Unbreakable

by happy29

It has been a year since Jimmy Akers invaded Fraser and Kowalski's lives and new relationship. With a mix up in the system and a new assignment for Ray, their lives are thrown into turmoil once again. A sequel to 'Hesitate'

11. Chapter 11

The conversation with Welsh stirred in Ray's head the entire drive home to Chicago. He didn't care what happened to Zippy or the factory. All he cared about was Fraser. By the time he got home he was exhausted. It was late in the afternoon. Good thing he hadn't popped one of Zippy's pills or he would have probably been scraped up off the side of the road somewhere.

"Ben," he called out as he entered the apartment. All the lights were on and Ray could hear movement in the bedroom.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Fraser demanded as he came out of the bedroom with a bag slung over his shoulder.

Ray flinched, shocked by the waves of anger radiating off Fraser. "Welsh called me and told me what happened."

"I wondered how long it would be before he got you back here." Fraser pushed passed Ray into the living room.

"Where are you going?" Ray's voice rose as he pointed to the bag. Christ, he couldn't believe it. Fraser was leaving?What the hell? Welsh was right, something was very wrong here. How could he have missed it? "You can't run away from whatever is going on, Ben," he pleaded. In his head he was thinking 'don't leave me, don't leave me, don't leave me.' "That isn't going to solve the problem."

Fraser spun around and got in Ray's face. "What isthe problem, Ray?"

Ray held his ground. He made his voice very calm, kept his gaze locked on Fraser's. He knew how to deal with crazy people. He didn't know what it was with Fraser, whether it was a breakdown or if he was - Christ - if he washigh, but he did know not to antagonise him. The slightest thing could set him off, the mood he was in now. "Ben," he said gently. "I don't know what the problem is but something is very wrong with you."

Fraser's eyes were hard and glittering. Ray's heart fell. He could swear he really was high. "I see you're siding with everyone else."

"I'm not siding with anyone, Ben." He scrubbed his eyes, angry with himself. God, he was not going to cry. He'd done that when Stella left and it hadn't done a thing. "I love you dammit." His voice cracked and he lost it, the desperation in his voice escalating as he spoke. "And I'm trying to figure out what the fuck is wrong with you. Why you're constantly biting my head off, why you're so damn irritable and cranky all of a sudden." He gritted his teeth and said it. "Why you're failing drug tests."

"That's why Lieutenant Welsh called you?"

"Ben," Ray reached out to touch him. Fraser flinched back, and Ray dropped his hand. "If you needed something for your shoulder pain, you should have told me. We could have gone to the doctor or the hospital and they would have written you a new prescription." Ray didn't want to acknowledge the elephant in the room but somebody was going to have to do it. "Where are my pills? My vicodin prescription. Is that where you got the meds?"

"I didn't take any pills!"

"That's not what the failed drug tests are saying. Maybe you mistook them for the tylenol."

Fraser's eyes blazed with fury. "How stupiddo you think I am? I think I know the difference between a prescription bottle and a Tylenol bottle."

"I don't think you're stupid, Ben!" Ray ran his hands through his hair frustrated at the wall he was trying to break through with Fraser. "I'm just trying to make sense of it all."

"Why would I take something that doesn't work for me? I told you that a long time ago. I never abused Vicodin." Fraser snarled and exposed his crooked tooth. Why couldn't anyone seem to comprehend that fact? "What would be the point? All it ever did was make me sick to my stomach and make me shaky."

"Ben, I love you…"

"Really?" he asked, baffled. For a moment, he almost believed Ray. Then he remembered. "Do you love Gwen as well?"

"Who the fuck is Gwen?" Ray asked his brows knitted together in confusion.

"Pretty little blonde. Just your type." Fraser bent over the couch and picked up the jeans and hair gel and threw them at Ray. "Look familiar? I believe they belong to you."

Ray caught the items as they hit him in the chest. He stared blankly at them. "Where did you find them?" He looked them over to be sure they were his. Of course they were his, who else would they belong to?

"Your friend Gwendropped them off yesterday morning. If you don't mind, I'll skipthe threesome she has planned."

"The what?" Ray asked in disbelief.

Fraser spun on his heels and made his way to the door. Ray grabbed his elbow and pulled him to a stop.

"Ben, I don't know anything about a Gwen. You have to believe me."

" Why? If I wasn't enough, you should have just said something. You should have just left. Asked meto leave. Hell, I don't know. Just not gone behind my back and shacked up with some floozy."

"I didn't shack up with anybody!"

"And I didn't take any drugs. Now. Which one of us is lying?" Fraser turned to leave, had the door pulled halfway open when Ray tugged on his arm again.

"We need to talk about this. You've been taking something. You're acting like a complete lunatic."

"A lunatic, huh? Maybe we never really knew each other." Fraser's face twisted in sudden misery. "I clearly never knew you."

"Ben, you haveto believe me. I love you."

"I lovedyou too. For all the good it does either one of us."

"Please, Ben. You've got to see a doctor."

"Why? So they can tell lies about me? I don't know what's happening, but I do know I don't trust any of you."

"Why would the doctors lie? Why would I lie to you?"

"I don't know. They're lying all the same. You all are lying. You see what I've been taking?" He picked up the bottle of Tylenol and rattled it at Ray. "This is the only damn thing I've put in myself the whole time my shoulder's been hurting - and yes, it's been hurting. This stuff's done nothing for me, and I'm still trying so hard to stay clean that I haven't even asked for anything stronger. But just so you know?" He stopped and swallowed. "My shoulder hurts like hell. Everything. Everything hurts like hell."

Fraser's eyes were so full of pain it was killing him. Ray reached out again to touch him. Fraser yelled, flung the bottle at him. Ray froze as it hit him on the chest and fell to the floor.

"Ben," he whispered. "You need some help. Just stop and listen to yourself foronesecond. None of this is making any sense, you're not making any sense. Welsh told me you're seeing Jimmy in places he can'tbe. And you thought the same thing happened here,that he was in the apartment and you fought him?" He scrubbed his face. "What the hell is going on with you?"

"I can't." Fraser closed his eyes and swallowed. Ray's eyes fixed on his strong throat, the Adam's apple moving, the pulse in his throat beating too fast. He had no idea what to do. Fraser put his hand up in the air, as though to ward off a blow, and turned to leave. "I have to," he said, "I have to - to get away. You're all accusing me, I can't live like this."

Jesus. What was he saying? Ray grabbed his elbow to stop him from leaving. His voice was sharp with desperation. "Talk to me, dammit!"

In one swift motion Fraser had Ray pinned to the wall, his knee pressed up hard between Ray's legs, crushing into his groin - not in a good way, like one twitch would have him singing soprano the rest of his life. Ray's eyes watered and he squeezed them shut. When he managed to open them, his own gun was pointed in his face. Fraser's mouth was a thin merciless line, and his eyes were furious. "You and I have nothing else to talk about."

"Ben," Ray squeaked out as Fraser's forearm dug into his throat. "You're hurtingme." This wasn't Fraser. He didn't know what it was, but it wasn'thisBen. "Please, don't leave."

Fraser took a step back, his face going slack with shock. He didn't say another word, just placed the gun on the countertop and left.

Ray sucked in a shaky breath. What the hell had just happened? How did their lives get so fucked up in the course of two weeks? Ray spun around and cleared the countertop of its contents in a moment of rage. He took a calming breath. 'Let Ben cool off. Cool yourself down. Then go find him.' Ray stepped over the mess on the kitchen floor. Jesus, he had broken Ben's favorite mug. Somehow, he was going to get to the bottom of this mess. He opened up the doors under the sink to retrieve the dust pan.

"Dammit, where the fuck is that thing?" Ray got down on his hands and knees. "I know this is where Ben keeps it." He shoved a couple of cleaning products out of the way and finally found it near the back. "What is that?" Ray hopped up and flipped on the kitchen light to see better. He stuck his head back under the sink. There near the back wall was a filter nestled against the water pipe going to the faucet. Ray's heart ached. Fraser had installed a water filter for him while he was gone. Ray cleaned up the mess quickly. He needed to find Fraser. They were a duetand he wasn't going to let anything break that up.

---

He found Fraser just where he'd been afraid he would. He was standing on the shores of Lake Michigan, with his back to the city, looking out over the water. Ray imagined Fraser would have been half-way across the border by now. He tugged on the collar of his t-shirt. It was hot and muggy and beads of sweat were starting to form on his forehead, even this late into the evening. He stared at Fraser from a distance. Ben wasn't dressed for the weather. He had a long sleeve shirt on over his t-shirt, buttoned up halfway. Ray was so distracted by the allegations Fraser had thrown at him at their apartment, he hadn't noticed what Ben had been wearing. Ray took a few steps closer. Ben was shivering, even despite the weather. It was weird to think of Fraser ever being cold. He must really be sick or coming down from whatever drug he had been taking or... something. Ray wiped the sweat from his brow and dried his hand on his jeans. It made sense that this was where he'd find Ben. Fraser had gone straight back to the scene of their first fight. Ray had always sworn it would be their last fight, their last realfight, that is. This was where he hit Fraser.

He dragged his feet overtop the stones, making sure he made some noise as he walked so that Fraser would hear him coming. Fraser was already on edge and Ray wasn't in the mood to find out what startling him from behind would lead to. Ray thanked the heavens above that Fraser didn't carry a gun.

"Hey, Ben," Ray spoke softly as he came up and stood a few feet behind his partner. He reached forward and touched the tip of Ben's elbow. He wasn't sure why but he just needed to feel some sort of connection.

Fraser said nothing and didn't turn around. He just hunched his shoulders up. He knew Ray would find him here. This was really where their 'us' began. They stood without speaking for a long time. All Ray could hear, besides birds and wind and waves, was Fraser breathing. The sound was nasal and heavy, as though he'd been crying.

Finally, Fraser turned, looking down at his feet. He couldn't bear to look Ray in the eyes and discover any more accusations or lies hiding in the blue pools. When he spoke, it blurted out. "I don't know what's going on with me, but I'm not taking anything." He turned back towards the water.

Ray nodded silently. "I was afraid you had left," he confessed and motioned towards Fraser's satchel resting by his feet. The wind took his words and all was silent again.

"I was," Fraser whispered as he swiped a hand across his eyes. He had been crying. "I don't want to believe that any of this is true."

Ray nodded again. He knew, somehow, that Fraser thought he was telling the truth. Maybe all the stress with Jimmy had given him a split personality or something. Or maybe Ray was an idiot and Fraser was just the world's best liar. Despite the evidence though, he was prepared to take a risk on Fraser. He'd always been honest before. And besides. Arguing wasn't going to solve the problem. So far it had only made things worse. "We'll figure it out, Ben. We'll figure out how you failed those tests. We'll figure out why you keep seeing Jimmy." Fraser shrugged but didn't say anything, kept staring ahead. "You gotta believe me when I tell you that I have never cheated on you. I could never do that to you. I love you too damn much."

Fraser turned his head and looked Ray square in the eyes. "I trusted you, Ray." Then he turned his back on Ray again, staring out over the lake visibly shaken.

'Trusted.'Past tense. Ray felt the word like a punch to the chest. Fraser didn't trust him anymore. Ray stepped up behind him and placed both hands on his shoulders and gave his lover a reassuring squeeze. He lowered his forehead between Ben's shoulder blades.

Fraser flinched. "I want to believe you," he whispered.

"And I want to believe you."

It almost felt like a truce.

Ray tried to think of something else to say, something to return them to a fragile normality. Something that wasn't all anguish and pain and misunderstanding. "Hey," he said with a hint of cheerfulness and ran his hands down the length of Ben's arms and clasped their hands together. "Thanks for installing the water filter in the kitchen." Ray let out a hesitant chuckle. "It'll save us some money on bottled water." He took a deep breath and said a silent prayer. "You know, that's ifyou decide to come back with me."

Fraser was still staring dully out at the flat lake. "What are you talking about?"

"The filter. Under the kitchen sink."

Fraser frowned and stepped out of Ray's embrace. He turned around slowly and faced him full on for the first time. "I didn't install anything under the sink."

"Then what…" Ray opened and shut his mouth. He was having a horrible thought. He was pretty certain there was never a filter under their sink before. Even the few times he had put away cleaning supplies or on the rare occasion the dish drainer, he had never seen one. Ray scrunched up his face trying to remember. "Did we have a water filter?" If they did, he had never changed the thing, never saw Ben change it for that matter either.

"No," Fraser said with some disappointment. Ray couldn't remember anything.

"There's a filter under the sink." The water. What if there was something in the water? Maybe it was like that little white pill Zippy had given him. That thing had dissolved like powdered sugar, and he couldn't remember a trace of a taste. Shit.Fraser wasn't the only one who'd just failed a drug test. What about Dief? He hadn't been himself lately either, and the vet had called and said that Diefenbaker had picked up a poison somewhere. What were drugs if not poison? Dief and Fraser drank water from the same tap. What if -

No, he was being paranoid. But it felt like everything was falling into place. If Fraser didn't install the water filter, who the hell did? What if Fraserwastelling the truth? He hadn't been taking drugs - not knowingly. Someone else had been putting them in him.

Shit. Ray pulled the bottle of tylenol out of his pocket and popped the top, shook a few pills out into his hand. "This is what you've been taking? These pills?" Ray asked suddenly, his voice trembling.

Fraser's eyes filled with anger once again. "Yes," he snapped. "I told you that already."

"Jesus, Ben. These pills aren'ttylenol." Ray pushed the white tablets back into the bottle and secured the lid. "They look a helluva lot like Vicodin."

Fraser turned, eyes hurt. "Are you saying I switched them? That I was trying to deceive you?"

"No! Ben, that's not what I'm saying at all." Ray pressed his hand up against his forehead and took a deep breath. "I think somebody's doing this to you. Somebody's doing this to us."

"What are you talking about?" Fraser tried to make sense of what Ray was saying. "You think someone deliberately switched those pills?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I do." Ray stared out at the water as everything fell into place.

"But why would anyone do that?" Fraser asked as he tried to catch Ray's train of thought. His head was spinning and he wasn't sure he could jump on the thought train and catch up with Ray as he was speeding away with his idea.

"It kinda makes sense if what I'm thinking is true. There's gotta be something in the water that's making you sick. You get a headache, what do normal people do? They go take a dose of Tylenol to get rid of it. Wash it down with some water-" Ray was talking fast with his hands and Fraser was having a difficult time following. "Get dosed again, repeat the cycle of taking pills to get rid of your growing headache." Ray slammed a fist into his opposite palm. "Jesus… no wonder you've been acting so crazy. Dammit and I was so insistent that you take something for your shoulder when you tripped over my damn bag. Fuck..."

"But you weren't getting sick so that doesn't prove your theory."

"Ben," Ray rocked forward on the balls of his feet and jabbed a thumb into his own chest. "I don't drink the fucking tap water. I buy the bottled crap. You and Dief are the only ones who drink out of the faucet."

Fraser groaned and hid his face. "No wonder I - God. He made me look like an incompetent fool."

"You've been seeing Jimmy, right?" Ray asked and Fraser nodded. "It's got to be Jimmy."

"Yes." Fraser turned to Ray. "I'm sorry. I still don't know - I can't think straight. I don't know how he's doing this. Or why."

"Neither do I." Ray's jaw hardened with anger at the thought of what he would do to Jimmy Akers when he found him. "But I'm sure as hell going to find out."

It took some serious convincing, but Ray finally got Fraser to agree to go to the hospital and get checked out. Initially he was reluctant. Ray didn't blame him. Everyone he knew thought he was going crazy, and he didn't exactly trust authority figures at the moment.

"What if they don't believe me?" Fraser hesitated before opening the door to Ray's GTO. "What if they say Iinstalled the filter?"

"There's a hell of a lot of easier ways to take drugs if you were doing it deliberately. And you'd not risk poisoning Dief or myself or anyone else who might use the faucet."

"I've lost my job, Ray. Inspector Thatcher fired me this morning."

"Yeah, well, the Ice Queen can't fire you for failing a drug test when you're beingdrugged."

"You can't prove that though."

"Not yet, but I will."

"You really do believe me?" Fraser's voice was shaky, and Ray could have kicked himself for not having trusted him from the start. It was going to take a lot of time for Fraser to realise that Ray did believe in him, and it was going to take Ray a lot of time to forgive himself.

"Of course I do. And I called Welsh, Ben. He's going to go over and remove the filter. I told him, to make sure he gets a water sample before he takes it apart. Forensics will dust it for prints and we'll go from there."

Ray glanced away and then back to his partner. "You know you didn't put it there and I know you didn't. So you've got nothing to be afraid of, okay. Just get in the car and let me take you to the hospital." Ray studied his partner's face. There were several scratches across his forehead, a gash above his eye, purpling bruises on his cheek. A split lip. Fraser definitely fought with someone. And if he was high on something because of whatever was in that filtration system, it could have very well been with himself. He remembered Diefenbaker biting him and how out of character that was for the wolf. It was possible Fraser did have an imaginary fight with Jimmy that seemed real to him.

"Ray…" Fraser turned towards the lake again. "I don't know…" He shivered again. "I can't remember..."

"It's okay, Ben." Ray came around the car and stood in front of Fraser. He gave him a reassuring smile, then suddenly pulled him in for a kiss. Fraser went rigid with shock. He didn't lean in but he didn't let go either. And that was all Ray could hope for at the moment. "I love you," he whispered against Fraser's cheek. "We're gonna figure a way out of this mess. We'll cross whatever bridges we have to in order to do that. Let me be your guide this time."

"How can you be so sure?" Fraser closed his eyes as a tear fell out of the corner and trickled down his cheek. Ray brushed it away with the caress of his thumb.

Ray leaned in a kissed Fraser gently. "Because we're a duet." He stepped back and gave a little shrug matched with a lopsided grin. "And we're both damn good cops." Ray motioned towards the car and pulled open Fraser's door. "Please, let me take you to the hospital so we can get to the bottom of this."

Fraser conceded. Another tear slipped from his eye. "You don't think I'm going crazy, do you?."

"No, I don't." Ray winked and smiled softly. "I'm just glad I didn't have to follow you to Canada." He walked around and got in the driver's seat as Fraser closed the car door and settled back in his own seat. "I would have though, you know. I would've followed you anywhere."

---

Ray paced nervously up and down the emergency room hallway. He crumpled up the paper coffee cup and slammed it into a nearby trash can. He grumbled and considered retrieving it to get another cup of coffee. "Screw it," he said as he passed the trash can. "This place has plenty." Being here again with Fraser was almost reminiscent of the last time Fraser was in the hospital and all because of the same person. Jimmy Akers. All Ray did back then was pace up and down the hallway too.

"Detective," Welsh's husky voice filled the empty hallway and Ray spun around to meet him.

"Did you get it?" Ray asked quickly.

"Did one better and got the pipes as well." Welsh grinned. "Looks like whoever installed the thing wasn't very concerned about getting caught."

"But you got it?"

Welsh rolled his eyes. "Detective, I just said that. Do you not listen?"

"Sorry. Just worried that it would have magically disappeared." Ray folded his arms and dropped himself into a nearby plastic chair. They hadn't gotten any more comfortable in the last year. "What would that do to Ben if you went and got it and it was gone? "

"Well, let's not even introduce that idea to him."

Ray nodded in agreement and dropped his head against the hard wall. The thud echoed in the empty corridor. "Fraser told me that Thatcher fired him this morning."

"Lovely." Welsh cracked his neck and sat down beside Ray, patting his knee. "How is the Constable? Once we get that filter tested, it will only be a matter of time before she reinstates him."

Ray nodded. "I'm worried about him."

"Me too. How is he physically? I already know he isn't all there upstairs at the moment."

Ray snorted and let out a frustrated sigh. He scrubbed his eyes with his knuckles. "The doctor popped out about half an hour ago and said they had a hard time getting him hooked up to an IV to get some fluids in him. They keep saying he's really dehydrated. Something about veins collapsing. And he's agitated. Whatever is in his system must be wearing off." Ray ran a hand through his honey colored hair. "I just don't get that. He drinks water all the time. I mean, you were at our place. And forgive his moment of being an utter slob, but how could you miss all the glasses in the sink?"

"You think it was something in the filter?" Welsh scratched his chin. "Maybe something that causes a constant thirst? Keeps him coming back for more?"

"I don't know, probably. That's Fraser's specialty knowing all that stuff." Ray starred his Lieutenant in the eye and pointed an index finger in his direction. "And do notthink for one moment that he put it there himself."

"I wasn't even going to suggest it." Welsh placed a hand on Ray's shoulder and gave it a friendly squeeze. "We should get some results back from forensics in a day or so. Fingerprints hopefully by the end of the day." Welsh stood up. "In the meantime, I have my own work to do. Fraser isn't the only one who failed the drug test."

Ray made a face. "Seriously?" He wondered if he should fess up and tell him about accepting the drug from Zippy. Ray scrubbed that idea quickly. Welsh had enough on his plate and besides, it was a one time 'accidental' dosing.

Welsh grumbled and let out a frustrated sigh. "Things are tight enough with budget cuts, now I have to deal with officers on suspension."

"Uh, hey… about the assignment," Ray twirled his thumbs waiting for shit to hit the fan. You don't just walk off an undercover assignment without some kind of backlash.

"Don't worry about it. We'll figure something out. If there's a drug problem there, I'm sure the owner would want it taken care of. Let me worry about that for now. There will be a way to get you back in. And if not you, someone else."

"Thanks."

Welsh left and Ray was left waiting alone once again. How long did it take to stick an IV in someone and put them in a room? Fraser didn't have any other injuries from his supposed fight that he knew of. Ray scratched at his stubbled jaw. That part of this whole story still wasn't adding up. When Fraser had told Welsh about the fight he supposedly had with Jimmy, he kept saying 'them', not him. 'One thing at a time.' Ray reminded himself.

A doctor finally approached Ray and he bolted out of his seat like a jackrabbit on steroids.

"How is he?" Ray asked, before the doctor even had a chance to open his mouth.

"He's stable," the doctor said, and gave a sympathetic smile. "Calm down, Mr. Kowalski. He's in good hands."

That wasn't a great answer. 'He's stable' meant that he wasn't really well. ' He's in good hands,' meant that he needed to be looked after. Shit. Ray took a shaky breath.

"What's going on?"

The doctor sat, and gestured for Ray to sit too. Ray perched on the edge of one of the plastic seats, hunched over his knees, ready to jump up if he had to.

"Well, as you probably guessed, he's severely dehydrated. It seems that he's been drinking plenty of water, so we've taken blood samples to test his pancreas and kidney - nothing for you to panic about, but they can affect the way the body balances water -"

"I know about the pancreas thing. You think Fraser might have diabetes?"

"From his previous medical history it seems unlikely, but we need to check. Personally, I think it is more likely that he has some renal issues - maybe a kidney infection or -"

"Hang on, his kidneys are fu - screwed up?"

"I didn't say that, Mr. Kowalski. I'm just letting you know what we are looking into." The doctor sighed. "He was extremely agitated, and found it painful when we took his blood. Initial toxicology reports show signs of a poison. So we are going to run further tests to hopefully pinpoint what he was ingesting."

"Okay, hopefully the forensics will be back soon on the water filter and we can compare the two."

"Yes, if what you told me when you brought him in turns out to be true, the toxins should be the same. His blood pressure was very high as well, which is completely unlike his usual readings." The doctor fidgeted with his stethoscope dangling around his neck. "When you see him, you'll probably find that he has bruises on his arms. We had to hold him steady. I'm sorry about that."

'You damn well better be.' Ray couldn't say anything. He felt sick.

"I'm afraid that's not the worst." The doctor looked down at his clasped hands. "I understand that you have been away for some time working?"

"Yeah. Not long. Going on two weeks."

"It looks as though someone may have assaulted him within the last few days."

"You mean the bruises?"

"Yes."

"You mean like someone punched him in the stomach or something?" Ray had a horrible thought that he knew where this was going, and he refused to believe it. The doctor kept looking at him though, and Ray's heart sank. "You mean someone..." He couldn't even say it. Fraser had told Welsh he a had a fight. The doctor just confirmed it. Something had happened, Fraser hadn't just imagined it. Ray was sick and furious. He wanted to kill the bastard. If it was true, Jimmy Akers finally got what he wanted.

"I uh, I stopped your Lieutenant on his way out and gave him Benton's clothing that he was wearing to test for any trace evidence."

Ray was growing sicker by the moment. Fraser assaulted in their own home. 'Please, God,' Ray begged. 'Don't let that be true.'

"We can do a more thorough exam once he is less agitated." The doctored straightened his white coat.

Ray didn't like where this conversation was going. "Oh God." He clasped a hand over his mouth and squeezed his eyes shut tight. "You think he was sexually assaulted?"

"Ray," the doctor's voice was gentle. He placed a supportive hand on Ray's shoulder. "The date rape drug showed up in his blood work. You understand we have to entertain the possibility that he may have been raped. We can only check that with an exam. Unless he has showered, there should be some evidence on him somewhere that we can collect."

Ray just stared at the floor. He knew it had to be done. He just hated that it had to be done to Ben. "Did you ask him?"

The doctor nodded.

"And?"

"He doesn't remember anything, which as a detective, you already know that is usually the case in situations like these." The doctor gave Ray's shoulder a supportive pat. "You can go in and see him in a few minutes. Just be aware, he may seem a little groggy. We gave him a mild sedative to help settle him down. He should finally be able to get some sound sleep."

"Thank you." Ray shook the doctor's hand and the man stood up.

"I'll check back in in the morning."

---

For the first time in longer than he could remember, Fraser felt safe. Not that he was comfortable - the IV drip in his hand was itchy, and the mattress beneath the bed sheets were plastic and slippery. The noises of the ward were constant and irritating in the extreme. But it dawned on him, after the doctor left and the nurse returned to her rounds, that at least in the hospital, Jimmy wouldn't be able to get to him. Usually, he didn't like being on a public ward, but on this occasion it reassured him to know that there were witnesses, twenty four hours a day. If only Ray were here as well he could close his eyes and get some sleep.

No sooner had he thought it then Ray came in. Fraser turned his head on the pillow and smiled at him groggily. Ray smiled back, but it seemed forced somehow. Fraser felt his own smile fail.

"Hey, Frase," Ray tugged on his t-shirt. Why was the heat on in Fraser's room in the middle of the summer? Ben was buried under layers of worn beige blankets. He approached the bed slowly and pulled up a plastic chair. Now was not the time to be asking him any difficult questions. Ray took a seat and reached for Fraser's hand. "Hey," he whispered as he stroked the top of Ben's hand, careful of the IV securely taped to his pale skin. "Don't look like that."

"Like what?"

"Like the whole world's against you."

Fraser closed his eyes and whispered. "It feels like it is at the moment."

"It's not." Ray gave Fraser a soft smile and squeezed his hand again reassuring him. "I promise. How are you feeling?"

Fraser pondered this as he rubbed his temple with his free hand. "A little better. Dizzy. Sleepy."

"Yeah, the doctor told me about that. The dizzy is because the crap is leaving your system. The sleepy is because they gave you something to calm you down. And also, you said you've not been sleeping well, so you're just really tired. Reckon you'll feel a lot better if you get some solid sleep."

"I've not been sleeping well without you." Fraser admitted aloud before he could stop himself. He still loved Ray, couldn't help himself. But then he couldn't ignore the fact that a strange beautiful young woman had showed up on their doorstep returning Ray's belongings.

Ray gave his hand another squeeze, then lent over the bed and kissed his forehead. "I know that feeling," he said. "Me either. But I'm here now."

Fraser drew back at the gesture. "Ray, about that woman."

"Ben," Ray dropped his head forward. "Please don't do this. Okay? There is no woman. There is noone."

"Then how did she get your things?" Fraser pulled his hand away from Ray.

Ray sat back in the plastic chair and threw his hands up in the air. "I don't know," he exclaimed annoyed. "I sure as hell didn't givethem to her. I don't even know who the hell she is." Ray took a calming breath and let it out slowly. "Ben, I swear to you, I do not know her. She probably got my things the same way someone managed to install a filter under our sink."

"And what about the phone number she gave me to give to you?"

"What are you talking about?" Ray looked as puzzled as Fraser felt.

"It matched the same number that called you the morning after you came… after you came home to get your pillow." Fraser didn't want to say it, didn't want Ray to confirm it but he had to know the truth. No matter how much that truth hurt. "Have you really been undercover all this time or have you been...?"

"Don't even say it! Okay?" Ray shot his calloused and bruised hands out towards Fraser, palms up as evidence. "You think I would really do this to myself on purpose to trick you so I could have some kind of fling?"

Fraser cringed at the accusation. Hearing it aloud, it sounded so absurd coming out of Ray's mouth.

"Listen. I don't know what the hell is going on. The guy training me called me to come back that morning and I ended up working with some stinky guy named Zippy who makes Dewey look like a saint."

"But the phone numbers matched. They were the same. How could that be? Unless you really weren't undercover…"

"I don't know…" Ray pointed a finger in Fraser's direction. "What I do know is that I love you, and I've never cheated on you. I honest to God have been working undercover in some God awful factory for the last week."

"You think…" Fraser's voice drifted off as his eyelids grew heavy. He jerked back awake. "I'm sorry…"

"No." Ray relented. "I'm sorry. Look, you need to get some rest. We'll figure this out. You've been through a lot the last few days. You should try and get some sleep."

"You think while we were away, that's when someone broke in?" Fraser rubbed at his eyes trying to get them to stay open against the effects of the sedative.

Ray thought about it. That made perfect sense. Oh God- "You know, Mrs. Henderson stopped by to drop off our mail, after we got home." Fraser looked confused and Ray continued to explain. "Remember? You went to see the Ice Queen and I went and picked up some groceries." Ray scrubbed his stubbled jaw. "She said that we passed our annual inspection. What if it wasJimmy instead of a real inspector?"

Fraser shook his head on the pillow. "He lived a few doors down from me before he was arrested. She would have remembered him and would never have let him in our apartment. Even if he did have an actual job as an inspector."

"Okay, maybe." Ray pulled on his ear. "Although, her health hasn't been the best lately. So, okay. If not him, then what about that Gwen chick?"

"Ray..." Fraser paused. It finally sank in that Ray was telling him the truth. That the whole thing about the alleged affair was an ugly twisted complex lie.

"Think about it for a second, Ben."

"No, my head hurts." Fraser coughed and squeezed his eyes shut against the overhead light. For a moment Ray thought he was going to throw up.

"You okay?" Ray asked concerned. He reached over Ben's left shoulder and pulled the cord on the light panel above the bed, dimming the light considerably. "How's that?" he asked as he rubbed a hand down Fraser's thigh in an attempt to sooth and settle him. Ray smiled when Ben didn't flinch against his touch.

"Better, thank you." Fraser took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The sedative the doctors had given him was starting to make staying awake and coherent much more difficult.

"Think of all the things that have gone missing since we've been home, Ben. The letter opener, my pants, my hair gel, your bookmark picture. You started acting like a crazy person afte rwe got home. They had to have done it while we were gone."

Fraser yawned and his eyes slid shut against his will. When he felt Ray's hand on his shoulder, he popped his eyes open and tried to focus on the blond before him. "I'm sorry, I keep drifting off."

"It's okay, you're really tired. You need to rest. We'll talk more in the morning. Hopefully Welsh and the doctors will have some answers for us by then."

Fraser's eyes flew open. "Don't go." His voice was sharp with alarm. "Please."

"Okay, okay. I'm not going anywhere."

Good. Fraser rolled slightly onto his side, facing Ray, still holding his hand. While they were together, he felt safe. No one could touch him. Ray wouldn't let them.

---

Ray shut the apartment door behind himself and fell against it. He slid down the door and hit the floor with a dull thud. And then he started to sob. He had held all the emotions in at the hospital for Fraser's sake. But now that he was alone, he let it all go. The tears flowed freely as his sinuses opened up and began to drain. Ray wiped his eyes and nose on the sleeve of his shirt. He was a blithering mess.

He glanced around the apartment and was still confused about the fight Fraser kept saying he had with Jimmy. With the exception of the clothes thrown on the floor in the bedroom and the dishes littering the sink and counter, their place was relatively clean. Almost tooclean. Fraser hadn't been the tidiest guy on the planet lately - so it stuck out that even though there were plates and cups in the sink, and books and papers all over the table… Ray frowned. Something about it didn't add up. Ray pulled himself up off the floor and walked over to the coffee table. There was no dust. Scattered pieces of mail, a few books, Ray's car magazines… but nodust. Someone had cleaned and he was absolutely certain it hadn't been Fraser. Ray felt sick. Someone hadbeen here. Ray felt his stomach knot up with the thought of someone being in their home. Someone had touched their things. Fraser actually may have had a fight with someone and they cleaned it up.

He needed to call Welsh and have forensics go through their place with a fine tooth comb. That thought alone made his stomach churn. He didn't want to let his colleagues invade his and Fraser's personal lives. But, if Jimmy or someone else had been here, there should be evidence of it somewhere.

Ray wanted to kill the bastard. Should have done it when he had the chance a year ago. God he wanted to throw up. He felt the bile rising in his throat. His head started to spin. Ray made it to the bathroom before he lost the contents of his stomach. When he was done retching, he rinsed his mouth and splashed water on his face. Then froze. He bent over and opened the door under the sink and let out a sigh of relief. "Thank, God," he muttered. There was no filter under the bathroom sink.

He turned around to hang his towel on the rack by the shower and saw several of their bath towels in the bottom of the tub. God, Fraser hadturned into a slob. He bent over to pick them up to place them in the laundry basket. They were damp to the touch. Ray wrinkled his brow, confused. Welsh had said Fraser had been in the same clothes two days in a row. Which either meant he hadn't showered and never changed out of them or he put the same clothes back on again. Ray picked the towels up. They smelled musty but not from being wet. He couldn't place the aroma until the words of Fraser's doctor sunk in.

Fraser had been assaulted.

Ray paced back and forth in the bathroom trying to decide what to do. He knew what needed to be done, but he wasn't prepared to deal with the outcome of the results. Ray could feel his heart beating against his chest. He needed to get the towel to Welsh and have it tested.

Fraser always kept the paper grocery bags under the kitchen sink. Ray found a bag and carefully placed the towel in it, folded the top down and taped it shut. His fingers shook as he wrote 'evidence' on the outside of the bag in black marker.

"Jesus," he gasped and stepped away from the counter. Ray squeezed his eyes shut. He and Fraser would make it through this. They had to. They had already endured so much. Ray set about his original task to take his mind off the bag sitting on the counter top. Ben needed some clean clothes. Their bedroom was in no better shape than the kitchen. Blankets and sheets on the bed were in a disheveled mess. Clothes were piled on the floor beside the laundry basket and not in it. Fraser had the nerve to call him a slob? That wasn't fair and Ray knew it. He was a slob… Fraser wasn't. And Ben had been supposedly drugged. He began to pick up the clothes in an attempt to tidy up the bedroom. And then he smelled that same sickening scent again. It wasn't as strong, but it was unmistakable. Ray sniffed each article of clothing and dropped them into the laundry basket until he came across the offending pair of boxers. Fraser's boxers. They were soiled with what smelled like a semen stain. Either Fraser was jacking off while he had been gone or…

And then Ray remembered the dream Fraser told him he had dreamt one night. The dream where he and Ray were getting intimate and Fraser had guided Ray's head to his cock. But then Ray had morphed into Jimmy and then Fraser was startled awake. Ray's stomach was now in his throat and he was afraid he was going to vomit again. What if Fraser had been drugged and Jimmy really was there and really did… Ray couldn't finish his thought. Didn't want to finish it.

Ray bagged the pair of boxers and set it next to the bagged towel on the counter top. He picked up the phone and called Welsh. "Hey, Lieutenant, it's Ray."

"Detective, it's late. Is Fraser okay?" Welsh asked concerned.

"Yeah. He's okay for now. I decided to slip out while he was sleeping. Frannie is sitting with him while I'm gone. I came back to our place to get him some clothes in case the doctor releases him tomorrow."

"Good. That's good to hear."

"Listen, I have a few things that I need you to have tested for me." Ray paused and attempted to collect himself. "And I think maybe you need to have someone go through our place."

"Ok, I'll get someone on it right away."

"Listen, Lieu, this is our lives we're talking about here. I'd appreciate it if whoever you send in is discreet. Fraser and I don't need everyone at the station knowing about our private lives."

"Don't worry about it. I'll get Detective Jensen. He has a lot of respect for the Constable. He's also a good friend of Vecchio's."

"Thank you."

"Bring me whatever it is you have and I'll put it at the top of the list with the filter and pipe. Didn't you say something about Diefenbaker? I can get the vet to send us over his file and compare the lab results to Fraser's."

"I'm pretty sure that they will match." Ray rubbed his temple. He didn't know how to tell his boss about what happened to Fraser. "Listen, can you submit the tests anonymously? I don't want Ben's name smeared everywhere."

"What's going on, Ray?"

Ray let out a shaky breath and continued slowly. "The doctor thinks Ben was assaulted."

"Well that fits with what Fraser told me about having a fight with that Jimmy. He has scratches all over his arms and face."

"No," Ray paused.

"Ray?" Welsh's voice was filled with concern. "What happened?"

"The doctor told me that date rape drug was found in Fraser's blood work." Ray paused and gulped. He wasn't going to get sick again. "And I found a few things in our apartment that may prove Ben was assaulted."

Silence.

"Oh God." Welsh cursed under his breath. "Bag them and I'll meet you at the station."

---

Ray leaned against the wall at the entrance of Fraser's room and watched him stir in his sleep. Fraser rocked his head from side to side on the flat pillow. It appeared to Ray as if he was having a nightmare. Or was remembering what had happened. Fraser pushed the blankets down towards his waist and then in a split second, grabbed them and pulled them tight around his neck. Ray wished he could make this living hell disappear.

It was early in the morning and Ray'd been awake all night. He couldn't sleep. Thoughts of what Jimmy could have done to Fraser wouldn't stop spinning in his head. Besides, there were detectives already going through their apartment and he shouldn't be there getting in there way. So he'd come back to the hospital to check on Ben. He had somehow managed to convince the nurse supervising the night shift to let him look in on Fraser. The room was illuminated by a dim light that had been left on above the small sink in the bathroom. He strolled quietly across the room and took up residence in his earlier vacated plastic chair. God these things were uncomfortable. If doctors were ever patients, he was sure they would demand better seating for visitors.

Fraser screamed out in his sleep causing Ray to jump. Ray hopped to his feet and took hold of Fraser's thrashing arms to try and settle him.

"Ben," he called softly, not wanting to startle Fraser.

Fraser's eyes flashed open, locked on Ray then darted around the room. His pupils looked like giant saucers in the soft lighting. When his gaze finally fixated on Ray for a solid amount of time, he stopped fighting his invisible assailants and let his arms go lax in Ray's tight hold.

"Ben, take it easy. It's me, Ray." Ray placed a soothing hand over Fraser's chest to try and push him back into the bed. He could feel Fraser's strong heartbeat thumping wildly against the palm of his hand. "It's okay, Ben. There's no one here but me."

Fraser pulled the blankets tighter against his chest and scooted to the head of the bed. He dragged his knees up the bed towards his chest and tried to stop shaking. It took several long moments before Ray's voice cut through the darkness and Fraser acknowledged his presence.

"Ray…" Fraser was trembling and gasping for air.

"Yeah," Ray sat down on the edge of the bed, placing a firm hand on Fraser's trembling knee. "I'm right here."

Fraser scrubbed a hand over his face. "Jesus. I must have been having a nightmare."

Ray let out a shaky breath to match Fraser's. "You kinda scared me there for a minute. I was about to fall asleep in the chair when you yelled."

"You were still awake?" Fraser asked concerned.

"Couldn't sleep," Ray confessed with a simple shrug of his shoulders. "You okay now?"

"Yes." Fraser stretched his legs out and tried to put on a relaxed front. According the the monitors, his breathing and heart rate were slowly returning to a more normal level. "It was just- just a bad dream."

"Listen, Ben," Ray began softly. He took Fraser's hand in his own and laced their fingers together. "We need to talk about this fight you had with Jimmy."

Fraser lowered his gaze and stared at his blanket covered kneecaps. "I don't remember everything."

And that's exactly what Ray was afraid of…

Ray decided that he would move to safer conversations for the time being. "Hey, I talked to the vet on my way home last night to grab you a change of clothes. He said that Dief can come home tomorrow."

"They figured out what was wrong with him?" Fraser asked.

Ray was confused. Did Fraser miss the whole previous day? Did he miss the whole ER experience, their argument at the apartment, the time at the lake? Was a whole chunk of his memory gone again?

"The same thing is wrong with him that's wrong with you. You've both been drugged by drinking the water in our apartment."

"Oh." Fraser picked at the lint on the beige blanket. "Oh God, Ray." Fraser covered his face with both his hands. The IV tubing caught on the lowered bed railing and Ray was afraid Fraser was going to rip it out of his vein. "The two of us. We had a fight."

"Not a fight, Frase. Just a bunch of misunderstandings. Water under the bridge."

Fraser looked at him with doubt. "I think I- I did, didn't I?" A surge of emotion rose in him, shame and anger directed at himself. Fraser covered his mouth with his hand. "Jesus. I pulled your gun on you."

"Hey." Ray reached out and stroked his arm. "You didn't hurt me."

"It doesn't matter. I could have -" Panic gripped him. "I could have killed you."

"No, you couldn't," Ray said, making it sound very reasonable. "You put the gun down, remember?" He raised an eyebrow. "Besides. I'm not an idiot. It wasn't loaded." It was, but Ray wasn't going to tell Fraser that.

"Oh." He still shouldn't have done it, but Ray seemed prepared to forgive him. "I don't know why - I can't explain it - but I was angry with you, and I was - I was frightened of you. I thought - it felt like you had hurt me." He closed his eyes.

"No. I'd never deliberately hurt you. I couldn't. I love you too much." Ray swallowed hard. "But there's someone who would."

Fraser opened his eyes and locked on Ray's. "Jimmy."

"Yeah, Frase. Jimmy." Ray returned to the hard plastic chair and leaned forward on his elbows.

Fraser turned his attention to the darkness outside the window. "I don't want to talk about him."

"Ben, I know you don't want to. I don't want to ever think of him again. But some of what you told Welsh doesn't make any sense. I know how hard it has to be, but we need to talk about what he might have done to you."

Fraser lowered his voice to a barely audible whisper. His gaze was fixated on the dark shadows outside the window. "I told you, I don't remember anything."

"Okay. But listen." Ray felt the nausea building again. He clasped his own hands together and twirled his thumbs as a distraction. He didn't want to have this conversation anymore than the next person. But it had to be done. And Ray would rather Ben hear it from him, than a doctor. "Ben, your doctor told me he found the date rape drug in your blood work."

"What?" Fraser began to shake. Ever since waking up disoriented on their bedroom floor, Lieutenant Welsh beating on their door like a crazy person, Fraser had been trying to piece together in his mind what the hell had happened to him.

"He's going to need to examine you to… to find out if you were-"

"Oh God." Fraser began to tremble under the worn blankets. "No-"

Ray swiped at a falling tear. "I swear to God if he did anything to you, I'll kill him with my bare hands."

"I can't to through that again, Ray."

"Ben we have to know if he did anything to you." Ray shifted uncomfortably on the plastic chair. "I found a couple of things at our apartment that need to be tested. Anything you can remember will help us be able to put him away for good this time."

Fraser stared wide eyed at Ray. "What kind of things?"

"A pair of your underwear and a towel, both have stains on them." The words stuck in Ray's throat like thick honey.

Fraser tried to remember. "The underwear," he began and blushed with embarrassment. "I told you the dream I had. I apparently missed them when I did laundry."

'You haven't done any laundry,' Ray wanted to scream but nodded instead. "Okay, but the towel, unless you've been jacking off while I've been gone-"

Fraser flinched at the crudeness of Ray's words.

"Sorry, I know you don't do that. Ben, if he hurt you in any way, we need to know so Welsh can have him arrested. Otherwise, he gets what he wants."

"It didn't help last time. They still let that monster out." Fraser snapped. "Besides, what I remember doesn't make sense."

"Maybe I can help you make sense of it." Ray encouraged as he squeezed Fraser's thigh.

"You'll think I'm crazy."

Ray shook his head and gave up a small smile. "No, I won't."

Fraser closed his eyes and dropped his head back into the flat pillow. "I was in bed asleep and I woke up and he was standing at the end of our bed. Standing there staring at me." Fraser struggled with the words as he relived the nightmare. "He was dressed in your clothes."

"My clothes?" Ray shuddered, disgusted at the thought of Jimmy wearing his clothes and pretending to be him.

"Yes. Your favorite green shirt and those faded blue jeans I like on you. He looked a lot like you."

"People used to mistake us for twins when we were younger."

"I mistook him for you once, too." Fraser coughed, cleared his throat and continued. "He crawled up the end of the bed. The closer he got," Fraser stopped speaking and looked Ray in the eyes, gave him a sad smile. "I could smell the cigarette smoke on him. I knew it wasn't you. You had stopped smoking years ago. It made me sick to my stomach- that smell. But he was wearing a bracelet like yours."

Ray was boiling over with anger on the inside.

Fraser continued on, his voice trembling as he spoke. "I scrambled out of bed to get away from him. My legs got twisted in the sheets and blankets and I fell to the floor. I managed to make it to my feet, only to trip over the laundry basket as he followed me out of the room. I think I hit my head on the door when I went down."

Ray's eyes instinctively went to Fraser's forehead. There was an angry purple bruise above his left eye with a shallow cut running through the center of it. Fraser must have whacked his head good. He was surprised the doctors hadn't covered it with a bandage of some sort. Along with the drugs, a hit to the head would also make Fraser's memory fuzzy. "What happened next?" Ray asked hoping to keep the memory train rolling.

"I pushed myself to my feet, backed myself out of our bedroom." Fraser's whole body began to shake as he recalled what happened. "When I turned around, I ran into him in the living room behind the couch."

Ray looked at him confused. "How did he get past you?"

Fraser hesitated before he spoke. "He didn't."

Ray's eyebrows scrunched together. "I'm confused. If he was behind you coming out of the bedroom, how did he get into the living room before you?"

"I don't know." Fraser's face was pinched and he was blinking hard. "I know you won't believe me, but…"

"Hey," Ray leaned forward and took Ben's hand in his own. "I never said I didn't believe you. I'm just trying to understand and make sense of it. Tell me, Ben. Anything. I'll listen."

Fraser stared at Ray for a long moment. "There were two of him."

"Ben," Ray tried to be the voice of reason without sounding like he didn't believe Fraser. "How can that be?"

"I don't know, but every time I turned around they closed in on me from either side." Fraser's voice trembled with fear. "I tried to fight them off, but I was confused and dizzy. None of my punches seemed to have any effect on them."

"The drugs. They'd have made you weak." 'And delusional,' Ray thought but didn't say out loud.

"One of them grabbed me from behind and the other kicked my legs out from under me. They forced me to the floor, one of them sat on my hips while the other pinned my arms down."

"Jesus." Ray was sick. That's probably where the bruises on Fraser's arms came from, not the doctors' trying to insert an IV line. Fraser did remember. He remembered just enough. Ray just didn't get who the other guy Fraser kept talking about could be. Did Jimmy have an accomplice? And if so, who the hell was it? Or was Fraser, in his drug induced state, just imagining a second person there? He couldn't fathom the fear that Fraser had and was still experiencing. It was bad enough what Jimmy had almost done to him a year ago. Now to have to live through a fresh nightmare. To have it happen again. They had a long road ahead of them.

"One of them shoved something in my mouth," Fraser said in a whisper. "It dissolved before I could spit it out." Ben wiped a tear away and pulled the blankets up to his neck like a barrier. "Everything after that is a blank."

Shit. Fraser was 'roofied'. The doctor had already told him that. But to hear it actually come from Ben, made it an even harder to accept. He didn't want to accept the truth that anything had happened to Ben at all. "Okay," Ray scratched his head and blew out a frustrated breath. "What's the next thing you can remember?"

Fraser dug his fingers into his temple as if trying to resurrect his failing memory. "I remember waking up on the floor in the bedroom. Lieutenant Welsh was pounding on our door trying to get an answer. I tried to tell him what had happened but I don't think in my current state he believed a word I said. I remember yelling something at Lieutenant Welsh but I can't remember what it was now. Everything is still pretty jumbled up in my head. He told me I needed to get some help and left." Fraser fiddled with the edge of the blanket between his fingers. "If that wasn't bad enough, Inspector Thatcher showed right after he left and fired me. I had missed my appointment for another drug test."

Jesus.No wonder Ben was in such a foul mood when Ray got back. Must have felt like his whole world was falling apart - hell, it hadfallen apart. Ray squeezed Ben's hand. "That's probably when he called me."

Fraser took his finger and ran it across the smooth beads of Ray's bracelet in a feeble attempt to distract himself. "Ray."

"Yeah?"

Fraser remained silent. When he finally looked up, "Do you think Jimmy really-?" Fraser couldn't bring himself to even say it.

"I don't know. That's why we need to let the doctor check you over."

Fraser scrunched his eyes shut, clearly struggling with the idea. Ray waited him out. This was hard enough on him, it had to be hell on Fraser. Finally, Fraser relented. "Okay," he agreed as he dropped his chin to his chest.

"I'll be right here. Okay?"

Fraser offered up his own brave smile. "Okay."

---

"Hey good news," Ray said cheerfully as he reentered Fraser's hospital room. "Doctor's going to let you go home tomorrow."

Tomorrow. Another night in an uncomfortable hospital bed. But at least in here, he was safe from the world. "That's good." Fraser's small smile faded quickly and he went back to pushing his scrambled eggs around his breakfast plate. He dropped his fork losing all interest in the food and pushed the stand to the side.

Ray made a face wanting to tell Fraser he needed to eat something but the man had been through enough already. If he didn't want to eat what was probably imitation powdered eggs, he wasn't going to force him. "How about I bring you some of that soup from the deli you like down town?"

"That sounds good." But Fraser didn't really show any interest in that idea either. The doctor had examined him first thing in the morning and he was still waiting to hear the results. Even though he was dreading what they might reveal. Not only was his memory still blank from the pill he had been slipped, but his body ached. Ached like he had physically exerted himself. Ached like it did after he and Ray would have sex after a long period of time of not being together. He wanted to die. He didn't ever want to think about sex again. All that kept running through his mind was what Jimmy had done to him that he couldn't remember. And who was the other person that was there with Jimmy? Maybe he was delusional, maybe it was the drugs messing up his memories. Maybe he couldn't believe his first hand experience. He had a feeling nobody believed him that there were two people there that night. He just couldn't get it to add up no matter how hard he tried. Before he could say anything else, Ray started speaking again.

"And," Ray began as he sat down on the vacated plastic chair. After the previous night, he decided he was going to buy himself a nice leather chair for the next time Fraser ended up in the hospital. Which he hoped and prayed was never. Ray scooted the chair closer to the bed. "It looks like you're in the clear." A single tear slipped down his cheek before he could stop it. He had been trying so hard to hold up a brave front for Fraser's sake. The doctor had stopped him on his way in and told him the news. He told Ray he would be in shortly to tell Fraser himself, but if Ray wanted to relay the news to him first that would be fine. "Jimmy didn't do anything to you." Well, obviously Jimmy had done a lot to him - drugged him, mind fucked him - mind fucked them both, but at least he hadn't actually -

Yeah. Ray couldn't even think it, let alone say it. But they both knew what he meant, even if neither one of them could get the words out.

Fraser breathed a sigh of relief, then began sobbing. Ray quickly moved to the edge of the bed and wrapped his slender arms around his partner and held on tight. Fraser dropped his head to Ray's shoulder and let go of the many emotions he had been holding back. They both needed this comfort. They sat like that for a long time.

"Ahem," Welsh cleared his throat from the doorway. "Sorry. I don't mean to interrupt."

"It's okay." Ray blushed and let go of Fraser. He motioned toward the empty chair. "Have a seat."

Welsh shook his head grimly. "I'd rather stand. I won't be long. There's a lot of paperwork waiting for me at the office."

"What's wrong?" Ray could feel bad vibes coming from his boss.

"I went to Jimmy Aker's apartment to bring him in for questioning."

"Good."

"Would you like to know that he moved into your old place?"

"What?" Ray stood up. He moved to the end of the bed and began pacing before he stopped and kicked the chair at the end of the bed out of frustration. It bounced against the wall and skittered to a stop next to Fraser's bed. Fraser startled and Welsh stood there looking pissed. "What a sick fuck." Ray moved to the opposite side of Fraser's bed and faced Welsh. "Sorry."

"Feel better now?" Welsh scratched at his chin. "Anyway, he wasn't there."

"Dammit." Ray cursed. He could see Fraser tense up beside him on the bed and placed a hand on his thigh, gave it a gentle squeeze.

"I was almost back to the station when I got a call about an accident just outside of the city."

"What kind of accident?" Fraser questioned from the bed. He had finally found his voice.

Welsh fumbled with the items in his hands. "Jimmy Akers and his lawyer were killed in a car crash this morning. Looks like they misjudged a curve."

Fraser flinched. "Dead?" he whispered, and started shaking. Ray put his arm around him and squeezed hard. He felt sick - furious.

"Fuck," Ray muttered. It didn't matter what the evidence said against Jimmy now. The boxers, the towel, the water filter with the drugs, all of that would be tagged and shoved in a box. If the guy was dead, Fraser would never get justice for the hell Jimmy put him through a second time.

Welsh approached the bed and sat down in the chair anyway. "The detectives found a few things in his car that we believe may belong to the two of you."

For the first time Ray noticed the brown paper bag Welsh was holding. "Like what? What did he have?"

Welsh opened the bag and pulled out clear plastic bags containing a few items that had been bagged as evidence. "A pill bottle for a Vicodin prescription." Welsh shook the bottle. "It was empty."

"I bet it has my name on it." Ray said dryly. He could slap himself for ever thinking Fraser had taken them from him in the first place.

Welsh nodded and handed the baggie to Ray to confirm. "It does. There's also a picture of the two of you, ripped down the middle."

"My missing bookmark," Fraser whispered to Ray. "Remember? I told you the night you called, I couldn't find it."

"There were also some clothes that look a lot like some of yours, Ray."

"We were right," Ray was fuming. "He was in our home."

"Detective Jensen is still going through your place at the moment. But with this recent revelation, it looks like this case is closed." Welsh stood up. "I'm sorry you had to go through this again, Constable."

"Thank you, Sir." Fraser's voice was dull. He didn't sound particularly grateful. Drug induced or not, Fraser was ashamed with his behavior towards the Lieutenant. "I'm sorry-"

Welsh cut him off. "No apology necessary. You were being drugged and not yourself." And with that, Fraser was forgiven. "Look," Welsh scribbled some numbers on a piece of paper and handed it to Ray. "When they release Fraser, take him to my place outside of town. Your place is going to be unavailable for a few days anyway while the detectives go through it. If my wife weren't allergic to dogs, I'd let you take the wolf to my place. Would it be okay to have Francesca keep him for a few days?"

Fraser and Ray both nodded. Ray took the piece of paper. "Thank you, Sir."

---

Ray locked the deadbolt and picked his and Fraser's cups of coffee off the counter before joining Fraser in the living room of Welsh's house.

"Thank you," Fraser said with a small smile as he accepted the offered cup.

"You're welcome." Ray rubbed his jaw with his free hand and chuckled. "Welsh seems to be a coffee snob at home. He has a gourmet selection of beans to choose from in that kitchen of his. None of that nasty brew we get at the station."

Fraser forced a smile when he remembered the sushi Welsh had brought over for dinner. "I think your Lieutenant exhibits more of a finer taste in things in his personal life than his professional."

"Yeah, probably doesn't want people to know how much money he makes." Ray gave Fraser a concerned look. "You're shivering. Do you want a blanket?"

"It's cold in here." Fraser pulled his sock clad feet to his chest and wrapped his arms around them.

"It's the middle of the summer, Ben. Really not that cold in here." Ray strolled over to the thermostat and adjusted the setting. "There you go, that should make it more comfortable for you. You'll probably be having withdrawal symptoms from that crap that was in the water for a little while yet." Ray took the blanket from the back of the couch and draped it over Fraser before settling in on the opposite end. He picked up an old car magazine and began leafing through the contents. He couldn't concentrate on what was on the pages though. He lowered the magazine and caught Fraser staring at his knees. "You know, you've been usually quiet since we left the hospital. You okay?"

"I hate this," Fraser mumbled as he took a slow drink of his coffee. He shivered and tucked the blanket around his chin. "It feels like I'm crawling out of my own skin." He set the coffee cup on the end table and stared back at Ray. They had never really talked about his past abuse of painkillers when he had been shot, just the one time when Ray had hurt his shoulder and was given Vicodin. It wasn't something Fraser liked to talk about anyway. He fought the addiction, realized he needed help and beat it. He should have realized when they first came home from their vacation and he started to feel 'off' that he was suffering from the same kind of symptoms. But how could he have put two and two together since he hadn't actually taken anything? His head hurt just thinking about it. And then there was Jimmy. "I can't believe he's actually dead."

Ray shook his head in disbelief. "Yeah, neither can I. Can't say that I'm not glad though."

Fraser let out a dry laugh and scrubbed his face with his hands. "God, I'm so exhausted."

"Hey," Ray leaned forward and caressed Fraser's knee. "It will get better, I promise."

Fraser looked at him doubtfully. "How many sessions with Doctor Orn do you think it will take this time to feel normal again? To not be afraid of every shadow?"

"Doesn't matter, Ben. As many as it takes. I'll be right there too. You're not going through this alone. Okay?"

Fraser's blue eyes were misted over. "I don't know how to forgive myself for the way I've treated you these last few weeks."

"You don't need to, Frase," Ray said as he blew across the top of his coffee. "Drugs make you say and do things you wouldn't normally do. I know now it wasn't your fault. How could you know you were being doped every time you took a drink of water?" Ray shook his head. He couldn't even imagine what Fraser was feeling. He had seen junkies go through withdrawal trying to get clean in rehab. The shaking, sweating, vomiting, dizzy spells all that tied in with hard drug use. But Fraser wasn't a junkie. Ray was praying that Fraser didn't get hit hard with all of those side effects while the drugs worked their way out of his system. At least the drugs Fraser was exposed to weren't anything as hard and addictive as meth or heroine. "Just give it time."

"Ray," Fraser began softly.

"Yeah?" Ray closed the magazine and used his finger as a bookmark. Fraser looked like he had a lot on his mind. Who could blame the guy?

"Why didn't you tell me Diefenbaker bit you?"

Ray dropped the magazine onto his lap and gave Fraser his undivided attention. "Who told you that?"

"Does it matter?" Fraser asked. "You should have told me. I could have taken Dief to the vet sooner."

"Yes it matters." Ray tossed the forgotten magazine to the coffee table. Fraser followed it with his eyes. "I didn't tell anyone. Who told you?"

Now Fraser was the one that was confused. Ignore the fact that Ray hadn't fessed up to the event in question to begin with, but if Ray didn't tell anyone, how did - "Stella told me."

"Stella?"

"Yes. She stopped by one morning and asked how I was? I offered her a cup of tea and she took a bottle…" Fraser stopped speaking and just stared at Ray. His heart was hammering. 'I'm being paranoid,' he told himself, 'everything that's happened, it's making me see things that aren't there... but...'. "She took a bottle of water instead. I made the tea with tap water."

Ray stared at Fraser for a long moment, then blinked hard. It could be nothing. Stella always drank bottled water, never cared much for tea, just like him. "Ben," he paused for another moment, jaw hanging, then shook his head, as if to clear it. "I never told Stella that Dief bit me. I didn't think I needed to tell even you. I mean - it wasn't that bad, just a graze. I thought it was a freak one time thing. Told Dief if it happened again, I was going to rat him out."

Fraser rubbed his aching temples. This didn't make sense. It couldn't mean what he thought it meant. "Then how did she know?" he blurted out.

"The only way she could have known was if she was at the apartment. Which she wasn't."

For the first time in several weeks, Fraser finally felt the fog lift from his head. He was starting to feel like a police officer gathering evidence to a complex case. Too bad it was his own.

"You know, Ray -" he rubbed his eyebrow. There was no way to explain his suspicions to Ray that wouldn't be hurtful. And maybe he was wrong, but he had to at least examine the possibility, let Ray know what he was thinking. He cleared his throat. Sometimes somebody else's words were easier to use than your own. "'Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.'"

"That something your Dad told you?" Ray was glaring at him, looking angry, as though he already got what Fraser was suggesting.

"No, Sherlock Holmes. Well, Arthur Conan Doyle, actually, but -"

"Fraser, if you have something to say, just spit it out."

"If she didn't hear it from you, and she didn't hear it from me, then she clearly heard it from someone else."

"Well, she didn't hear it from Dief and he's the only otherbeingthat knew about it," Ray snapped. "What are you suggesting, Fraser?"

"What does the evidence point at?"

"I can't believe you! Do you really think Stella would -" Ray covered his face. "Shit."

"Ray?" Fraser leaned forward, pushed the blanket to the side and put a hand on Ray's knee, concerned. Ray swallowed, then rested his hand on Fraser's.

"Sorry." Ray was at a loss for words. "I just can't see her doing that to us."

"I know it's not - well, it doesn't necessarily mean anything bad. But - we've got to consider it." Fraser gave Ray another moment. "Maybe she still loves you. And I don't know, was trying to get us apart so she could reconnect with you. She mentioned your past a lot while she was visiting."

Ray sighed.

"Do you think our apartment is bugged?" Fraser suggested.

"I don't know." Ray blew out a breath and considered the possibility. "It's possible."

Fraser pulled the blanket up over his lap again and began picking at the worn fuzzies on the surface. He glanced up and locked eyes with Ray. "Why didn't you tell me your mother was visiting?"

Ray sat up straighter on his end of the couch. "What are you talking about?"

"I could have taken her to dinner."

"Did she call?"

"No, Stella told me she was having lunch with her." Fraser shook his head. "I'm trying to get your parents to accept me. How do you think that makes me feel when your mom visits but goes to see your ex wife instead."

Ray got up and started pacing in front of the couch. He began chewing on the side of his thumbnail. "Ben-"

"You don't have to make excuses, Ray. If your parents don't like-"

Ray stopped pacing and pointed a finger in Fraser's direction. "Stop right there. Okay? My parents like you. They like you a lot." Ray began pacing again as he tried to work through the conflicting thoughts swirling in his head.

Fraser sat silently on the couch and watched his partner.

"None of this makes any sense," Ray muttered as he ran his hands through his hair.

"Why would Stella even come to the apartment when she knew you were going undercover?"

Ray stopped pacing and turned to face Fraser. He blew out a breath and shoved his hands in his front pockets. "After we got those letters about Jimmy's release, I asked her to check in on you, to make sure you were doing ok. I trusted her to let me know if everything was okay with you." Ray scratched his stubbled jaw. "I don't know why, I could have just as easily asked Welsh to check in on you. Her and I have this long history with Jimmy and I know she hated to see him released just as much as we did."

"You want to tell me about it?"

Ray walked over to Welsh's stereo and began glancing over his CD collection as a distraction to Fraser's question. "Jimmy and I were best friends. Then Stella came along and we noticed each other and then as the years went on, we reallynoticed each other. The closer Stella and I got, the more my relationship with Jimmy shifted into casual pals instead of best buds. He tried to steal Stella away a couple of times. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. He always wanted what he couldn't have and tried to get it no matter what."

"Like when he showed up at your apartment last year looking for a place to stay?"

"Exactly. He took one look at you and wanted you for himself."

"Do you think that Stella helped get him released so he could break us up? Make it look like I was going crazy by drugging me? She knew you wouldn't be harmed because you don't drink the tap water and you were going to be out of town for a few weeks on a case. She told me that herself. Stella never has liked me, Ray. We both know that."

Ray just stared at Fraser. The man was talking crazy thoughts, but it all made sick sense. "And then have somebody steal my stuff and then drop it off so it looks like I'm having an affair?"

"So, I'd get jealous and leave you."

"The undercover job has to be a set up to get me out of the way." Ray rubbed his temples. "God. How could she?"

"It's just a thought, Ray." Fraser shifted uncomfortably on the couch. "Maybe it is all Jimmy's doing and she unknowingly got pulled into his scam. Did you ever uncover anything at the factory?"

"Yeah. At least I think I did. I think the stolen wire comes into play with a drug problem."

"Someone is stealing wire to get money for drugs?"

"Kind of. The last guy I was working with, name's Zippy. Long story short, he would steal wire by hiding it in the trash, get the money for the copper which his boss the Incredible Hulk would use to buy speeder drugs. Pills to keep you awake, make you move faster. See his shift gets a bonus and he gets an even bigger bonus based on production numbers."

"I bet the owners don't know that."

"So if it all was a setup to get me out of the way so they could break you down, I still managed to uncover some pretty significant illegal proceedings." Ray pulled out his cell phone. "Only one way to find out if she's in on Jimmy's scheme."

"You're going to call her?"

"You got a better idea?"

"Fresh out," Fraser admitted.

Ray punched the numbers from memory into his phone. "Shit," he cursed. "I got her voicemail." He hung up the phone and tossed it onto the couch next to Fraser. "I'll try again in ten minutes."

---

"Francesca!" Welsh's deep voice rumbled from his office.

Frannie had just started walking towards Welsh's office carrying a stack of papers fresh out of the fax machine and a coffee to calm her irritated bosses nerves. "You bellowed?" she asked irritated. Nobody seemed to appreciate her efforts. She dropped the papers to the desk and handed the cup of coffee to her boss. "I thought you could use a pick me up and those papers just came through for you." Frannie studied her freshly polished nails and then glared at her boss. "A simple 'Thank you, Francesca,' would be appreciated every now and then," she griped as she plopped herself into the chair in front of Welsh's desk.

Welsh was already reading through the papers. "Oh my God."

"I know," Frannie apologized. "I'm sorry, I tend to get a little dramatic on occasion when I'm feeling unappreciated. You know, my mouth always gets me in trouble. And if it's not my mouth, it's my facial expressions."

"No." Welsh waved his beefy hand at her. "Not you. Fraser was right. He was fighting two Jimmys." He turned the fax paper around so Frannie could see what he was talking about. "The fingerprints found in Ray and Fraser's apartment belong to Jimmy and his twin brother, Ryan." Welsh held a hand up over his face. "Shit. He has a twin."

"What?" Frannie asked surprised as she snatched the paper out of Welsh's fingers. "There's two of that creep?"

"Get the coroner on the phone. I bet the body we have down in the morgue isn't Jimmy Akers." Welsh pushed his chair back from his desk and put his hands over his face. "Remember the car accident that Fraser had last year in Ray's car?"

"Who could forget that?" Frannie asked. "It was terrible."

"Akers cut the brake lines. What do you want to bet we'll find the same thing on his car?" Welsh stood up and shooed Frannie towards the door. "Go make some calls to the Detectives and ask about those brake lines. And call the coroner. We need to find out who's in our morgue." Mort was usually very thorough, but he had been off ill and the new guy was a sloppy excuse for a replacement.

"Got it!" Frannie bolted out the door to make the necessary calls. Her heart was racing. If Jimmy Akers was still alive, Fraser was still in trouble.

Welsh went back to reading the remainder of the papers that came through in the fax report from the detectives. 'Doesn't anyone know how to use a phone any more to relay important information?' he thought bitterly. When he got to the final paper, he froze. No way could this one be true. The fingerprints on the water filter belonged to Renfield Turnbull. Welsh picked up his phone and hit a speed dial button. "Come on, pick up!" he hollered into the phone receiver. Welsh slammed the phone down on the third ring and grabbed his car keys. He had two police officers to save.

---

Ray grumbled into the phone when he got Stella's voice mail for the fourth time. "Hey, it's me again, Stell. Need you to call me back as soon as possible. Really important that I talk to you." He disconnected the call and hung his head defeated.

"Maybe she's in court or a meeting with a client," Fraser offered. Ray was worked up.

"Yeah," Ray relented and tossed his phone onto the coffee table. "You're probably right."

"You said you brought some clothes?" Fraser asked as he stood up. "I think I'm going to go shower. Wash the filth of the day off of me."

Ray couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. It was very unusual for Fraser not to shower every day. "Don't you mean the last couple of days?"

Fraser sniffed his shirt and made a face. "I honestly don't know when the last time was that I showered." He sat down on the arm of the couch looking defeated. "I've let so many people down."

Ray came over and stood in front of Fraser, placed his hands on his shoulders and squeezed. "You were drugged. None of what happened was your fault. You couldn't help what the drugs made you say or do."

"I can't pretend that none of it happened either. My behaviour was detestable towards you. I was horrible to your boss and my boss."

Ray leaned forward and planted a kiss to Fraser's forehead. "It's okay, Ben. We all know the truth. Once Welsh fills the Ice Queen in on what's happened, she will have to give you your job back."

"And what about us?" Fraser whispered. "Where do we stand?"

"What about us?" Ray locked onto Fraser's blue eyes. His heart was hammering in his chest. Did Fraser think their relationship was over? "You think there's no 'us' anymore?" He put on a brave face and tried to push his insecurities aside.

"I don't know what to think anymore."

"You're not getting rid of me that easily." Ray sat down on the coffee table and took Fraser's hands into his own. "You and me, Ben. A duet, remember?"

"I said some horrendous things to you."

"No. The drugssaid those things." Ray leaned forward and kissed Fraser's lips. "I love you, and that love is unbreakable." Ray swept the falling tear from Fraser's cheek. "Go take a shower, wash off the grit and grime and I'll warm up some of that soup for you."

Fraser slipped his hand around Ray's neck and pulled him close. He hesitated before he brushed his lips against Ray's, then crushed their mouths together. He couldn't get close enough to Ray. "I'm so sorry," he sobbed when he broke the kiss. "I didn't know what to believe." He pulled Ray in for another kiss. "I love you, Ray."

Ray smiled against Fraser's cheek. "Welcome back, Frase."

Fraser finally relented and let go of Ray. He retrieved the bag Ray had packed and headed to the guest bedroom that had its own bathroom to shower.

Fraser toed off his shoes and pulled off his shirt, tossing it onto the bed. He stared at the bed. What he wouldn't give for a solid night of uninterrupted sound sleep. Maybe tonight would finally be that night. He made his way into the bathroom, turned on the knobs to the shower and found a comfortable temperature just outside of hot. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror for the first time in a week. He looked terrible. Dark circles hung under his eyes, cuts and abrasions covered his face and neck. Angry purple bruises adorned his shoulders. "Jesus," he muttered. "No wonder everyone thought I was on drugs and having a breakdown."

Movement from the bedroom caught his attention. "I'll just be a few minutes," he called to Ray. He reached into the shower and felt the water. Perfect. When Fraser looked back into the mirror, Jimmy was standing behind him. His eyes went wide with fear.

Before Fraser could react, Jimmy had a hand twisted in his hair. His fingernails dug into Fraser's scalp. Fraser was about to scream for Ray, but Jimmy was quicker. He slipped his free hand over Fraser's mouth and slammed his head into the mirror above the sink. Glass shards skittered across the bathroom sink and ceramic floor tiles. Fraser dropped to the floor like a rock. Blood ran down his face from the fresh abrasions on his forehead. Jimmy stepped over his motionless body. "I'll be back for you." He set his gaze on the hall towards the kitchen where Ray was heating up soup. "I've got a pest to deal with first."

The first time Ray walked through the Lieutenant's house he'd seen all of the vases and thought, 'Huh. Weird thing for a guy to collect.' Then he'd dumped his and Fraser's bags in the guestroom and forgotten about it. Later, Fraser had stumbled a little and Ray had caught his arm to steady him. Fraser had jerked against a table and one of the vases had teetered.

"Oh dear," Fraser had muttered and tried to catch it. Nothing broke, but Fraser looked far more upset than he needed to. Jeez, he was still all over the place, emotionally.

"Hey, don't worry, Fraser, it's just some weird assed bowl thing. Welsh won't mind if you break it, he'd sooner you didn't hurt yourself."

"I'm sure that's true," Fraser had said. "However, I remember him telling me about his grandmother's collection - I'd hate to damage something valuable."

"This stuff's valuable?" Ray stared at the ass ugly collection. "Wow. Really?"

"Maybe only sentimentally so." Fraser smiled. "I'm not an expert on vases. I'd still sooner not break his grandmother's vases."

Ray had kissed him on the nose. "Freak. It's not like she's gonna come and tell you off."

Right now, Ray was stirring the soup on the stove when he heard the sound of glass shattering. "Frase?" he called from the kitchen. He was worried Fraser had knocked over a vase on the way to the shower. He nearly went to check, but he didn't want to come across as a mother hen. He stirred the creamy wild rice soup he had bought from the deli in the big pot. Breathing in the aroma, Ray could feel his stomach grumble. He wasn't sure when the last time was that he had eaten. The past few days had been a whirlwind. He placed the wooden spoon on the spoon rest and lowered the heat to a simmer. "Ben," he called again when he got no response. "You okay in there? I'm not going to have to tell Welsh you broke one of his grandmother's vases, am I?"

Ray entered the bedroom and was blindsided by a double fist to the face. He fell against the doorway and dropped to the floor, holding his hands over his face. "Fuck," He muttered as he felt blood trickling from his nose. The impact had split open his lower lip and Ray could taste the iron. He rolled to his side and managed to open his eyes but he couldn't get his eyes to focus on the figure above him. He raised his boot clad foot and delivered a swift kick to the side of the assailant's knee. The loud pop made Ray's stomach turn. It was effective, but not in the way Ray was hoping. Instead of falling backwards and away from him, the guy dropped to his knees and straddled Ray instead. Ray was trapped underneath the assailant's weight. His eye's went wide when he realized who was hovering over him.

"You don't always get what you want, do you?" Jimmy leaned over and snarled in Ray's ear.

"You're supposed to be dead," Ray hissed.

"I'm good at deceiving people." Jimmy wrapped his fingers tightly around Ray's throat, squeezing hard, choking him.

Ray swung an elbow in the direction of Jimmy's head and caught him in the left temple. Jimmy staggered for a brief moment allowing Ray to follow with a solid fist to the jaw.

Jimmy staggered enough that Ray was able to shove Jimmy off of him with his knees.

Ray rolled to his side and tried to catch his breath and clear the cobwebs. He spit the blood from his mouth and worked himself into a standing position. The hit to the head had left him dizzy and Ray struggled to remain upright. "Fraser!" he called as he delivered a kick to Jimmy's stomach, trying to keep him down. Jimmy managed to remain on his hands and knees as Ray frantically scanned the room searching for his partner.

With a burst of energy, Jimmy football tackled Ray out of the bedroom and down the hallway. The coffee table caught Ray in the back of the knees and took his legs out from under him. Both Ray and Jimmy fell through the glass top, sending shards everywhere. The hard blow knocked the wind out of Ray and he lay in the frame of the table motionless.

Jimmy bounced to his feet, shook a few slivers of glass off his shirt and gave Ray a menacing grin. "Looks like you lose this round." He reached behind him and pulled a gun out of the waistband of his jeans. Ray groaned and began to stir as he came to. Jimmy fired.

Jimmy pointed the barrel of the gun at Ray's still body one more time and chuckled aloud. "You should have just walked away." Jimmy had his finger on the trigger, ready to fire a second shot into his former friend.

Ray was moaning in agonizing pain. He managed to force his eyes open. Ray's eyes went wide as he stared down the barrel of the gun. His shoulder was on fire from the first shot and he knew that a second shot at this range, regardless of where he was hit, would kill him. He struggled against the confines of the busted up coffee table. He was tangled in the frame and couldn't move.

Fraser dove over the back of the couch, tackling Jimmy to the living room floor. The gun fired and the bullet ricocheted off the metal television stand, shattering a blue vase on a nearby shelf. Jimmy recovered quicker than Fraser and beat him to his feet. He delivered a swift kick to Fraser's ribs, causing him to double over. With Fraser down, Jimmy turned his attention to finding his gun. He was on his hands and knees glancing under the tv stand, then moved to search under the couch.

Fraser worked himself to his knees. He could see Ray bleeding on the floor from a chest wound and knew he had to get him help soon or he would bleed to death. He was feeling dizzying himself from having his head rammed into the glass mirror in the bathroom. He could feel his legs shaking underneath him and fought hard to muster up the strength to go after Jimmy. Someone had to stop him. Blood was trickling down Fraser's temple into his right eye.

Jimmy was still distracted searching for his missing gun. He slammed a palm against the floor in frustration. "Dammit. Why can't anything be easy?" He got to his feet and pulled what looked like a knife out of his back pocket. He turned his attention towards Fraser. But Fraser wasn't where he thought he was. Jimmy spun around trying to locate him.

Fraser had worked his way behind him and landed a solid fist into Jimmy's jaw. Jimmy staggered backwards, trying to slice at Fraser with the knife-like object. Fraser snatched a red vase off a nearby end table and deflected Jimmy's blow. He lost his grip and the vase fell to the floor, shattering into hundreds of pieces.

Jimmy stumbled backwards even more. He caught his balance on the back of the couch and lurched forward, stabbing Fraser in the upper arm with the sharp object.

Fraser screamed out in pain. He clutched his arm as the blood began seeping through his fingers. The knife caught him in the same area where he had broken his shoulder. When Jimmy lunged for him again, he swung hard with both hands, knocking Jimmy's hand to the side and dislodging the object. It skittered across the wood flooring and stopped against the living room wall. Fraser reached forward and grabbed Jimmy's head between his hands. In one swift motion, he rammed his knee into Jimmy's chest, knocking the wind out of him. He was about to throw him to the ground when Jimmy surged forward, shoving Fraser up against the wall. His head snapped backwards and connected with the hard surface. Fraser squeezed his eyes shut against the searing pain radiating from the back of his skull.

Jimmy ripped a lamp off an end table and jerked the cord out of the wall. He wrapped the cord around Fraser's neck and pulled tight, strangling him.

Fraser's vision began to blur around the edges as his oxygen supply was cut off. He struggled against Jimmy's strength to get his fingers under the cord to be able to breath. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ray's hand slowly move towards a black object. It was Jimmy's gun. Fraser could feel his legs buckling. If he could just get himself turned to the side, maybe he would be able to get Ray a clear shot.

Jimmy noticed the movement as well and spun Fraser around to use him as a shield. "You aren't going to get that lucky." He tightened his grip on the cord and Fraser felt himself fading. "Neither one of you are going to make it out of here."

A shot echoed in the living room and Fraser felt the cord loosen against his neck. He fell to the floor gasping for air. Behind him, Jimmy was slumped against the wall, bleeding from a bullet wound to the neck. Lieutenant Welsh stepped over the shards of glass on the floor and helped Fraser to his feet.

The color was beginning to return to Fraser's face. "Ray," he called. He took a step forward and collapsed. Ray hadn't moved since Welsh shot Jimmy. "We need an ambulance," Fraser called to Welsh who was instantly on the phone. Fraser managed to crawl over the broken glass, the slivers cutting into the palms of his hands. He pressed a hand into Ray's wound and Ray's eyes flashed open from the searing pain.

"Fuck!" Ray screamed out as Fraser tried to stop the bleeding. "Hurts."

Welsh dropped to the floor beside Ray and pulled a blanket from a nearby chair. "Here, use this to stop the bleeding." Fraser raised up his hands long enough for Welsh to slide it under, then press down firmly to slow the bleeding.

Ray groaned in protest. "Shit that hurts," he grumbled in agony. One eye opened in a thin slit. "Is he dead?" he croaked out.

"Yeah, he's really dead this time."

"Good," Ray managed to say before closing his eyes again. "Don't worry, Frase. Just a flesh wound."

Fraser knew better.

Welsh looked over Fraser's shoulder to Jimmy Akers' lifeless body. "Let's hope he isn't a triplet."

---

Fraser reluctantly took the offered pain pills from the physician on staff at the hospital. He was being stitched up and observed for a concussion while Ray was undergoing surgery to remove the bullet. He was hoping if they kept him overnight, they would let him stay in the same room as Ray. It was a miracle either of them made it out alive. Neither one would have, had it not been for Lieutenant Welsh. Fraser was attempting to find a comfortable position to rest when Lieutenant Welsh knocked on the opened door of his room.

"You two going to help me clean my place up after you're released?" he asked hoping to lighten the mood. Fraser looked like he was struggling both physically and emotionally.

Fraser picked at the gauze covering his eyebrow. "I'm sorry that your home was damaged. And your grandmother's vases-"

Welsh quickly dismissed Fraser's apology. "I'm just thankful I got there in time, Constable." He let out a sheepish grin. "Truth be told, I never really liked those vases anyway. My wife thought they would look good scattered everywhere. Women and their ideas." Welsh pulled up the hard plastic chair and let out a long sigh. "How are you feeling?"

"I have a killer headache," Fraser confessed. His fingers moved from picking at the gauze over his eye to the tape securing his IV. "And I'm worried about Ray. The doctor said he should be okay, but he's been in surgery for a long time."

Welsh gave up a small smile. "Doctor stopped me on my way in. Ray's in recovery now." He patted Fraser's knee. "Give them an hour or so and they should be moving him in here with you."

Fraser closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. He could finally relax knowing Ray was going to pull through. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Welsh sat back in his chair and watched as Fraser seemed to settle after hearing Ray would be okay. "This whole case is one big disaster."

Fraser nodded but didn't say anything.

"While you were being looked at, we did some more digging. As I'm sure you've already pieced together, Jimmy Akers was a twin. And-" Welsh hesitated, averted his eyes for a moment. "Apparently Constable Turnbull had some kind of grudge against you."

"Excuse me?" Fraser couldn't be hearing this right. "Turnbullwas involved in all of this?" He stared at Lieutenant Welsh, frankly horrified. It couldn't be Turnbull. He was having some kind of paranoid break again. He knew he shouldn't have taken that pain pill.

"Shocked the hell out of me as well. His prints were on the water filter under your sink." Welsh's voice was weary. "It's always the quiet ones."

There was no way, Fraser realized, that this was a delusion because even at his worst, he had never had cause to suspect Turnbull of anything. "What did I ever do to Turnbull?" he asked, his voice brittle with disbelief.

"From what we have gathered, he was jealous of you. He was tired of being overlooked at the Consulate by Inspector Thatcher. He felt with you being incompetent and out of the picture, it would boost his career standing. He hatched the plan with Jimmy." Welsh twirled his beefy fingers around one another. "What we don't know yet is if he knew about the twin. He may have thought he was in the clear when he found out that he had died in that accident. We arrested him trying to cross the border into Canada."

"God, what a mess." Fraser leaned his head back against the pillow and closed his eyes. Turnbull hated him. All the years of working with the man, he never got that vibe from him. If anything, it always seemed that Turnbull admired him. "I guess he fooled us all. What about Stella?"

"We've spoken to Ms. Kowalski and as far as we can see, she had nothing to do with any of this. Turnbull confirmed that as well. He's going away for a long time. And the lawyer that managed to get Akers out of jail, is the one who set it up to have Ray go undercover. I compared the number I found on a piece of paper at your apartment to the one in my files that called about needing an officer undercover and they match. We still haven't figured out who the girl is yet, but we will."

Fraser didn't know what to say. He had considered Turnbull a friend.

Welsh went through the list of things in his head. "Detectives have also found several planted listening devices in your apartment. Everything you and Ray had said, Jimmy knew. We found equipment in the apartment he was renting that I'm sure was used to record everything. And-" Welsh held up a bagged item that Jimmy had used to stab Fraser. "Does this belong to you?" Welsh turned the object in his hands before handing it over to Fraser. "It looks like it has your father's name engraved on it."

Fraser recalled the argument he and Ray had when Ray told him he couldn't find the letter opener and he accused him of never putting anything back in its allocated place. "It's been missing since we came home from our trip North." Fraser let out a sad laugh. "I always accuse him of being a slob."

Welsh cleared his throat. "There's something else."

"What is it?" Fraser asked with a nervous tremor.

"We got back the forensics on some items Ray found in your apartment." Welsh looked away from Fraser's blue eyes. "That sick son of a bitch," he muttered under his breath. "I'm sorry, but we found Jimmy's DNA on a pair of your boxers."

Fraser went pale. "It wasn't a dream," he whispered. He closed his eyes as he felt the nausea rise. Jimmy had done something to him. "I'm glad he's dead." He was mortified that Jimmy had done that to him while he was asleep. Horrified with himself that he had no control to stop it.

"I'm sorry." Welsh looked towards the door. "Looks like you have another visitor." Welsh stood from the chair and motioned to the empty seat for Inspector Thatcher. "I'll stop back in later and check on Ray."

"Thank you, Sir." Fraser grew quiet at the changing of the guards. The last time he had spoken to his superior, she had fired him for failing to show up for another drug test.

Thatcher slowly made her way into the room, unsure how her arrival would be taken. "Constable," she began and stopped short. She smoothed out her jacket, laid her purse in the chair and sat down. "I'm sorry," she began again. It took a few tries before she was able to lock eyes with Fraser. "I owe you an apology for the way I treated you and the situation you found yourself in."

Fraser opened his mouth to speak, but Thatcher held up a hand to silence him.

"Please, let me finish. I know I should have done things differently. But the truth is, I was so floored by your behavior that I immediately flashed back to your past abuse of painkillers and used that against you."

"You should have trusted me."

"I know that. I let my prejudice get in the way of discovering the truth." Thatcher smoothed out the wrinkles in her grey skirt. "This isn't exactly the best place for this conversation. You need to concentrate on getting better. I'm already short staffed with the arrest of Turnbull." Thatcher was uncomfortable and Fraser could sense it. "I'm sorry for what both he and that Akers guy have put both you and Ray through."

Her apology sounded sincere. "Thank you, Sir."

"I'll be waiting for a report from your physician for when you can return to full duty at the Consulate."

Fraser hesitated. He wasn't sure if he would ever be ready to go back. "That could be some time."

Thatcher stood up and gave Fraser a genuine smile. "I don't expect you back tomorrow, Constable. I understand you will need some time."

Maybe his boss wasn't the heartless bitch everyone seemed to think she was after all. "Thank you. I'll make sure I keep you informed."

"That's all I ask." She gave his good arm a friendly squeeze. "Take care of yourself." She motioned to the door. "Looks like you're getting a roommate."

Nurses were wheeling in a bed containing a completely groggy Ray. Thatcher slipped quietly out the door. The nurses hung up Ray's IV lines beside the bed, attached his monitors to the stands behind his bed, made sure he was comfortable and left the room.

"Ray," Fraser called quietly. He knew he should just let Ray rest and recover but after everything they had been through, he needed to touch him to feel that he was still alive. He wished his head wasn't spinning so much, he would figure out how to maneuver his own IV lines, climb out of bed and take up residency in the plastic chair next to Ray's bed.

"That chair isn't that great," Ray's voice croaked and wavered. He managed to open his eyes and turned his head to face Fraser. He gave him a little grin before wincing in pain. "Told you it was just a flesh wound."

"You were in surgery much longer than what a flesh wound would have required."

Ray made a face. "Either way, I'm okay." He stretched his hand out across the gap between their beds. Fraser reached his own hand out and locked their fingers together. "We're both okay," he whispered as he closed his eyes and drifted to sleep.

Fraser squeezed his partner's hand and held it tight. "Unbreakable."