Aingeal's Vampire fic. Blood Bonds.

[aingeal8c]

I know Halloween isn't here yet but here's a fic to get you in the mood ;-)

Warning! It's a long one.

Title: Blood Bonds
Author: Aingeal
Genre: Slash
Pairing: Fraser/Vecchio
Rating: R (for violence)
Summary: A vampire named Benton Fraser comes to Chicago on the trail of the killers of his father. There he meets Ray Vecchio, a man waiting for destiny to call.
Notes: Huge thanks to my beta leda_speaks for her enthusiasm, ideas and beta.

Blood Bonds

Ray Vecchio had to admit things couldn't get much worse. The first thing was, of course, that he was a walking blood bank, living a free life on borrowed time. Sooner or later, his destiny was going to come calling, and then it would all be over. That was something he lived with every day of his life. What wasn’t helping was the other stuff, the 41 open unsolved cases that lay on his desk, the fact the boiler had broken and there was no hot water at his house, the fact the Riv had had to go into the shop for a bent fender. And now, heading towards his desk, was yet another problem.

Walking toward him was a man. He wore a red tunic with brass coloured buttons and dark pants. He also wore a red lined black cape which swirled around as he walked. The clothes made it obvious: this man was a vampire. "Great," thought Ray. It wasn’t just what the guy was wearing, either. There was the fact that every human was almost falling over themselves to stare. Vampires were notorious for their sexual attraction; very few humans could resist them. Already in the short walk form the door the poor guy had had two women practically begging him to have his way with them.

Ray glanced up as the vampire stopped at his desk. “Detective Armani?” he enquired.

Ray ignored the giggles of his colleagues.

“It’s Detective Vecchio,” Ray corrected. “Armani is the name of my clothes.”

“Why would you name your clothes?”

Ray opened his jacket and showed the vampire the label.

“Ah, I see. I’m Benton Fraser.”

“Why are you here?” Ray asked, before realising the likely reason. “Is this about the dead vampire thing?”

“The dead vampire was my father.”

Ray looked down. Any vampire asking about the case was likely to be a family member. How could he have been so stupid? It really wasn’t a good idea for him to be pissing off vampires. He murmured a quick apology. “Ah. Look, I’m sorry…”

The vampire interrupted. “How did you know I was a vampire?”

Ray looked up at him. “The two women offering to wash their necks for you kind of gave it away.”

“Ah, yes. Is everybody like that here?”

“Like what?”

“So...forward.”

Ray was surprised. The vampires he’d met had revelled in the attention. “Where do you come from?”

“I was born in Inuvik. It’s in the far North of Canada in the Northwest Territories. I don’t have much experience with humans, I’m afraid.”

“Yeah, I can tell,” Ray replied. Realising that could have come across wrong he carried on talking. “Look about what I said before…about the dead vampire thing? I’m sorry.”

“Thank you.” Fraser let a beat go by. “You’re the officer assigned to the case?”

Ray nodded. “Yeah, anything that involves vampires ends up on my desk.”

“Why is that?”

Ray lowered his voice. “You can’t tell?”

“Tell what?”

“About me,” he whispered trying not to draw attention to the fact he was conversing with a vampire.

“You appear to be a human male approximately 34 years of age. You were married but are now probably divorced. You have a large family whom you support and you still live at home. You drive a 1972 Buick Riveria which is currently being repaired,” Fraser said.

Ray stopped whispering. His incredulity overtook any feelings of needing to keep things quiet. “Okay, how the hell did you know all that? Who are you? The vampire version of Sherlock Holmes?”

“Not that I’m aware of.”

“So how did you mange to work out half my life story?”

Fraser cleared his throat. “Your age was an estimate. For some reason, I’m very good at being able to tell an individuals' age. The fact you were married is indicated by the mark on your finger where you wore a ring,” Fraser pointed to Ray’s hand. “It’s barely perceptible, so the separation happened some time ago which suggests you’re divorced. You have a lot of family pictures behind you.” Again, Fraser pointed to them. “On your desk are numbers for plumbers and some notes about bills. The fact you drive a Buick Riveria is indicated by the spare set of keys, the note from the garage and the manual next to the bills.”

Ray surveyed his desk; it was true, all that was right there. “You’re good.”

“Thank you.”

“But I didn’t mean any of that.”

“Oh.” Fraser seemed surprised.

“I meant the other thing.”

“What other thing?”

Ray pursed his lips together. “You really can’t tell?”

“I don’t know what I am supposed to be able to tell.”

Ray lowered his voice again. “I’m a…” he paused. “I’m a donor.”

“Ah. I see.”

“You know what one is, right?”

Fraser nodded. “Yes. You’re a sub-species of human who is immune to the bite of a vampire. Not only that, you are able to heal very quickly and replace any blood you lose. Once a donor is bitten by a vampire they enter a relationship of bondage with that vampire, providing them with blood. Their bodies adjust to serve their individual vampire and their vampire’s adjusts to the donor’s blood. This binds them together for eternity both physically and emotionally. As a result donors are very valuable to vampires. Some people have speculated that donors did fact develop from interbreeding with vampires themselves.”

“Yeah, thanks for the biology lesson,” Ray mumbled. Fraser had put it in very clinical terms.

“I hope I didn’t offend you.”

Such was the sincerity in that voice Ray couldn’t tell the vampire he had been. After-all, he’d insulted him. “Nah. I should be apologising about the whole dead vampire thing.”

“I’d appreciate your help.”

“You’ve got it,” Ray assured him. “How’d he die?” The report had told Ray very little.

“Someone fired a stake from a crossbow.”

“Who uses a crossbow?”

“Well, bullets wouldn’t have worked.”

Ray could have kicked himself for putting his foot in it again. “Yeah, I’m sorry. So, you think whoever did it came from here?”

“They are very few vampire assassins in Canada, at least that far north. I found tyre tracks and footprints suggesting a hunting party passed by the area. I was able to find out they came from Chicago.”

“What sort of hunting party?”

“Dentists, I believe.”

Ray’s eyes widened. “Dentists? One of them was bitten by a fang and decided to take revenge?”

“Oh no. I believe the hired assassin was using the hunting party as cover.”

“Makes sense, who would suspect dentists?”

“I suspected them.”

“Rhetorical question…Fraser?” Ray tested the vampire’s name out for the first time.

“Yes. I see.”

“So, let’s go find these dentists.”

"I have the list here."

Fraser handed Ray a piece of paper. It only took Ray a few moments to go to the computer, type in one of the names and come up with an address. He slipped his shield onto his belt and took his gun out of his desk. He grabbed the address of the dentist he’d found out had organised the hunting trip and led the vampire to the garage.

It wasn’t long before they were driving through Chciago.

“This is a nice car,” Fraser said, looking around the car Ray had borrowed from his cousin whilst his was being repaired.

“It’s a loan. Wait until you see the Riv, now that is a car.”

“Detective Vecchio…”

“Call me Ray, okay? We’re working together on this so you can call me Ray.”

Fraser didn’t meet Ray’s look. “I wasn’t sure if it would be allowed.”

“Who would stop you?”

“Your vampire.”

“I don’t have a vampire.”

Fraser seemed relieved. “Oh. I’m sorry, I just assumed…”

Ray smiled to let Fraser know it was okay. “Most people do. Look, I know it’s going to happen eventually. I’m going to end up in eternal bondage to a vampire; I’m just waiting for the right vampire. I mean, it’s a big thing and I want to be sure, you know?”

“That seems a good idea,” Fraser agreed.

“You’re on your own,” Ray pointed out. He fully expected a good looking vampire like Fraser to have a donor.

“I don’t have a donor. There aren’t many in the far north. And my family have always believed bondage was too much like slavery. It’s treated like that in this day and age.”

“So what do you do when you…you know? Need blood? Because I’m guessing the frozen north doesn’t have blood banks you can just go to.”

“No. I survive on a mix of caribou and elk blood.”

“What? No moose?” Ray joked.

“Only on special occasions. And one moose is really too much for one vampire at one sitting. Although you can freeze the carcass…”

Ray held a hand up. “Too much information, Fraser."

Ray was sure he caught sight of a blush.

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

“We’re nearly there.”

“Who are we going to see?”

Ray realised he hadn’t actually told Fraser; the vampire had trusted him to take him where they needed to go. “The dentist who organised the trip. I figure he’d know who was hanging about with them.”

“That’s good thinking, Ray.”

Ray smiled. “Thanks.”

Ray parked not far from the building. It was evening and the sun had set. Ray knew modern vampires didn't have the old problems with the sun, some said that was because of interbreeding with humans. Most had become more or less immune. Although they still preferred venturing out in the dark. Still, Fraser seemed fine as they walked to the building.

Once inside Ray consulted the piece of paper he’d brought. He pressed the button for the elevator. Whilst they were waiting a small crowd formed around the doors. When the elevator finally arrived Fraser let the other people on first. Ray was about got get on when Fraser stopped him and the doors closed in front of them.

“What are we waiting for?” Ray asked, slightly annoyed.

“I was hoping we’d be able to get in a less crowded elevator.”

“This is a busy public building,” Ray pointed out. “What, are you scared of humans?

“I’m just concerned about the reactions I might create in an enclosed space,” Fraser explained.

“You don’t like the attention do you?” It was only half a question, Ray already suspected the answer.

“No, Ray, I’m not used to it.”

Ray sighed. “Okay, fine we’ll take the stairs.”

After climbing up to the fifth floor, Ray was glad it wasn’t any higher . They made their way into the dentists office. They bumped into him bustling around, having finished with a patient.

“Hi, I’m Detective Vecchio, I’m here to talk to you about your hunting trip.”

“Ah, Detective Vecchio, come in,” the dentist replied, waving them in. The fact they already were in had seemingly escaped his attention.

"You go on a hunting trip every year?"

"Yes."

"You have any pictures to go with the names?"

“Yes,” the dentist said as he rifled through a drawer in his desk. “Here we are, these are the pictures.” He came over to Ray and Fraser. “We had a new guy on the trip this year. There he is.” The dentist pointed to a man at the edge of the picture.

“You never met this guy before?”

“No. One of the guys who usually comes on our trips had an accident, so we had a spare place. This guy was going hunting and asked if he could join our group.”

“You didn’t think this was unusual?” Ray asked. He was naturally wary of strangers.

“Well, he did offer us $200 dollars plus he said he’d pay his own expenses,” the Dentist stared at Fraser. “Is he…?”

“He’s a vampire, your point?”

“Nothing,” replied the dentist as he eyed Fraser warily.

“What was the guy’s name?”

“He said it was Laurence Medley.”

“Did he have a crossbow with him?”

“Yeah, didn’t do much good with it though, didn’t shoot a thing. “

It was now Fraser spoke up. “Thank you for your time Doctor.”

“He’s a dentist.”

“I still hold a doctorate, detective,” the dentist pointed out.

“Can we take this?” Ray asked, indicating the picture.

The dentist passed it over. “Sure, only one I got of him.”

As Ray and Fraser turned to leave the latter spoke. “What did you shoot?”

“That big fella right there,” the dentist said, proudly pointing at a beaver. Ray and Fraser looked at each other incredulously.

When they were back in the car, driving back to the station, Ray’s thoughts about where he had seen Laurence Medley before were interrupted by Fraser.

“Ray?”

“Yeah?

“Why do humans shoot animals when they don’t need them for food or clothing?”

In a way, Ray wasn't surprised by the question. He’d heard stories of vampires killing things for fun but Fraser just didn’t fit the usual vampire stereotype. He deserved some sort of answer. “I don’t know, makes them feel good, I guess. I mean, that guy looks in people’s mouths all day, so once a year he goes out into the woods to kill something to make him feel like more of a man and less of a dentist.”

“I see.”

Ray still held the picture in his hand, glancing at it as they drove along. “You know, I think I’ve seen this guy before,” he said, voicing his thoughts.

“You recognise him?”

“Not so much him as his nose.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, let’s see if we can find out who this guy is.”

Once back at the station Ray struggled, trying to get the computer to co-operate with him as he went through various files and photos.

“You’re able to recognise people by their noses?” Fraser asked as he helped Ray go through the files. Fraser, it seemed, had a knack for computers.

“I never forget a nose, you know? Like you never forget a neck.”

“Every neck is distinctive.”

“Exactly, and every nose is distinctive.”

“And you recognise it?”

Ray nodded. “Yeah, and this guy isn’t a dentist.” Finally the picture he had been looking for flashed up. “Here we go, Frankie Drake. He’s a professional vampire assassin. We think he’s linked to some werewolf hits, too.”

Ray printed out Drake’s rap sheet.

“He kills vampires for money?”

Ray handed Fraser the printout. “Look, you might be protected in the law but there’s a lot of humans that don’t like vampires.”

“Fear does that to people.”

“The question is: why would anyone want your Dad dead?”

Fraser’s brow furrowed. “I don’t know. He wasn’t particularly threatening. He stayed away from most human settlements. He did mention something about drowned caribou in his last letter.”

It was Ray’s turn now to be puzzled. “Why would anyone drown a caribou?”

“I don’t know, perhaps he was trying to find out.”

“Someone shot him for a bunch of dead animals?”

“It’s the only thing I can think of.”

Ray tapped Fraser on the shoulder. “Okay, well, let’s find Frankie Drake and ask him.”

“Do you know where we can find him?” Fraser asked, standing up from his place at the computer.

“I got an idea.”

“Can we make a stop on the way?”

“Sure.”

Half an hour later Ray found himself at one of the goods stations that served the airport. He sat in the car whilst Fraser went to get whatever it was had been left there. Maybe it was a coffin, he thought. He shook his head; vampires didn’t sleep in coffins anymore, that was just a myth. Fraser would sleep in a bed like everyone else. Whilst Ray was wondering what Fraser would look like in bed his thoughts were interrupted by a heavy presence on his leg. Ray looked down and saw a large furry animal.

“Who is this?!” Ray cried out, pulling his arms back. All of a sudden he recognised what was on his knee. “There’s a wolf on me!”

It was then Fraser reappeared at the passenger window. “I’m sorry. Just tell him to get off you. As long as he sees your lips and you enunciate he’ll understand.”

Ray looked into the wolf’s face, trying not to meet his eyes and spoke slowly and clearly. “Get. Off. Me.” The wolf leaped off Ray and climbed into the back of the car. “What is he, deaf?” Ray asked as Fraser climbed in next to him.

"Yes. He jumped into the Northumberland sound to save me and his eardrums burst from the cold."

“But you’re a vampire, you can’t drown.”

“Yes. He’s never really forgiven me for that,” Fraser said, glancing at the wolf now happily ensconced in the backseat.

“Yeah, I bet,” Ray replied, relaxing a little. That was until he felt a nudging at his shoulder. “Why is he smelling me?”

“You probably smell quite attractive, Ray.”

“To a wolf?”

“Donors give off a particular pheromone, lupines are particularly sensitive to it.”

Ray looked at Fraser. “Are you saying I stink?”

Fraser appeared to blush again. “You do smell attractive, Ray.”

“You find my smell attractive?”

“Yes.”

“But you didn’t even know I was a donor when we met.”

“I did.”

Ray was puzzled by this. Fraser had told him everything else about him. "But you didn’t say.”

“No, Ray,” Fraser paused. “I thought you were bonded and I wouldn’t want any vampire nearby to assume I was…” he cleared his throat. “Drawn to your scent.”

“The wolf isn’t going to start licking me is he?”

“Why would he do that?”

“Because he likes the smell,” Ray looked over his shoulder at the wolf who seemed harmless enough. He stopped sniffing Ray and settled on the backseat.

“Oh, no, Ray.”

“Good because I don’t want wolf drool all over me.,” Ray smiled. “And no vampire drool either.”

“I have no intention of drooling on you, Ray.”

“So, what's his name?”

“Diefenbaker,” Fraser replied.

“Diefenbaker? Weird name for a wolf.”

“He’s named after a famous Canadian Prime minister. It seemed…appropriate.”

“Hi, Dief,” Ray said to the wolf, who whined in reply.

Smiling and happier about the presence of a wolf, Ray started the engine and drove out of the car lot. He was at least glad it wasn’t the Riv’s upholstery that was being shed on.

“Where are we going?” Fraser asked as they drove along.

“There’s this place I know where guys like Frankie Drake hang out.”

“What sort of place?”

“A bar. You ever been in a bar?” Ray asked. He didn’t even know if they had bars where Fraser came from.

“Once. It wasn’t an experience I’d like to repeat.”

“Why?”

“Some men became rather angry at my presence and had me ejected.”

Ray was angry on Fraser’s behalf. It wasn’t as if Fraser was one of the egotistical vampires who expected humans to serve their every whim and treated donors like slaves. “They threw you out?”

“Yes. I didn’t even get to try the whiskey I’d ordered.”

Ray was now struck with a need to protect Fraser. It was odd; the guy was a vampire after-all, but he also had no experience of the violence you could find in downtown Chicago at night. “Well, you better watch yourself in this place.”

“I’m sure I’ll be fine,” Fraser replied confidently.

“Okay.” Ray changed the subject; he wasn’t convinced Fraser would be all right. “Now, listen, I’ve been working this joint for months.”

“You work in a bar?”

“No, I’ve been checking it out, getting some leads, you know.”

“Ah, undercover police work?”

“Yeah.”

As they drew up outside Ray felt nervous. He’d been in this place plenty of times before, he wasn’t worried. He was a cop, he had his gun, he could handle himself. Fraser, on the other hand, was an unknown. Ray had heard stories of vampires being great fighters but he wasn’t sure if they weren’t just stories.

Ray got out of the car and wasn’t surprised when Fraser, and Diefenbaker, followed him to the entrance.

Ray put a friendly hand on Fraser’s shoulder. “You just stay out here and try not to draw attention to yourself. Okay? I don’t want to alarm Drake.”

Fraser nodded. “Okay, Ray. But what if you get into trouble?”

“I’ll make a moose call,” Ray said flippantly.

“Do you know what a moose sounds like?”

Ray sighed. “Fine, I’ll scream.”

Ray pushed the door open and made his way into the gloomy bar, the smell of smoke and cheap beer overwhelming him. He hated places like this, but he knew he had to find Drake and this was the one joint in Chicago where he might have a chance. He made his way up to the bar and put on his best friendly smile.

“Hey, Chuck,” he said, waving the barman over. He didn’t get the response he desired.

“Get out of here, Vecchio. We don’t want your kind in here,” the barman replied through clenched teeth.

For a terrible moment Ray thought they had figured out he was a donor. The rest of the human race weren’t keen on donors, bonded or not, and in a bar like this donors would have been considered dirt. He tried to bluff his way out of it. “My kind?”

“You’ve been made man, you’re a cop.”

Relief pounded through Ray. They might have realised he was a cop but at least his other secret was safe, he still had a chance to get what he wanted. “Me, a cop? Now why would you think that?”

“The fact every guy you talk to ends up in Joliet.”

Ray was uncomfortably aware the bar was quiet and the patrons’ attention was on him rather than their drinks. “It’s just a co-incidence!” he protested.

“Come on, man, you've been made.”

It was then Ray felt a strong hand pull his gun out of his holster. The gun was paraded before the patrons who jeered. Ray was now aware of being pulled. He heard breaking glass and next thing he knew he was pinned up against the bar with a broken bottle pressed to his neck.

“Okay, would anybody mind if I screamed?” Ray said in a small voice.

Before he could actually try and get up enough breath for a scream the door was thrown open with so much force it came off its hinges. Standing in the doorway was Fraser, with Diefenbaker already making his way onto a bar stool and growling menacingly.

“Excuse me,” Fraser said.

In unison the bar patrons all pointed their guns at Fraser with poor Ray still being held hostage with the broken bottle.

“Ah, now your weapons could injure me but unless some of your bullets are wooden, I’m afraid they won’t have the desired effect.”

“Oh, great,” Ray said, realising Fraser had outed himself as a vampire, even if the clothes hadn’t.

“We’re looking for a Mr Drake.”

Before anyone could say anything Ray saw Drake at the far end of the bar aiming a stake at Fraser. Ray was powerless to do anything other than shout.

“Fraser! Look out!”

Luckily Fraser moved just in time as the stake hit the wall and embedded. Then all hell broke loose. Diefenbaker bit the man holding Ray hostage and Ray made his way over to Fraser. As he did so the shooting started. Ray felt a pain on his arm and saw he’d been cut by a piece of flying glass. He grabbed Fraser and they sheltered behind one of the booths.

Things slowly died down as sirens were heard. Ray pulled Fraser to his feet and found Diefenbaker was waiting for them by the door. The three of them went out into the alley. The cool night air was a relief for Ray.

“Are you okay?” Ray asked.

Fraser nodded. “Yes, Ray. Are you all right?”

Ray lifted up his arm. It was a clean cut and there wasn’t glass in it as far as Ray could tell. It would easily heal. “Just a scratch. I’ll be fine.”

It was then Ray noticed that Fraser’s fangs were out and his attention was heavily focused on Ray’s bleeding arm. Ray wasn’t sure what to do. What he wanted to do was push his arm into Fraser's mouth and let him feed, but somehow he knew it wasn't the right time. He could see Fraser fighting for control of his own urges.

“Please, Ray, cover up your arm.”

Ray didn’t want to. It was the last thing he wanted to do, but seeing Fraser clearly cared enough for him to not feed on him Ray complied. He was barely aware of how hard he was breathing, every gasp a fine mist in the cold night air.

“It would be best if you bandaged it up before we got in the car,” Fraser said.

Ray nodded. Fortunately he kept a first aid kit with him at all times. Mostly because he knew if a vampire ever picked up on the smell of his blood he would be in trouble. He cleaned the wound and used antiseptic to try and mask the smell. He then bandaged it up. The cut was already beginning to heal; he wouldn’t need the bandage on long. Despite this, Fraser travelled in the back seat with Diefenbaker on the return drive to the station, keeping as much distance as possible between himself and Ray.

Back at the station things went from bad to worse. He was called into Captain Walsh’s office. Fraser went with him and they stood to attention as Ray was admonished.

“Detective Vecchio, you want to tell me what you were doing in a bar with a vampire and wolf?” Captain Walsh asked. He was filling in for Lieutenant Welsh and wasn’t very fond of Ray.

“I had this hunch that…”

Walsh laughed as he perched on the edge of his desk. “A hunch? You had a hunch about what? That there was a zombie in the bar with vital information?”

“No, sir. See, Drake hung out at the bar and I thought…”

“That causing a public incident would allow you to arrest him?”

“Drake was the one who started it,” Ray protested.

“So, you didn’t take the proper precautions when dealing with a dangerous suspect.”

Ray knew he was fighting a losing battle. “I’m sorry, sir."

Fraser spoke up. “Sir, if I may, I encouraged Detective Vecchio to go to the bar.”

“You do everything vampires ask you to? “ Walsh asked. The malice was clear in his voice. He knew Ray was a donor and he wasn’t very keen on having a donor under his command.

“No, sir.”

“How many open, unsolved cases do you have right now?”

“Forty one, sir.”

Ray could feel Fraser’s gaze on him. The vampire must have thought he was incompetent.

“Then I think you have enough work to keep you at your desk and out of trouble?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Dismissed.”

Ray filed out of the office with Fraser following him.

“I’m sorry, Ray."

Ray sighed and sat back at his desk. “Ah, it’s not your fault. I should have been more careful.”

“I appreciate all you’ve done for me.” Fraser lingered as if there was something more he wanted to say but he kept silent. “Goodbye, Ray.”

“See you around.”

“Yes.”

With that Fraser turned and walked away. Ray couldn’t help but feel a little pain at seeing Fraser leave. That niggling pain stayed with him as he rifled through his cases, checked his snitches and generally tried to focus on something else, but he couldn’t. All he could think about was Fraser. When his shift finally ended there was only thing Ray wanted to do and that was find him.

Fortunately, it didn’t take Ray long to track his friend down. When had he started thinking of Fraser, of a vampire, as his friend? He didn’t know. All he did know was he had to find him. As he pulled up outside the café he had to smile as he saw the familiar red and black clothes.

He walked in an right up to Fraser’s table. Fraser had been engrossed in reading something but he looked up and smiled when he saw Ray.

“Ray?”

Ray slid into the seat opposite. Diefenbaker gave him a lick. “Hey.”

“How did you find me?”

“There’s only one place in Chciago that serves fresh animal blood at this time of night.”

“Ah.”

Ray saw the mug on the table. “How does it taste?”

Fraser looked at the dark red liquid. “It’s not really the same as what I’m used to. But it’s not bad.”

“What you reading?”

“My father’s journals.”

“He write?”

Fraser closed the book and put it down. “Yes.”

Ray realised Fraser was reluctant to divulge any more so he changed the subject slightly. “You and your Dad share a drink of blood much?”

“Yes,” Fraser paused. “When we were together. We lived quite a distance apart to make sure we weren’t having a detrimental affect on animal populations.”

“You think about stuff like that?”

“Of course. It’s important to have a healthy respect for the environment.”

Ray couldn’t argue with that. “You got any other family?”

“No. My grandparents died about ten years ago.” Fraser stroked the leather journal.

“They died?”

“It’s complicated. They were visiting the desert at the time.”

“Oh,” Ray paused, unsure of what to say. “What about your mother?”

“She was killed by a vampire hunter when I was a child.”

“I’m sorry.”

A few moments went by without either of them saying anything. Fraser sipped at his mug of blood and Ray stroked Dief.

"They thought my father’s death was an accident,” Fraser said.

“An accident? What, there’s someone going around the Canadian woods with a crossbow and stake?”

“Apparently.”

Ray reached across and put his hand on Fraser’s. It was surprisingly warm. “We’ll find who did it, Benny.”

“Benny?”

For a moment Ray was unaware he’d even said it. He went for the simplest explanation. “I can’t keep calling you 'Fraser' all the time, can I?”

“Thank you, Ray.”

Fraser still seemed sad. Ray had an idea. He stood up.

“Come on, I want to show why you can have too much family.”

It had been a quiet drive to Ray’s house. Once they got there, however, Ray introduced Fraser to the chaos of his family. Fraser was welcomed like a long lost family member and was seated next to Ray at the dinner table before he had time to protest.

“Is he all right?” Ray’s mother asked him, indicating Fraser. “He looks a little pale.”

Ray took a mouthful of food. “He’s a vampire, Ma.”

The table went silent. The sound of cutlery being dropped onto plates could clearly be heard. Despite the earlier noise everyone, it seemed, had caught the word vampire. They were very familiar with it even though Ray was the only donor in the family.

Fraser seemed flustered and got up from the table. “I’m sorry, I’ll just…”

Ray yanked him back to his seat. “No, stay.” Ray then addressed his family. “Yes, Fraser is a vampire but that doesn’t mean he’s about to suck your blood.”

“Oh no, in fact this meal is delicious,” Fraser said, taking a bite as if to prove it.

“You like my cooking young…man?” Ray was glad his mother had at least said the word man, even though she’d stumbled over it.

“Yes. I haven't had Italian food before, it’s very nice.”

The table was just starting to get back to normal when Francesca, Ray’s younger sister, spoke up. “So, you have a donor?”

“Francesca!” Her mother admonished.

“I’m just asking,” Francesca said, less than innocently.

“No, my family felt it was wrong to have a sentient being in bondage.”

“You know, I could just go wash my neck and…”

Ray had had enough. It wasn’t right that Francesca made light of something that was a vital part of him. “Frannie! Okay, firstly, you’re just an ordinary human and secondly, Benny isn’t interested.”

“Fine, Mr Possessive,” she pouted.

“What? Fraser’s a vampire?” Ray’s brother-in-law Tony asked, having stopped feeding his face for a few seconds.

“Yeah, Tony, did you not hear that?” Ray’s sister asked in her ‘my husband is so slow’ voice.

“I was busy.”

“Busy stuffing your face!”

Fraser leaned over to Ray. “Are they always like this?”

“Don’t worry, they only attack the ones they love.”

The rest of the meal went by as usual with shouting and arguing and all the things that defined an Italian-American family. After it was over Fraser had to promise Mrs Vecchio that he would come back for more meals and Ray was forced to promise he’d bring Fraser over again.

It was late when Ray dropped Fraser and Diefenbaker off at the hotel they were staying at. Fraser invited Ray up to his room.

“Thank you for tonight, Ray; it was a pleasure to meet you family.” Fraser said, letting them into the cheap room.

“You enjoyed that?”

“It was a very nice meal.”

“Well, you didn’t die of all the garlic.”

“Vampires aren’t actually allergic to garlic, Ray, well, not so it would be fatal. I presume for the same reason we don’t die in sunlight, we suffer but unless we really expose ourselves we won’t die.”

“Because modern vampires have humans in their family trees?” Ray asked.

“Yes, Ray. However garlic still has a nasty taste for a vampire.”

“So, did you not like my mother’s cooking?”

Fraser blushed, as much as a vampire could. “It wasn’t a taste I enjoyed. I preffered the dishes without garlic.”

“You are such a Canadian vampire. You didn’t like it and you didn’t say a word.”

"It wouldn’t have been polite, Ray.”

“Polite? You didn’t notice the shouting?” Ray asked. He hadn’t missed Fraser’s discomfort about that, at least.

“It was lively. I’ve never had the chance to observe a family like that.”

“So, you were observing us?”

“Well…I…”

Ray grinned. “Don’t worry about it, Benny. You survived.” Ray looked around. It was a very cheap hotel and a basic room. There were no facilities and the mirror was broken. The bed looked uncomfortable and the colour scheme of stained yellow walls wasn’t the most inspiring he’d seen. “This is your hotel room?”

“Yes.”

“It’s not great, Benny. I mean, there’s that smell.” A smell Ray wasn’t going to hazard a guess of what it was.

“It doesn’t smell that bad.”

“Unlike me?” Ray asked, sitting down on the bed.

“Unlike you.”

“I smell attractive?”

Fraser licked his lips. “Yes, Ray.”

“In the alley, you wanted to bite me, didn’t you?”

“I did, Ray. I was…tempted, I’m sorry.” Fraser looked at the floor. He seemed disappointed at his earlier lack of control.

“It’s not like you can help it,” Ray pointed out.

“I suppose not.”

Ray paused and glanced around the room. “I would have let you,” he said, trying to sound casual.

“Why?”

“It felt...” Ray paused, unable to put it into words. He had so desperately wanted to have Fraser bite him and suck the blood out of his arm. It was weird because the thought of a vampire using him like that usually scared him. But with Fraser, Ray knew it wouldn't hurt. And yet the fact that Fraser refused his blood made him realise that it hadn't been the right time. “It felt like I wanted to,” Ray finally said before lowering his voice. “I still...want you to.”

Ray did. He’d be perfectly happy to lie on the bed in a less than hygienic hotel room and have Fraser bite him and suck out his blood. His arm, his neck, Ray wouldn’t care which part of his anatomy it was. All he knew was that he desired it. It was a niggling desire he'd felt since the alley, maybe since the first time he and Fraser had met. And it was growing, Ray knew, but he was making no attempt to stop it.

Fraser was staring at him, Ray realised.

“Ray, I can’t…” Fraser said.

Ray saw the pain in Fraser’s eyes. “I know. I know you don’t want to but…” Ray realised he should leave it. Any other vampire would have jumped at the chance but Fraser wasn’t any other vampire. Somehow, that made Ray want him to do it more. But he also respected Fraser. “Look, forget I mentioned it, okay?”

Fraser nodded. “Okay.”

“I’m sorry,” Ray said standing up. He had to leave before he begged Fraser to take him. “I don’t want things to get weird.”

“I can promise you they won’t.”

Ray sighed. “What am I saying? You’re a vampire, this whole situation is weird.”

“It could be. Good night, Ray.”

Ray opened the door and turned back. “Night, Benny.”

Ray didn’t say much when he got home but ended up going to bed. Of course, he couldn’t fall asleep. All he thought about was Fraser. Fraser hadn’t been the first vampire he’d met. As a donor it was his legal duty to meet and ‘date’ at least three vampires a year until he became bonded. At least in the modern age he had a choice about that. So far all the vampires he’d met had been mostly arrogant, cold; wanting Ray for his blood and not much else. Fraser hadn’t and so he was the first vampire Ray could actually see himself being bonded to.

He didn’t feel it was unequal, either. Bondage was often compared to slavery but Ray knew that with Fraser it wouldn’t be like that. They were equals now and they would always be equals. The fact Fraser would be feeding off his blood wouldn’t matter, it would just be another aspect of give and take. Ray would be perfectly happy to give to Fraser any time he wanted it. Ray had been told he'd probably feel a compulsion when he met 'the right vampire' but this was so much more than just a physical compulsion.

Ray genuinely liked Fraser. He had developed deep feelings for Fraser in such a short period of time. If he hadn’t of known better Ray would have thought…it hit Ray then. He was falling and falling hard. He was in love. In love with a vampire. A vampire who Ray wanted to suck his blood. Sighing, he found sleep didn’t come easily. All he wanted was to drive across Chicago and be with Fraser.

Of course, he couldn’t be. Ray knew the desire for Fraser, his feelings for Fraser were just going to keep building. He didn’t know where they would lead but he was willing to see. Somehow, he knew that maybe Fraser felt that way too. Feeling slightly better, he managed to fall into a fitful sleep filled with images of Fraser.

The next morning Ray was at work trying to concentrate on something other than Fraser and his case. He took a phone call from a guy in the Yukon for Fraser; obviously the vampire had left his number as a contact. Ray managed to leave a message at Fraser’s hotel to say he’d had the call and hoped it wouldn’t be long before Fraser came to see what it was about. Oh yes, Ray had it bad.

Ray spent the rest of the day going through his open cases. It was soon dark. He thought he’d give up and go home, maybe see Fraser. That was until he caught sight of a familiar figure in red and black making his way through the station.

“Hey, Fraser,” Ray said, smiling as the vampire arrived at his desk.

“Hello, Ray, you said you had a phone call for me?

“Yeah, some coroner guy in the Yukon called.”

“Ah. May I?” Fraser asked, lifting the receiver.

“Sure.”

Fraser dialled the number and Ray tried not to listen in too much. All he could make out was something about drowning. He decided to wait until Fraser had finished.

“What was that about?” Ray asked as Fraser put the receiver down.

“Near to where the body of my father was found were the carcasses of several caribou. The coroner said they downed.”

“Not great swimmers, huh?”

“The caribou were all drained of blood.”

Ray missed what Fraser was trying to tell him. “So?”

“It looks like they were killed for their blood. A vampire killed them and drained their bodies of blood.”

“You said they drowned.”

“Drowning them would hide the vampire’s true intent. No-one would spend much time examining the bodies; they would assume some sort of natural disaster had killed them.”

“And your Dad found out.”

“Yes. Vampires have laws about taking the life of animals. It’s strictly regulated. My father must have discovered who it was and rather than be found they had him killed.”

Ray was shocked. “A vampire hired a vampire assassin?”

“It seems so.”

“Do you know who?”

“There is only other vampire in the area my father lived,” Fraser said thoughtfully, “and his name is Gerard.”

“Does he have a donor?”

“No. I never knew why. My family chose not to take donors but I don’t know why Gerard didn’t.”

“Maybe he couldn’t get a date?”

“Maybe,” Fraser said, sadly.

Ray changed the subject. “So, to find Gerard we need to find Drake.”

“Yes. Do you know of anywhere else where Drake might be?”

“I got one lead. His ex-wife.”

“His ex-wife? “

“There’s a reason she’s his ex. He used to beat up her up.”

“Humans do that?”

Yeah. I mean I’ve heard stories about…about how donors end up and that’s…”

“I know, Ray. I hope that doesn’t happen to you.”

Ray didn’t want to happen to him either and he knew it wouldn’t happen if he ended up with Fraser. He just hoped Fraser would realise that before it was too late. “Yeah. So, Drake’s ex-wife? Would love to see him behind bars.”

“It sounds promising, Ray.”

Ray got up from his desk. “Come on. Let’s go now.”

When Mrs Drake opened the door she was clearly very nervous. “Who are you?”

“Detective Vecchio, police.”

“Mrs Drake glance to Fraser. “And who’s he?”

“Benton Fraser, ma’am,” Fraser answered.

“He a vampire.”

“Yeah,” Ray said.

“I’ve already had a vampire here.”

“Was his name Gerard? Was he here to see your husband?” Fraser asked.

“Yeah. That was a couple of weeks ago. I haven't seen the bastard since. He’s not even paying support for his son.”

“Do you know where he is?” Ray asked.

She nodded. She still hadn’t let them inside; the apartment door was on a chain. She disappeared for a moment and came back with a piece of paper. She handed it to Ray. “That’s where he hangs out, an abandoned building in Chinatown. You tell him he might as well not come back at all.”

“Thanks” Ray said looking at the piece of paper. He knew where it was.

“Thank you kindly,” Fraser said.

The apartment door shut quickly before they’d even turned to leave.

“She was nervous,” Fraser said.

“Wouldn’t you be if you’d had Gerard in your house near your four year old son?”

“I suppose I would.”
It was easy for Ray to drive to the address Mrs Drake had given them. He parked outside and radioed for some backup. Unfortunately, it seemed as if it would be some time before it arrived. So Ray and Fraser ventured to the building on their own.

Ray knocked on the door but receiving no answer, not that he’d expected one, he moved to kick the door down. He paused for a moment, readying himself, and Fraser spoke.

“Are you sure about this, Ray?”

“Yeah.”

“Do we need a warrant?”

Ray looked in surprise at his friend. “How do you know about warrants?”

“I overheard some of your colleagues.”

“Just come on.”

With a swift hard kick the door burst open. Ray walked inside; it was dark and there was a musty smell.

“This is weird,” Ray said as they moved deeper inside. The only light came from the streetlamps outside, creating an eerie glow. There wasn’t any sign of Drake.

“Hmmm.”

Ray wandered deeper until he almost tripped up a body. “Hey Fraser! Come over here.”

Fraser came to see what the commotion was about. He knelt beside the body.

“It’s Drake, he’s dead.”

“And missing his blood?”

“Yes. This was Gerard.”

The two of them walked into the room before a figure stepped out of the shadows.

“Hello, Ben.”

Ray aimed his gun at the stranger. “Put your gun away Detective, it’s not as if it will work.”

“Who are you?”

“Ray, this is Gerard,” Fraser explained.

“I see you found yourself a willing donor Ben. A pity you haven’t taken advantage of him. Of course, if you don’t want him…”

“Leave him alone,” Fraser said, stepping in front of Ray.

“Feeling protective, Ben?”

“I know what you did with the caribou. I know you killed them and made it looked like and accident. I know my father was going to arrest you. That’s what I’m going to do.”

“I don’t think so, Ben." Gerard drew out a stake. "Only one of us is leaving this building alive and it’s not going to be you. I’m sorry, Ben.”

Gerard lunged forward, aiming for Fraser’s heart. Luckily Fraser managed to move out of the way but Gerard managed to get a small stab into his shoulder. Fraser cried out in pain. Ray moved forward, shooting. The bullets, of course, didn’t do any good, but at least it bought some time.

Gerard turned his attention to Ray. Ray knew he didn’t stand much of a chance but he wasn’t gong to let Gerard kill Fraser. He managed to duck as Gerard came at him and push him against the wall. This seemed to unbalance Gerard and Ray tried to get the stake out of his hand. Unfortunately, Gerard recovered and turned to punch Ray in the stomach. It was a powerful punch, taking the wind out of Ray, who collapsed to the floor clutching his stomach.

Gerard gave Ray another swift kick that left him writhing in agony. Gerard lifted the stake in inflict further injury, possibly a fatal blow, when Fraser tackled him. The two of them wrestled for control of the stake as they moved across to the window. Despite his weakened state Fraser managed to draw on his reserves and overpower the older vampire.

Ray watched as Fraser grabbed the stake and drove it deep into Gerard’s heart. He stepped back and watched as Gerard fell against the window, smashing it. He fell to the street below where his body simply turned to dust. Fraser turned to Ray who, feeling better, got up to go to Fraser before Fraser fell to the floor.

“Benny!” Ray rushed to his side.

Fraser had collapsed near the window. Ray noticed the deep wound in his shoulder where Gerard had pierced him with the stake. Ray struggled to think what to do. Fraser was losing blood and, as a vampire, he really couldn’t afford to do so. There was only one sort of blood that would help Fraser, that might save his life and that was donor blood, Ray’s blood.

Fraser moaned.

“You’ve been hurt,” Ray said, he couldn’t believe it himself the vampire had seemed invulnerable. “You need blood.”

“There’s no blood here,” Fraser said, not mentioning the fact Ray was next to him.

“There is,” Ray pointed out. “You can bite me.”

“I’m not sure…”

Ray was in no mood to have Fraser argue his way out of it. “Spare me the martyr vampire speech. Just do it.” Ray placed his arm near Fraser’s mouth.

“Are you sure about this, Ray?”

“Just bite me. Fraser.”

“I’m not sure. I mean, once I bite we’ll be tied to each other for eternity and…"

“Are you saying you couldn’t put up with me? Ray joked to try to keep the longing out of his voice.

“I’m not saying that. I just don’t want you to regret this. I don’t want to ruin your life.”

“I don’t want you to lose yours and this is the only way.”

“Are you sure I’m the right one?”

“You’re the right one, Benny,” Ray said. He knew now more than ever that yes, Fraser was the right one. He loved Fraser, he couldn’t have him die.

“It might hurt, Ray,” Fraser protested. His fangs had already appeared, probably the stress, Ray thought.

“Just do it.”

Ray placed part of his arm into Fraser’s open mouth. Fraser tried to keep his fangs out of the way of Ray’s skin, but he had thought of that. Ray brought his arm out and, with one of the shards of glass from the broken window, made a small nick to draw blood. He pushed part of his arm back into Fraser’s mouth. Finally Fraser’s instincts took over and his fangs pierced Ray’s skin.

It didn’t hurt as much as Ray thought it would. All things considered, it was kind of nice. He felt warm and happy. It was like being a tiny child not knowing there was badness in the world. There was nothing to worry them. Ray was hardly aware, just a bright light and then he didn’t remember anything else.

He woke up in a hospital bed and immediately he felt a pain as he realised he didn’t know where Fraser was. “Benny?” he called out in a hoarse voice as he struggled to work out his surroundings.

“I’m here, Ray.”

Ray heard the small voice to his right and managed to turn his body that way. He could make out Fraser, a blurry shape coming toward him.

“Ray,” Fraser said as he got closer and grabbed Ray’s hand. With some manoeuvring he got himself into Ray’s bed and they lay there together.

“Ray,” Fraser repeated as he snuggled close.

“Benny.” Ray once again drifted off to sleep but as he did he was aware of being able to sense another presence in his mind and he knew it was Benny. He knew Fraser would be feeling the same. It was as if they could sense each other and know how the other felt. It was a strange feeling but a comforting one, too.

When Ray woke up again he could sense Fraser was already awake.

“Hello, Ray.”

“Hey.”

“Are you feeling all right?” Fraser asked with concern in his voice.

“Yeah. I feel weird.” Ray did feel different but he knew that different was normal now. “But I’m fine. Are you okay?”

Fraser nodded. "Yes." He paused. “You saved my life.”

“Well, you saved mine first.”

“Are we even Steven, Ray?”

“Even Steven? Nobody says that anymore.”

“They don’t?”

“No.”

A moment of silence went by. They were in bed together, arms around each other and yet it didn’t seem odd at all.

“Ray, erm, about what you did…about what we are now.”

Ray took hold of Fraser’s hand and squeezed it. “I know,” although he was sure Fraser already knew, he had to say it. “I fell in love with you.”

“You’re in love with me?”

Ray blushed. “Yeah. That’s why that night when I…” he wasn’t sure how to say it.

“Offered yourself to me?” Fraser suggested.

“Yeah. I knew you were the right one because I’m in love with you. I don’t even know why I’m telling you this.”

“I appreciate it, Ray. If this relationship is going to work we need to be honest with each other. You went through with the bonding because you love me.”

“Yeah. I love you and I didn’t want you to die. I love you,” Ray couldn’t say the words enough. He got such a nice feeling when he did. “I know it…you know.”

“Complicates things?”

Ray nodded.

“I love you too, Ray.”

“You’re not just saying that?” Ray asked, even though deep down he could tell Fraser was telling the truth.

“No, Ray. I’m glad love is the foundation of our relationship.”

“Our relationship? I’m bonded to a vampire,” Ray felt he had to say the words out loud, just to make them real.

“Yes, Ray.”

Ray felt something different then then, something very odd, but he guessed its meaning. “A hungry vampire.”

“I wouldn’t say I’m hungry, Ray, I am a little peckish.”

“See, you are hungry.”

“You can tell?”

“Yeah. You want to…” Ray gestured toward his neck.

“Not right now, Ray. I hear your family down the hall.”

“Oh god. We don’t my mother to see you sucking my neck.”

“Are you going to tell her?”

“About us?”

Fraser nodded.

“Of course I’m going to tell her. I mean, look at us.”

There was no denying the intimate position they were in and the fact it would be something that Ray’s mother would notice immediately.

“Can I give you a kiss instead, Ray?”

“Really? You really do love me?”

“Yes, Ray.”

“Just hurry up.”

Fraser obliged. Ray wanted Fraser to kiss him more than he’d wanted him to bite him, at that moment anyway. The slowness as their lips came together almost drove Ray mad with anticipation. Finally, they had their first contact and Ray savoured every second of it. It started with a touching of lips and then deepened to a full on tasting, caressing, kiss. Ray forgot how to breathe and yet it didn’t seem to matter. Fraser was the one who drew back just before Ray’s mother walked in with one of the doctors.

“Hey, Ma,” Ray said, trying to sound casual.

“Raimundo, are you all right?” she asked.

The doctor didn’t give Ray a chance to answer. “Mr Vecchio is fine. He’s recovering from the bonding process. Of course his body is in for some adjustment.”

Ray’s mother looked puzzled. “Bonding?”

Ray made eye contact with her. “Yeah, Ma, Benny’s my vampire now.” Ray glanced at Fraser and then at his mother who finally seemed to register the fact they were entwined together.

“Oh. This is good. He’s a good vampire isn’t he? He’s not going to beat you?” she asked, concerned.

“No, Ma, just ask him.”

Fraser spoke up. “I’ll take good care of your son, Mrs Vecchio, he means a great deal to me.”

“You better,” she said.

“Yes ma’am.”

“You can’t call me ma’am,” Mrs Vecchio sighed. “You’re…” she paused. “You’re family now.”

Ray noticed Fraser was smiling.

“Thank you, Mrs Vecchio.”

“You can call me Rosa or Ma.”

“Yes, Rosa, Ma.”

Ray smiled. “You’ll get the hang of it, Benny.”

His mother turned to the doctor. “How did this happen?”

“There was an incident and Benton Fraser was injured. To save his life your son offered himself and he initiated a bonding.”

“I want to know why, Raimundo.”

Ray knew his mother had every right to know. She’d always worried about him. “Because Benny would have died if I hadn’t Ma. I couldn’t let him die. And I needed to be bonded; I wasn’t going to be able to hide from it forever.”

“They’ll need to stay together for the week to fully adjust to each other. Even then, they won’t be able to be parted for long periods of time,” the doctor explained.

“You read the pamphlets, Ma. We can’t be apart.”

Ray squeezed Fraser a little tighter

The doctor nodded. “Indeed, it would be dangerous. When bonds are broken it can turn the vampire and donor mad.”

Ray didn’t like being reminded of that fact. His mother seemed to pick up on his mood.

“There is something else isn’t there?”

“Yeah, Ma, there is.”

“What?”

Ray took a deep breath. “The reason I bonded with Benny is because well, he would have died and I didn’t want to see him die, but there was more than that. I bonded with him because…I love him.”

“And what about you?” Mrs Vecchio asked, clearly directing her question at Fraser.

“I love your son, Mrs Vecchio, Rosa,” Fraser corrected.

“Doctor?”

The doctor shrugged. “It’s been many years since we had a bonding that was built on love but they used to be very common.”

Ray was surprised to hear this. “Really?”

“Oh yes. Of course, the meaning of bondage and bonding has changed since then. You’re very lucky.”

“I know,” Ray said smiling at Fraser.

“We know,” Fraser corrected.

Mrs Vecchio said nothing but smiled. She turned to the doctor. “If you could leave me to talk with my son and Benton, Doctor.”

The doctor nodded. “Of course.”

Once he had left, Mrs Vecchio seated herself next to the bed. “Now, I want you boys to tell me everything you need.”

The rest of her visit passed quickly. Of course, she had questions and some of them neither Ray nor Fraser could yet answer; much of it was unknown. Despite this, Mrs Vecchio listened to all they had to say. She didn’t seem as perturbed about the situation as Ray had thought she would be. It made him feel confident he’d done the right thing.

It was an hour or so after his mother’s visit that Ray decided to broach something with Fraser. The two of them had spent the time talking, though talking sometimes wasn’t needed, they were both just learning to adjust to each other. Ray was more aware than ever about certain things and one of those things was how Fraser was feeling.

“Do you want to…” Ray touched his neck. “I mean, you’re hungry.”

“Yes,” Fraser admitted. “I’m just not sure what to do.”

“Really?”

“I have a...I suppose it’s an instinct, but I’ve never actually fed like this.”

“Well, I’ve never been fed on like this,” Ray pointed out. He’d taken the classes to tell him what to do, but this wasn’t the same.

“So, you don’t know?”

“I have an instinct, too.”

“Oh good.”

Ray thought for a moment. “And my first instinct is that I need to clean my neck.”

“All right, Ray.”

Fortunately a bowl of water and a washcloth had been left on the table next to the bed, no doubt in anticipation of this, Ray thought. He took the cloth and dipped in the water. He wrung it out so it was damp, rather than wet. Gently he rubbed his neck with it. He made sure he covered his whole neck. When he’d done that he placed the cloth back and dried it using the towel that had been provided. All the time he felt Fraser’s gaze on him. His vampire had gone very quiet.

“Are you okay?” Ray asked when he was done washing his neck.

“It’s interesting.”

“What is?”

“The desire to bite your neck.”

“Yeah?”

Fraser nodded. “Yes.”

Ray lay back on the bed and tipped his head to one side to expose part of his neck. Fraser came closer and seemed to be sniffing it. Ray relaxed. He wasn’t actually that tense, he just felt excited. He could feel Fraser’s breath on his neck now and closed his eyes.

“Are you ready, Ray?” Fraser whispered.

“I’m ready.”

Ray felt Fraser’s fangs pierce his skin, but there was no pain at all. He could feel the bite, but just the sensation. It even, in a twisted sort of way, felt nice. He could feel blood draining away but it wasn’t a panic either. He didn’t feel faint, or dizzy, he felt like he was giving. It was if he could lie there all day and never feel any discomfort. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed when he felt the sucking sensation stop. He no longer felt the fangs but he did feel Fraser licking the small puncture wounds. Then that stopped.

“Are you all right, Ray?” Fraser asked, the concern clear in his voice.

“Yeah, I’m great,” Ray replied, and considering he’d lost a fair bit of blood he felt better than he had done for a long time.

“You’re not in pain, I didn’t hurt you?”

“No,” Ray reassured Fraser. He touched his neck. The puncture wounds had already completely healed up. Bonding increased the natural healing abilities of donors many times over. “I felt it but it didn’t hurt.”

“Oh, good.”

“And you took enough, right?”

“Yes. We’ll probably have to take some time to fully adjust to each other but I’m fine,” Fraser paused. “I’m relieved actually.”

“So, how I do taste?”

“Better than moose blood, Ray.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes.”

Ray smiled. “Cool.”

It was four days later when Ray had decided looking at the four walls of a hospital room was boring. Although a lot had changed in those four days. He and Fraser had managed to separate a little. He could now go to the bathroom on his own without getting the pains and weird emotional turmoil he’d had when he’d first had to leave Fraser to pee. He knew he wasn’t ever able to be able to spend a huge amount of time away from his vampire and he was fine with that, but at least he could see to the call of nature on his own.

Those four days were interspersed with the two of them learning to adjust to each other. Fraser fed at various times and they were still working out the routine. Ray was sure Fraser was holding back and not taking as much as he could. They were still talking about that but Ray was sure that Fraser was gradually becoming more comfortable with their relationship. And, of course, there had been plenty of kissing too.

Ray was ready to get out of the place, though. He and Fraser had packed their bags and were awaiting the doctor’s verdict.

“So, Doc, can I go home?” he asked as the doctor looked over their charts .

“Mr Fraser can take you home anytime.”

“Er, Doctor, Ray is capable of taking himself home,”

“Ah, yes, well,” the doctor blushed and shuffled his way out of their room.

“Don’t worry, Benny. People are going to assume stuff like that now,” Ray said, picking their bags up. Well, his bag, Fraser’s was so small it was hardly a bag.

"Is that what’s going to happen?”

“It bothers you?”

“We’re equal, Ray.”

Ray smiled. “I know that and you know that, but the rest of the world isn’t going to see that.”

“That’s a shame.”

“Don’t worry about it, okay?” Ray patted Fraser’s shoulder.

“Okay, Ray.”

“You realise we’re going to go apartment hunting tomorrow?” Ray said as they left their hospital room and walked down the corridor.

“Why, Ray?”

“We have to live together, right?

“Yes, Ray. I’d like to and it would make things…easier…”

“And it’s not like we can live with my family.”

“Ah, I see what you mean.”

Ray let a beat go by. “Unless you want to go back to Canada?”

“I was responsible for the death of Gerard.”

“So?”

“I killed one of my own, Ray. I imagine I'm not particularly welcome back north. The doctor told me as much whilst you were asleep.”

Ray took hold of Fraser’s hand and squeezed it. “Ah, geez, I’m sorry, Benny.”

“It’s not your fault, Ray. And your family is here and I don’t want to take you away from them.”

“Yeah, and Ma did make me promise to bring you over for dinner at least once a week. When we have our own place.”

“Yes. I’d enjoy that, Ray.”

They made their way outside. Finally they were outside in the fresh air. It might have been a Chicago evening and therefore the air wasn’t so fresh, but it was nice. Ray turned to Fraser. “So, let’s go home I’ll wash my neck and you can eat.”

“You don’t have to wash your neck, Ray.”

“I want to. I don’t want you to catch anything.”

“That’s very thoughtful of you.”

“That’s me.”

“Do you have to wash your mouth for me to kiss you?”

“Nah.”

“Oh good.”

Fraser took advantage of the fact Ray had hold of the bags to give a passionate kiss. Ray didn’t care who saw them he relaxed and enjoyed it. He knew things were only just beginning for the two of them but he was confident it was to be the best time of his life. It turned out that his destiny wasn't so terrible after all.