Disclaimer: Characters are not mine, never have been and never will be (mores the pity).
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As she moved towards the door, she thought he was going to just let her go. Offering up a silent prayer of thanks, she had her hand on the door handle when his voice stopped her.
"With all due respect, Sir, I don't agree."
Meg sighed, looking at the door. She had been so close. Turning back towards the man still stood in the centre of the room, she considered how best to deal with this.
"You don't?" she questioned, her voice measured.
"No."
Meg closed her eyes briefly, willing patience into her tired body. "All right. What do you want from me, Fraser?"
Now it was Fraser's turn to look confused. His brows knit together as he tried to make sense of her question.
"What do I want from you?" he asked.
"Yes. You obviously want something, so let's just make this easier for the both of us and get straight to it. What is it that you want? Pay rise? Promotion? What?"
Fraser was stunned. "Do you honestly think I would use this against you?"
Meg shrugged, her voice cool, emotionless. "Why not? I've been nothing but awful to you. It's only fair that you would want something in return."
Fraser didn't know how to respond to that. Did she really have that low of an opinion of him? How could she think that he would try to blackmail her over this?
"Ma'am, I would never do something like that." He sounded so completely in earnest that Meg finally managed to meet his eyes, which only succeeded in forcing her to remember who exactly it was she was talking to. Oh God. What had she done now? He looked devastated, like she had just torn out his heart and stomped on it.
Meg looked down at her feet, her cheeks burning in shame. "Of course you wouldn't." She could feel the tears burning the backs of her eyes as the realisation of what she had just done hit her. "Oh God," her voice came out choked as she sank to the floor in front of her office door, burying her heads in her hands.
Fraser watched as her small body shook with the sobs that had now taken over. He so desperately wanted to go to her, to offer what comfort he could, but a part of him wondered if that would be the last thing she would want. She was his superior officer, no matter how much she did not look like it right now, and as such, he knew he should not be thinking of her like this. She was a professional and he doubted very much that she would want to accept comfort from a subordinate.
But she had earlier. She had let him touch her, wipe away her tears, without complaint. Making up his mind, he moved slowly towards her, watching for any sign that his presence was not welcome. When she didn't even look up as he settled down next to her, he took that as a sign that she was not going to attempt to throw him out again.
Ever so gently, he laid his hand on her back, feeling her body tremble slightly at the touch, although she made no move to pull away from him. After a couple of moments, Fraser shifted his position slightly, allowing him to put his arms more fully around her body, pulling her close against him.
For a heart-stopping moment her body went rigid and he thought she would push away, but then she seemed to relax, letting one hand rest on his shoulder as she leant into his embrace, burying her head in his chest, revelling in the warmth of his body.
Fraser let his hands run in soothing patterns along her back, gently stroking her hair, feeling the soft strands slip easily through his fingers. After a while her body stilled in his arms and the sobs quietened.
Meg knew she should extract herself from this situation, that she shouldn't be sitting on her office floor in the arms of a junior officer, but the truth was, she didn't want to. She wanted to sit here forever, letting his gentle hands work away the hurt and shame that had so consumed her since she had left the station.
But she couldn't. She was an Inspector in the RCMP and, as such, she had responsibilities, duties that had to be seen to. Shifting her position slightly, she raised her head slightly to look at him. Blue eyes held brown, the feelings between them running deep and strong.
"I'm sorry," she said, her voice rough from her earlier sobs. "I had no right so say that to you."
"It doesn't matter..."
"No, please. It does matter. I shouldn't have said what I did. I was upset and taking it out on you was not fair and I apologise for that." Meg took a deep breath, swallowing what little was left of her pride. "And thank you."
Fraser looked down at the woman he still held in his arms. Even with tear stains on her face, her make-up in ruins and what was developing into a nasty bruise on her cheek, she looked beautiful to him. He didn't understand what she was thanking him for though. Surely anyone in his position would have done the same.
"For what?" he asked.
Meg forced herself to hold his eyes, telling herself that this was the least he deserved. "For staying. For understanding and not judging." She paused briefly, momentarily biting her bottom lip in a nervous gesture. "And for not hating me."
She was thanking him for not hating her? Fraser shook his head slightly. "I could never hate you, Ma'am."
She smiled slightly then. "Not even when I fired you?"
Fraser smiled back gently. "No," he answered.
"Or when I made you get my dry cleaning?"
"No."
"Or when I belittle and berate you for circumstances out of your control?"
Again, Fraser shook his head, no.
"Not even when I told you to… when I said that we couldn't…" Meg stumbled on the words, knowing that she was treading a dangerous path by bringing this up.
Fraser watched as the emotions played across her face. Pain and regret mingled with the hurt that had been there earlier. Reaching up, he ran the back of his fingers down her cheek, drawing her attention back to him.
"No," he whispered.
Meg felt herself falling. She was lost and she knew it. She had tried so hard to stop herself feeling like this, to put a stop to any relationships with co-workers before they even started. It didn't matter that he wasn't married, he worked for her, which made it just as bad. But now, with him so close, his hand on her face, his arm around her back, she couldn't stop herself.
Fraser's eyes were staring straight into hers and she could feel herself responding to the intensity of his gaze. She lifted her hand up, placing it against the material of his shirt, letting herself feel the muscles of his chest flex slightly underneath her fingers. His arm tightened its grip on her back as he began to lean towards her ever so slightly. Meg met him part way, her lips brushing against his, the kiss hesitant and gentle.
He pulled away slightly, searching her eyes for any signs of disapproval. When he found none, he leaned back down, capturing her lips once again. The kiss started off gently, but as he felt her respond to him, he became more insistent.
The hand that had been resting on his chest slid up to run through the dark curls at the back of his head, her other hand sliding around his waist, pulling her body against his. Fraser tugged her closer, his hand running up to entwine itself in her hair, holding her head to his as his kiss became more demanding.
Meg felt his tongue touch her lips and she automatically opened to him, allowing him access to the inside of her mouth. Fraser eagerly began his investigation, letting his tongue explore every line and contour that he had savoured oh so briefly on top of the train. Meg moaned quietly as his tongue slid across her teeth, causing Fraser's already hyper-awareness to go into overdrive. She was slowly driving him crazy, her taste, her scent, the feel of her in his arms, everything about her was quickly becoming engrained in his senses.
Meg sighed as his lips moved to her neck, trailing kisses up and down the column, nipping gently at her jaw line. Resting her head against his shoulder, she wondered if she would ever be able to go back to the station. They would all be talking about her, discussing the affair. Knowing Vecchio, he would probably make it his personal crusade to ensure that everyone knew exactly what she had done. Everything she had worked so hard for would be blown to pieces. There was no way she would ever be able to expect respect from any of them again, considering how she had acted in the past.
Realising that Meg was no longer responding to him, Fraser lifted his head, removing his lips from her neck. "Meg." His gentle voice broke into her thoughts, the concern evident in his tone. "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing. Really." She tried to smile reassuringly at him, but knew she had failed when the already concerned look on his face intensified.
"Is it this? I mean, me… us?"
Meg shook her head quickly. "No, I want you." The confession slipped out before she realised what she had said, and she dropped her head, closing her eyes again as she felt the blush stain her cheeks. She wasn't expecting the feel of his lips as he placed gentle kisses across her temple, and the feelings he evoked caused her eyes to fly open again. He drew away from her, holding her eyes with his own, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"Then what is it, Meg?"
"I was just thinking, about the people at the station, and about what they're going to think of me now. I mean, I know they never really liked me anyway, but it's not that, it's just that I'm meant to be going back there tomorrow, for the case, and I don't know how…"
Her string of rushed words was cut off as his mouth captured her own. His lips were gone before she even had a chance to respond, but the kiss had had the desired effect as she fell into silence.
"Meg," he started carefully, "No one is going to care about something that happened in the past, and anyone that does, isn't worth bothering about."
"But they're your friends, Fraser."
He smiled down at her then. "Firstly, yes they are my friends and, as such, they will not treat you with disrespect, and secondly, do you think you might, maybe call me Ben?"
Meg stared at him for a moment, before a smile broke out on her beautiful face and she nodded. Leaning in to him, she whispered in his ear. "I think I can manage that, Ben," she breathed, before letting her lips capture the smooth flesh on his neck. Fraser let the happiness he was feeling wash over him as she nibbled on his ear, her tongue swirling around the lobe. Pulling her against him, he held onto her tightly, letting his actions communicate his every feeling.
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A/N: I have to say, I'mloving all the Meg/Benny fics that are turning up here lately. Hopefully you are enjoying this one too. Either way, let me know - I live for feedback.