Vecchio/Fraser (due South)
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ship_manifestoTitle: Alone they’re incomplete, but together they’re better than they are separately
Author: Wynterhawk
Spoilers: Some for seasons 1/2
Email: mistress_nona@yahoo.com
Author's Note: Thanks to my two editors(you know who you are!) for all your help and suggestions in putting this monster together.
At first glance, due South comes across as your typical buddy-cop “dramedy”. But it didn’t stop there. The cast included a talented and very likable enclave of characters and actors that brought that certain quirky, wry charm to the screen. And because of that, due South succeeded in being a wonderful study in the human dramatic spirit.
I. Introduction to due South
At first glance, due South comes across as your typical buddy-cop “dramedy”. But it didn’t stop there. The cast included a talented and very likable enclave of characters and actors that brought that certain quirky, wry charm to the screen. And because of that, due South succeeded in being a wonderful study in the human dramatic spirit.
Due South creator Paul Haggis took that buddy show premise and ran with it. He saw that the show wouldn’t be complete if it simply centered on the handsome RCMP officer, his wolf and his mission, while only using other actors as mere satellites. Haggis knew there had to be that spark to get the fire going.
Enter Ray Vecchio.
II. Introduction to Raymond Vecchio and Benton Fraser
Jaded Chicago Detective Raymond Vecchio meets the proverbial “fish out of water” RCMP Constable Benton Fraser at a low point in Vecchio’s career. Someone had let the questing Mountie into the station’s holding cell and a few misunderstandings and sharp comments later, the two men start their working relationship on an awkward foot. But they seamlessly come together later, to solve the mystery behind dead caribou and the death of Fraser’s father, Robert Fraser.
Throughout the series, Fraser consults the journals his father left behind, for comfort, wisdom and advice. He gets to know Bob Fraser in a manner he could have never achieved while his father was alive. It’s obvious that he cherishes the time he can spend with his father’s thoughts and use them to apply to his own life.
“It’s easy to define friendship. A friend is someone who won’t stop until he finds you and bring you home” – Robert Fraser
The above statement not only appropriately describes how Bob felt about his best friend, Buck Frobisher, but it aptly describes the subsequent friendship that grows between Fraser and Ray. We, as the audience, see this happen in the very first episode. Ray scours the nighttime city in search of the despondent Mountie and finds him in an empty diner where they have a very revealing conversation about their feelings towards their respective fathers.
Ray: You know I started thinkin’ when you left.
Fraser: You solved all forty one cases?
Ray: Well, I got restless, made a few calls. The truth? I checked every snitch I ever knew. No one's talkin’. No one knows Drake, no one wants to know me. what's this?
Fraser: It's my father's journal. I was just reading.
Ray: Looking for something you missed?
Fraser: Yeah.
Ray: Nineteen sixty nine? Going back a ways. Find anything?
Fraser: I don't know.
Ray: Look. I know how you must feel. I mean if it was my old man? Well, if it was my old man, I'd be the last person you'd want on the case. He pretty much thought that I screwed up everything I ever touched. You know he's been dead for five years now and I still feel like I'm trying to prove myself to him? Your father want you to be a cop?
Fraser: I don't know. All these years and I can't remember him asking me to do anything for him. Not one thing. This is the only time he's ever needed my help.
Ray: You got any other family?
Fraser: No.
Ray: Well I'm gonna show you why you are a lucky man. Come on.
[Pilot]
***
It is here that their friendship starts to become more solidified. Both men have been battered about by the people that they loved and by life itself and consequently, they’ve developed their own armor. Ray has his Armani Armor ™ and Fraser has his Mountie Mask ™. Ray uses his flamboyant clothing and tough brash manner while Fraser uses his cold reservedness and almost impossible politeness to keep strangers at arm’s length. We as the audience wouldn’t normally have a chance to see past these walls. But because they tear through to each other so easily and so readily, we are privy to the cores that lie beneath their harsh exteriors. It’s that level of comfort and trust that each man has for the other that allows them to let the other in without vacillation. They have an understanding that slices into their dissimilar backgrounds and reaches their very comparable foundation.
During the scene in the diner, it is plain to see that Ray, who is an astute reader of people, is observing his newly found friend. He can see that Fraser is yearning for some sort of connection in this new and strange place; anything that will help ease the pain of the loss of his father. Ray can see that Fraser is alone and in need of that figurative “comforting hand on the shoulder”. So, Ray being the kind of man he is, he acts. He brings Fraser to his home to dinner where, for better or for worse, the stolid Mountie is introduced to Ray’s large boisterous family. Ray’s Mama approves of Fraser immediately.
Mrs. Vecchio: He's very nice . . . so polite.
Ray: He's Canadian, Ma.
Mrs. Vecchio: Oh, I thought he was sick or something.
[Pilot]
Fraser’s father also approves of his son’s new partner. He comments on how quick Ray is on the pick-up and how sure he is that Ray would be willing to do particularly unsavory deeds for Fraser.
Robert Fraser: [to Fraser in regards to Ray] He’d shoot him for you if you asked.
Ray: You okay?
Robert Fraser: Well, he would!
Fraser: I’ll be right back. Diefenbaker. [goes into office]
Robert Fraser: [offers gun to Vecchio] Hey. Hey, Yank.
[Bird in the Hand]
***
III. Friends First or “How close are they?”
Fraser: Ray.
Ray: What.
Fraser: You keep saying that we’re friends.
Ray: What are you asking me, Benny?
Fraser: Well, why are we friends?
Ray: You know.
Fraser: No. That’s just it, I don’t. I mean, from everything you’ve told me I’m-I’m--
Ray: Annoying.
Fraser: Yes, exactly.
Ray: Oh it’s...you know, guys aren’t any good at talking about this stuff.
Fraser: Oh, they aren’t?
Ray: No.
Fraser: Oh, right, yeah. Yeah.
Ray: I mean, it’s just one of those special cases where alone we’re incomplete, but together we’re better than we are separately. You know what I mean?
Fraser : Yes. Yes, I do, I do. (…)
[Flashback]
They are constantly together
When Fraser isn’t manipulating Ray into working on cases to which he hasn’t been assigned, they are hanging out. They are constantly building and strengthening their friendship by sharing their time with each other. They have dinner together, they have mutual friends in the people that live in Fraser’s building and they drive about in that “king of the make out cars”, the Riv. Ray takes chauffer duty although the consulate is only seven minutes away from Fraser’s apartment and he can easily walk it.
Ray: Fraser, you do not want to live in this neighborhood. Cops do not live in areas like this. Most people we bust won’t even live here.
Fraser: Why? It’s central, convenient. I can walk to work in seven minutes.
Ray: Not without backup.
[Free Willie]
***
They learn to enjoy the other’s sport of choice
Ray picks up hockey and Fraser indulges in frequent games of basketball at the local YMCA.
Aware that it will become a habit of Fraser’s to ask for money, Ray merely surrenders his wallet after knowing the man for only a few weeks.
Fraser: All right, you come over, feed and walk him twice a day, and I’ll take him out again when I get home at night. Deal?
Willie: Deal.
Fraser: It’s twenty-five dollars a week as long as you stay in school. [hands him cash]
Willie: Wait a minute, that’s uh— [Canadian bills]
Fraser: I know, I know, I’m sorry. Ray, would you mind?
Ray: Here, take the wallet. Just give me an allowance. [throws it at him]
[Fraser digs out a bill & hands it to Willie]
[Free Willie]
***
And, how domestic is it when you accompany your friend grocery shopping?
Duenorthlaurie has compiled a fantastic and comprehensive list that illustrates, episode by episode, how much Ray and Fraser are together.
DueNorthLaurie's Getting Together List
There’s really never a moment when the two of them aren’t together. Fraser seems to have a lot of free time from the consulate during the day. He can be seen just sitting and whittling at Ray’s desk while Ray finishes his reports or just whiling away his time by nitpicking Ray’s typing ability. Everyone knows that they are frequently together and comments when one is either nearby too frequently or when one is missing. The people in their lives aren’t shy about pointing that fact out to them.
Welsh: [to Fraser] I have to ask you this. Don't you have a job of your own?
Fraser: Oh, yes, sir. But I had the early shift this morning.
Welsh: And you have nothing better to do with your life than hang around here and help us solve crimes?
Fraser: No, sir.
[The Deal]
***
Gardino: Oh don’t be so hard on yourself, Ray. Sooner or later you have to solve one case. Did your Mountie friend help you?
[Free Willie]
***
[court hall]
St. Laurent: [to Fraser who just showed up] Oh God, the other one. Old habits die hard, eh, Vecchio?
Ray: Louise, did I neglect to tell you how fine, in a prosecutorial way, you look in that suit?
St. Laurent: Do your friend a favor, Fraser. Convince him to find those case notes. I don’t give second chances.
[The Witness]
I love Lt. Welsh, because he knows what’s going on between his detective and the Mountie. In fact he’s so certain of it that he uses Fraser to distract Ray.
Welsh: Constable. Do you happen to have an insignificant and time-consuming case in your back pocket?
Fraser: As a matter of fact sir, yes. There’s a matter of a street urchin.
Welsh: Oh perfect, perfect. Take Vecchio with you.
Fraser: Thank you, Leftenant.
[The Promise]
***
Then there are the infamous closet sessions. The closet motif pops up frequently and proves to be one of the few places where Fraser and Ray seem the most comfortable.
It’s where they strategize.
Fraser: I said trust in the law, Ray, that doesn't mean we can't give the law a leg up.
Ray: Atta boy, Benny, now you're talking! So where do we start?
Fraser: In here.
Ray: Benny? This is a closet.
Fraser: I know.
[Chinatown]
It’s where they fight.
[into the supply closet]
Ray : Okay, the way I see it, you have two options: you can tell me exactly what happened with my kid sister that night in your apartment, or one of us isn't leaving this closet alive.
Fraser: You're upset.
Ray: That would be correct.
[Heaven and Earth]
It’s where they get their man.
Ida: Oh my god. Oh my god! [Ida looks out the window] Oh, my god, he’s here. He’s here. Quick, get in the closet!
Fraser: Right you are. [gets in]
Ray : I am not getting in the closet.
Ida: Well he can’t find you here. It’ll ruin everything. You--
Ray: I am not getting in the closet! I’m going to stand right here, ‘til he comes upstairs, and we’re going to have a little chat.
Fraser: Ray, please get in the closet.
Ray: Benny, get out of the closet.
Fraser: Ray, get in the closet.
Ray: I am not getting in the closet.
Fraser: Ray, if you don’t get in the closet, you’ll lose your source.
[Body Language]
***
Unfortunately, Fraser and Ray are the only two than can appreciate the potential behind getting close and personal in the closet. No one else seems to understand.
[consulate, Fraser’s office]
Fraser: Turnbull? I, uh--
Thatcher: I sent him home, Constable. Over two hours ago. Would you care to tell me where you’ve been?
Fraser: Well I-I’ve been in a closet, ma’am.
Thatcher: Any particular closet?
Fraser: An exotic dancer’s closet.
Thatcher: Well, that’s your business, of course.
Fraser: Well, I don’t think you understand, ma’am. I was in the closet with Detective Vecchio.
Thatcher: I think that’s all I care to hear about it, Constable. (…)
[Body Language]
They Are Very Close Because They Are Mentally Linked
(Or is that mentally unstable)
Ray and Fraser have grown very close and very intimate during the course of their on duty and off duty relationship. It’s said that twin siblings can communicate with each other in ways that others cannot. I’m not saying that Fraser and Ray are like twins. Although, after their encounter with the Bolt Brothers, it’s difficult to say that they’re not. Somehow, they manage to carry on a completely coherent conversation with each other despite the fact that they are physically miles apart.
[Fraser’s apartment]
[Dief barks and groans]
Fraser: What do you want?
[opens the fridge]
[Vecchio house]
Vecchio : [looking in fridge] Nothing. Every time I open this box, I’m full of hope and all I get is a choice between dill pickles and asiago cheese.
Together : It’s like having your knees cut out from under you.
[Fraser’s apartment]
Fraser : He’s feeling slighted, not without justification. I mean, after all, if you go to extreme lengths and your efforts are--
[Vecchio house]
Vecchio : --ignored it only makes a guy feel like... ahhh. [sits on the couch] What do I feel like? Am I angry? Am I depressed? Am I just jealous?
Together : I’m talking to myself.
[Vecchio house]
Vecchio : This is ridiculous.
[Fraser’s apartment]
Fraser : It’s ridiculous.
Together : Nevertheless, we really have to try and talk this out.
[Fraser talks to an empty chair set in the middle of the room; Vecchio talks to the
vacant spot beside him on the couch]
Vecchio : We put that guy behind bars. He’s ready to go to trial. Now I walk into that room today, and this little bouncy reporter comes up to me and I’m thinking, All right, Ray, here’s your chance. Here’s a little reward for putting yourself in harm’s way one more time. And what’s the first question she asks me? "So what’s the Mountie like?" [laughs hollowly] So what’s the Mountie like. He’s Superman, all right? What do you expect me to say, he’s a moron? He dresses up in that damn red suit every single day of his life like a sign post!
Fraser : Come on, Ray, that’s not fair. I don’t wear it all the time. The truth is there are times I wish I didn’t have to wear it. I mean, the thing itches. It itches 365 days of the year. Unless, of course, it’s a leap year in which case it itches for 366 days. But the point is, I don’t wear it intentionally. It’s part of my obligations.
Vecchio : We are not talking about clothes here, Fraser, okay? We are talking about you, the most irritating man in the world!
Fraser : Ray, I know I irritate you, but you have to believe me, I’m not trying to irritate you. It’s not part of some sort of master plan! You know, the fact of the matter is, I often try to imagine how you would handle a given situation. Just the other day, for instance. I saw this woman who was in a wheelchair and she was having difficulty with a set of doors. And so I was just about to help her, when all of a sudden I have your voice in my head. [imitates Vecchio] "Hey, Fraser, what the hell’s wrong with you? You gotta help every cripple in the greater Chicago area? I mean, what the hell you think they have those handicap buttons for?"
Vecchio : So they can feel good about themselves. So they can do something on their own without some do-gooder’s help. But, no, what do you do? You help her through anyway. You wheel her out and you help her into a cab.
Fraser : Which promptly ran over my foot. But the point of the anecdote is this: that while I was helping her, I knew that you would be irritated with me. And I’m sorry, but I seem-I seem to be powerless to prevent that. I don’t know. I don’t know if it’s some sort of flaw in my upbringing, or some genetic abnormality, or perhaps it’s just some aberrant property in the Tuktoyaktuk water system.
Vecchio : Don’t put this on the water, Fraser. This is a conscious thing that you do, okay? You cover everything up. You squash it down. It’s like that time with Frobisher, when that guy, Counter, he stabbed you in the shoulder--
Fraser : Geiger.
Vecchio : What?
Fraser : The man’s name was Geiger.
Vecchio : His name is Geiger Counter?
Fraser : No, just Geiger, no Counter. And he stabbed me in the leg.
Vecchio : Leg, shoulder, what difference does it make?
Fraser : Well, Ray, when you’re the one being stabbed, the difference is remarkable.
Vecchio : The point is, Fraser, he stabbed you. And were you angry?
Fraser : I was in pain.
Vecchio : We are talking about anger here, Fraser, a human emotion. Are you human? Because if you are, human beings feel things, okay? They feel anger, they feel love, they feel lust and fear. And sometimes, and I know you don’t want to hear this, sometimes they even cry.
[Fraser hears knock at door; Vecchio goes to answer doorbell]
[Fraser’s apartment]
Fraser : Ray!
[Vecchio house]
Vecchio : Fraser?
[Fraser hits Vecchio; Vecchio hits Fraser... they pull off masks – it’s Vernon and Gabe]
[Red White or Blue]
They’re not shy about their relationship
When asked, neither man hesitates to declare that they have a friendship. And as friends do, they stand up for each other if one is being maligned.
[Vecchio is foraging]
Mr. Vecchio: You tell a stranger something like that, about your family?
Ray: He’s not a stranger. He’s my friend.
Mr. Vecchio: Ooh, some friend. He’s loony toons ! You should cut him loose.
Ray: I owe him.
Mr. Vecchio: You owe nobody. He’s gonna get you killed.
[North]
and
[27th precinct; interrogation room]
Madeline: Constable Fraser, Frank Greco is visiting us from the States Attorney’s Office. He specializes in police officer-related misconduct. So he’d like to ask you a couple of questions about Detective Vecchio.
Fraser: Detective Vecchio is a fine officer. I have never worked with better. [to Madeline] You know how committed he is.
Greco: We all know how committed he is. That’s what I need to learn more about.
Fraser: Is that a problem?
Greco: He seems to be taking the Carver case very personally.
Fraser: Well, Carver has made it very personal.
Greco: What’s your assessment of Detective Vecchio’s current frame of mind?
Fraser: I’m sorry, I, um... Detective Vecchio is my colleague and my friend.
Greco: Yes?
Fraser: As a consequence, I really can’t participate in this.
[The Duel]
and
Fraser: Oh! Oh, well, uh. My mistake.
Ray: Mistake? You could’ve gotten me killed.
Fraser: Oh no, I’d never allow that. You’re my friend. You’re my best friend I’d have to say.
Ray: I am? Hey, exactly how many best friends have you had?
[Free Willie]
Most especially and in a moment of excitement, Fraser displays an uncharacteristic amount of emotion:
Ray : Just in case he’s right, I just want you to know [shoots] I mean, I know what you are and you can’t help that. [shoots] But it’s really hard to have a saint for a friend. Go!
Fraser: Dief!
[they go through door; Bolts fire after them]
Fraser : I’m not a saint, Ray.
Ray: Well, I know that you’re not a saint saint, like when you’ve got your own day. I mean a saint in the sense of a...
Fraser: What, like a metaphor?
Ray: Yeah, yeah! Like a metaphor.
Fraser: Yeah, but Ray, don’t you see, you are as well. I mean, we all are, even them. Do you know what I mean?
Ray: Well, that’s what scares me. I think that I do.
Fraser: Yeah, well that’s probably why you and I have been such close--
Ray: All right, all right. Don’t get all mushy on me.
[Red White or Blue]
IV. Lovers Second or “How Close They Get!”
They have no personal space
One would think that Ray who’s more relaxed in his own skin would be the one that initiates the caresses. No, it’s the Mountie that turns into Mr. Octopus hands when he’s around Ray. What’s slashy about it is that Fraser doesn’t touch anyone else nearly as much. But I will refrain from waxing poetic about a lingering caress or glance and let the screen grabs do the talking for me.
1. It's all in the look
2. It's a little close there
3. "Try and stop me!"
4. What a little moonlight will do
5. Put on your dancing shoes
6. "Is it gonna be all right?"
7. "Yes, Ray, it's all right."
8. No elbow room
9. So, what's he doing down there?
For men who aren’t good at talking about feelings and emotions, words certainly have a way of slipping out.
[Memorial Hospital, exam room]
Ray: All right, look, Fraser, we gotta get you back to normal. Here, put this on. [hands him the red serge tunic]
Fraser: Whoa, that’s bright.
Ray: Yeah, but you look good in it.
Fraser: This is really bright
[Flashback]
***
Fraser: Yes, of course I’m sure.
Ray: Oh, Benny, I could kiss you!
Fraser: Well, I thought we were just friends, Ray.
Ray: Oh, we are…
[Flashback]
And mirroring what Ray says earlier about being more effective together, Fraser replies with:
Ray: All right, good. So you wanna tell me more about that Eskimo-walrus-pelt thing?
Fraser: It’s Inuit, actually. The tribe I was speaking of, they believe that two people who’ve been bound together will be more effective.
[Flashback]
And together, they are better, bound by the walrus pelt, than they are separately and unbound.
They dance so well together
Dance in the figurative sense, of course, unless you count Ms Fraser getting her groove on with Ray in, “Some Like it Red”. What I mean is that they move easily around each other without thought, they mirror each other’s movements and can make plans without prior consultation and they seem to know when the other is in trouble. It shows that they are indeed mentally linked.
Fraser has such faith that Ray can read his mind that he executes a plan without talking to Ray first. It wasn’t a great plan, but it speaks volumes of the trust and understanding he has with Ray.
***
Fraser: Well, I knew that you would take the car parked next to hers, and the Plymouth accelerates two seconds faster over the quarter mile than the Cadillac.
Ray: I took the Chevy.
[pause]
Fraser : Oh. Oh well. You know, you really should tell me next time.
Ray: Tell you what?
Fraser: Well, I mean if you're going to change a plan like that. I was standing in front of a car, Ray.
Ray: Plan? Plan? What plan? You mean to tell me-- There were two cars to choose from, all right? Are you telling me I took the wrong car?
Fraser: No apologies necessary. It's already forgotten.
[Pizzas and Promises]
They strike the same poses at the same time.
10. Hmm?
11. Mmmhmm!
Fraser can show his physical support without Ray having to ask for it.
12. Gimme a leg up!
Ray is there in the nick of time to literally catch Fraser by snagging the front of his coat to keep him from falling from the fire escape in “The Promise”. And, he is there just in time to diffuse the situation that would have gotten Fraser killed in “White Men Can’t Jump to Conclusions”.
And, Ray volunteers to get the throat drops as Fraser embarks on his filibuster at the city council.
***
Ray: The best you’re gonna get is a bad case of laryngitis.
Fraser: Probably.
Ray: Lozenges?
Fraser: Cherry flavored?
Ray: On my way.
Fraser: Thank you kindly.
[One Good Man]
They Are Willing to Shoulder the Pain
Ray is willing to do anything for Fraser; even shoot his possibly rabid wolf. Ray considers Diefenbaker to be like a little person in a fur suit and he knows how much Fraser loves him. He wants to spare Fraser of the pain having to put down his longtime companion.
Fraser: Did you get them? [Vecchio shows him a box of shells] Could you hold them 'til I ask for them?
Ray: It that your father's rifle? [Fraser nods] Why don't you let me do this for you?
Fraser: No, he's my wolf.
[The Wild Bunch]
And although Fraser doesn’t really understand the intimate relationship that Ray has with his car, he does and can respect it. His respect is what makes him offer to shoot the gas tank of the Riv to blow it up in order to save themselves from members of the Canadian mob.
***
Fraser: No. Although, you know, maybe it would be easier if I shot your car.
Ray: No-no-no. I can do it. [to Ian] No funny business or I miss the car and aim straight for you. Capisce?
[The Man Who Knew Too Little]
V. Actions Speak Louder Than Words
I’m a firm believer in having your actions speak for you or at least have them complement your words. I’ve been in this fandom long enough to know that Ray Vecchio complains. Sometimes endlessly. He will complain about whatever crazy act Fraser does. Ray will marvel at the unconventional tactics Fraser uses to solve a case. But where is Ray when he does this? He’s not sitting at home shaking his head in wonder. He’s right beside Fraser. He’s crawling through sewers, digging through dumpsters (repeatedly), and ruining his expensive suits.
In order to help a cause that really has nothing to do with him, but just because Fraser needs it, Ray gives away his beloved Riv’s insurance money. He jumps down trash chutes, hides in car trunks and almost drowns and leaps onto speeding trains. He crawls out of his hospital bed and flies to Canada to impart a tidbit of information to Fraser. He gives money to orphans, forges nonexistent wolf licenses and later hunts down judges to spare the life of said wayward wolf. And what is the ultimate display of love and friendship, Ray agrees to house the woman with which Fraser is having a love affair. But, in true Vecchio fashion, he doesn’t let her get off that easily.
***
Ray : So how did you two meet?
Victoria: He arrested me.
Ray: Ah. He meets a lot of people that way. Listen, you hurt him and I'll kill you. This is my room across the hall. You hear anything, you bang on the door.
Victoria: I don't think I'll need to do that.
Ray: If you hear anything, you see anything, you bang on my door, okay? Nothing happens to you while you're under my roof. If I'm not home, you call me at this number. [hands her a card]
Victoria: Thanks. I appreciate what you're doing.
Ray: It's not you I do it for.
Victoria: You made that real clear, but I do appreciate it.
Ray: I hope so.
[Victoria’s Secret]
Although, Fraser was taking a little side trip with Victoria, he still knows who he can trust and who is important in his life. He knows that this person is Ray and willingly leaves Victoria in bed because he knows he’s upset Ray.
So, Ray Vecchio is a complainer, but his actions show that he will be there ready to rumble (that means fight by your side) when you need him.
Fraser on the other hand makes what seems an ultimate sacrifice for Ray. The man who holds the law above almost everything else gets purposely arrested in order to protect Ray in jail. Now he has a criminal record.
He also unwittingly endangers Ray’s life and throws his sense of law and order to the wind in his haste to pursue Ray through the halls of the “Hotel California”.
***
Fraser: That man, I think I've seen him before. All right, I'll take the stairs.
and:
Fraser: Well I'm sorry, but I was so pleasantly surprised to see you that I…
Vecchio: Said something stupid?
Fraser: Yes.
[Call of the Wild]
The smile and embrace they share is obviously worth the wait for the both of them. You can watch the loneliness and heartache simply melt away when they see each other. As if they’d been waiting to see each other for a lifetime
VI. Conclusion and Recommendations
And so now my friends, there is more, but for now, it is done. Check out Mitch and Wolf’s super "Real Couple" Essay for more interesting information.
Mitch and Wolf's Real Couple Essay
Fraser/Vecchio shippers are a diverse bunch. They don’t “do” slash. They don’t “do” gen. They “do” Benny and Ray. And they do it very well.
You can’t force yourself to like the Fraser/Vecchio pairing. It just happens, just like their relationship happened. It happens because you allow yourself to look into the relationship itself. You allow yourself to get passed the armor and the complaining. You allow yourself to get inside a delightfully warm and rich, dark and passionate relationship. And then you have a good time!
And don’t worry about what happens later, because love and friendship spans both time and boundaries. Although Fraser and Ray may be separated for a time, they will always find their way back together as they were meant to be.
Wanna indulge in some Benny and Ray?
This archive is chock full of wonderful and talented authors. And their personal websites are linked from the archive.
Just The Fics Ma'am Archive
What an adventure. You won't look at poker the same way again.
Adventures in the slash dimension
All the ds you could ever want.
Caroline Mockett's due South page
I only recently found this fic, but it so completely blew me away. I think I love her :)
Shooting Star
Delicious exploration going on in this fic
Can I Help You Get Out of That?
It's Ginger Peachy!
Julien's David Marciano Site
I have a ton more, but this is a good place to stop.
Author: Wynterhawk
Spoilers: Some for seasons 1/2
Email: mistress_nona@yahoo.com
Author's Note: Thanks to my two editors(you know who you are!) for all your help and suggestions in putting this monster together.
At first glance, due South comes across as your typical buddy-cop “dramedy”. But it didn’t stop there. The cast included a talented and very likable enclave of characters and actors that brought that certain quirky, wry charm to the screen. And because of that, due South succeeded in being a wonderful study in the human dramatic spirit.
I. Introduction to due South
At first glance, due South comes across as your typical buddy-cop “dramedy”. But it didn’t stop there. The cast included a talented and very likable enclave of characters and actors that brought that certain quirky, wry charm to the screen. And because of that, due South succeeded in being a wonderful study in the human dramatic spirit.
Due South creator Paul Haggis took that buddy show premise and ran with it. He saw that the show wouldn’t be complete if it simply centered on the handsome RCMP officer, his wolf and his mission, while only using other actors as mere satellites. Haggis knew there had to be that spark to get the fire going.
Enter Ray Vecchio.
II. Introduction to Raymond Vecchio and Benton Fraser
Jaded Chicago Detective Raymond Vecchio meets the proverbial “fish out of water” RCMP Constable Benton Fraser at a low point in Vecchio’s career. Someone had let the questing Mountie into the station’s holding cell and a few misunderstandings and sharp comments later, the two men start their working relationship on an awkward foot. But they seamlessly come together later, to solve the mystery behind dead caribou and the death of Fraser’s father, Robert Fraser.
Throughout the series, Fraser consults the journals his father left behind, for comfort, wisdom and advice. He gets to know Bob Fraser in a manner he could have never achieved while his father was alive. It’s obvious that he cherishes the time he can spend with his father’s thoughts and use them to apply to his own life.
“It’s easy to define friendship. A friend is someone who won’t stop until he finds you and bring you home” – Robert Fraser
The above statement not only appropriately describes how Bob felt about his best friend, Buck Frobisher, but it aptly describes the subsequent friendship that grows between Fraser and Ray. We, as the audience, see this happen in the very first episode. Ray scours the nighttime city in search of the despondent Mountie and finds him in an empty diner where they have a very revealing conversation about their feelings towards their respective fathers.
Ray: You know I started thinkin’ when you left.
Fraser: You solved all forty one cases?
Ray: Well, I got restless, made a few calls. The truth? I checked every snitch I ever knew. No one's talkin’. No one knows Drake, no one wants to know me. what's this?
Fraser: It's my father's journal. I was just reading.
Ray: Looking for something you missed?
Fraser: Yeah.
Ray: Nineteen sixty nine? Going back a ways. Find anything?
Fraser: I don't know.
Ray: Look. I know how you must feel. I mean if it was my old man? Well, if it was my old man, I'd be the last person you'd want on the case. He pretty much thought that I screwed up everything I ever touched. You know he's been dead for five years now and I still feel like I'm trying to prove myself to him? Your father want you to be a cop?
Fraser: I don't know. All these years and I can't remember him asking me to do anything for him. Not one thing. This is the only time he's ever needed my help.
Ray: You got any other family?
Fraser: No.
Ray: Well I'm gonna show you why you are a lucky man. Come on.
[Pilot]
***
It is here that their friendship starts to become more solidified. Both men have been battered about by the people that they loved and by life itself and consequently, they’ve developed their own armor. Ray has his Armani Armor ™ and Fraser has his Mountie Mask ™. Ray uses his flamboyant clothing and tough brash manner while Fraser uses his cold reservedness and almost impossible politeness to keep strangers at arm’s length. We as the audience wouldn’t normally have a chance to see past these walls. But because they tear through to each other so easily and so readily, we are privy to the cores that lie beneath their harsh exteriors. It’s that level of comfort and trust that each man has for the other that allows them to let the other in without vacillation. They have an understanding that slices into their dissimilar backgrounds and reaches their very comparable foundation.
During the scene in the diner, it is plain to see that Ray, who is an astute reader of people, is observing his newly found friend. He can see that Fraser is yearning for some sort of connection in this new and strange place; anything that will help ease the pain of the loss of his father. Ray can see that Fraser is alone and in need of that figurative “comforting hand on the shoulder”. So, Ray being the kind of man he is, he acts. He brings Fraser to his home to dinner where, for better or for worse, the stolid Mountie is introduced to Ray’s large boisterous family. Ray’s Mama approves of Fraser immediately.
Mrs. Vecchio: He's very nice . . . so polite.
Ray: He's Canadian, Ma.
Mrs. Vecchio: Oh, I thought he was sick or something.
[Pilot]
Fraser’s father also approves of his son’s new partner. He comments on how quick Ray is on the pick-up and how sure he is that Ray would be willing to do particularly unsavory deeds for Fraser.
Robert Fraser: [to Fraser in regards to Ray] He’d shoot him for you if you asked.
Ray: You okay?
Robert Fraser: Well, he would!
Fraser: I’ll be right back. Diefenbaker. [goes into office]
Robert Fraser: [offers gun to Vecchio] Hey. Hey, Yank.
[Bird in the Hand]
***
III. Friends First or “How close are they?”
Fraser: Ray.
Ray: What.
Fraser: You keep saying that we’re friends.
Ray: What are you asking me, Benny?
Fraser: Well, why are we friends?
Ray: You know.
Fraser: No. That’s just it, I don’t. I mean, from everything you’ve told me I’m-I’m--
Ray: Annoying.
Fraser: Yes, exactly.
Ray: Oh it’s...you know, guys aren’t any good at talking about this stuff.
Fraser: Oh, they aren’t?
Ray: No.
Fraser: Oh, right, yeah. Yeah.
Ray: I mean, it’s just one of those special cases where alone we’re incomplete, but together we’re better than we are separately. You know what I mean?
Fraser : Yes. Yes, I do, I do. (…)
[Flashback]
They are constantly together
When Fraser isn’t manipulating Ray into working on cases to which he hasn’t been assigned, they are hanging out. They are constantly building and strengthening their friendship by sharing their time with each other. They have dinner together, they have mutual friends in the people that live in Fraser’s building and they drive about in that “king of the make out cars”, the Riv. Ray takes chauffer duty although the consulate is only seven minutes away from Fraser’s apartment and he can easily walk it.
Ray: Fraser, you do not want to live in this neighborhood. Cops do not live in areas like this. Most people we bust won’t even live here.
Fraser: Why? It’s central, convenient. I can walk to work in seven minutes.
Ray: Not without backup.
[Free Willie]
***
They learn to enjoy the other’s sport of choice
Ray picks up hockey and Fraser indulges in frequent games of basketball at the local YMCA.
Aware that it will become a habit of Fraser’s to ask for money, Ray merely surrenders his wallet after knowing the man for only a few weeks.
Fraser: All right, you come over, feed and walk him twice a day, and I’ll take him out again when I get home at night. Deal?
Willie: Deal.
Fraser: It’s twenty-five dollars a week as long as you stay in school. [hands him cash]
Willie: Wait a minute, that’s uh— [Canadian bills]
Fraser: I know, I know, I’m sorry. Ray, would you mind?
Ray: Here, take the wallet. Just give me an allowance. [throws it at him]
[Fraser digs out a bill & hands it to Willie]
[Free Willie]
***
And, how domestic is it when you accompany your friend grocery shopping?
Duenorthlaurie has compiled a fantastic and comprehensive list that illustrates, episode by episode, how much Ray and Fraser are together.
DueNorthLaurie's Getting Together List
There’s really never a moment when the two of them aren’t together. Fraser seems to have a lot of free time from the consulate during the day. He can be seen just sitting and whittling at Ray’s desk while Ray finishes his reports or just whiling away his time by nitpicking Ray’s typing ability. Everyone knows that they are frequently together and comments when one is either nearby too frequently or when one is missing. The people in their lives aren’t shy about pointing that fact out to them.
Welsh: [to Fraser] I have to ask you this. Don't you have a job of your own?
Fraser: Oh, yes, sir. But I had the early shift this morning.
Welsh: And you have nothing better to do with your life than hang around here and help us solve crimes?
Fraser: No, sir.
[The Deal]
***
Gardino: Oh don’t be so hard on yourself, Ray. Sooner or later you have to solve one case. Did your Mountie friend help you?
[Free Willie]
***
[court hall]
St. Laurent: [to Fraser who just showed up] Oh God, the other one. Old habits die hard, eh, Vecchio?
Ray: Louise, did I neglect to tell you how fine, in a prosecutorial way, you look in that suit?
St. Laurent: Do your friend a favor, Fraser. Convince him to find those case notes. I don’t give second chances.
[The Witness]
I love Lt. Welsh, because he knows what’s going on between his detective and the Mountie. In fact he’s so certain of it that he uses Fraser to distract Ray.
Welsh: Constable. Do you happen to have an insignificant and time-consuming case in your back pocket?
Fraser: As a matter of fact sir, yes. There’s a matter of a street urchin.
Welsh: Oh perfect, perfect. Take Vecchio with you.
Fraser: Thank you, Leftenant.
[The Promise]
***
Then there are the infamous closet sessions. The closet motif pops up frequently and proves to be one of the few places where Fraser and Ray seem the most comfortable.
It’s where they strategize.
Fraser: I said trust in the law, Ray, that doesn't mean we can't give the law a leg up.
Ray: Atta boy, Benny, now you're talking! So where do we start?
Fraser: In here.
Ray: Benny? This is a closet.
Fraser: I know.
[Chinatown]
It’s where they fight.
[into the supply closet]
Ray : Okay, the way I see it, you have two options: you can tell me exactly what happened with my kid sister that night in your apartment, or one of us isn't leaving this closet alive.
Fraser: You're upset.
Ray: That would be correct.
[Heaven and Earth]
It’s where they get their man.
Ida: Oh my god. Oh my god! [Ida looks out the window] Oh, my god, he’s here. He’s here. Quick, get in the closet!
Fraser: Right you are. [gets in]
Ray : I am not getting in the closet.
Ida: Well he can’t find you here. It’ll ruin everything. You--
Ray: I am not getting in the closet! I’m going to stand right here, ‘til he comes upstairs, and we’re going to have a little chat.
Fraser: Ray, please get in the closet.
Ray: Benny, get out of the closet.
Fraser: Ray, get in the closet.
Ray: I am not getting in the closet.
Fraser: Ray, if you don’t get in the closet, you’ll lose your source.
[Body Language]
***
Unfortunately, Fraser and Ray are the only two than can appreciate the potential behind getting close and personal in the closet. No one else seems to understand.
[consulate, Fraser’s office]
Fraser: Turnbull? I, uh--
Thatcher: I sent him home, Constable. Over two hours ago. Would you care to tell me where you’ve been?
Fraser: Well I-I’ve been in a closet, ma’am.
Thatcher: Any particular closet?
Fraser: An exotic dancer’s closet.
Thatcher: Well, that’s your business, of course.
Fraser: Well, I don’t think you understand, ma’am. I was in the closet with Detective Vecchio.
Thatcher: I think that’s all I care to hear about it, Constable. (…)
[Body Language]
They Are Very Close Because They Are Mentally Linked
(Or is that mentally unstable)
Ray and Fraser have grown very close and very intimate during the course of their on duty and off duty relationship. It’s said that twin siblings can communicate with each other in ways that others cannot. I’m not saying that Fraser and Ray are like twins. Although, after their encounter with the Bolt Brothers, it’s difficult to say that they’re not. Somehow, they manage to carry on a completely coherent conversation with each other despite the fact that they are physically miles apart.
[Fraser’s apartment]
[Dief barks and groans]
Fraser: What do you want?
[opens the fridge]
[Vecchio house]
Vecchio : [looking in fridge] Nothing. Every time I open this box, I’m full of hope and all I get is a choice between dill pickles and asiago cheese.
Together : It’s like having your knees cut out from under you.
[Fraser’s apartment]
Fraser : He’s feeling slighted, not without justification. I mean, after all, if you go to extreme lengths and your efforts are--
[Vecchio house]
Vecchio : --ignored it only makes a guy feel like... ahhh. [sits on the couch] What do I feel like? Am I angry? Am I depressed? Am I just jealous?
Together : I’m talking to myself.
[Vecchio house]
Vecchio : This is ridiculous.
[Fraser’s apartment]
Fraser : It’s ridiculous.
Together : Nevertheless, we really have to try and talk this out.
[Fraser talks to an empty chair set in the middle of the room; Vecchio talks to the
vacant spot beside him on the couch]
Vecchio : We put that guy behind bars. He’s ready to go to trial. Now I walk into that room today, and this little bouncy reporter comes up to me and I’m thinking, All right, Ray, here’s your chance. Here’s a little reward for putting yourself in harm’s way one more time. And what’s the first question she asks me? "So what’s the Mountie like?" [laughs hollowly] So what’s the Mountie like. He’s Superman, all right? What do you expect me to say, he’s a moron? He dresses up in that damn red suit every single day of his life like a sign post!
Fraser : Come on, Ray, that’s not fair. I don’t wear it all the time. The truth is there are times I wish I didn’t have to wear it. I mean, the thing itches. It itches 365 days of the year. Unless, of course, it’s a leap year in which case it itches for 366 days. But the point is, I don’t wear it intentionally. It’s part of my obligations.
Vecchio : We are not talking about clothes here, Fraser, okay? We are talking about you, the most irritating man in the world!
Fraser : Ray, I know I irritate you, but you have to believe me, I’m not trying to irritate you. It’s not part of some sort of master plan! You know, the fact of the matter is, I often try to imagine how you would handle a given situation. Just the other day, for instance. I saw this woman who was in a wheelchair and she was having difficulty with a set of doors. And so I was just about to help her, when all of a sudden I have your voice in my head. [imitates Vecchio] "Hey, Fraser, what the hell’s wrong with you? You gotta help every cripple in the greater Chicago area? I mean, what the hell you think they have those handicap buttons for?"
Vecchio : So they can feel good about themselves. So they can do something on their own without some do-gooder’s help. But, no, what do you do? You help her through anyway. You wheel her out and you help her into a cab.
Fraser : Which promptly ran over my foot. But the point of the anecdote is this: that while I was helping her, I knew that you would be irritated with me. And I’m sorry, but I seem-I seem to be powerless to prevent that. I don’t know. I don’t know if it’s some sort of flaw in my upbringing, or some genetic abnormality, or perhaps it’s just some aberrant property in the Tuktoyaktuk water system.
Vecchio : Don’t put this on the water, Fraser. This is a conscious thing that you do, okay? You cover everything up. You squash it down. It’s like that time with Frobisher, when that guy, Counter, he stabbed you in the shoulder--
Fraser : Geiger.
Vecchio : What?
Fraser : The man’s name was Geiger.
Vecchio : His name is Geiger Counter?
Fraser : No, just Geiger, no Counter. And he stabbed me in the leg.
Vecchio : Leg, shoulder, what difference does it make?
Fraser : Well, Ray, when you’re the one being stabbed, the difference is remarkable.
Vecchio : The point is, Fraser, he stabbed you. And were you angry?
Fraser : I was in pain.
Vecchio : We are talking about anger here, Fraser, a human emotion. Are you human? Because if you are, human beings feel things, okay? They feel anger, they feel love, they feel lust and fear. And sometimes, and I know you don’t want to hear this, sometimes they even cry.
[Fraser hears knock at door; Vecchio goes to answer doorbell]
[Fraser’s apartment]
Fraser : Ray!
[Vecchio house]
Vecchio : Fraser?
[Fraser hits Vecchio; Vecchio hits Fraser... they pull off masks – it’s Vernon and Gabe]
[Red White or Blue]
They’re not shy about their relationship
When asked, neither man hesitates to declare that they have a friendship. And as friends do, they stand up for each other if one is being maligned.
[Vecchio is foraging]
Mr. Vecchio: You tell a stranger something like that, about your family?
Ray: He’s not a stranger. He’s my friend.
Mr. Vecchio: Ooh, some friend. He’s loony toons ! You should cut him loose.
Ray: I owe him.
Mr. Vecchio: You owe nobody. He’s gonna get you killed.
[North]
and
[27th precinct; interrogation room]
Madeline: Constable Fraser, Frank Greco is visiting us from the States Attorney’s Office. He specializes in police officer-related misconduct. So he’d like to ask you a couple of questions about Detective Vecchio.
Fraser: Detective Vecchio is a fine officer. I have never worked with better. [to Madeline] You know how committed he is.
Greco: We all know how committed he is. That’s what I need to learn more about.
Fraser: Is that a problem?
Greco: He seems to be taking the Carver case very personally.
Fraser: Well, Carver has made it very personal.
Greco: What’s your assessment of Detective Vecchio’s current frame of mind?
Fraser: I’m sorry, I, um... Detective Vecchio is my colleague and my friend.
Greco: Yes?
Fraser: As a consequence, I really can’t participate in this.
[The Duel]
and
Fraser: Oh! Oh, well, uh. My mistake.
Ray: Mistake? You could’ve gotten me killed.
Fraser: Oh no, I’d never allow that. You’re my friend. You’re my best friend I’d have to say.
Ray: I am? Hey, exactly how many best friends have you had?
[Free Willie]
Most especially and in a moment of excitement, Fraser displays an uncharacteristic amount of emotion:
Ray : Just in case he’s right, I just want you to know [shoots] I mean, I know what you are and you can’t help that. [shoots] But it’s really hard to have a saint for a friend. Go!
Fraser: Dief!
[they go through door; Bolts fire after them]
Fraser : I’m not a saint, Ray.
Ray: Well, I know that you’re not a saint saint, like when you’ve got your own day. I mean a saint in the sense of a...
Fraser: What, like a metaphor?
Ray: Yeah, yeah! Like a metaphor.
Fraser: Yeah, but Ray, don’t you see, you are as well. I mean, we all are, even them. Do you know what I mean?
Ray: Well, that’s what scares me. I think that I do.
Fraser: Yeah, well that’s probably why you and I have been such close--
Ray: All right, all right. Don’t get all mushy on me.
[Red White or Blue]
IV. Lovers Second or “How Close They Get!”
They have no personal space
One would think that Ray who’s more relaxed in his own skin would be the one that initiates the caresses. No, it’s the Mountie that turns into Mr. Octopus hands when he’s around Ray. What’s slashy about it is that Fraser doesn’t touch anyone else nearly as much. But I will refrain from waxing poetic about a lingering caress or glance and let the screen grabs do the talking for me.
1. It's all in the look
2. It's a little close there
3. "Try and stop me!"
4. What a little moonlight will do
5. Put on your dancing shoes
6. "Is it gonna be all right?"
7. "Yes, Ray, it's all right."
8. No elbow room
9. So, what's he doing down there?
For men who aren’t good at talking about feelings and emotions, words certainly have a way of slipping out.
[Memorial Hospital, exam room]
Ray: All right, look, Fraser, we gotta get you back to normal. Here, put this on. [hands him the red serge tunic]
Fraser: Whoa, that’s bright.
Ray: Yeah, but you look good in it.
Fraser: This is really bright
[Flashback]
***
Fraser: Yes, of course I’m sure.
Ray: Oh, Benny, I could kiss you!
Fraser: Well, I thought we were just friends, Ray.
Ray: Oh, we are…
[Flashback]
And mirroring what Ray says earlier about being more effective together, Fraser replies with:
Ray: All right, good. So you wanna tell me more about that Eskimo-walrus-pelt thing?
Fraser: It’s Inuit, actually. The tribe I was speaking of, they believe that two people who’ve been bound together will be more effective.
[Flashback]
And together, they are better, bound by the walrus pelt, than they are separately and unbound.
They dance so well together
Dance in the figurative sense, of course, unless you count Ms Fraser getting her groove on with Ray in, “Some Like it Red”. What I mean is that they move easily around each other without thought, they mirror each other’s movements and can make plans without prior consultation and they seem to know when the other is in trouble. It shows that they are indeed mentally linked.
Fraser has such faith that Ray can read his mind that he executes a plan without talking to Ray first. It wasn’t a great plan, but it speaks volumes of the trust and understanding he has with Ray.
***
Fraser: Well, I knew that you would take the car parked next to hers, and the Plymouth accelerates two seconds faster over the quarter mile than the Cadillac.
Ray: I took the Chevy.
[pause]
Fraser : Oh. Oh well. You know, you really should tell me next time.
Ray: Tell you what?
Fraser: Well, I mean if you're going to change a plan like that. I was standing in front of a car, Ray.
Ray: Plan? Plan? What plan? You mean to tell me-- There were two cars to choose from, all right? Are you telling me I took the wrong car?
Fraser: No apologies necessary. It's already forgotten.
[Pizzas and Promises]
They strike the same poses at the same time.
10. Hmm?
11. Mmmhmm!
Fraser can show his physical support without Ray having to ask for it.
12. Gimme a leg up!
Ray is there in the nick of time to literally catch Fraser by snagging the front of his coat to keep him from falling from the fire escape in “The Promise”. And, he is there just in time to diffuse the situation that would have gotten Fraser killed in “White Men Can’t Jump to Conclusions”.
And, Ray volunteers to get the throat drops as Fraser embarks on his filibuster at the city council.
***
Ray: The best you’re gonna get is a bad case of laryngitis.
Fraser: Probably.
Ray: Lozenges?
Fraser: Cherry flavored?
Ray: On my way.
Fraser: Thank you kindly.
[One Good Man]
They Are Willing to Shoulder the Pain
Ray is willing to do anything for Fraser; even shoot his possibly rabid wolf. Ray considers Diefenbaker to be like a little person in a fur suit and he knows how much Fraser loves him. He wants to spare Fraser of the pain having to put down his longtime companion.
Fraser: Did you get them? [Vecchio shows him a box of shells] Could you hold them 'til I ask for them?
Ray: It that your father's rifle? [Fraser nods] Why don't you let me do this for you?
Fraser: No, he's my wolf.
[The Wild Bunch]
And although Fraser doesn’t really understand the intimate relationship that Ray has with his car, he does and can respect it. His respect is what makes him offer to shoot the gas tank of the Riv to blow it up in order to save themselves from members of the Canadian mob.
***
Fraser: No. Although, you know, maybe it would be easier if I shot your car.
Ray: No-no-no. I can do it. [to Ian] No funny business or I miss the car and aim straight for you. Capisce?
[The Man Who Knew Too Little]
V. Actions Speak Louder Than Words
I’m a firm believer in having your actions speak for you or at least have them complement your words. I’ve been in this fandom long enough to know that Ray Vecchio complains. Sometimes endlessly. He will complain about whatever crazy act Fraser does. Ray will marvel at the unconventional tactics Fraser uses to solve a case. But where is Ray when he does this? He’s not sitting at home shaking his head in wonder. He’s right beside Fraser. He’s crawling through sewers, digging through dumpsters (repeatedly), and ruining his expensive suits.
In order to help a cause that really has nothing to do with him, but just because Fraser needs it, Ray gives away his beloved Riv’s insurance money. He jumps down trash chutes, hides in car trunks and almost drowns and leaps onto speeding trains. He crawls out of his hospital bed and flies to Canada to impart a tidbit of information to Fraser. He gives money to orphans, forges nonexistent wolf licenses and later hunts down judges to spare the life of said wayward wolf. And what is the ultimate display of love and friendship, Ray agrees to house the woman with which Fraser is having a love affair. But, in true Vecchio fashion, he doesn’t let her get off that easily.
***
Ray : So how did you two meet?
Victoria: He arrested me.
Ray: Ah. He meets a lot of people that way. Listen, you hurt him and I'll kill you. This is my room across the hall. You hear anything, you bang on the door.
Victoria: I don't think I'll need to do that.
Ray: If you hear anything, you see anything, you bang on my door, okay? Nothing happens to you while you're under my roof. If I'm not home, you call me at this number. [hands her a card]
Victoria: Thanks. I appreciate what you're doing.
Ray: It's not you I do it for.
Victoria: You made that real clear, but I do appreciate it.
Ray: I hope so.
[Victoria’s Secret]
Although, Fraser was taking a little side trip with Victoria, he still knows who he can trust and who is important in his life. He knows that this person is Ray and willingly leaves Victoria in bed because he knows he’s upset Ray.
So, Ray Vecchio is a complainer, but his actions show that he will be there ready to rumble (that means fight by your side) when you need him.
Fraser on the other hand makes what seems an ultimate sacrifice for Ray. The man who holds the law above almost everything else gets purposely arrested in order to protect Ray in jail. Now he has a criminal record.
He also unwittingly endangers Ray’s life and throws his sense of law and order to the wind in his haste to pursue Ray through the halls of the “Hotel California”.
***
Fraser: That man, I think I've seen him before. All right, I'll take the stairs.
and:
Fraser: Well I'm sorry, but I was so pleasantly surprised to see you that I…
Vecchio: Said something stupid?
Fraser: Yes.
[Call of the Wild]
The smile and embrace they share is obviously worth the wait for the both of them. You can watch the loneliness and heartache simply melt away when they see each other. As if they’d been waiting to see each other for a lifetime
VI. Conclusion and Recommendations
And so now my friends, there is more, but for now, it is done. Check out Mitch and Wolf’s super "Real Couple" Essay for more interesting information.
Mitch and Wolf's Real Couple Essay
Fraser/Vecchio shippers are a diverse bunch. They don’t “do” slash. They don’t “do” gen. They “do” Benny and Ray. And they do it very well.
You can’t force yourself to like the Fraser/Vecchio pairing. It just happens, just like their relationship happened. It happens because you allow yourself to look into the relationship itself. You allow yourself to get passed the armor and the complaining. You allow yourself to get inside a delightfully warm and rich, dark and passionate relationship. And then you have a good time!
And don’t worry about what happens later, because love and friendship spans both time and boundaries. Although Fraser and Ray may be separated for a time, they will always find their way back together as they were meant to be.
Wanna indulge in some Benny and Ray?
This archive is chock full of wonderful and talented authors. And their personal websites are linked from the archive.
Just The Fics Ma'am Archive
What an adventure. You won't look at poker the same way again.
Adventures in the slash dimension
All the ds you could ever want.
Caroline Mockett's due South page
I only recently found this fic, but it so completely blew me away. I think I love her :)
Shooting Star
Delicious exploration going on in this fic
Can I Help You Get Out of That?
It's Ginger Peachy!
Julien's David Marciano Site
I have a ton more, but this is a good place to stop.
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no subject
Date: 2004-10-06 05:58 pm (UTC)I wonder if it'd ever be available on dvd!
no subject
Date: 2004-10-06 06:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-06 06:12 pm (UTC)I loved the dialogue between those two, the way Fraser was always so polite but you could tell there was this undercurrent of passion running through him and aww, Ray's snarkiness!
plus I have a soft spot for dogs, Diefenbaker, aww!
no subject
Date: 2004-10-06 06:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-06 06:35 pm (UTC)Nice to meet you too!
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Date: 2004-10-06 07:17 pm (UTC)We both love Get Fuzzy! hurrah! and of course, Due South, the slash and... damn, there was something else as well, but I forget what!
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Date: 2004-10-07 03:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-07 03:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-06 06:26 pm (UTC)Huh. Haven't watched Due South in ages. It somehow never occured to me. Will have to purchase the dvd's at some point. Heh, just remembered my birthday is next week.
An excellent essay, truly. Thanks for the read.
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Date: 2004-10-07 02:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-06 06:27 pm (UTC)Brava. :)
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Date: 2004-10-07 02:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-06 07:27 pm (UTC)Thank you very much for writing this!
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Date: 2004-10-07 06:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-07 03:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-07 06:30 am (UTC)I discovered and realized a lot of things about Benny/Ray afresh through this.
Pictures are so lovely.
Thank you!
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Date: 2004-10-07 03:06 pm (UTC)I discovered and realized a lot of things about Benny/Ray afresh through this.
Excellent :) Thank you.
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Date: 2004-10-07 05:54 pm (UTC)However did you restrain yourself to just the episode quotes you used? I think you could quote almost everything they say and do in support of these points!
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Date: 2004-10-08 02:55 pm (UTC)Thank you for reading :)
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Date: 2004-10-08 08:30 am (UTC)I agree, Ray and Benny are special, and better together than they are separately, but the way you laid it out was wonderful. As Laura mentioned, there is so much to work with here that just narrowing it down to the ones you chose is a tremendous feat. I think this is one of the reasons why F/V is frequently an "only" slash pairing among fans who don't otherwise "do" slash. There's no doubt they love each other and have a tremendous, deep, and lasting friendship that even many gen fans understand why people would see them in a romantic/sexual relationship, which is fairly extraordinary. (There are even a few gen stories I know that people have thought were slash because once you capture that relationship, the implications are there!)
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Date: 2004-10-08 02:56 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-10-19 07:56 pm (UTC)*much encouragement*
Date: 2004-10-20 09:04 am (UTC)So feel free to pick our brains if you need some suggestions :)
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Date: 2004-11-07 03:16 am (UTC)I never watched with RayK, although I concede he's cute. Vecchio was just perfect; all prickly on the outside but soft like butter on the inside (at least for Benny).
Perfect tv couple, and you represented them excellently.
Bravo!
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Date: 2004-11-07 04:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-11-09 01:53 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-02 09:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-10 06:06 pm (UTC)I'm wondering if you write this pairing as well?
Thanks for posting!
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Date: 2007-08-10 08:23 pm (UTC)I have written tons of DS F/V pairing, though, since the archive I maintained is currently down, I have no links for you. I was in fact looking about for a new domain and if you'd like, I can let you know when it's up and running again :)
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Date: 2007-08-10 08:33 pm (UTC)It's interesting, though. I've been in the Sentinel fandom now about 4 years and I've loved it and have wanted to write but it's been tough to sit down and do it, partly because you feel it's all been written before. That's definitely not the case in F/V and I find the muses are stirring. Yay!
I'd like to friend you if that's ok?
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Date: 2007-08-10 08:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-05-19 08:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-05-19 09:09 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-16 04:30 am (UTC)Besides, now you also aroused my curiosity: I never watched the last two seasons, so I never saw the scene when Ray and Fraser met again in "Call of the Wild". Awww.