FIC: Fidelity, PG-13, Soul Surrender 15 (the end)
Title: Fidelity
Author: Tara Keezer
Rating: PG-13
Fandoms: due South/Battlestar Galactica crossover
Notes: This is the very last part of that BSG thing. 1,000 words paint a picture, and I’m very, very glad to be putting this bit of gut-wrenching storytelling to rest.
Summary: When he sees him, Fraser’s immediate response is rage, and he gives vent to it.
~*~*~
When he sees him, Fraser’s immediate response is rage, and he gives vent to it. Halfway to the bed, others grab him and slow him down, but he’s waited too long, and he won’t be denied the chance to kill at least one of the Leobens. Adama shouts orders, and still more men and women run to stop him.
The noise and chaos are overwhelming at first, and then, for a moment, silence descends abruptly, allowing a single voice to be heard.
“Geez, Ben. I don’t think I’ve seen you this pissed off since Lurk McGurk peed on your Stetson.”
~*~*~
When Conoy stopped talking on the radio, he told Ray, “They distrust me.”
“Gee, I wonder if has anything to do with - tell me again how many you guys killed?” Ray squirmed a little, despite knowing comfort was a lost cause. Had been ever since he’d agreed to go along with the guy three or four months earlier. At least they wouldn’t be making any more of them FTL jumps, for which Ray was grateful. He hated puking his guts up all the time.
“Nonetheless, they’re allowing us to come aboard Galactica.” Conoy added, “It may be a bit tense.”
~*~*~
“No.” Fraser shakes his head. He hears a low moan and realizes that it’s coming from his own throat. “It can’t be.”
“What?” Ray - and it can only be Ray - sounds horribly weak and looks worse. “You think I’d let a little thing like a gazillion miles keep us apart?”
“You’re supposed to be home.” They’ve released him, so Fraser steps forward, hesitant.
“Like that was gonna happen once I knew you were alive.” Ray starts coughing, and it’s a dreadful sound. Fraser goes to Ray’s bed and sits, touches Ray’s face.
“You shouldn’t have come,” Ben says.
“Too late.”
~*~*~
Conoy warned him. “They’ll have guns trained on us from the moment we exit the ship.”
“That’s nothing new,” Ray said. “Just be happy to stretch my legs for a while.”
“Keep your hands in the air at all times,” he continued. “It will take a while for me to convince them you’re human, but they’ll certainly separate us long before that happens.”
“Great.”
“It would have been better if you could have learned more of their language.”
Ray shrugged. “They’ll shove me where they want me to go. You ready to do this?”
Conoy nodded then opened the hatch.
~*~*~
Ben caresses Ray’s face. His skin is cool and clammy, and Ben asks, “What happened to you?”
“Caught some bug. No biggie.”
Ray is about to say more, but Ben touches his lips to silence him as he looks for Doctor Cottle. “What’s wrong with him?”
Cottle glances at Adama before saying, “Sagittan flu. He came down with it a couple of weeks after they got here.”
“A couple of - how long has he been aboard Galactica?” His anger is rising again, but it’s a clean and righteous anger. It isn’t the corrupt rage he’s experienced all too often lately.
~*~*~
Ray didn’t mind the guns, and he didn’t mind the suspicious looks, either. Hell, he was even okay with the way they sometimes tripped him when he was walking from his cell to interrogation. No, what pissed him off were the interrogations themselves.
There was this one blonde chick who was way too happy shoving his face into a bucket of water and holding him down till he choked.
When he started hacking up a lung, he blamed the near drownings; it never once occurred to him to blame the night guard who’d begun sneezing a couple of days earlier.
~*~*~
“They arrived two months ago,” Adama says. He meets Ben’s eyes with a steady gaze.
“You should have told me.”
Adama asks, “And if he’d died?” Ben glares at him as he continues speaking. “Wouldn’t it have been better to believe he was still alive?”
“Of course not!”
Ray tugs on Ben’s arm. “What’s got you so riled up?”
“They should have told me you were here when you arrived,” Ben says.
“I was pretty sick for a while there.” The implication is clear, and Ben shakes his head.
“They should have told me. It would have been worth it.”
~*~*~
By the time Ray came around again, he was weak enough that a day old puppy could have taken him on and won. For the first couple of days, the nurses tried to talk to him, though God knew why. It wasn’t like he’d magically learned the language while he was out.
Eventually, they caught a clue and brought Conoy around.
“You look like shit,” Ray said.
“I’m fine. They need to know more about you.”
Ray thought about it for a moment. “Is Ben here?”
“He’s with the fleet.”
Taking that as a yes, Ray said, “Ben can translate.”
~*~*~
Ray starts coughing again after the others leave, and Ben turns him to his side. He wants nothing more than to take Ray someplace quiet and nurse him back to health, but -
“I know.”
Startled, Ben says, “I beg your pardon?”
“Conoy gave me the basics back -” He laughs a little and shakes his head. “Back on Earth. He filled in the rest on the trip out here.”
“Then you know I’m a -”
“Guy who got the shit end of the stick. Yeah. I know.”
“Ray, you have no idea!” Ben stands then sits again, unable to determine if he should be at attention or get close enough for Ray to hit, should he find it necessary. “I had - relations - with Leoben.”
“So? Two weeks after I buried you, I blew Vecchio.”
Lost in misery, it’s a moment before Ben processes what Ray just said. “You what?”
Ray cackles. “Gotcha.”
“Ray!”
He grabs Ben’s hand and kisses his fingers. “Did you think you’d ever see me again?”
“No. Of course not.”
“Then it don’t matter.”
“Ray -”
“You’re here. I’m here. It’s good.”
Ben stares at him for a long time before leaning down to find home again in Ray’s kiss.
Author: Tara Keezer
Rating: PG-13
Fandoms: due South/Battlestar Galactica crossover
Notes: This is the very last part of that BSG thing. 1,000 words paint a picture, and I’m very, very glad to be putting this bit of gut-wrenching storytelling to rest.
Summary: When he sees him, Fraser’s immediate response is rage, and he gives vent to it.
~*~*~
When he sees him, Fraser’s immediate response is rage, and he gives vent to it. Halfway to the bed, others grab him and slow him down, but he’s waited too long, and he won’t be denied the chance to kill at least one of the Leobens. Adama shouts orders, and still more men and women run to stop him.
The noise and chaos are overwhelming at first, and then, for a moment, silence descends abruptly, allowing a single voice to be heard.
“Geez, Ben. I don’t think I’ve seen you this pissed off since Lurk McGurk peed on your Stetson.”
~*~*~
When Conoy stopped talking on the radio, he told Ray, “They distrust me.”
“Gee, I wonder if has anything to do with - tell me again how many you guys killed?” Ray squirmed a little, despite knowing comfort was a lost cause. Had been ever since he’d agreed to go along with the guy three or four months earlier. At least they wouldn’t be making any more of them FTL jumps, for which Ray was grateful. He hated puking his guts up all the time.
“Nonetheless, they’re allowing us to come aboard Galactica.” Conoy added, “It may be a bit tense.”
~*~*~
“No.” Fraser shakes his head. He hears a low moan and realizes that it’s coming from his own throat. “It can’t be.”
“What?” Ray - and it can only be Ray - sounds horribly weak and looks worse. “You think I’d let a little thing like a gazillion miles keep us apart?”
“You’re supposed to be home.” They’ve released him, so Fraser steps forward, hesitant.
“Like that was gonna happen once I knew you were alive.” Ray starts coughing, and it’s a dreadful sound. Fraser goes to Ray’s bed and sits, touches Ray’s face.
“You shouldn’t have come,” Ben says.
“Too late.”
~*~*~
Conoy warned him. “They’ll have guns trained on us from the moment we exit the ship.”
“That’s nothing new,” Ray said. “Just be happy to stretch my legs for a while.”
“Keep your hands in the air at all times,” he continued. “It will take a while for me to convince them you’re human, but they’ll certainly separate us long before that happens.”
“Great.”
“It would have been better if you could have learned more of their language.”
Ray shrugged. “They’ll shove me where they want me to go. You ready to do this?”
Conoy nodded then opened the hatch.
~*~*~
Ben caresses Ray’s face. His skin is cool and clammy, and Ben asks, “What happened to you?”
“Caught some bug. No biggie.”
Ray is about to say more, but Ben touches his lips to silence him as he looks for Doctor Cottle. “What’s wrong with him?”
Cottle glances at Adama before saying, “Sagittan flu. He came down with it a couple of weeks after they got here.”
“A couple of - how long has he been aboard Galactica?” His anger is rising again, but it’s a clean and righteous anger. It isn’t the corrupt rage he’s experienced all too often lately.
~*~*~
Ray didn’t mind the guns, and he didn’t mind the suspicious looks, either. Hell, he was even okay with the way they sometimes tripped him when he was walking from his cell to interrogation. No, what pissed him off were the interrogations themselves.
There was this one blonde chick who was way too happy shoving his face into a bucket of water and holding him down till he choked.
When he started hacking up a lung, he blamed the near drownings; it never once occurred to him to blame the night guard who’d begun sneezing a couple of days earlier.
~*~*~
“They arrived two months ago,” Adama says. He meets Ben’s eyes with a steady gaze.
“You should have told me.”
Adama asks, “And if he’d died?” Ben glares at him as he continues speaking. “Wouldn’t it have been better to believe he was still alive?”
“Of course not!”
Ray tugs on Ben’s arm. “What’s got you so riled up?”
“They should have told me you were here when you arrived,” Ben says.
“I was pretty sick for a while there.” The implication is clear, and Ben shakes his head.
“They should have told me. It would have been worth it.”
~*~*~
By the time Ray came around again, he was weak enough that a day old puppy could have taken him on and won. For the first couple of days, the nurses tried to talk to him, though God knew why. It wasn’t like he’d magically learned the language while he was out.
Eventually, they caught a clue and brought Conoy around.
“You look like shit,” Ray said.
“I’m fine. They need to know more about you.”
Ray thought about it for a moment. “Is Ben here?”
“He’s with the fleet.”
Taking that as a yes, Ray said, “Ben can translate.”
~*~*~
Ray starts coughing again after the others leave, and Ben turns him to his side. He wants nothing more than to take Ray someplace quiet and nurse him back to health, but -
“I know.”
Startled, Ben says, “I beg your pardon?”
“Conoy gave me the basics back -” He laughs a little and shakes his head. “Back on Earth. He filled in the rest on the trip out here.”
“Then you know I’m a -”
“Guy who got the shit end of the stick. Yeah. I know.”
“Ray, you have no idea!” Ben stands then sits again, unable to determine if he should be at attention or get close enough for Ray to hit, should he find it necessary. “I had - relations - with Leoben.”
“So? Two weeks after I buried you, I blew Vecchio.”
Lost in misery, it’s a moment before Ben processes what Ray just said. “You what?”
Ray cackles. “Gotcha.”
“Ray!”
He grabs Ben’s hand and kisses his fingers. “Did you think you’d ever see me again?”
“No. Of course not.”
“Then it don’t matter.”
“Ray -”
“You’re here. I’m here. It’s good.”
Ben stares at him for a long time before leaning down to find home again in Ray’s kiss.