Originally posted on RedSuitsYou
Constable Benton Fraser opened his eyes to find himself in the middle of countless trees. The sun shone through the branches and leaves to the sparsely vegetated ground. It was only about 15 degrees, but for Ben, it was a comfortable temperature.
Glancing around, Ben caught a glimpse of dark hair disappearing around a tree. He walked around the tree, but saw nothing.
"Hello?" he called. "Is anyone there?" The only reply was a short laugh. "Hello? Miss?"
"Over here!" she called.
"Miss?" Ben started in the direction of the voice.
The dark haired woman reappeared from behind another tree and threw her arms around him.
"I want you, Constable..." the woman leaned toward his face as if to kiss him.
"BZZZZZ!!!" The alarm clock went off and Diefenbaker pounced. Ben was instantly awoken by the hungry wolf.
Ben sat up and rubbed his eyes. He wasn't in a forest. It wasn't even dawn yet. And there certainly wasn't a beautiful woman about to hiss him. He didn't even know who the woman was.
Climbing out of bed, Ben walked into the hallway.
"Why is this happening to me?" he mumbled aloud.
"Why is *what* happening to you, Constable?"
Ben jumped at the sound. "Sir? What are you doing here so early?"
"Reviewing a report," Inspector Margaret Thatcher replied. "Are you going to answer my question? Tell me why you're wandering the hallways at four in the morning?"
"Ah, well," he suddenly realized he was talking to his superior officer while wearing only an undershirt and a pair of boxers. "Bad dream, hungry wolf. If you'll excuse me, Sir?" He darted back into his room.
----------
Staying overnight at the Consulate to finish a few reports had seemed a good idea at the time. After only a couple hours, Meg realized just what she'd done.
The night started out normally enough, but by midnight, Meg's mind started to wander.
*Just down the hallway,* Meg thought. *Probably to sleep by now. Hmm... I wonder what he's wearing... Maybe he sleeps in the nude? No, he wouldn't do that, not in the Consulate. Or would he? Hmm...*
However, in this case, reality won over fantasy. She buckled down and got back to the job at hand; finishing and sorting reports.
Meg had just glanced at her watch when she heard a noise in the direction of Ben's room.
*Well, here's your chance, Meg. Maybe he's still asleep. A quick peek wouldn't hurt any.*
She stepped into the hallway just in time to see Ben emerge from his room, slightly groggy, but definitely awake. When she confronted him, he seemed very startled, but not as startled as when he realized what he was wearing.
*I don't know what he's worried about,* Meg thought. *I've seen shorter shorts on men. Sure they were a little snug, but Fraser... Woa, Meg. Stop right there. No further. You can*not* be thinking about your junior officer in this way.* She glanced at the door and shook her head.
----------
Closing his door behind him, Ben sighed and leaned up against the door. Glancing down, he realized that his shorts were even tighter than before.
*Oh, Dear.*
Grabbing a uniform from his closet, and quickly dressing, Ben peeked out into the hallway. A light was on toward the kitchen area, and he could hear Diefenbaker's claws clicking on the linoleum.
*She wouldn't,* he thought. *Would she?*
Suddenly, there was a large crash.
"Hey!"
Rushing toward the kitchen, Ben almost laughed at the scene in front of him.
There stood Meg, covered in salad and salad dressing, with the the same salad and dressing all around her on the floor mixed with fragments of the broken glass bowl which the salad had been in. Diefenbaker was busy trying to consume as much of the salad as he could.
"Constable!" Meg glared from the wolf to Ben. "Your *wolf* just stole my breakfast!"
"That is strange," Ben couldn't help but smile. "He doesn't usually like salads. It must be the dressing." Meg continued to glare at him. He cleared his throat. "Um, er, I have a shirt and a pair of sweat pants you could change into. Er, for now anyway. Then I could take you back to your apartment. If you like, that is."
"Okay," Meg sighed.
She stepped over broken glass and salad and followed him to his room. Inside, he pulled out from a dresser a long sleeved shirt and a pair of gray sweatpants. Turning around, they bumped into each other.
"Um, here you go, Sir," Ben blushed.
"Thanks," Meg replied.
"I'll be in the kitchen." He stepped out the door and closed it behind him.
Meg quickly changed her clothes, making sure not to get any dressing on anything else. She glanced in the mirror and her appearance made her smile.
The sweatpants were only slightly baggy, but they were long enough to almost completely cover her bare feet. The shirt sleeves were also too long and were now bunched up around her wrists. The shirt itself came almost down to her knees.
"Look at me," she mumbled. "I'm back in college."
"She stepped out of Ben's room and walked down the hallway. The door to the kitchen was now closed, and Diefenbaker sat in front of it, waiting for it to open.
"Fraser?" Meg opened the door, careful not to let Diefenbaker inside. "Oh, let me help you with that." She kneeled on the floor and started to pick up the shards of glass.
"Sir, that's okay, I can..."
"Ouch!!" Meg jerked her hand back from th floor. Two drops of blood were left behind.
"Here," Ben took her hand. "Let me see. It only looks like a small cut. You probably cut open a small vessel. It doesn't look like there's any glass in it." He stuck her bleeding finger in his mouth.
Meg just sat there in awe. His tongue curved around her finger as he lightly sucked on it. It didn't sting anymore. All she felt was a light, comforting pressure. Subconsciously, she leaned forward.
As their eyes met, Meg's finger slipped from Ben's mouth. both leaned toward each other. As their lips were about to touch, Meg lost her balance.
"Ahh!" Her hand came down on a shard of glass.
"I..." Ben closed his eyes momentarily. "I believe you are in need of some medical attention. I have a first aide kit in my room."
"That would be useful," Meg gasped as she removed the piece of glass from her hand.
"Here, let me carry you," Ben noticed her bare feet. "I don't want you to be further injured."
Meg smiled. "Whoever said chivalry was dead?"
----------
"Just sit right here," Ben placed Meg on his bed and opened the bottom drawer to his dresser.
Inside the dresser drawer were old newspapers and books beside an old wooden box. Ben carefully removed the box and placed it beside Meg on the bed.
"What's that?" Meg peered into the box as Ben opened it.
Inside were thin strips of leather, two flat stones, and many small bottles of unidentified dried plants.
"My first aide kit," Ben smiled. "It was given to me by an Inuit Medicine Man named Kipmak."
"Not exactly regulation, is it?" Meg picked up one of the bottles and examined its contents.
"No, but it seems to work well enough."
He quickly placed a few different leaves into an empty bottle and handed it to Meg. Taking another bottle, he briefly left the room and returned with it full of water.
"Here." Ben exchanged the water for the plants which he half emptied onto one of the stones. Scraping one stone over the other, he turned the leaves into a rough powder which he emptied into a third bottle before repeating the grinding process with the remaining half of the bottle.
"Why don't you just have the leaves in a powder to begin with?" Meg inquired.
That would make it difficult to determine which is which." Ben's eyes never moved from his work.
Taking the water from Meg, he added just enough to turn the powdered leaves into a thick paste.
"I don't have to eat that, do I?" Meg frowned.
"No," Ben smiled. "It will sting slightly, though."
"Oh, well, I'm sure I can..." Ben grabbed hold of Meg's injured hand. "... handle that." She finished in a squeaky voice as he applied his remedy.
"I'm sure," Ben smiled as he placed one of the leather strips around Meg's hand. "Try not to use it for a while. I can check on it in a few hours."
"Okay. What's this?" Meg picked up another bottle.
Ben's eyes widened, and he blushed. "The... Inuit use it primarily as... ah..."
"As what, Constable?" Meg shook the jar and listened to the dry leaves plink against the glass.
"An aphrodisiac, Sir."
