CHAPTER 6.

"Mother and baby are doing well, Ray."

Ray grinned at Fraser's voice on the end of the phone. "That's great, Benny," he said. "Still no sign of Ryan," he added and his grin faded. "Yeah...yeah, I know. I'll try a couple more bars, but I figure he's gone over to that storage unit he told us about. I took a drive down there, but I couldn't see him. His place could be any one of twenty units, though...no, Benny, there were no signs on the door, not in that neighbourhood! Might as well send out catalogues in the mail to all the burglars. Number seven is full of expensive machinery. Number twelve is stacked floor to ceiling with antiques."

Fraser offered to walk straight there from the hospital and Ray agreed to meet him there in an hour after he'd driven his sister to her chiropractor appointment.

"There's nothing wrong with Frannie's back," he explained when Fraser expressed concern. "But the chiropractor is this fit Swedish guy and she can't get enough of his hands all over her."

Ray laughed as Fraser cleared his throat and stammered something unintelligible.

"See you in half an hour, Benny," said Ray when he decided his friend had suffered enough.

At the hospital, Fraser handed the telephone back to the nurse. "Thank you kindly," he said with a smile.

"Oh, my pleasure," the nurse responded, fluttering her eyelashes at him. "I'm Annie, by the way. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Er, not at this juncture," he replied, running his finger around his collar which had inexplicably become tighter. "Thank you, er, Nurse Annie."

"If we need help with any more babies, can I call you?" asked Annie, her face flushing.

"Um, well, I..." Fraser stammered. "I, er, I'm sure there are people far more qualified here at the hospital...doctors and so forth..."

" But..." began Annie, unable to hide the desperation in her voice , but then another nurse walked over to her to ask her a question and Fraser made his escape.

The second nurse had to repeat her question when she realised Annie wasn't listening to her.

"Oh, sorry," said Annie, gazing after Fraser as he raced down the corridor and out of sight. "That's him," she added. "The Mountie."

"The one who delivered the baby?" queried her colleague.

"Yes," confirmed Anne with a wistful sigh. "Oh my...I think my ovaries just exploded!"

XxXxXxXxX

"Ray was right, Diefenbaker, these storage units have little in the way of distinguishing features."

Ryan had only given them a vague idea of where the unit he used for his youth centre was located and Fraser and Diefenbaker walked around the area looking for anything that might give them a clue. The individual units were arranged in rows of five and were made of corrugated iron with green roofs. Some, but not all, had tiny plastic windows. Many had large padlocks securing the entrance door. Some of the units had clearly been abandoned long ago, while others were apparently in regular use.

They walked a little further until Fraser spotted something. Tucked into a tiny gap between two of the storage units was a basketball hoop. The backboard was broken as if it had been pulled from its fixings.

"Ryan mentioned a hoop," said Fraser, crouching to examine it. He let Dief sniff at it for a minute before getting to his feet and looking around. "There," he said suddenly and strode purposefully across to one of the other units. He pointed to a tall metal pole on a sturdy base. Still attached to the top of the pole was the remainder of the backboard from the basketball hoop.

"Of course this could have been moved, too," he said and Dief barked in agreement. "There's no guarantee that this is the…" but before he could finish his sentence he suddenly became aware of someone sneaking up behind him.

Fraser reached behind him and grabbed the arm of his potential assailant. Dief barked loudly and Fraser spun round, just in time to avoid being kicked. He sidestepped the attack and prepared to fight back, but then he realised his attacker was a teenage girl, no more than five feet tall and he released his grip.

The girl took advantage of his hesitation and rammed her elbow into his ribs. Fraser gasped fleetingly then reached out in an attempt to restrain her again, but this time she grabbed his hand and dug her nails into his palm. Then a voice stopped them both mid struggle.

"No!"

Fraser and the girl looked round to see Ryan walking towards them.

"Leave him, Lulu, he's a friend."

At Ryan's words the girl reluctantly took a step backwards. "Pity," she said with a grin. "I was enjoying that." She winked at Fraser and folded her arms.

Fraser was impressed by Lulu's strength and determination. She was dressed in denim shorts and a ripped white t-shirt layered over a black undershirt and her face was adorned with piercings. Her hair was dyed pink and styled maniacally.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you, Lulu," he said. "I thought you were…"

"A guy?" Lulu interrupted with a laugh.

"So you found me, then," said Ryan. "I saw Vecchio's car driving around here earlier. Figured it wouldn't be too long before you showed up."

"Why the secrecy?" asked Fraser.

"I don't like to advertise this place," Ryan explained. "The kids who come here find out about us through word of mouth. Figure it's safer that way."

"Understood." Fraser nodded.

"But seeing as you found me you might as well come in," Ryan said to him. "You'll have to excuse the state of the place, I'm still trying to clean up after the other night."

Fraser followed Ryan into the storage unit with Lulu and Dief. "Oh dear," he said when he saw the mess.

The unit was deceptively large inside. A pool table stood in one corner, but it was covered with what appeared to be ripped up magazines. An empty bookcase stood against one wall with the books it once carried stacked randomly in front of it ready to be reloaded onto the shelves. There was a pile of boxed games which had seen better days and various art and craft materials were stacked in crates beside them. The floor needed a good sweep to rid it of the remnants of what looked like a food fight, although Fraser assumed the cause had been decidedly less fun than that description made it sound. There was a small TV set on the wall and a few video tapes lay on the floor underneath, mostly in broken cases.

"I was thinking of just leaving it like this," said Ryan. "Getting kinda fed up of picking it all up every other day."

"The gang of trouble makers you mentioned," began Fraser picking up a book and placing it on the bookshelf. "Are you able to identify any of them?"

"Maybe," Ryan replied. "Some of them wear scarves or masks and even the ones who don't, well…well it's kinda hard to note distinguishing features when you're on the floor and there's three of them kicking you in the guts."

Fraser nodded sadly. "Are they armed?"

"Only with baseball bats and steel toe-capped boots," replied Ryan with a shudder. "They're amateurs."

"Are you a Mountie?" asked Lulu, noticing Fraser's uniform for the first time.

"Yes, miss," replied Fraser.

"Geez, Ryan, have you got any friends who aren't cops?" she asked him with a grin.

Ryan sneered at her.

"Can you…can you help us?" Lulu asked Fraser. "I told him to call the cops, but I take it you know about Ryan and cops," she added, knowingly.

Fraser could tell it hadn't been easy for her to ask him for help. He was about to answer her, but Ryan suddenly threw an already broken glass across the room and it smashed against the wall.

"We don't need help from the cops!" he exclaimed. "I can handle this. I told you already."

"Ray and I can help you in an unofficial capacity," Fraser suggested. "Your father need not find out."

"This is nothing to do with my Dad," insisted Ryan.

"Alright," replied Fraser, keeping his voice even.

"But Ryan, it's getting outta hand," said Lulu, standing with her hands on her hips. "Look, you know how much I wanna kick his ass, but…" she trailed off and turned away, her shoulders slumped.

Fraser glanced at Ryan, puzzled by Lulu's words and the sudden change in her demeanour. He'd seen a crack in her tough exterior and he realised it had something to do with what was going on here. He looked back to the girl. "Lulu, do you know who's doing this?" he asked gently.

"No, she doesn't," snapped Ryan.

"Just tell him, Ryan," urged Lulu, spinning back round to face them. "Tell him why I'm here. You see, Mountie, I'm not one of those kids who just heard about this place like the others." Then the plucky grin returned to her face. "I'm special," she added.

"Yep, you're special," Ryan agreed with half a smile. "Lulu here was the first person I ever arrested...and probably the last."

"I don't understand?"

"I used to hang out with this loser, Pete McArthur," Lulu began. "Kind of my boyfriend...at least that's what he called himself. More like my rapist, but hey, what's in a name?"

Fraser tried not to look shocked at her casual revelation.

"Still it was better than hanging out at home with my stepdad," she added. She didn't need to explain any further, Fraser could read the signs. Lulu had been through a lot so far in her young life.

"So, one day we were robbing this drugstore and Ryan came in and, well, he went all Robocop on me!" Lulu continued.

"What can I say?" said Ryan with a shrug. "It's in my blood. OK, so technically it was just a citizen's arrest, but like I told you, I know how to be a cop, even if I don't wanna be one."

"Pete ran off, but I guess he's pissed now," said Lulu. "And Ryan brought me here. I thought he was gonna take me to the cops, but…" she trailed off and absentmindedly fiddled with one of her lip piercings, waiting for Ryan to say something, but he remained silent.

Fraser realised what Lulu was inferring. "And you believe Pete McArthur is responsible for these attacks?"

"I guess he's found himself some buddies" shrugged Lulu. "It's my fault," she added dejectedly.

"No, it's my fault," Ryan insisted. "This was meant to be a safe place for you and the others."

"Ryan, what you're doing here is admirable," said Fraser. "I'm sure your father would agree."

"Don't you wanna see the look on Pete's face when he gets busted?" asked Lulu. "By the highest ranking cop in the city…and a Mountie?"

Ryan scowled at her and tossed a broom across the room to her. "There's still broken glass down there," he said.

xXxXxXxXx

Fraser, Ryan and Lulu spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning up until there was very little sign that there had ever been any trouble at all. Ryan didn't expect the tranquillity to last for long, though.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this." Ryan scowled at Lulu across the table as he spoke. Her face was lit only by the hint of moonlight trickling in through the dirty, plastic window of the unit and her pink hair seemed almost luminescent.

"Hey, listen to me, Ryan. This isn't just about you," retorted Lulu with a scowl. "The kids need Carl's Place…I need Carl's Place. If it wasn't for this place I'd still be with Pete and I'd still be living at home with my stepdad."

"I can't believe you let you talk me into this either." Ray scowled at Fraser as he spoke. "I'm hiding under a pool table, your elbow is in my face and I think I just sat on a raisin…unless…hey, Ryan, you don't have rats, do you?"

"No," replied Ryan. "And I told you, you don't have to do this."

"It's alright, Ryan," Fraser reassured him from his somewhat cramped position next to Ray. "Ray and I are happy to have the chance to apprehend the perpetrators."

"Yeah, look at me, I'm ecstatic," grumbled Ray. "I'm unarmed, remember? I should have my gun back by now, but apparently those bozos from the shooting team are too busy painting their nails to do the paperwork."

"They might not even show up tonight," Ryan pointed out. "We could be out there busting some real bad guys." He caught Ray's glare from under the pool table and quickly corrected himself. "I mean, you could be out there and I could watching you from the car."

"Are you really still determined to go to the Academy?" asked Ray. "Even after everything you've told us?"

"What choice do I have?" Ryan replied with a shrug.

"Well I know what I'd do," said Lulu with a determined look on her face. "I'd tell my old man I don't wanna go."

"It's not that easy," Ryan insisted.

"It's a hell of a lot easier than telling your stepdad to take his filthy hands off you for the hundredth time," replied Lulu. "I don't get it, you're acting like a total jerk."

"Thanks," replied Ryan with a sarcastic smile.

"I used to think you were my hero," Lulu admitted. "That day you came back for me…" she began, but she trailed off.

Fraser and Ray quickly realised they still didn't know the whole story, but it was becoming clear exactly why Ryan had been so good with the abuse victim they'd helped the other night. "Lulu, if you don't mind me asking…what happened?" asked Fraser, gently. They were finally learning about another side to Ryan and it was certainly eye-opening. "If it's too difficult to talk about I understand," he added.

"No, no, it's OK," replied Lulu and Ryan rolled his eyes in resignation. "I was really grateful to Ryan for getting me away from Pete that day, don't get me wrong, but I didn't know how to get away from my stepdad. I was sixteen and I didn't realise I had a choice so that night after I got away from Pete I just went home, I went back to him. He's the only family I had, ever since my Mom died when I was twelve. I'd given up trying to fight back…" her voice cracked and she stopped to compose herself. "But Ryan came for me," she said eventually. "He saved me again."

"Yeah, well, you were stupid for going back," Ryan shrugged. "Figured someone had to do something after what you'd told me about him."

"Again, Ryan, you could have called the cops!" exclaimed Ray. "Oh no, wait, you know better, right? Who needs the Chicago PD when they have you, Mr I-Can-Recite-The-Training-Manual-Backwards, huh? Jeez, kid, one day you're gonna get yourself killed!"

"OK, so I'm a jerk!" exclaimed Ryan, leaping to his feet and knocking the plastic chair he'd been sitting on crashing to the floor. "I should've just left her there, I should've just let him do whatever he wanted to her. Is that it?"

"Ryan, please sit down," Fraser urged.

"No, forget it," snapped Ryan. "If you guys wanna wait here to get ambushed by these morons, go ahead. I'm done." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a key attached to a green, plastic fob. "Here," he said, tossing the key to Lulu. "It's all yours. I have stuff to do before I go to the Academy. I don't have time for this place anymore."

"You're quitting?" asked Lulu, unable to believe what she was hearing. "You can't do that!"

"Watch me," snapped Ryan and he stormed out of the door.

xXxXxXxXx

"Ryan, wait," Fraser called out as he ran after the young man.

"Why?" asked Ryan, spinning round to face him. "So you can lecture me again? Jesus, just take me home to my Dad and let him do it, save you the trouble."

Fraser sighed. Dealing with Ryan was becoming more and more frustrating. "People are trying to help you," he said firmly. "Me, Ray, Lulu…Carl's Place is important to her and you're willing to shatter her faith in you and walk away? Why?"

"Because the whole thing is a waste of time," replied Ryan. "I'm going to be a cop. That's it. End of story."

"You don't have to keep punishing yourself," Fraser replied.

Ryan stared at him. "For what?" he asked, his voice suddenly quiet.

"For being a disappointment to your father," replied Fraser.

Ryan didn't answer for a moment. When he did find his voice it was barely audible. "Is that what you think?" he asked.

"No," said Fraser. "But it's what you think. You're wrong, by the way. If your father knew about what you've done for Lulu, do you think he'd be disappointed in you?"

Ryan just shrugged and then he turned to walk away.

"You couldn't let her down so you went back to save her from her stepfather," continued Fraser and he began walking to keep up with Ryan. "But now you feel if you don't go to the Academy you'll be letting your father down. However, I doubt very much that your father will see it that way. I think he'd be proud of you."

Ryan shook his head. "You don't know anything, Mountie," he said.

"My mother died when I was six," said Fraser, suddenly. He swallowed hard. It was difficult for him to talk about the loss of his mother, but he could see no other way to get through to Ryan. Fraser hoped to make him see what he was throwing away.

Fraser's words stunned Ryan and he stopped walking and turned back to face him. "Oh, I'm sorry," he mumbled.

"I don't remember anything about what happened, but for many years I felt as though I'd let her down somehow," continued Fraser. "After that my relationship with my father became, well, distant and I believed he felt the same way…that he blamed me somehow. He passed away last year and it's only been since then that I've discovered the truth about how he felt. If only we'd talked sooner before it was too late."

Ryan sighed. "Look, I'm sorry about your Dad - one of the hardest things about growing up was wondering if my Dad would make it home every night - but I don't see how this has anything to do with me."

"The chance for me to have a proper relationship with my father has passed," Fraser explained. "At least in any corporeal sense, but you still have time. Talk to him, tell him how you feel."

"And you think he won't be disappointed?" asked Ryan incredulously.

"Only because you've not been honest with him up until now," replied Fraser. "But he'll be even more disappointed five, or ten years into the future when he realises you became a police officer just to please him."

Ryan sighed. A hundred thoughts were spinning round in his head. "I guess…" he began, but he didn't get chance to say anything else as the roar of a group of motorbikes approaching shattered the serenity of the evening. "That's them!" he exclaimed.

xXxXxXx

Ray had been talking to Lulu from the relative comfort of a plastic chair while Fraser and Ryan had been outside. They got to their feet as they heard the noise of the four motorbikes hurtling along the dusty track.

"That's Pete's gang," said Lulu wringing her hands together with anticipation. "I'm gonna enjoy this!"

"Stay calm, stick to the plan," Ray urged and he reluctantly returned to his previous hiding place just as Fraser and Ryan ran back inside.

"It's them," Fraser confirmed with a nod and he flung himself back under the pool table to join Ray.

"Watch where you're putting your knee, Benny!" exclaimed Ray, momentarily flinching before moving over to make a little more room.

"Sorry, Ray," replied Fraser in a hushed voice.

At that moment the door flew open with a crash and four unsavoury looking characters appeared.

Sticking to their pre-arranged plan, Ryan and Lulu sat at the table playing cards. They offered the new arrivals nothing more than a glance before returning to their game. The lack of a reaction stopped the gang in their tracks.

"This ain't the usual welcome," snarled one of the men.

It was obvious to Ray and Fraser that the man who had spoken was Pete McArthur. He was clearly the leader of the gang and his self-important manner overpowered the sub-servient, if menacing, body language of the three other members of the gang. Pete had stubble and a shaved head and he wore a black t-shirt, tatty leather jacket and torn jeans. His three cronies wore similar outfits and each carried a baseball bat.

Lulu and Ryan continued to ignore them.

"I don't think they've noticed us, Pete," snarled one of the men and in a split-second he had smashed his baseball bat through a plastic crate containing art and craft materials. The contents scattered all over the floor.

"Oh hi, Pete," replied Ryan casually. He hoped Pete couldn't see his hands shaking as he spoke. "Jeez, if I'd known you were coming I'd have baked a cake."

Pete grinned and nodded threateningly. "Funny guy," he said, dryly. He walked towards them and squatted down next to Lulu. "What about you, sweet-cheeks? Don't I get a kiss ?" He reached out and stroked the side of her face, but he'd barely got a touch when she brought her hand up and pushed him away.

"Don't touch me," she hissed.

"Oh, baby," sighed Pete getting to his feet. "You still playin' this tune? Come on, we're good together."

Lulu scowled at him. "You're good for nothing," she sneered.

Pete glanced back over his shoulder at his associates. "Did you hear that?" he asked, feigning offence.

"You gotta show the boss more respect, lady!" said the tallest of the other men, jabbing his finger towards Lulu and the other two nodded in agreement.

"You gotta pay for that!" added another of the thugs and before anyone could object they began destroying more of the equipment. Two of them pulled an entire bookcase over sending books and magazines flying all over the floor. The tallest man picked up one of the books and hurled it towards Ryan. It went skimming past him, narrowly avoiding his head.

Ryan gritted his teeth and tried to ignore what was going on around him. As much as he was desperate to stop them he knew how this ended - usually with Pete's gang working him over until he was spitting out blood. He hated to stand back and watch the destruction of all his furniture and equipment, but he knew that this time he had to stick to the plan and wait for Ray and Fraser to show themselves.

"Enough," said Pete with a wave of his hand after a considerable amount of damage had been done. His gang obeyed his orders and re-grouped by the door.

Pete turned back to Lulu and suddenly grabbed her by the shoulder, pulling her to her feet and sending her hand of cards flying across the room.

"I told you, get your hands off me!" exclaimed Lulu.

From his hiding place under the pool table Fraser made a move to break his cover, but Ray's firm hand stopped him just in time. He shook his head and Fraser reluctantly nodded in agreement. He knew they needed to wait for Pete to do something else before they could reveal themselves and arrest him.

Either way the best they could do was perform a citizen's arrest. Ryan had made it clear to Ray that he was only accepting their offer of help on the condition that it was unofficial. Ray and Fraser were acting as friends only, not police officers. Ray wasn't happy with the arrangement, but it was the only way Ryan would allow them to be there at all.

Ryan glanced up at Pete. "Let her go," he said coolly, fighting to keep his temper under control.

"Or, what?" asked Pete. "You're not wearin' your mask, do you want me to break your face? "

"I just want you to let her go," reiterated Ryan. "I don't want any trouble."

Pete stared at Lulu. "Since when did you need him fightin' your battles?" he asked.

"I don't," snapped Lulu and then without warning she threw a punch at Pete, hitting him squarely on the nose.

"Lulu!" exclaimed Ryan. This wasn't part of the plan.

Pete retaliated immediately, by slapping her across the face. Lulu tried to sidestep him, but she wasn't quick enough and the stinging pain nearly brought tears to her eyes.

There was a momentary silent pause while everyone assimilated the change in atmosphere before chaos erupted.

Ryan leapt to his feet and pulled Pete away from Lulu. He punched Pete hard on the side of his head, but Pete was quick with a similar action and the two of them stumbled backwards into a bookcase. Lulu ran towards them, but two of Pete's cronies seized her arms and dragged her to the floor while the third man began randomly smashing everything he could see with his bat.

Fraser and Ray had seen enough. In a split-second, Fraser was on his feet and he rushed to help Ryan while Ray scrambled towards Lulu.

Stunned by their sudden appearances, Pete and his gang could do nothing to prevent being overpowered. Fraser grabbed Pete from behind and bundled him to the floor, holding him face down in an arm lock. Ray went for the tallest man, elbowing him in the chest and knocking the wind out of him. The man stumbled as he gasped for air and Ray swiftly pushed him down onto his knees, clasping the man's hands tightly behind his back

Despite her small frame, Lulu had no hesitation in jumping at one of Pete's other sidekicks. She threw a punch at his chin and before he had a chance to defend himself she kneed him in the groin. The man yelped in agony and doubled over. Lulu grabbed a chair and rammed it into his side, knocking him to the floor. Then quickly she dropped the chair down on top of him and sat on it, trapping him underneath.

At the same time, Ryan had no difficulty shoving the last of the gang members against the wall. The man tried to hit Ryan, but the younger man's strength won him over and he slid to his knees. Ryan thrust his knee into the man's back to restrain him. He glanced around and Fraser, Ray and Lulu, panting as he tried to take in what had happened.

An apple rolled across the floor from the upturned fruit bowl and Lulu casually picked it up and took a bite. "Bet y'wish you'd never come back, huh, Pete?" she asked with her mouth full and she grinned smugly at him.

Pete snarled at her and then turned to Ryan. "So you finally went running to Daddy and called the cops!" he exclaimed. He glowered at Ray and struggled in vain to free himself from Fraser's clutches.

"I didn't say I was a cop?" said Ray with a frown of mock puzzlement as he exerted a little extra pressure on his own squirming prisoner.

"Oh, come on," retorted Pete. "You think I'm that stupid? You're a cop! You look like a cop and you smell like a cop."

"I do?" Ray queried, a grin spreading over his face. He puffed his chest out proudly, but then just as quickly his shoulders slumped and he looked at Fraser. "I mean, that's a good thing, isn't it, Benny?" he asked.

"I truly believe it is, Ray," replied Fraser. "Do you happen to have any handcuffs?" he asked casually.

"Funny you should ask, Benny," replied Ray with a grin. "But yes I do." He quickly produced two pairs, snapping one around the wrists of his detainee. "Well I think Lulu's got her guy under control," he said, nodding towards the writhing man under the chair. "Ryan?" he asked, offering him the second pair.

"I'm OK," replied Ryan. "I'll just use these," he added before grabbing some earphones from an upside-down crate and employing them to bind the man's hands together. Ray threw the spare cuffs to Fraser instead.

"Very innovative," Fraser noted as he snatched the flying handcuffs from the air.

"Hey, you can't do this to us!" growled Ryan's prisoner.

"Yeah, well, I can, actually," replied Ryan. "In accordance with section two-six-three, paragraph twelve of the Illinois Criminal Code I'm making a citizen's arrest."

"As am I," added Fraser, nodding approvingly at Ryan.

Ray rolled his eyes. "Yeah, me too," he said, sneering at his own captive. "Section two-six-two, paragraph twelve. You're under arrest, pal."

"That's two-six-three, Ray," Fraser pointed out. Ray glared at him.

Ryan didn't notice the error, he glanced at Lulu and let out a slow sigh of relief. "I think it's over," he said to her.

Lulu nodded and smiled, almost too overcome with emotion to speak, but she focussed just long enough to reply. "Thank you."