Families

Chapter 25

By the end of September everything was in order for Ben and Meg's transfer, they had decided to give most of their furniture away, it was only Molly's crib and a few other things precious to Meg along with knick-knacks they had packed and sent off already.

All of their Chicago friends and family, that included all the Vecchio's, were gathered in the big reception room at the Canadian Consulate. Ben, Meg and Molly were all flying back to Canada the next day.

Someone clanged a glass.

"I would like to say a few words" it was Ray "First of all, we will all miss you all a lot, and we hope that you will get a good life up in the north. I don't know about you Meg, but Ben's been longing to go home all since I first got to know him" he didn't say that it had just been last year, some of Vecchio's cover still needed to be covered. "I don't always like your methods Ben, tasting and smelling everything but I have to admit that it's been very efficient ways of getting clues on our searches for the bad guys" he reached for Line's hand and pulled her closer "On a personal note I'd like to thank you, because if it hadn't been for the two of you I've never would have met Line, and guess what, we'll go to Denmark for Christmas and the we'll be getting married" Ray said and before everyone could cheer his own happiness he raised his glass "To Ben, Meg and Molly, have a safe trip, you will be missed"

"To Ben, Meg, Molly and a safe trip" everyone cheered.

Ben cleared his throat to make a speech "Thank you Ray, our years together have been interesting, especially when you had that plastic surgery" everyone laughed as they knew what he talked about "Seriously, it's been a pleasure working with all of you and I know Meg feels the same. You are all welcome to come visit any time you feel like it" Ben turned directly to Ray and Line "Congratulations on your engagement, I hope you will be ever as bit happy as Meg and I are" Ben raised his own glass "From us to all of you, it's been a pleasure, let's not be strangers although there will be thousands of miles between us"

It was a bit sadder cheer but everyone drank to it.

There were a lot of food, some catered, some cooked in the consulate kitchen by Turnbull and Frannie, some cooked in the Vecchio house by Mrs Vecchio.

"Is this a private party or can anyone join?" someone said and everyone turned their heads towards the door.

"Dios mio" Mrs Vecchio said and put her hands on her face, she quickly got up and rushed over to kissed the man's cheeks.

"Ma" Ray said but he didn't tell her to stop, he knew it wouldn't do any good.

"Ray, is it really you, are you back?" Frannie untangled herself from Turnbull to hug her big brother.

"Yes, I am back, what are you celebrating here?" Ray asked.

"We're not really celebrating" Frannie said and dried her tears with the back of her hands, her make up smearing more than it already had that afternoon.

"You're not, what then?" Ray asked.

"Ben and Meg are leaving" Frannie sobbed and Turnbull put an arm around her shoulders and let her cry on his red serge.

Ray looked funny at him "You and Frannie?" he asked.

"Yes" Turnbull said for once he didn't offer a lengthen explanation.

Ray walked around in the room saying hello to everyone he knew and finally he arrived with Ray and Line.

"So you are the one they replaced me with" Ray said.

"Yes I am" Kowalski said "Are you back to take your place again?" he asked straight out.

"I don't know just yet, but I will take my name back" Vecchio said.

"You're welcome to it" Kowalski replied.

Mrs Vecchio came up to them and put an arm around her son "I can't believe you are back" she shook her head. "I hope you still will come to Sunday dinner" she looked at Kowalski "Both of you" she said with a smile at Line. Now when she was loosing Ben and Meg, she felt she needed to keep those who were staying closer "Because you are not leaving too are you?" she asked.

"No, we're not leaving, we're staying here in Chicago" Kowalski said.

"Don't wait too long to have children" she said and looked over at Frannie and Ray who had joined his sister.

"We won't Mrs Vecchio" Line said and looked up at Ray, it wouldn't be her dream wedding but it would be the wedding to her dream man.

"Please say Ma as everyone else" Mrs Vecchio said.

"I'm honored Ma" Line smiled at the woman.

Ray kissed Line on the cheek "Shall we tell Ben and Meg before they leave?" he asked.

"No, let's wait. I want it to be our own little secret a bit more" Line said, they had just found out the other day themselves.

"So, you are going home?" Ray said to Ben and Meg.

"Yes we are" Meg said.

"Ottawa? Toronto? Montreal? Where too?" Ray asked.

"We're going home" Ben put his arm around Meg's shoulders.

"Up to no-mans-land?" Ray looked at Meg "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes I am, it was actually I that started with the transfer" Meg said and wrapped her arm around Ben's waist.

"You must be crazy" Ray exclaimed but smiled at his friends.

"Not at all, I couldn't think of any better place to raise my children" Meg said.

"What about you Ray, what will you do now?" Ben asked.

"Well I had hoped I would come back to a crazy Canadian partner who's licking evidence and sniffing leather bustiers" Ray said and Meg gave Ben a stern look, but the story had been told to her before.

"Sorry about that" Ben said.

"I haven't really looked into my options, I thought I'd take mom down to Florida to spend time with her sister" Ray said "Some, sun and lightly dressed women for myself" he added.

Ben looked out over all the people in the room, these were, besides his parents and sister, his family and he couldn't be happier. He and Meg were ready to start a new part of their life in the Norther Territories along with Molly and her brother or sister and who knew what more life would have in store for them.

"Are you ready to leave?" Meg asked. She had just put their sleeping daughter in the pram.

"I don't really know" Ben said, their apartment had felt empty the last few days since their boxes had been packed up.

"We are" Meg said and meant herself and Molly "This little one is taking more energy than Molly did" Meg put a hand on her growing stomach.

"Oh dear, why didn't you say so" Ben said worried "If you're tired we should leave"

Without making a big fuss of it they sneaked out and went home to their apartment for one last time.

There were no fooling their friends, they had already planned on being at the airport the next day for a big send off.

Disclaimer/Copyright 2014 and forward: I don't own the characters from Due South, but I've written the story and therefore feel I own that. I also want to say I don't know about how the Academy for RCMP or something alike works so I've made it up a nice way to fit my story. I'm also not familiar with names for different kind of people in a village such as the Inuits live in.