Alternate title to this chapter: Goodbyes, my friend screws me over, and a happy reunion. Haha, hope you enjoy it.

Chapter Thirty-three: Connecting Flights

Ma Vecchio was not happy about me and Fraser leaving again. She went from trying to talk us out of it to offering to make food for us to take along. Fraser explained to her that we would be flying, and even food in airtight containers might not travel so well in our luggage.

"You just came home, now you're leaving again," she complained. "You said no more danger for a while," she accused me.

"This isn't all that dangerous, really," I said. "Compared to real police work... what's the worst that can happen?"

"Your plane could crash."

I winced. "Well... yeah, that'd be bad. But Fraser's already survived one plane crash. He's lucky."

"You think anyone gets that lucky twice?"

"Ma, we'll be all right."

"Wait here."

Fraser and I looked at each other.

"Well... she's not taking it so well," I said.

"She's only worried. She's had to worry about her birth son for over a year while he was undercover, and then she worried about her stand-in son while he was in the Yukon, and now he's going back... I'm sure it's all taken a toll on her."

"Yeah, I know."

We waited a little longer and then she came back, holding something.

"This was my husband's," she said, holding up a necklace I recognized as a Catholic medal. "He wasn't wearing it the day he died, and I always thought if he had been, he might o' lived longer." She fastened it around my neck.

"Saint Christopher," Fraser observed. "The patron saint of travelers."

"Sorry I don't have one for each of you."

"That's all right. I'm sure if Ray is safe, I will be, too. It's unlikely we'll be apart."

She nodded. "Stay together. And never take that off," she said, pointing at me.

I felt a little weird, not being much of a believer, myself. "Don't you want to give this to Ray?"

"He has his own."

"Oh. Okay. Well, thanks. I'll keep it on."

I won't bother trying to fake you out with a dream scene. I'll just admit from the start: this was a dream. I'd fallen out of the airplane, thought I was going to die, but no... POOF, I was thirty feet down in powder snow. I tried to dig myself out, but the snow kept falling in on me like quicksand. Then Dief started trying to dig me out, and his claws were scratching my face. Then Fraser got there with a shovel and started singing a country love song while he dug. He bashed me up pretty good in the process, but finally got me out, and then I realized I didn't have the St. Christopher medal anymore. I started digging for it on my hands and knees. I was cold and out of breath.

I woke up to Dief licking my face and Fraser saying my name.

"Ray. Ray. Ray. Ray. Ray?"

"Yeah," I said thickly.

"It's time to wake up. Are you all right?"

I groaned and rolled onto my side, facing him. He was sitting on the edge of my bed, dressed in casual clothes. "I'm tired. And my face has slobber on it."

"The sun's been up for an hour."

"The sun doesn't need sleep. I do." I pulled the covers over my face.

"The coffee's ready."

I peeked out. "Bring me a cup?"

For some reason, I thought he would do it, but he turned his head, looking at me out of the corner of his eye and said, "I think you can get it yourself."

"Please? I'll get up. I promise."

He glanced at Dief, who said something like "row."

"Very well." He got up and left the room.

I closed my eyes for a few seconds, but then Dief was pawing me and I gave up. I pushed my pillow back and sat up against it. I had my clothes laid out. One more shower before... who knew when. Last time I'd gone far too long without one. So had Fraser, but he somehow managed not to stink too bad, and he wasn't one to complain about my smell when he knew I couldn't help it.

"Did you put anything in it?" I asked when Fraser came back with a mug.

"I found some chocolate chips."

"Good man." I blew on the coffee and took a sip. It was really good. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Anything else I can do?"

I shook my head. "My bags are packed. I just need to eat something, shower, and then we can go."

"I made some French toast in my apartment. Shall I bring what's left over for you?"

"Sure, that sounds good," I said, trying to ignore Dief's suddenly huge presence beside me.

After... wolfing down my breakfast, I got into the shower. When I came out, my parents were there. Mom had a shopping bag.

"Hey, Mom. Hey, Dad... What's in the bag?"

"I got you some warm clothes to take on your trip," Mom announced.

"And I convinced her to keep the receipt in case you didn't need them," Dad muttered.

"There are some wool socks, long underwear and a balaclava."

"Um... thanks. I did already eat breakfast, though," I said.

"Balaclava, Ray," Fraser said. "It's another word for a ski mask. I believe you're thinking of baklava, the Mediterranean pastry."

"Huh. Well, that's good. 'Cause I almost froze my face off last time. A ski mask would be good." I went through the bag and, based on what we encountered on the last trip we took up there, I knew it was all useful stuff. "This is great. This is greatness. I'm gonna go repack my bag. Fraser, I'm gonna have to check a bag."

"Are you sure you want to do that, Ray? It can take time to collect it at the baggage claim, and you know we need to travel light."

"I just don't want to mess with a huge carry-on," I said, heading for my bedroom. Really, I wanted to check a bag because I didn't want TSA finding a gun in my carry-on. If I had known then about how the terrorist attacks of 9/11 would change airport security forever... makes me glad I grew up in the 70's and 80's. I did make sure to take my gun's registration information with me. I mean, I'm not stupid.

"Hey, is Dief going to have to be quarantined when we get there?" I asked when I came back out.

"Yes. He'll be taking a different route than we will, flying straight to Nunavut," Fraser answered. "By the time we get there, he will have been in quarantine for some forty-eight hours, and we'll be able to get him out when I show administration his paperwork from his most recent veterinarian visit."

"You take Dief to a vet?"

"Well, of course, Ray. Wolves in the wild don't generally need a vet's care to live long, full lives, but in the city one can't be too careful. Besides, there are laws about vaccinations."

That made sense. I just had a hard time picturing Dief sitting on an exam table.

"Are we ready to go?" Dad asked.

"Almost," I said. "Fraser, did you give your key to Miz Tate yet?"

"No; I was going to drop it off on our way out."

"Give it to me. I'll take it down while you make sure everything's shut off and lock up, okay?"

"All right."

If he thought my suggestion was weird, he didn't show it. I took his key down to room 209 and knocked on the door.

Ms. Tate came to the door in her bathrobe, looking sleepy. "Good morning, Detective."

"Morning, Miz Tate. I have Fraser's key for you. He said he's getting a phone installed..."

"Yeah, he told me about that."

"And here's mine," I said, handing it over. "My supervisor's gonna be staying in my apartment while I'm gone. His name's... oh gee, this is gonna be confusing. Uh, his name's Ray Vecchio."

"The Ray Vecchio?" she asked, perking up a little. "I read all about it in the papers while you were away the last time. Sensational story."

"MacKenzie King?" I guessed.

"Yeah! Boy, that woman can write. Hey, is it true your life was in danger every day because you had his identity?"

"Look, I'd like to stay and chat, but Fraser and me have a plane to catch, so..."

"Of course. Well, have a good trip."

"Thanks. We should be back within two weeks."

Mom did her embarrassing "I'm gonna miss my baby boy" routine at the airport after we handed Dief off and checked my bag. I tried to get her to stop, but I knew it was no good fighting it.

"You will take care of him, won't you?" she said, looking over at Fraser.

I knew she was saying it to him, but I said, "Yeah, I'll take real good care of him."

"Oh, you." She kissed me, hugged me and then kissed me again.

"All right, Barbara, there's a limit," Dad said finally. "You're embarrassing him. He's a grown man."

I was grateful he'd spoken up, but I just smiled at her. "We'll be careful," I said. "And it won't be as long this time."

"You call us as soon as you get the chance," Dad said.

"We'll be in touch," Fraser told him. They shook hands.

Then Dad came over to me. I expected to get a handshake, too, but he surprised me with a hug. "Let us know as soon as you get back, too."

"Yeah, I know... I'm really sorry. It's gonna be fine, okay?"

"Yeah." He patted my back and let go of me.

I could hear them calling our flight. We picked up our carry-ons and headed into the line moving toward our gate. We said all the stuff we'd already said—goodbye, have a safe trip, talk to you soon, etc.—and then we were going down a hall, up a rolling staircase and onto the plane.

"Do you prefer aisle or window?" Fraser asked me.

I debated a few seconds. "Aisle," I decided. After falling out of a plane, I didn't like looking at that kind of height.

I slept a little bit, waking up as we headed down into Toronto. "What are we doing in Toronto?" I asked, trying to wake up.

"It's not a direct flight, Ray. We have a connecting flight to Edmonton."

"Edmonton? Where the heck is that?"

"Well, it's north of Idaho and Montana and that sort of thing."

"That sort of thing," I repeated, a little mockingly.

"It's a longer leg of the trip, so you should have time for a proper nap."

"First I'll need a proper bathroom."

"Well, the Toronto airport certainly provides those."

We found the restroom, made it to our connecting flight and settled in for the ride.

"So, when will we arrive in Inuvik?" I asked. I hate waiting for stuff, and air travel is not my favorite.

"Around three-thirty."

"Hmm."

"AM."

"Ugh!"

"Mountain time."

My mouth hung open. I couldn't respond. Then I suddenly found my voice. "Oh, my god, Fraser! You bastard!"

"There's no need for that, Ray."

"How can a flight take that long?"

"As I explained, it's not a direct flight. After we land in Edmonton, we fly to Yellowknife, and from there to Inuvik."

"Why the hell didn't you tell me how long the trip would be?"

"You didn't ask. Now, shh. You're disturbing the other passengers."

"If they know how long the flight is, I'm sure they're already disturbed!"

"Ray, please."

We had lunch on the plane. It was pretty bad, but I was hungry so I ate it all. I actually used the plane's bathroom just to stretch my legs a little. It was gross. I didn't linger. Then I had this weird feeling in my stomach and couldn't tell if I was hungry again, or just nauseous. (Fraser says, "You mean nauseated, Ray. If something is nauseous, that means it causes nausea, and I doubt you intend to say that about yourself.") Then we finally landed, made our next connection and went on. By the time we took off from Yellowknife, I was bushed. I had hardly done anything all day, but I felt like I'd been working out for hours, or like someone took a stick and whacked me with it all over my body. Fraser tried to tell me how good posture could keep me from getting sore muscles, but either I did it wrong, or my body just wasn't up to it. I was sore from head to toe.

When we fastened our seat belts for landing in Inuvik, Fraser told me, "We're in luck, Ray. We're actually twenty minutes early."

"You sonofabitch," I grumbled sleepily.

"What was that?"

"I said, 'You don't say.'"

"I do. Let's hope Maggie arrived early as well."

At the mention of Fraser's sister, I perked up a little. I didn't want to look messy and half asleep when she saw me. I tucked in my shirt and ran a hand through my hair.

Sure enough, she was waiting for us when we deboarded. I realized that I had turned her into a Barbie doll-like bombshell in my mind, while the reality was more... wholesome. Not a disappointment, mind you. Just confusing to a guy who's been awake too long. But I wasn't at all confused when she smiled at us. Her eyes, her mouth, even her tom-boyish clothes... it was all cute. All welcoming.

She and Fraser exchanged that family kiss on the cheek thing like they'd been doing it all their lives. I was jealous. Even though we'd kissed like that when I saw her last time for the Torelli brothers' trial, now she just took my hand and told me, "It's good to see you again, Detective." At least her tone and expression said she was interested to see if I still liked her.

I definitely did, and in spite of what I'd told Franny before we left Chicago, I let it show. "Good to see you, too." Well, Franny and I weren't dating. She hadn't given me much hope, either. I'd just have to wait and see.

"I'll get a cab to take us back to my place. I hope you don't mind close quarters."

"Not at all," I said. Staying close to her would be no problem.

"I've got a bedroll ready for you in the living area," she told Fraser, "and Ray may sleep in my cot."

I think Fraser and I both did a double-take. He was the one to ask.

"And where will you sleep?"

"I'll be leaving for work soon after we get there, so I decided to just stay up."

"Ah."

"Won't you be tired?" I asked.

"I got to bed early last night," she said cheerfully.

As far as I was concerned, it was still "last night."

"Ray has a checked bag to pick up," Fraser said.

I had almost forgotten. We had to wait in baggage claim quite a while before I spotted my gym bag. I grabbed it and slung it over my shoulders with my knapsack. "Okay, let's rock an' roll," I said with much less energy than usual.

Of course, Maggie lived in a cute little cabin. I know in canon she said something about a trailer with a generator or something, but if she had one of those, it wasn't in Inuvik. The layout was like a glorified studio apartment, and similar to my place in square footage. But it was super neat and tidy, and she used the space well. The kitchen, dining and living room were kind of all one, so she had opted to do without a dining table. Instead, she had two high chairs against the counter that separated the kitchen from the rest of the room, a lot like my bar, but not enclosed. The floors were hardwood—actually, so were the walls and ceiling. There was a fireplace where some embers were still glowing. An area rug covered the floor in front of the fireplace, and that was where the bedroll was waiting for Fraser.

"Nice digs," I said, pulling off my coat. I rubbed my arms to warm up faster. Inuvik was much colder than Chicago.

"It's very cozy," Fraser said, looking pleased. "Do you own or rent it?"

"Own," she answered with a smile. "Due to Casey's criminal involvement, some of his assets were seized, but they were assets I hadn't known about anyway. This cabin was all we really needed, and it still suits me."

He nodded. "It does." Looking at a carving of a polar bear on the mantelpiece, he said, "I see you got your birthday present."

"Yes, thank you! I love it."

"When was your birthday?" I asked, kicking myself for not finding that out sooner.

"May twelfth."

"Geez, I just missed it. I'd have sent you a card or something..."

"Oh, that's all right. When is yours?"

"September fourteenth."

"End of summer. It's a good time for a birthday."

I had often thought it sucked that my birthday came right after the start of school. As an adult it might have been nice, but by then my parents weren't doing much for my birthday. But now that Maggie said it was a good time, it seemed like the best time. "Yeah," I said, smiling. "Uh, so is May. Flowers blooming and stuff... well, in America, anyway."

"We get some flowers here, too," she told me. "Hawkweed and paintbrush, arctic lupine and my favorite, grass of Parnassus... I have a book about the local flora if you'd like to see it."

I liked the idea of getting cozy with Maggie and a picture book, but I was almost asleep on my feet. "To be honest, other than your pleasant features, the only thing I wanna see right now is the back of my eyelids."

"Understood. I'll just change into my uniform, and then the bedroom is all yours." I thought I saw a little blush on her cheeks as she left the room.

Back in Canada... It only took us thirty-three chapters to get back up there. I really had no idea how long it would take to tell all this. I'm definitely going to have to skip some stuff later on, but this is the important part, I think. And once I started letting Fraser tell his side, I couldn't stop. His point of view is explaining so much that I didn't know before (which goes both ways, I'm sure). Anyway, leave a comment, favorite, follow, share with friends, recommend to total strangers. Whatever. ~Ray K.