Title: Vegas Night
rating: PG-ish
warnings: Slash?
beta: sageness Any mistakes are mine since I messed around with it afterward.
written for: xtricks for the out_of_con_txt
Prompt 18. Fraser/Vecchio. Either in Vegas or Post-Vegas. If it's in Vegas, Fraser somehow is able to contact Vecchio anyway (visit, phone call). "'Warm Me Up' isn't the sort of thing I appreciate as my only contact from you."

The F/V is a bit understated until the end, but tis there.

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For reasons that didn't need exploring, Benton Fraser was in Las Vegas. He was trapped in a small room with a door that was locked from the outside, and to make matters worse, he could not find his Stetson. The room was bare but for a small old-fashioned aluminum cot and a barred window. The window overlooked a brick wall covered in, er, explicit artwork of the non-traditional variety. He had no idea how he had come to be in the city, but if the pounding in his head and the dryness in his mouth were anything to go by, he had been drugged. Most likely by the Canadian Mob.

Although the fact that he was in Las Vegas was very disconcerting. If he did not leave soon, he would be putting Detective Ray Vecchio in danger – the real Ray Vecchio. Not that the current Ray Vecchio was not real and not that the old Ray was fake. It was complicated.

Looking around the room, he tried to determine a way to get out. Besides the cot and the window he doubted that Ray, either one, could fit through, there was nothing to do but wait for his kidnappers to appear. Hopefully, someone would show up with at least a glass of water soon.

Lying down on the cot, Fraser had begun to count the ceiling tiles when he noticed a small video camera and a vent. If he could get to the vent he might be able to get out of the room. However, the camera was most likely recording everything, so if he tried that, he would be caught and very probably be beaten. Nonetheless, he would be able to at least get human contact and find out why he was being imprisoned.

Deciding that going through the vent would be the best possible solution, he found his Stetson underneath the cot, placed it on his head, and climbed atop the mattress. Jumping up, he managed to grab hold of the grill covering and yank it down. As he did so, a high-pitched alarm started to sound and the grill covering snapped from the vent. Landing hard on the cot, it collapsed under him.

With a weary sigh, he sat on the remains of the cot after ascertaining he would not be able to reach the vent. Besides, with the alarm sounding, someone was bound to happen upon his location. From the sound of footsteps in the corridor, that would be sooner rather then later.

"Boss, I don't know why you want to go against the Canadian Mafia for this Mountie," Fraser heard a man he dubbed lummox say.

"I'm interfering because I promised a cousin that I would watch out for the Mountie. He might be all about the truth, justice and American way as much as a Canadian can be for that, but he also got Zuko off for that murder," Fraser heard a familiar voice reply. It was Ray. The old Ray.

With a thud, the door was slammed open by a heavily muscled goon, who stepped into the room, followed by Ray.

Ray looked at Benny and shook his quickly when the man was about to open his mouth. Fraser snapped it closed with an audible click and then cracked his neck.

"Tonio, I want you to go out to the street. I want to have a private chat with the Mountie and see if I can get him to cooperate."

"You sure that's a good idea boss?"

"Do you think it's a good idea to question me?"

"Ah, no sir Mr. Bookman Sir."

"So go to th street, capiche?"

"Yes sir," the lout stammered as he trotted to the door.

Ray shook his head and sighed at the man before he pulled out a gun and shot out the camera.

"Is that gun registered Ray?"

"Is that the first thing you can say to me Benny after you hadn't seen me in a year?"

"I could have said something else, but it would have been rude to say that 'Warm Me Up' isn't the sort of thing I appreciate as my only contact from you since it must have been dangerous for you to send me even that."

Ray frowned as he heard the slurring in Fraser's speech – it wasn't that obvious, but it was still not what Benny would ever allow if he were not hurt.

"Aw Benny, you know I would have done something else if I could. The agency doesn't even know I sent that post card."

Fraser pouted and looked up from under his eyelashes, "This wasn't because I told you that I was, erm, less-than-straight was it Ray?"

"No Benny, because if you remember, I stayed the night with you after that."

"And then I left and when I came back there was a stranger who was pretending to be you, and I had thought I had gone crazy."

"I'm sorry Benny. I had no choice in the matter. Do you know what they drugged you with?"

"I expect a truth serum. How did you know I was drugged?"

"You're speech is slurring. And you are being too honest about what you feel. You never do that."

"Oh."

"Just thought you should know. I arranged to have this placed busted in," Ray stopped to check the time on his watch, "three minutes. The F.B.I will take you back to Chicago. I'll be in Chicago in about four months. If you see me, I want you to see what you can do to break my cover."

"Ray, that could be dangerous to you. It may be dangerous, but it would get me out from this. I swear this job is eating my soul. I want you to promise me."

"I promise, Ray." Ray nodded and looked at Fraser.

Hopefully, he had managed to prove to Ray that he would, no, could not, break his word. He had done so once to Ray, he refused to do it again.

Ray reached down and put a hand on Benny's shoulder, drawing him out of his thoughts. "When I'm out of this, we can finish what we started, okay?" he said, and placed a brief chaste kiss on the side of Benny's mouth. And placed

His shoulders drooped as he heard sirens, and turned to the door. "Boss, we gotta go," Tonio panted out in quick breaths as he came to the door. "The cops are coming."

Ray walked out of the door without turning around.