Title: Happy Birthday, Fraser
Author: Birgitt Schuknecht
Fandom: due South
Rating: PG (slash)
Pairing: Vecchio/Fraser
Category: Challenge/Humour
Disclaimer: The characters used in the following story are not mine. I
do not make any money out of this. It's written for fun and for the fans
of the show.
Feedback: birgitt.schuknecht@uni-essen.de
Spoilers: none
Teaser: This is an answer to the RSY Whipping Cream Challenge. Ray's
jealousy ends in disaster.

Happy Birthday, Fraser
by Birgitt Schuknecht

Ray Vecchio strolled into the kitchen, finding his mother busy there. No
surprise here, he thought. Interested he stood behind her as she
finished whipping an enormous amount of cream. In the next moment his
finger was in the bowl and he put it into his mouth. "That's delicious,
Mama. What will that be?"

His mother turned round and gave her only son a little shove. "Raimondo,
you have no manners at all. I'm making a Black Forest Cake. And you'll
leave now until I'm ready with it." Ray was not so easily discouraged.
"A cake? What's the occasion?" That earned him a glare from his mother.

"You're a detective, aren't you? Find out for yourself." It took him
only a second to remember again: "Ah yes, Fraser's birthday. Aren't you
overdoing this a bit?" Mrs. Vecchio stared at his son open-mouthed.
"What does this mean, Raimondo. Benton is your best friend and your..."

Ray grinned at her cruelly. "Spit it out, Ma. My lover..." An
embarrassed Mrs. Vecchio shook her head at his harsh tone. "Caro, I
wouldn't have it that you talk like this about your relationship. It
took a long time for me to accept it, but now that I see what a happy
couple you and Benton are..."

Her son started laughing loudly, but there was no humour in it. "God,
that sounds so sweet, you make me pu..." Before he could end his
sentence his mother slapped him in his face. "Shut up, Raimondo Vecchio.
What's gotten into your head to make you talk like that? Now get out of
here till I'll call you. Then you can take my present to Benton."

Ray shook his head violently. "No, Mama, I won't go." Mrs. Vecchio lost
her patience with her sulking son. "Raimondo, what happened between you
and Benton?" Years of experience taught Ray that her no-nonsense-voice
left him with no other option. He had to tell her what happened anyway.

"We had a fight last night, I mean, an argument," he corrected hastily
when he saw his mother blushing. "Don't ask me for the reason, I can't
remember how we got into it. The end of it was that we were yelling at
each other and then..." He was unable to go on.

Carefully his mother probed, "Then..." Ray heaved a sigh: "He threw me
out of his apartment. And I got ottered." Mrs. Vecchio stared at her son
incredulously. "You got what?"

"Ottered. Ah, that's an expression I took from Be... from Fraser's Boy
of the Yukon stories. It just means that people throw things at you. In
my case it was a shoe from Mr. Mustafi. Fraser and I were rather loud,
it was in the middle of the night and we probably interrupted his beauty
sleep." He grinned sheepishly at his mother.

She tried not to laugh at him. This was serious. Benton throwing his Ray
out of the apartment... "Then you'll have another reason to go to him.
You'll have to reconcile..." Ray turned his back to his mother. "No, I
won't go. That's final." He couldn't see the triumphant smile on his
mother's lips.

***

Ray had no idea how his mother did it, but he was on his way to Fraser's
apartment, the cake safely in the Riv's trunk. Well, of course he knew
that he had to fulfil his mother's wishes and bring Fraser the cake.
Otherwise he would have had hell on earth in his own house. But there
was no way that he apologised to Fraser. That's what his mother expected
of him. To apologise, to kiss his friend and get on with his life.
Apologise! For what? He'd done nothing wrong. At least he couldn't
remember...

He drove directly to Fraser's apartment. The Mountie would be home any
minute now. Ray had glared at his mother as she suggested to him to give
his ex-... his ex-whatever a lift home from the Consulate. That would
have been an acknowledgement of guilt, and Ray didn't feel guilty. When
he pulled his car into a free parking space near Fraser's building he
saw something that brought back his memories of their argument. There
was Meg Thatcher's car standing right in front of the building Fraser
lived in.

Ray turned down the Riv's engine, but kept seated. Meg Thatcher.
Fraser's superior officer at the Consulate. That's what Fraser's been
telling him. Ray knew better than that. He could see. He could see that
Inspector Thatcher's interest in the Mountie had nothing to do with the
job. Fraser had countered Ray's complaints by repeating over and over,
that he - Fraser - was only in love with him - Ray - whatever the
Inspector's feelings might be. At first Ray had believed him, but every
time he saw his lover with Thatcher, jealousy began to gnaw at him anew.
And when he and Fraser had quarrelled last night it was about something
totally trivial, but the real reason to be cross with Fraser was Ray's
jealousy, a feeling he hadn't been able to control any longer.

And now she's here. On his birthday. Ray felt the anger building up in
him. When he came close to boiling point he jumped out of the car and
ran over to the apartment building. He stopped suddenly, remembering the
present. He turned to get the cake out of the trunk.

The elevator was out of order, as usual. But this time Ray didn't even
pause once when he stormed the stairs to the third floor. Although the
cake was enormous Ray was up in a flash. He never thought about
knocking, knowing the door to be unlocked anyway. Balancing the cake
with difficulty in one hand, he opened the door with the other. He
scanned the spartan rooms, finding Thatcher sitting on Fraser's bed and
Fraser himself busy in the small kitchen area. Thatcher smiled at Ray -
Ray was sure it was a triumphant grin. Then Fraser turned to him: "Hi,
Ray. I'm glad you came. After yesterday I feared..." He stopped
midsentence as he took in Ray's furious expression.

"You're glad? I would think I'm disturbing a little private party!"
Fraser stared at him open-mouthed. "What? Ray, I have no idea what
you're talking about. And what is that?" He pointed at the cake in Ray's
shaking hands. The Mountie broke into a grin matching the size of the
cake. "Is that for me?"

Ray looked down at the precious present, then again into the grinning
faces of Fraser and Thatcher who had risen from the bed and was standing
next to Fraser now. Ray afterwards wasn't sure if he had planned it all
along or if he had thought at all in that moment. In one smooth motion
he lifted the cake and threw it into the shocked face of Fraser. "Happy
Birthday, Fraser!" With these words he turned and fled the place of his
humiliation.

It wasn't long before he heard Fraser following him. And the Mountie had
no difficulties to catch up to him. Since Ray did not react to his
yelling Fraser gripped him from behind and turned him. Ray was
astonished at the effect the cake had on Fraser's features. His face was
all covered with whipped cream, only the eyes could be seen, since
Fraser had wiped them free. The cream had dripped on the red uniform
Fraser was wearing. His spotless Mountie. Ray had not believed this
possible. Up till now there seemed to exist a invisible force field
protecting his friend from mud and garbage. And now... This! Ray
couldn't help it, although his anger was still there he was overwhelmed
by fits of laughter.

Fraser was for once at a loss of words. In vain he tried to clean
himself a little, only deteriorating the damage to his usually perfect
outfit. He lost his patience, took the helpless Ray by his hand and
pulled him back into his apartment. Thatcher was in the kitchen, trying
to clean herself. The cake had been big enough to hit her as well. She
glared at the pair standing in the doorframe. "I'm on my way now,
Constable. And... happy birthday!"

She squeezed out of the room, storming down the stairs. The front door
of the building was closed with a loud bang. Ray who finally managed to
stop his laughing and Fraser looked at each other, smiling sheepishly.
Fraser shoved Ray further inside and closed the door behind them. Then
he turned to Ray. "What was all that about?"

Ray heaved his shoulders and sighed. "What do you think? I'd rather like
to know... what was she doing here?" Fraser grinned at him: "Oh, Ray,
not again. She brought me home because I asked her to." Before Ray could
interrupt him Fraser went on. "I have told her about us, Ray. I hardly
could do that at the Consulate. And she took it in stride. I suspect she
already knew."

"She knew?" Fraser nodded. "I'm quite sure. Now, can you see that there
is no reason for you to be jealous? You're the one I love, Ray, the one
and only." Ray blinked at this words. He felt... stupid, to say the
least. "I know, Benny. I knew it all the time. But when I saw you with
her, something in my head snapped and I... I..."

"Freaked out?" Fraser provided. His lover could only nod. "Well, Ray, I
hope this has been a lesson for you to control your emotions in future
times." When Ray grinned at him, he corrected hastily, "Your emotions of
jealousy, I wanted to say. I didn't mean... er..." Fraser blushed
violently.

"I know exactly what you mean, Benny. And I'm sorry for this..." he
pointed at the remnants of the birthday cake, "this mess!" Fraser
smiled. "Apologies accepted." Ray's anger flared once more: "Apologies!
I didn't mean to..." When he met the innocent blue-eyed look of his
lover he stopped himself. "All right, I did apologise. And I meant it."

Fraser sighed. "Fine. I'm sorry that it cost us a fabulous birthday
cake. I assume it was your mother who made it. What a waste..." Ray took
the hands of Fraser into his own. "Maybe we can salvage some of it," and
started to lick cream from his lover's face. Fraser giggled at the
ticklish feeling, but didn't hinder Ray to go on. Finally Ray reached
Fraser's mouth and met readily parted lips. They lost themselves in a
deep kiss, sweeter than anything Mrs. Vecchio could ever create with her
exceptional cooking abilities.

Finally the broke apart, breathlessly. Fraser took in the now content
features of his lover. "You know, Ray, I'm really looking forward to
your birthday." Ray wasn't sure what was to come now. "Why is that,
Benny?" A mischievous grin spread on Fraser's face: "I still have a
really big bottle of maple syrup..."

The End