Ray's Apartment ….

Ray dropped Fraser and Ramona off at his apartment and left in a hurry to get to the crime scene before Welsh demoted him to a meter reader or a crossing guard. The Mountie carried the car seat and diaper bag easily up the steps to the detective's flat on the third floor. When he arrived at his friend's door Stella was unlocking the deadbolt.

"Hello, Ms. Kowalski." Fraser greeted her, startling the willowy blonde.

"Crap, Constable Fraser, don't do that!" She laid one hand over her heart, her eyes closed as she tried to get herself back together.

"My apologies, I didn't realize you didn't hear me coming up the stairs." Fraser let Stella push open the door and go on into Ray's apartment.

"What are you doing here?" The Assistant State's Attorney asked briskly, laying her overloaded briefcase on the kitchen table.

"Ray has been dispatched to a robbery and I volunteered to watch Ramona until he returned." Fraser set the car seat on the coffee table and carefully unfastened Ramona's safety belts and pulled the pink, fleece blanket from around her.

"Oh, so that's why he's not here." Stella stood with one hand on her hip as she looked around the small apartment. It was most definitely a bachelor pad. If it weren't for Fraser's influence she was certain it would smell like sour milk and sweaty socks.

"Is Ray still using a dresser drawer for a bed for the baby?" She turned to Fraser, a curious gleam in her pale blue eyes. Stella would have passed for Ray's sister with her lean features, light blonde hair and sky blue eyes.

"For the time being, yes, the Kowalskis arrived earlier today with Rachel's furniture and personal effects." Fraser lifted the baby out of the heavy, padded seat, careful to support her spine. He caught Stella watching the wiggling infant closely, amazed at the tiny girl clad in a yellow, cotton onesey.

"That's good. Have you heard anything about how Rachel's doing?" Stella stepped closer, watching Ramona as she spread her miniature hand out then clasped it closed again, her fingers barely wider than a coffee swizzle stick.

"No, I haven't, Ray was called away from the Kowalskis' house before I could inquire." Fraser sat down on Ray's sofa, allowing room for Stella.

"Rach was always a little flighty growing up, I guess we just didn't see it as anything more than having a vivid imagination." Stella took a seat on the opposite end of the sofa, staring into space.

"Ray mentioned that the three of you were close as children." Fraser adjusted Ramona's bib as she smiled up at him. Having just had a bottle, he knew it for what it was, gas.

"Yeah, it was always Ray, Rachel and Stella, all over the old neighborhood on our bicycles, going to the movies, in school." Stella smiled, remembering Rachel taunting her with Ray and Stella, 'K-I-S-S-I-N-G, first comes love then comes marriage, then comes Stella pushing a baby carriage'. It had been Rachel that had first know the two were meant for each other.

"Rachel needs your support right now, friends and family make for a speedy recovery." Fraser assured her.

"I plan on going to see her as soon as she's settled in." Stella said, watching Ramona again.

"Would you like to hold her?" Fraser offered, seeing the longing in the woman's face.

"I don't know, I'm not very good with babies." She threw up her hands, shaking her head.

"You'll do fine, Ramona is a very content baby." Fraser persisted, hoping to get her to talk about the problems she and Ray had had but not wanting to pry. Warily, Stella took the baby girl in her arms.

"You're doing fine." Fraser watched the nervous attorney lay the child against her chest, peering down into Ramona's eyes as intently as the child looked up at her.

"She's beautiful." Stella said softly, a weak smile pulling at her lips. Ramona was so warm and soft, twenty-two inches long and nine pounds of pale pinkness.

"Yes, she's a living miracle. I've often thought how babies begin as something so small as two, fragile cells and yet are so resilient. They change and grow so rapidly, depending on someone else entirely for nourishment and protection, each day is a new experience." Fraser waxed philosophical as he watched Stella with Ramona. The attorney turned a rueful eye on the Canadian.

"Nice try, Constable Fraser." She said coldly. Fraser looked at her wide eyed, the picture of innocence.

"I know Ray's told you we fought over me not wanting children, my mind isn't going to change because I held Ramona or because of your flowery speech." Stella's eyes narrowed as she handed Ramona back to the Mountie.

"Understood." Benton nodded as he met her stern gaze.

"Good." Stella's tone was resolute but forced. "I came to get a report Ray left somewhere in this dump." She stood up and began searching for the manilla file folder marked 'Callapari'.

"The Callapari file is on the top of the refrigerator." Fraser turned toward the kitchen where the rummaging woman searched the covered counter tops.

"Of course it is." Stella sighed, finding the file and picking up her briefcase.

"Tell Ray I dropped by and picked it up, okay, Constable Fraser." The attorney snapped, opening the front door.

"I shall, have a good afternoon." Fraser wished her genuinely.

"Yeah, you too." Stella let the door close loudly as she left the apartment.

"Hmm, if only all women were as content and easy to understand as you are, Ramona." Fraser made the puffin face for his captive audience. She gave him a gas-free smile for his effort.

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Ray walked into his apartment somewhere near midnight, exhausted and so aggravated he nearly vibrated. The house was dark as he opened the door, pulling off his jacket and tossing it on the couch. He heard an indignant whine from Dief when the weight of the heavy, leather coat hit him in mid snore.

"Sorry, fella, didn't know you were there." Ray apologized to the wolf. "Is Fraser in my room?" The detective shook his head when he realized he was talking to the white fur ball.

"Ray?" The Mountie's voice sounded sleepy as he walked out of the small bedroom off the living room.

"Yeah, it's me buddy." Ray answered, taking a seat in the arm chair next to the sofa.

"Rough case?" Fraser took a seat on the sofa. Dief moved his tail just in time for it not to get sat on. He wasn't even supposed to be on the furniture.

"Yeah, three punk kids robbed a video store as part of a gang thing, one of 'em got twitchy and capped the clerk, two inches and it woulda been murder one." Ray rubbed his eyes, gritty and tired from being awake and up nearly twenty hours.

"The clerk survived then?" Fraser assumed.

"Yeah, hopefully, if he makes it through the night." Ray leaned his head against the back of the chair, staring up at the dark ceiling.

"How's, uh, how's Ramona?" Ray turned, a happier note in his voice.

"She's sleeping just now. Stella was here this afternoon, she arrived just before you dropped us off." The Mountie informed his friend.

"Yeah, what'd she want?" Ray didn't sound terribly hopeful.

"The Callapari file. She held Ramona for a minute though." Ben tried edging into the topic although he wasn't entirely sure it was the best time.

"You sweet talked her into it, didn't ya, buddy." Ray rolled his head to look at his friend in the light given off by a nearby neon sign.

"It wasn't her idea, if that's what you mean, Ray." Ben allowed.

"Ah, figures I guess." Ray sounded more sad than tired, almost old. "Think I'll go check on Ramona." the detective stood up slowly and made his way into his bedroom. The baby slept soundly, nestled in the large dresser drawer at the foot of the bed. She wore a pale pink romper with unicorns and rainbows printed on it. All was right with her world. Ray sat down beside her, listening to her breathe and watching her move in her sleep. For a minute the detective envied her.

"Three kids who ain't kids no more, a guy just doin' his second job at video store, tryin' to make a livin' so his kid can got to college and buy a washer for his stinkin' apartment, what's this world comin' to?" Ray said softly to himself. Seeing the clerk's blood covering the tile floor of the all night video rental had been routine, telling his sobbing wife and fifteen year old son that dad's in the hospital on a ventilator hadn't been. Nothing had made sense, the guy had handed over the money to the thieves and was attempting to cower down behind the counter until cops showed up. Now he'd probably be out of work for months, if he lived through the night.

"I can kinda see why Stell didn't want any kids." Ray sighed and laid down on the bed beside the dresser drawer. Before he knew it, he'd fallen asleep. Fraser threw a blanket over him and shooed Dief off the couch so he could sleep a while.

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