[fanfic] Due South: Here Ghost

[ickaimp]

Just got back from an Intake at the One Stop Career center. Evidently, I qualify for aid in training, among other things. ^^;;
-actually cried when the guy handed me a bus pass for this month. Didn't know how I was going to get around -for- training and other stuff. Gave him a hug too.

... yeah. Think we're a little stressed this month...

Y'know, it's kinda funny to be watching 'Due South' and realising that hey, that really cool music in the background? We have that ablum...

Sequel to There Wolf


Here Ghost
By Icka! M. Chif

"-So the dog looks up at the bartender and says 'I'm lookin' fer the guy who shot my paw." Ray's amused voice pulled Benton out of a light slumber. It was an incongruous sound to hear in the depths of the Consulate, especially in the early hours of the night.

He did not need to open his eyes to see Diefenbaker roll his eyes. "Oh, like I haven't heard that one before."

"Still say you ain't deaf."

"And I still say you're not a natural blond."

"Don't hate me because I'm beautiful." Ray's turned smugly sweet, but with a note of familiarity, as if he'd had this argument before with Diefenbaker.

Which was absurd. As far as Ray believed, Dief was just a deaf half wolf. Benton opened his eyes to see Ray sitting in mid air next to his cot, bantering away with his older brother, who was in his full-moon form. Dief had taken over his chair, legs crossed at the ankles, feet up on the desk.

"Ray."

Ray glanced down at him, waving a hand in greeting. "Yo, Frase. How's it goin'?"

"Ray." Benton sat up, his tail curling around his hip to prevent himself from sitting on it. "Ray."

"You said that." Ray gave him a crooked grin, full of amusement. "Want to try it again?"

Right. He was being lax in his manners. "My apologies, Ray. I was merely surprised to see you here. When we last left you, you were staying overnight at the hospital."

Ray shrugged in return, hands returning to his short denim jacket pockets. "I was. Got bored. Figured I'd check up on you guys and see how you're doin' and all."

A perpetrator had gotten in a good hit on his partner's head during an arrest earlier that afternoon. It had been enough to knock Ray temporarily out and left him with some residual dizziness and problems with his vision, resulting in a hospital trip, despite Ray's best efforts. The doctors had decided to keep him over night for observation.

He was both saddened and relieved by the decision. Under optimal conditions, he would have preferred to either have Ray spend the night here, or to spend the night at Rays to avoid a hospital stay, which was likely to leave his partner cranky the next day. Unfortunately, it had not been optimal conditions, it was the night of the full moon and he and Dief had to hurry to return to the Consulate before their transformations began.

Dief had an amused look on his face, silently enjoying Benton's confusion. As if he knew something Benton didn't. Ray grinned, somehow managing to lean over, hovering in mid air with his feet above his head to examine Benton's ears. "Heeeeeyyyy!!" Excited recognition filled Ray's expressive face as ghostly not-fingers tickled his much larger wolf-ears. "I remember this dream!!!"

"Ray." Benton closed his eyes. It was rather disconcerting to be viewing Ray from such an angle. "You're floating."

"Well, duh Frase." Ray rotated back up. "This is a dream."

Dief snickered.

"No, Ray. It is not." He shot a glare at his older brother. "And you should know better to lead him on in such a fashion, Diefenbaker."

His brother shrugged unrepentantly. "He started it."

"Hey!" Ray shot Dief a glare. "You're the one reading the joke books."

He was about to ask what that had to do with anything when Dief held the book in his lap up so he could see the title.

'1001 Dumb Blond Jokes'.

"Diefenbaker!"

"Uh. Wait. Hold that thought, be right back." Ray held up a hand-

And abruptly vanished.

"Wake up call." Dief glanced over at the clock. "He did this last hour too."

Benton rubbed the palm of his hand over his face in an attempt to wake up and force the situation to make more sense. "Then we can at least surmise that the nurses are doing their jobs. And that he can return to his body when needed."

Dief nodded. "He thinks this is a dream."

"Yes. I had gathered that."

His brother's jaw fell open in a very lupine grin. "We could have fun with that."

"Dief." Benton looked at him sternly. Where did he get this sense of humour? Certainly not from their father. Too much exposure to Frobisher when younger perhaps? "Ray is our -friend-."

"Yes." Dief easily agreed. "Which is why I'm teasing him."

Unfortunately, Dief did have a point. He did have the unfortunate habit of teasing the people that he liked. Benton changed the conversation. "Has he done this before?"

"Late night visitations?" Dief rubbed his chin thoughtfully, ruffling the fur in the wrong direction. "Not that I've seen. Something to do with the hit on the head, ya think?"

"It is a possibility." He sighed. There was no way to tell if this was an ablity that Ray had previously had or something new caused by the sudden impact to the skull. The brain and it's functions were still largely unexplainable to the general medical community at large.

And then Ray was back, looking the same as he had been, hovering in midair, hands in his jacket pockets again. "Sorry 'bout that. Attila the Hun was tryin' ta wake me up."

"Not a problem, Ray." Benton assured him. "You are suffering from a head injury after all."

"Yup." Ray beamed back, not at all concerned about it. He seemed pretty cheerful when he thought that whatever oddity was happening was not real.

"I'm surprised that you haven't inquired as to why we look the way we do, Ray."

"Figured it was one of those metaf- metaphis... " Ray's fingers snapped as he searched for the word he was looking for.

"Metaphorical?"

"Yeah, that. Y'know, we hang with Dief so much that he's taken on some human aspects-"

Dief snickered.

"-And you've -gotta- have some wolf or something in ya, with the way ya lick things."

Dief covered his face in the book, which did nothing to hide to hide his howls of laughter nor the shaking of his shoulders.

Benton glared at his older brother. Just -who- was it that licked their own privates in public?

"Actually Ray, you are in some aspects correct." Deciding to ignore his treacherous brother, Benton focused his attention on Ray, who was thankfully apparently oblivious to Dief's rudeness. "Our mother was indeed part wolf, so therefore I am part wolf as well."

Ray's eyebrows went up, creasing his forehead. "Wait... 'our' mother? You guys really siblings?"

"I told you I was the bigger brother." Dief snickered, peering over the joke book.

"I just though you were bein' perverted." Ray shot back. "You -were- wearin' a dress at the time after all."

His brother pulled the book back over his eyes and resumed chortling. Ben sighed. "Yes, Ray. Diefenbaker is my older brother. Our father was away for long periods of time and did not know that Mom was a werewolf, nor that a werewolf gestation period is shorter than a human's. And since we are only half werewolf, neither of us has full shapeshifting capabilities."

"So on the full moon, you change into half half-wolf." Ray had an expression on his face that clearly stated that he was going along with this to humour him.

"Precisely." Benton nodded and continued on. At least he had Ray's attention, regardless or not if he believed the story to be true. "My father believed Dief to be a puppy she was rising, and raised him until he was old enough to be sent off to an uncle's house. We did not meet again until he pulled me out of Prince Rupert Sound."

"Resulting in his supposed deafness."

Dief, his face still hidden by the joke book, ignored him.

"Yes. Maggie is also part wer, although from many generations back, and thus has some of the same abilities we do." Benton explained on. They'd both been happy to find a sibling. Although the fact that she could see their father as well had been quite a bit of a shock. In retrospect however, it shouldn't have. The untamed wilderness seems to be a lure for many of their kind.

"Abilities, huh?" Ray still had that humouring expression. "So the super Mountie thing really is genetic, huh?"

"The healing factor does indeed come in useful for that, Ray." He replied evenly. Even if it did mean licking the injuries, since the healing factor was in their saliva. "I sincerely doubt the ability to see spirits is a much vaunted RCMP skill."

Ray laughed, turning circles in midair like an astronaut. This slowed as he stopped and looked at Ben's face, the mirth dropping away like mud off of a boot. "You're.... not joking... are you?" Ray ventured, swallowing nervously.

"Have you ever known me to lie, Ray?"

Ray... dropped. A bit like a stone, but without the sudden impact at the end. One minute he was floating, the next he was curled into a ball on the floor, knees to his chin, hands clutching his blond hair in a white knuckled grip.

Oh, dear. "Ray?" His partner's huddled form didn't move. He glanced up at Dief, who had taken the joke book off his face and was staring at Ray with a concerned expression as well. "Ray. Ray. Ray. Ray!"

"Just... gimme a moment here, Frase." Ray's voice was muffled. "It's not every day you discover that you're dead and yer best friend and his dog is a werewolf."

"I'm a wolf." Diefenbaker corrected snobbishly.

"You're not dead." Benton sighed, scratching an eyebrow nervously. Ray had definitely taken that the wrong way.

"You said I was a spirit!" Ray lifted his head up to snap, eyes sparking dangerously.

"A spirit does not necessarily constitute that you are dead, Ray." He corrected. "Such an occurrence is a common one transcending many cultural boundaries. I believe in Japanese such people are called 'Ikiryu', or a friendly spirit. Old English it's a 'Fetch' while in Gaelic, it's known as a Coimimeadh or a Co-walker, related to what I believe you would call a-"

Ray's eyelids had dropped, giving him a flat expression that was reassuring in its normalcy. "In American, Fraser?" He drawled.

"Astral Projection." Dief supplied, startling both of them. "You stepped out of your physical body --which is currently at the hospital being prodded by Attila the Hun every hour at approximately quarter after-- to visit us."

"Oh, is that all?" Sarcasm dripped off of every syllable. "People do not just 'step out' of their bodies, Dief."

"And I suppose people do not turn bizarre hybrid wolf-human forms on the night of the full moon either, Ray." Benton's tone was sharp, perhaps a trifle too much, and he regretted it as soon as it was out of his mouth. He barrelled on none the less. "The subject of Astral Projection is a well documented one-"

"Yeah, yeah." Ray waved him off, the tension fading from his lithe form as he relaxed his defensive curl to more of a tired crouch. "I get it, I get it. You're weird, I'm weird, we're all used to that, get over it, yadda yadda."

Dief snickered. "See? Toldya he's not a real blond. He's got a brain under those chemical fumes."

"Diefenbaker." Benton scolded again. "But Ray, it is probably most imperative that you return to your body. You don't know what is happening to it. Or if someone could attempt to take it over." Anne Rice novels aside, they did not need an 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' happening. Especially since he wasn't entirely sure how he would explain -that- to Leftenant Welsh and Inspector Thatcher.

"Right." Ray casually rose, dusting off his legs, regardless of the fact that there was no way for a noncaporal body to get dirt on itself. "So this isn't a dream, this is really happening and I need to get back to my body."

"Correct."

Ray's face went distant for a few moments, as if searching for something inside of him. Something he wasn't quite finding. After a few moments, his blond head snapped up, focusing on him with a laser sight gaze. "Whadda doin' awake? You gotta get up in the morning. Shoo. Shoo. Go to sleep."

Benton felt his face flush slightly. "I... er..." That was abrupt switch, even for Ray.

Diefenbaker supplied the explanation for the sudden turn around in attitude. "You're not quite sure how to get back."

Ray had the grace to looked chagrined. "Erm. Yeah. This is kinda new to me. Gonna take a bit ta figure out. In the mean time-" A ghostly finger was jabbed in his direction. "-You get some sleep. Ya don't need to be up while I get my head wrapped around this bit of freakishness. I don't even know if I'm gonna remember this stuff later. In the meantime, deaf Dief here can keep me company."

His brother's eyes sparkled mischievously, drawing attention away from any rebuttal Benton might have had. "Hey, Ray?"

"Yeah?"

"How do you confuse a blond?"

And this was where Ben had woken up. "Good night, Ray. Dief."

"Night, Frase. Better dreams." Both Ray and Dief waved, more of a shooing motion. Benton rolled back into the bed, mindful of the tail, and covered himself back up with the blankets. "Alright, I know I'm gonna regret this." Ray continued, a long-suffering tone directed at Diefenbaker. "But how?"

"You put them in a round room and tell them to pee in the corner." His brother's voice was filled with barely restrained glee.

"I don't think it's a blond that does that." Ray snarled back, but the growl was one of amusement instead of annoyance, allowing Dief to distract him. "Dog boy."

"That's 'Wolf Man' to you."

Benton smiled to himself. Ray and Diefenbaker bickered like good friends. Or an old married couple. Is that what Ray and himself sounded like to an outsider? "He only loves you for your donuts."

"Good Night, Benton/Fraser." Ray and Dief chorused. Ben pulled the blankets higher on his shoulders, privately amused.

"And don't you dare start on the Pollack jokes or I swear to you my body will rise out of it's hospital bed and kick you in the tail." Ray ranted.

"Not the head?" Dief's voice was the paragon of innocence.

"Nah. You're too tall currently. Besides, head shots would bring the ASPCA and the Humane Society down on mine."

Benton sighed, closing his eyes and allowing the bantering of his brother and his partner lure him to sleep. They would see in the morning, when they had resumed their normal forms, what Ray remembered of this night. In the meantime, Dief had Ray sufficiently distracted from his situation at the moment that hopefully the next hourly check, Ray would -stay- there.

Not that he didn't want Ray's company, quite the opposite, but until they learned more it was wiser to err on the side of caution.

On the other hand, it did no good to borrow trouble either.

+++

"I still fail to see why you would not allow me to inform Ray that a Coimimeadh is related to Doppelgangers and the subsequent mythology, Dief." Benton grumbled at his brother as they walked towards the hospital to pick up his partner. "Regardless if it was a one time thing or a new talent, he should hear the truth."

Diefenbaker growled at him.

"Okay, well yes. The fact that it is common lore that to see someone's Doppelganger means that they're fated to die within a year-"

Another growl, more of a muttering.

"Regardless, being a cop is dangerous occupation, my presence does not make it any more or less hazardous for Ray-"

More muttering.

"You keep that up and I will be forced to wash your mouth out with lye. This is a hospital, I would thank you to mind your manners while you're here."

Diefenbaker sneezed and trotted ahead of him. Benton sighed, rubbing an eyebrow and followed him at a brisk pace. His brother knew where to go and the nurses knew him well enough to 'miss' seeing what they considered to be a large friendly white dog. He nodded to some nurses as they passed, ignoring the giggles that followed in his wake.

He found Diefenbaker in the same room they had left Ray in the night before, on the bed, doing his best to drowned the blond in slobber.

"Frase!!" Ray sputtered, trying to ignore Dief's furious face wash. "You gotta save me here! I am not wolf chow!"

"Yes, well, as you know, Diefenbaker is-"

"Dief!" Ray hollered into Dief's face. "Stop! Bad wolf! No donut!"

Diefenbaker sat down on top of Ray, looking very pleased with himself. Benton barely restrained himself from rolling his eyes at his brother's behaviour. Dief maintained that licking Ray was necessary for a number of reasons, primarily that Ray was a part of their particular pack, hence the teasing, therefore he was simplify marking their territory from any other unfamiliar wolves, were or not.

The other, less logical reason, being that Dief found Ray's reaction to Dief grooming him amusing. However, Benton was not going to entertain the snickered comments about his partner tasting good.

Ray, wiping his face with a great deal of disgust, glanced over. "Hey, Frase. 'Morning."

"Good morning to you as well, Ray." He shifted the hat in his hand slightly. "I trust you slept well?"

"I slept like the dead." Ray grumped, pushing Diefenbaker off the bed. "Except for being woken by Attila the Hun all night. You off. Let's get me outta this hell hole."

He exchanged a look with his brother. Ray didn't remember anything. Diefenbaker whined slightly and Benton was forced to admit he had a point. The prediction of death within one year's time did seem awfully preposterous.

Ray got dressed, without the aid of Diefenbaker, and within short order forms were filled out and they were on their way out of hospital and into the GTO, talking and grumbling the whole way. It was reassuringly ordinary and Benton found himself relaxing in normalcy of it.

Until Ray smiled at him, in that slightly manic-pre coffee way of his.

"Oh yeah. Hey, Fraser? Joke I heard the other day." Ray beat his hands against the steering wheel in anticipation, ignorant of the tense look between himself and his brother. "How do ya confuse a blond-?"

-fin-

Third story to this arc in the works, Dief's point of view.

Comments

[ysabet.livejournal.com]

Oh boy..... I read this when you were working on it, but I think it's improved since then. **laughs** That ending was BEAUTIFUL. And you know, it strikes me that Ray (being such a pervert as I remember from the show) would attempt to use his abilities to play Peeping Tom if he ever gets them under control. Just a thought...

Gonna write one about the doppelganger aspect?

[dogmatix-san.livejournal.com]

Goooood ficcage. :D Love how you write Dief, greatly looking forward to the third story. *grin*

[summercloud.livejournal.com]

Fun. It gets a little slow in the middle, with the explanations, but the ending more than makes up for it.

Thanks.

[ickaimp.livejournal.com]

Thank ~you~ for pointing out that it does get slow. ^^;; ((Glomps!)) Unfortunately, the Fraser in my head does have a tendancy to be rather long winded, something that's carrying over to the other fics.
Thanks!!!

[billy-jukes.livejournal.com]

*snerks* This is PERFECT!

I'm confused on one point, DOes Ray remember or not?

[ickaimp.livejournal.com]

Not yet.

Ghost!Ray will be returning next fic, where he kicks Fraser's Dad in the head. ^_________________________^


... wait... Billy Jukes, from FoxKid's Peter Pan and the Pirates?

*snickers madly*

[poe-nui.livejournal.com]

*glomphugglespurrr*
I love these!!!! Dief and Ray are toooooo funny.

*tackleglomp*

[poe-nui.livejournal.com]

Forgot - YAY!!!! Hurrah for Morgan convincing you to go in!