A Man of Justice - final section

[mistressace]

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

*~*~*~*

Lex made the call and the following morning, Fraser saw him off at the airport. They shook hands, embraced and once Lex had disappeared down the gangway, Fraser returned to his life. There were reports to file, visas to arrange, immigration requests to send up the line or return to applicants who did not qualify.

As previously arranged, Fraser met Ray for lunch that Friday.

During their walk from the station to the restaurant, Ray was curiously subdued. His usual repertoire of gestures, his tendency to walk too close, and his natural ebullience were completely absent. He barely looked at Fraser when they sat down.

Instead, he grabbed the menu and frowned at it. Holding it in front of his face, he mumbled an order to the waitress, then continued to hide behind it until Fraser reached across and pulled on the placard. Ray hung on, gripping tightly until the plastic crackled.

The noise startled them both and Ray let go, reaching for his water glass, then fiddling with his silverware. His feet shifted, his boot knocking the side of Fraser's before he pushed his chair back and twisted it slightly to the left.

"Ray... " Another fiddle and Ray's sleeve caught his fork, sending it to the floor.

"Ray...." Leaning over, Ray retrieved the wayward cutlery, wiped it off and set it back down on the table.

"Ray...." The spoon went flying this time, landing on the empty table behind them.

"Ray!"

"What?" Ray snapped, finally looking at Fraser. His gaze skittered away half a heartbeat later.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing. What'd you order?"

"My order was the same as yours: Pad Thai, Chicken Satay, and Thai iced tea." Fraser handed Ray's fork to their waitress. She put their drinks on the table and laid a fresh set of silverware next to Ray's left elbow.

As she walked away, Fraser moved the utensils out of Ray's reach. "Tell me what's bothering you. Is it a case?"

"No," Ray said, picking up his drink. He set it back down immediately, its contents sloshing over the rim and onto his hand. "Yeah, yeah, it's a case."

"Which one? Perhaps I can give you some insight."

"Some insight. I'll bet." Ray mopped up the spill with a paper napkin, balling it up and tossing it in the corner. This time when he looked at Fraser, he didn't immediately look away. "Grant's been talking. He's been talking a lot."

"Ah. That case." Fraser wet his lower lip and tugged at his collar. "I hope he's provided enough to secure an indictment."

"Yeah. And then some. He's...." Ray rubbed the back of his neck. "He's said some things about you and what you were doing in that hotel room. It's probably none of my business...."

"Is it pertinent to the case?"

"Not really."

"Then you're correct. If you are asking in your capacity as a member of the Chicago police force, it's none of your business. But.... " Fraser sat back, placing his hands flat on the table. "If you are asking because you're my friend, I'll answer any question you pose."

"Okay, then. As a friend... so, this stuff he's saying, is it true? Are you...?"

"Bisexual? Yes." It felt good to actually admit it. A weight he'd been carrying for years slipped off his shoulders and Fraser took the first deep breath of freedom.

Ray's face fell; he looked close to tears. In fact, he looked... desolate. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You never asked."

"Jesus, was that all I had to do? Ask you?" Ray slapped his hand down on the table and their silverware rattled. The people around them turned to look and he dropped his volume by a few degrees. "I don't believe this. I freeze my nuts off for four months, sleeping next to you every night and all I had to do was ask?"

Ray could not possibly be saying what Fraser though he was saying. "Excuse me?"

"Then six years. Six years of spending holidays with you in Moose Jaw, or Fort McPherson, or that last place, Aklavikyaktuk."

"Aklavik, Ray. Tuktoyaktuk is much farther north."

"Fraser, if we'd been any further north, we would've been in Russia. That's not the point," Scrubbing at his eyes, Ray blinked. He stared out the window, chewing on his bottom lip as a tear trickled down his face. "The point is... you never said anything, Fraser. Not one word. I... I was dying of waiting and now it's..."

Blinking back tears of his own, Fraser reached for his hat. "It's too late. I know. I'll... I'll talk to you later."

"Yeah," Ray said, his head dropping down. "Later.... Uh, I'm supposed to invite you to Sunday dinner."

Rising from the table, Fraser shook his head. "Give Blanche my apologies."

"Sure."

"Goodbye, Ray."

"Goodbye, Frase."

*~*~*~*

Fraser walked back to the Consulate. His car was parked next to Ray's GTO at the station, but he needed the time to think more than he needed to retrieve his vehicle. The long walk didn't do him much good though, for by the time he reached his office, he was just as confused and heart-sore as he'd been when he left the restaurant.

He was a coward. The loss of a friend had been too much to risk on the chance of gaining his heart's desire. And all along, Ray had been waiting and wondering right alongside him. All it would have taken was to break through the ice and reach for the hand lying next to his own.

The hand that was no longer his to have.

It truly was too late.

Sitting down at his desk, Fraser buried his face in the cradle of his arms. He was too tired to weep.

There was something under his fingertips, something that crinkled as he turned his head. Pushing himself back upright, Fraser stared down at the envelope in the center of his desk.

He turned it over, slitting it open with the knife from his belt. Two items slid free, both of them landing on his blotter. The first was a plane ticket with his name on it. He ignored it in favor of the folded piece of fine stationary.

Laying it flat, Fraser read its contents:
______________

Sweet Prince of Denmark,

Suffer not the slings and arrows for here are your arms against outrageous fortune.

When you are ready -- come to me.

Lex
_________________

Setting the letter next to the ticket, Fraser reached for the phone.

*~*~*~*

finis

Comments

Lex and *Who*?

[nighean-isis.livejournal.com]

::blink blink::

Damn. As usual your writing hits you in the gut, grabs you by the gonads and doesn't let go.

Missed opportunities.

Possible futures.

Not a pairing I would have thought of, but it works. Thank you for sharing.

Re: Lex and *Who*?

[mistressace.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I know. It's not a pairing I would have thought of in a million years but someone else did and I chose to take up the gauntlet to see if it could be done. And once I found a way to may the two very different worlds mesh -- the words just flowed.

I love it when that happens. That, and being able to bring the angst, just makes my day.

Glad you liked it!

Hugs,

Ace

[roxymissrose.livejournal.com]

Oh my gosh!! that was *wonderful* That was just amazing--so funny and terrible and heartbreaking!

It was lovely the way it was so open--was it our Lex, or a guy remarkably like Lex--and who was Fraser going to call at the end--it wasn't precisely a foregone conclusion that he was going to call Lex. They had a wonderful connection but he was in love with Ray for a long time. I of course decided that he was about to call Lex. (even though the hotness factor of both those boys is way off the chart. If I were Fraser,I'd have to think of some way to keep them both...)

Thank you so much for keeping me up. What a joy to read this was!

[ladyivy.livejournal.com]

Wow, just Wow.

Very unusual pairing, but you made it work really well. Nice long juicy fic to wake up to this morning. Thanks for sharing.

[lucifercircle.livejournal.com]

That was awesome.
Both Fraser and Lex's analytical thoughts were great to read, the sex was hot and that ending was spot on.
I loved this.

[zeenell]

This was, wow. Just. Wow.

*inarticulate*

*goes to hunt down any of your other fics*

[annakas.livejournal.com]

This fic was love.
Pure love.

And the ending.
Simply perfect.

annakas

[polly-b.livejournal.com]

How clever to deflect the improbability of Ray's and his wives' names by contrasting them against the whole 'Lex Luthor/Clark Kent/Smallville' pop culture legend theme!

I never read DS unless somebody crosses it with one of my fandoms - which means I've read enough of it (lol) to know the characters and appreciate the angst between Ben and Ray. Too late! Woes! Very well written.

And the sheer pretty of Ben/Lex! Hnnng!

*bows to you*

[jakrar.livejournal.com]

Wow. I don't know Due South, but you made the characters interesting, and I loved this look at Lex. As far as I'm concerned, Fraser is now on his way to Metropolis; with luck, he'll be able to keep Lex alive until somebody finally kills Lionel for reasons of his own. Good story!

[ranlynn.livejournal.com]

Oh My! That was nice even if the last part was a little bitter sweet.

Your Lex is always spot on but you've captured Fraser perfectly. I'm kinda hopin' we get to see more of them someday.

[ranlynn.livejournal.com]

Something I forgot. I'm assumimg you know about the Due South Fiction Archive but if not.

http://www.squidge.org/dsa/

I *believe* it's an automated archive (you'll have to check). Please consider posting there.

[lapetite-kiki.livejournal.com]

Oh! That was really great!

[teenygozer.livejournal.com]

OMIGOD, that was amazing. DS was my old fandom, I used to write fic for it when it was on CBS and I haven't read it in years. I wasn't sure where you were going with the whole "this isn't the Lex Luthor in the comics, this is the "real" Lex Luthor", but it played out perfectly as a Due South in-joke. And of course, speaking of the famous name in-joke, Ray had to have married a woman named Blanche! And Dief is dead but not forgotten! And my fav guy, Vecchio, is there, threatening the people he loves with his mother, which is such a Vecchio thing to do.

I am relieved Fraser is going to stick by Lex and protect him from his father, because frankly, I wouldn't have given a plug nickel for Lex's chances of survival w/o a little help from the Mountie in that regard.

[burntcopper.livejournal.com]

Waaaaah! :sniffles, blows nose at the fatality of her OTP: Meanie. utter, utter meanie.

[daraq.livejournal.com]

Wow! I would never have thought of Fraser/Lex and you made it work beautifully. Thank you for posting.

[raveninthewind.livejournal.com]

*draws lots of purple hearts, and a few red maple leaves in tribute*

I want more!! Please?

I loved this. I wouldn't have guessed, but you made the pairing work.

[chelletoo.livejournal.com]

I'm usually a Lex/Clark only reader, but you made this pairing work for me. Excellent story.

[llassah.livejournal.com]

*whimpers* Poor RayK *g*

This was an excellent story- I liked the way you blended comic with tv show but didn't labour the point, the sex was excellent, and both PoVs were well written and insightful. Am also liking Lieutenant Ray verry much! Brilliant! *schnoogles*

[lastscorpion.livejournal.com]

Oh my goodness, what a wonderful story! I loved all the descriptions, and Fraser's concentration on smells and tastes. Poor Ray. I love stories where some other hero saves Lex, since Smallville's Clark so clearly isn't going to do anything of the kind at this point. *sigh* I love the way you reconciled the existence of Lex Luthor and Clark Kent and Smallville with the existence of Superman comics via Due South's long-standing tradition of goofy names. That was absolutely brilliant! Just a terrific story all around -- thank you so much for writing it and putting it up!

[raggedass-road.livejournal.com]

Aw, crap. I've never even SEEN Smallville unless you count maybe a five-minute clip, and I'm really a bit clueless about Superman in general, but Lex Luthor as you wrote him here really stands out. I felt like I understood his character even though I don't have any previous references for it. Very nicely done. (Incidentally I love the Ben/Lex interaction, it's so... what. Adult. Sophisticated, without getting dry and ridiculously over-intellectual. And it was HOT.)

I'm all torn up about the ending, though -- or I guess I should say, the last chapter. Just... aah! Heartbreaking and hopeful all at once.

Ditto what everybody said about the DS tradition of names. That worked out terrifically here.

[stopawhile.livejournal.com]

I loved the story. Yay for bringing together two of my favourite fandoms! And a little offering as my thanks

(http://stopawhile.inkubation.net/images/Covers/justice.jpg)

Thank you so much!

[mistressace.livejournal.com]

The cover fits the fic perfectly! I love having a visual to go along with the words.

And I'm so glad that you liked the story. Smallville and Due South are my favorite fandoms as well. I believe that Benton is one of the few people who could keep Lex on the side of the angels... or die trying.

Hugs,

Ace

[aukestrel.livejournal.com]

This is simply stunning, and I say that as someone who has a hard time picturing Ray and Fraser apart. *g*

Of course, I might be swayed by the fact that you kept mentioning my two very favourite Scotches...!

So believable and so heartbreaking. You love both of them and it shows so much.

[kelliem.livejournal.com]

Gorgeous, and beautifully in character. Even though I am a die-hard F/K OTP-er, I can read this, and believe it. And this is the Lex I loved in the first couple of seasons of Smallville, before it got to where I couldn't watch it any more because I couldn't stand to see things falling apart. This Fraser could keep this Lex's feet on the right path. He has a quality of mercy (if you'll forgive the mangled reference) that would allow him to handle Lex's flaws, where Clark can't, because he's too rigid and not wise enough.

And, on a purely visceral level, picturing these two together is absolutely mind-blowing.

PS: you might also consider posting this to the Due Slash (http://dueslash.com/index2.html) archive.

[goldenrat84.livejournal.com]

This crossover really worked! I can't believe you also referenced Superman comics in the AU and it still worked. I love all the character interaction, everyone was so IC.
Great writing that makes me wish all Lex/Fraser shipping which I certainly never considered before.

[dossier.livejournal.com]

I loved the way that you took the sheer oddity of Stella & Ray, and upped the Ante with Blanche, and then smoothed it out the ridiculousness of Lex Luthor & Clark Kent--sheer brilliance!

The characterizations were all spot on--Fraser's voice was perfect, and the heartbreak of not saying what they needed to say *broke* me; I'm such OTP F/K freak.

And Lex, so lovely that he finally found someone that could give him somethig to believe in, and Fraser, seeing what the silence has done before taking that chance. Life over Duty, something he truly, desperately needed. brava!

[petronelle.livejournal.com]

I didn't believe this pairing would work, and I admit I was deeply relieved when I figured out that this was a world without Superman.

On the other hand, Lex has a type, and Fraser fits it to a T.

You made this ever so much more plausible than it had *any* right to be. You win.