Love Hurts
"I must admit, Fraser, I haven't seen you this happy since, well, ever." Fraser just smiled. It had been 2 blissful years since he had met and married Maegan, and not a day had passed without him thanking his lucky stars. He had had been supported by everyone in his decision to marry, even Frannie, who had given him some very useful pointers into the female mind. "I know, Ray. I finally feel like my life is complete". Ray rolled his eyes. "Don't go mushy on me Fraser, I can't stand that stuff!" Fraser looked perplexed. "What stuff, Ray?" "You know what I mean, Fraser, that lovey-dovey stuff that seems to infect everyone who's in love... Forget it." A sudden, bitter cold wind rose, and the two men turned up their collars and hunched into the wind, as they walked in silence to the precinct. As they climbed the steps, Ray mumbled "I can't wait for the Riv to get fixed. Yech." This time, Fraser rolled his eyes, but said nothing.
"Morning Vecchio, Fraser. Nice weather." Ray brushed the snow off his coat and muttered "Yeah. Right." "Good morning Leftenant." Fraser said, seeming much more comfortable than Welsh or Ray were. "You don't seem to be too disturbed by the storm, Fraser?" said Welsh. But before Benny could answer, Ray quipped "Of course not. He was born in an igloo. This is summer weather for him." Fraser flashed him a withering look, but did not say anything.
As the pair made their way to Ray's desk, Ray asked "By the way, you never told me how you met Maegan. I've been trying to pry it out of you for months now!" Fraser thought. Finally, he said "All right, Ray. I'll tell you. But you must promise me you won't laugh." Ray nodded suspiciously. "I met her in a strip club. I had been sent there to get testimonies from the owner of the place following the Bronsted-Lowry murder. She was a waitress. Sparks flew between us. Literally. She had just placed a cake with a couple of sparklers on it. It was love at first sight, despite the revealing clothing." Ray looked at Fraser, expressionless, for a few seconds, then had to turn away before he burst out laughing. Fraser tolerated it, though he was a little irked that Ray had not lasted more than 5 seconds. "All right, all right. I'm sorry, Fraser. It's just that I never pictured you in a strip club before!" Fraser gave him a wry smile. Then, without a word, they turned their attention to the case at hand.
It had been a slow morning at the precinct, with only a few calls to deal with and too much paper work. At 2:30, Ray offered to walk Fraser to the Consulate. "Thanks, Ray, I'd appreciate the company." So, the men bundled up and faced the bitter cold once more. As they walked, they began to discuss the case they had been working on, trying to agree on the significance of the clues they had found. All of a sudden, Fraser stopped and said "Nuts!" Ray stopped also and said "what now? Come on Fraser, I'm freezin' here!" "I forgot my hat, Ray. It's at home. It's only a few blocks from here. Do you mind?" Ray mumbled, and Fraser took that as a "I don't mind" mumble. So the men crossed the street and walked towards Fraser's block.
Fraser pushed open the door, and called down the hall, "Maegan, honey?" Ray stifled a smile. He had never gotten used to his friend saying the word "Honey" to anyone. It sounded distinctly odd. "Down here, dear." Maegan called from the basement. "I won't be long, Ray." Ray smiled at him and followed him down. "Hi hon." Fraser said and gave his wife a kiss. "I just came by to get my hat. You know how Thatcher gets if I don't have it." Maegan gave a little laugh and said "Hi Ray. How are you?" Ray loved this woman. She was more like a mother than Fraser's wife to him. He smiled happily and said "Fine. Ugly weather, though." Fraser didn't like this. He was fine with the rapport that Ray and Maegan shared, but today, there was a definite distance between him and his wife. A feeling he couldn't quite put his finger on. "Is everything all right, Maegan?" He said. She looked up at him with slight surprise, and got up. "Of course, honey. Why?" She came over and gave him a hug. Fraser shrugged. "I don't know. Something's not right." "Honey, stop worrying. Everything's in order. I honestly don't know why you worry about me so much." Fraser relaxed a bit and gave an embarrassed laugh. "All right. I'm sorry. I'd better go before Thatcher blows a fuse!" This time, both Maegan and Ray laughed. As they walked towards the basement stairs, Maegan called "Hey!" Fraser turned around. "Your hat!" Laughing, Fraser accepted it from her and gave her a good-bye kiss.
"What was that all about, Fraser?" asked Ray as they walked down the front steps. He shrugged. "I dunno. Something felt wrong." "You worry too much, Fraser." He gave an absent-minded shrug. As they neared the street, Fraser felt more and more uncomfortable. Suddenly, he heard a scream and a crash from within the house. Fraser spun around. He had just enough time to see the shape of a man running by the basement window. "Ray!" He yelled and raced back into the house, Ray following closely. "Maegan!" He shouted as he tore down the stairs. Everything was thrown about, and there was a huge note smeared in blood on the wall "You're next". There was no sign of Maegan. Fraser stopped and looked around in a panic. He heard a tiny gasp coming from the back of the room. Wasting no time, he raced towards the sound. He threw over a chair and gasped himself. His wife lay on the ground, clutching her chest, a knife deeply imbedded in her heart, blood pouring from her lip and chest. He threw himself down beside her, gently picked up her head and rested it on his chest. Ray arrived. Fraser looked up, tears in his eyes. "Call 9-1-1, Ray." He said. Ray said "Oh my god" and raced for the phone. Fraser looked back down at his wife and ran his hands through her blood soaked hair. "It's okay, honey. You'll be fine. Ray's calling an ambulance. I'm right here. I won't leave you. You'll be okay, you'll be okay..." he whispered. Her glazed eyes looked up at him, her lips quivered, then said "I love you", but no sound came out. Then, slowly, her eyes became empty and her body relaxed. A tear rolled down Fraser's cheek and he began to cry silently, gently picked up her limp body and walked out the house, deaf to the sirens of the parked ambulances. Ray followed silently. After Fraser had handed over his wife's lifeless body to the paramedics, he turned around, looked at Ray, and not even fighting back the tears, let Ray hold him as the world disappeared around them.