A/N: Finally, chapter 2! Many thanks to those who have read and reviewed. Your kind words have meant so much to me, and have really encouraged me. This chapter was so much harder to write than Chapter 1. It went through some major revisions. You should see my notebook! But it's worth it, I think. I'm pretty satisfied with how this turned out.

Disclaimer: I don't own Due South, or any of its characters. This is just for fun. I sure wouldn't mind having a Fraser to call my own, though!

Chapter 2

Ray pulled into his driveway and stopped the car. This was his favorite part of the day: after the stress of work but before the chaos waiting inside the Vecchio household. It was just him and his beloved classic 1971 Buick Riviera. Once he left this small sanctuary and went into the house, he'd be met by the sounds of his boisterous Italian family. No doubt his sisters Frannie and Maria would be yelling at one other, Maria's kids would be running everywhere while her husband Tony only turned up the TV to hear it above the racket. All the while his mother would be hard at work in the kitchen making enough food to feed an army. Ray wouldn't trade any of them for anything (well, maybe Tony), but a man needed a little peace once in a while.

So he sat in his car, enjoying the quiet as much as the feel of the leather interior. His mind wandered back to his conversation with Benny about the softball game. Who could Benny possibly have in mind? The man really didn't know that many women, despite the fact that they practically threw themselves at him. Then it hit him like a blast of Arctic wind. A woman, in law enforcement, who did not work for the Chicago PD. It could only be The Dragon Lady.

Ray's jaw dropped. Thatcher? Really? Would she even want to play? He wondered what Benny was trying to accomplish. She really didn't seem like the sports type, to him anyway. He knew Benny had a thing for his superior officer, as much as he tried to deny it, but he could not figure out what the Mountie was thinking.

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Fraser, at that moment, was thinking about dinner. He stared bleakly into his sparsely stocked refrigerator.

"Well, Dief, we have leftover stew or eggs. What are you in the mood for?" Dief lay down on the floor and gave a short growl. "It's your own fault. I've told you repeatedly that all that junk food you eat will make you sick."

At the wolf's pathetic whimper, Fraser continued, "Fine then. I'll just fix myself an omelet and you can just lie there and suffer." Dief gave another growl.

"Don't take that tone with me," Fraser answered sternly as he turned back to the fridge to pull out the necessary ingredients for his omelet.

A few minutes later, Fraser was sitting at his small table, eating his dinner. The omelet reminded him of the time when Inspector Thatcher had come over and he had prepared one for her. Not that he needed an excuse to think about her, he thought ruefully.

Lately he had found himself thinking about her more and more, and not always in a professional light. He could no longer deny that he had feeling for her. Couldn't deny it to himself, anyway. He dared not talk to Ray about it, as Ray would tease him unmercifully.

He hoped he could get Thatcher (or Meg, as he liked to think of her) to agree to participate in the softball game, for her sake as well as his own. She seemed especially tense lately, getting angry with the entire Consulate staff for no apparent reason. He himself had been on sentry duty for seven of the past ten days. He didn't know what she did on her off-duty time for relaxation, but he remembered her telling him about her impressive stint as a pitcher; perhaps it would help her unwind to get back onto the mound. If he asked Ray if he could play as well, it would be a perfect opportunity to spend time with her without the restrictions placed on him by duty or rank.

All he had to do now, he thought as he cleaned up the dinner dishes, was figure out how to ask her.

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Standing at attention in front of her desk the next morning, he was no closer to figuring out how to bring up the game. The two of them were discussing the schedule for the day. Luckily, the Inspector did not put Fraser on sentry duty today, so he felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe he would be able to ask her about the game after all, without her rejecting the idea outright.

He stealthily shifted his gaze from a spot above Meg's head to glance at her while she was going over today's appointments. Whether she knew it or not, she was beguiling him by wearing a conservative red suit. A strand of her chocolate brown hair was tucked discreetly behind her ear, and Fraser could just make out the indentation her glasses had made on the sides of her nose.

When the meeting was at its conclusion, and they had finished discussing everything that they had needed to, the Inspector looked up at him.

"That will be all, Constable," she stated simply, then turned back to her computer. "You're dismissed."

She was surprised, to say the least, when Fraser, rather than move toward the door, simply stood rooted to his spot. The only sign she had that he had even heard her was that instead of standing at attention, as he had been previously, he had relaxed his stance and was tugging at his left ear nervously.

"Fraser?" she asked with some confusion. "Was there something else?"

Fraser tugged even harder on his poor ear and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He seemed to be having trouble keeping eye contact with her.

'What is wrong with this man?' Meg wondered to herself, not for the first time. Ever since she'd been transferred to Chicago, he had seem bent on making her job as difficult as possible. Sure, he didn't do it on purpose, but still, he was almost impossible to figure out sometimes.

"No, Sir--I mean, yes, actually. There was something I wanted to ask-" he finally managed.

"Well, Fraser, what is it?" she replied with growing impatience.

"Actually, Sir, I…er, that is, I was wondering…if you're available…if you might be interested-" he stammered. He very seldom stammered, but honestly, this is what she reduced him to, a quivering schoolboy.

"Interested in what?" She asked with arms folded in a gesture of irritation.

"Well, Sir, Detective Vecchio is organizing a softball team, and is in need of a pitcher, as the one he had previously was injured in an unfortunate incident involving a television set, and the rules of the event require that each team have at least two female players, and I remembered you telling me about your stint as a pitcher, and your Earned Run Average, which was very impressive, by the way, and I thought you might be interested in participating. I'm sure you'd be great, and it is for charity and-" Fraser started, unaware that he was rambling.

Luckily, before he could talk himself blue in the face, Meg interrupted him. "Fraser. Fraser, slow down. If you keep talking like that, you'll turn blue in the face. Let me see if I've got this straight," she started, getting up and walking around her desk, then supporting herself on it. "You want me to play softball?" She didn't know what she had been expecting him to ask, but it certainly was not this.

"Yes, Sir, if you're interested," Fraser responded, more relaxed now. "It's a charity event held every year between the police department and the fire department. Like I said before, Ray needs a pitcher, and naturally I thought of you."

She put a fist under her chin in thought. "And Detective Vecchio is okay with it? I mean, I know he doesn't exactly like me; I know about his little 'nickname' for me."

Fraser winced at this. He'd chided Ray several times regarding his apparent dislike for Meg, and had asked him repeatedly to stop calling her the Dragon Lady. He wished that the two most important people in the world to him could get along better. "I'm truly sorry about that, Sir-" he started, but she cut him off by raising a hand.

"Don't bother, Fraser. It's not your fault. Anyway, getting back to the matter at hand. I'm flattered that you thought of me for this, but it's been a long time since I've thrown a ball. I'm not sure the team, especially Vecchio, would want me."

Rather than become disheartened, Fraser decided to try to reassure her. "Sir, I'm certain that once you get back on the mound, it will all come back to you, and you'll be great. As for Ray, perhaps your participation in this event will show him another side to your personality, and it will help to build your relationship with him." 'And with me as well,' he added silently.

Meg gave a small wistful smile as she thought about what Fraser had said, inadvertently making his heart flutter a little bit.

"Actually, it would be nice to get back on the mound again. All right Fraser, if I can fit it into my schedule, I'll join your softball team. Let me know the particulars later, understood?"

Fraser was beaming. "Yes, Sir. Understood, Sir. Thank you. You'll have a great time, I promise." He had to fight the urge to pull her into an embrace right then and there.

His enthusiasm was contagious, and Meg was smiling as well when she dismissed him again and watched him practically dance out of her office. He really was a hard man to understand sometimes.

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A/N: Thanks so much for reading, and for your patience! Reviews are always appreciated!