Take It A Little Bit Further, by sionnain (R)

[akamine_chan]

Fandom: DUE SOUTH
Pairing: Ray Kowalski/Ray Vecchio
Length: ~ 8,000 words
Author on LJ: sionnain
Author Website: sionnain_fics
Why this must be read: because sionnain is such a damn talented writer and her Kowalski and Vecchio voices are perfect. This story is clear and sharp, riding on the edge of the anger between the two Rays, their jealousy and regret divided evenly between Stella and Fraser.

This is a story about Ray Vecchio, post-Vegas, and the cost of putting on the Bookman's mask and living the Bookman's life. This is a story about post-Quest Ray Kowalski, who doesn't know how to define himself outside of “the Mountie's partner” or “Stella's ex.” This is a story about “bad cop, crazy cop” and it works so well.


Back in his younger days, when he'd been hot and heavy after Stella, "romance" had consisted of some weird combination of hard-ons and awkwardness in the GTO that had somehow, surprisingly, ended in marriage. Which then ended not-so-surprisingly in divorce, because hot-and-heavy turned into the Academy and police work, and it was real hard to be romantic when all you wanted to do was sleep after chasing guys down alleys and being shot at all the time. After Stella (A.S., Ray thought of it, like B.C. or A.D.), he felt as awkward as teenager again, without the necking or the GTO to make it bearable. He was pretty sure he was just going to have to give up and get one of those Russian brides in the mail or something, because the thought of doing it all over again was fucking exhausting.


Take It A Little Bit Further