Frannie's Lament

by Tanya Reed

Disclaimer: Due South, Meg, Frannie, Ben, Ray, and Ray belong to Alliance Atlantis.

-----------------------------------

Ray Vecchio walked through the lush green grounds as silently as he could. He checked everything in his path from buildings to shrubs, everything that could be used as a hiding place, in the hope that Frannie and her partner had escaped. Ray's main objective was the house, as the next best scenario had them locked up in there. The alternative was unthinkable. Now that he knew his sister was alive, she had to stay alive.

As he searched, he found himself taking an interest in the scenery, noting little things in his mind. He had been doing it awhile before he noticed it, and when he did he was annoyed. It was a habit he had unwillingly picked up from Fraser, though it wasn't as bad as if he had started tasting things.

In the distance, there was an occasional call or whistle, though the area around him remained unusually silent. He was still wondering where the guard from the gate had disappeared to.

Ray was walking by a small bush when it reached out and grabbed his walkie talkie. The plastic instrument fell to the ground with a thud and Ray groaned.

"If it's not grease and city grime, it's mud and grass stains," he muttered to himself.

Gingerly, trying to stay clean, Ray lowered himself to the ground. He looked around impatiently but could not find the walkie talkie. Temptation to leave it went through him, but he quelled it, knowing his sister's life could very well depend upon it.

With a grimace, he tried to forget about dirt and moved to lay flat so he could fish under the bush.

When the voice came just a few minutes later, it sounded right on top of him. Ray was so startled, he had to clench his teeth to keep from crying out.

"Dave!"

"Keith," another voice answered, "see anything?"

"No, I don't know where those stupid bitches got to." Keith's voice was angry.

"Well, Paul said he saw them about a half hour ago. He shot at them and missed. When he went to investigate, they were gone."

"Somebody'd better find them or our lives won't be worth shit."

There was a noise of agreement. "Won't be us. Paul saw them over there."

Ray wished he could see which way Dave was pointing, but he didn't dare to move from under his bush.

"Maybe we'll get lucky. He's offering good rewards, you know. Who woulda thought that Renata would have enough brains to be a traitor?"

"Not me, but I never did like that Angelique. Something creepy about her."

"I'll agree with that. Where you headed?"

"Towards the stables."

"Wait up, I'll come with you."

Then the voices stopped and there was only the sound of moving feet. Ray listened to them go with a lighter heart. Now he knew for sure that Frannie was out there. He just had to get to her in time.

--------------------

Frannie was running. Sounds of a gun firing behind her, almost close enough to bite tender flesh, gave her speed an edge of panic. Behind her, she could hear her partner shooting back, covering her retreat.

The man had come upon the women while they were resting in the sunshine. One moment, they were sitting, warily watching their surroundings, and the next, the world had exploded. Frannie's constant nagging fear had made her not even hesitate when Meg ordered her to run.

Frannie's flight came to an abrupt halt when she heard Meg cry out. Concern won over instinct, and she turned to see the Canadian woman sprawled on the ground close by.

Gritting her teeth, Frannie took the gun out of the top of her tight skirt. Quickly, she removed the safety and started firing wildly. That was her first indication that her hands were shaking.

She took one cleansing breath, then aimed more carefully. A bullet whizzed by her ear as she released her own shot. The man dropped but she didn't know whether she had killed him or not.

When he didn't get up, Frannie rushed over to Meg. She looked dazed and blinked several times before she focused on Frannie.

"Are you all right?"

"More or less," Meg answered, wincing as she rose awkwardly.

"Then let's..." Frannie trailed off as she noticed a wetness spreading on Meg's shoulder. "Oh, my God. You've been shot!"

Meg dismissed this with a wave of her good arm. Sounding slightly Fraserish, she said, "That's not important. What is important is getting the hell out of here."

Frannie felt suddenly light headed and bewildered. "But..."

"No buts. Now, let's go."

"At least let me wrap it."

"Not here, Frannie. We have to get out of the open. Come on."

Meg didn't wait for Frannie to respond. Instead, she took off at a slow jog. Frannie gave an exasperated sigh and grumbled to herself before taking off after her friend. She had a feeling Meg was going to suffer for her negligence, but at least Frannie would be there to pick up the pieces.

-------------------

Ben found himself in an extensive and beautiful garden. The flowers were in full bloom, and there were hundreds of varieties. Roses of different colors climbed the walls and mixed with the green ivy to give them a splash of joyful color. Several stone paths ran through the garden itself, through flowers and robust trees. Unlike the more popular modern cement, these paths were made from flat rocks, and they looked to have been there a long time. There were benches throughout, most located under trees to give someone a shady place to read or take in the sun. Birds and squirrels chattered happily and bees buzzed from flower to flower. Everything in the garden seemed to be taking an intense joy in being alive. It was hard to believe that ugly hearted men lived on the outside of this little world. Ben would not have been surprised to see Francesca run out to greet him, the garden taken as her refuge. The air around him remained still, however and, after a moment of quiet reflection, Ben began to move along the paths towards the far door.

As he walked, his thoughts were on Francesca and how much like a sister she had been to him. All of the Vecchios had adopted him. He had arrived in Chicago a solitary orphan, surprised when suddenly he had started collecting sisters and brothers like his grandmother had collected books. One of the most precious of these was Francesca. At first, he had found her slightly annoying--he had been angry with her for several weeks when Ray had almost drown because of her frivolousness. Shortly thereafter, he began to believe that her outward brashness was hiding something deeper and sweeter, and the more he got to know her the more he believed this. The annoyance he felt at her advances turned to platonic affection and, though he still found himself occasionally at wit's end in regards to her, his brotherly feeling only grew stronger. When she 'died', it had broken his heart.

His musings were abruptly interupted by the far off sound of gunfire. Faint as it was, the noise ripped through his body, bringing with it a wave of fear. When the wave reached his legs, Ben began to run.