser to hear.

"What is childish?" Fraser asked as he and Dief entered the room.

"Well, we're trying to stall ourselves from asking Hazel and Cassie to the dance tomorrow." Vecchio explained.

"But you both clearly stated only a week ago how disgusted you were with the thought of a dance?" Fraser looked puzzled.

"Things change Fraser...there weren't two beautiful girls here a week ago." Kowalski said, staring into his cup of coffee.

"Yeah, I guess we should practice what we preach, Stanley." Ray added.

"It's Ray." He mumbled into his coffee cup.

"What do you mean, Ray?" Fraser asked.

"We keep telling Fraser to ask the Dragon La... Inspector on a date but, it's harder then it looks." Ray said.

"Tell you what," Kowalski started. "If ya ask the Ice Qu... Inspector, to the dance, then we will ask the girls, OK?" Fraser wouldn't possibly do that so the two had made their point.

Fraser had prepared a handful of good reasons why this was ridiculous, but it was only one night. What would it hurt? And he truly wanted to see his two partners happy and they only would be if they asked the girls out. "Ah, well that sounds like a fair deal." Fraser said as he left to ask her.

"Wait!" Vecchio said as he set his coffee down. "Where the hell is he is going? He's not going to ask her now, is he?" Ray said, questioning himself.

"What if she says yes?" Kowalski ran a hand over his face.

"Oh great! She'll say yes and he'll stand here and wait for us to ask Hazel and Cassie! We're dead!" Ray said.

Fraser left the station, walked to the Consulate, and marched into her office. "Constable? What brings you to my office?" Meg said as she stood up quickly.

"Sir, I have come to ask..." Fraser started abruptly, not leaving her a change to interrupt, except for a moment it seemed more difficult than he expected. "Well, I would like to ask you to the dance tomorrow evening in honor of the new year." Fraser said.
"Constable, tomorrow is..." She assumed she would have an excuse, a meeting or a banquet of some sort but she actually had nothing planned for tomorrow. "A dance?"

"Yes, Sir...if you can of course."

"Oh, I suppose I can, yes." She said calmly.

"Thank you. I will pick you up at seven then?" Fraser added.

"Yes, that sounds fine." Meg said, as Fraser started out the door. "Um, Benton?"

"Yes, Sir?"

"I will be looking forward to seeing you then."

"Me too. Goodbye." Fraser exited the room quickly, not giving her a moment to reconsider.

xXxXx

Fraser marched back into the breakroom at the station, surprised to see the Rays in the exact same position he left them in. "I am back. She said yes." Their faces dropped. There wasn't enough time to be surprised, only worried. "So, now it is your turn I believe." Fraser said. They both sighed and left the room.

"Alright." Kowalski said, looking at Vecchio.

"You go first!" They both shouted simultaneously.

"OK, fine, I'll be the bigger man." Ray Vecchio approached the girls, they were hunched over their desk and mumbling things. "Hazel?"

"Oh, hi, Ray!" She quickly stood up straight along with Cassie.

"Would you like to go to the New Year's dance with me?" Ray said. Waiting for her to answer seemed to take an hour though she answered in less than five seconds.

"Of course! I mean, I think I'm free..." She shot Cassie a look who shook her head at her friend's typical response. "Gosh, I have been waiting for you to ask me all week!" Hazel responded.

"Oh, really?" She walked off with him and they began making plans but not before Ray nudged Kowalski to get him to go next.

Cassie looked up to Ray Kowalski and back down to her papers. "That's good for them, it's been too long since Hazel's been out with a good man." She picked up her pile of papers and took a few steps away from the desk before noticing Ray had gone pale! "Hey are you there? You OK, Ray?"

"I...I gotta go!" He walked back to the breakroom. They'd been treating the station like a school hallway today.

"Oh, alright." Cassie was disappointed, but also happy that she had longer to think of things to say to him.

"You didn't do it did you?" Vecchio was waiting for him back in the breakroom.

"I couldn't?"

"What are you afraid of? You can't be any worse than you are now by asking her?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kowalski tried to change the subject by getting defensive.

Ray took a step back. They'd gone a while without getting into a fight. He was hoping they could go for a while longer. "Will you just ask her already?" Ray asked.

Cassie walked in suddenly "Ask me what?" Cassie sounded worried.

Ray turned around to see her and sighed. "I, I want to, I mean, will ya, or can..."

"Cassie, he wants you to go to the New Year's dance with him." Ray Vecchio finally blurted out to put the pathetic boy out of his misery.

"Yeah. That's what I was tryin' to say." Kowalski smiled at her and blushed a little.

"Oh, why are men so afraid to ask that?" Cassie added, now grinning from ear to ear. "Why would I possibly say no?" She wasn't cliche, she had to put her own twist on a simple answer. Kowalski went on instinct and pulled her in for a quick hug which she happily accepted. Vecchio was making quiet remarks about it to himself.

xXxXx