A flood of red washed over the stack of brochures Ray was reading through, signaling Fraser's arrival. On the surface, Fraser looked perfect--but Ray could see how he was frayed at the edges, color dulled slightly by exhaustion. Poor Diefenbaker wasn't looking so hot either; his normal, vibrant purple now a dingy plum interspersed with streaks of olive drab. Ray knew there was a doughnut around here with Dief's name on it; it was the least he could do for the poor beast.

"'Mornin', Frase," Ray murmured, peering up through his glasses. "You want body two or three?" He asked, holding up two stacks of assorted stuff. "I've got body one covered."

Fraser glanced between the two stacks before choosing the larger one. "Are we looking for anything specific?" He inquired, taking a seat across from Ray.

Ray frowned briefly, blinking to clear his vision. The notes he'd written were beginning to blur together. "Not sure yet, really. Body one's got a lot of touristy brochures--the usual stuff, nothing that stands out. Museums, art, some restaurants. Brought work along too, from the bank she worked at."

Fraser simply nodded and delved into the material. After a few minutes, Ray stood up to stretch and find a new cup of coffee. When he returned, it was to find Diefenbaker hovering under his desk, greedily eyeing the cheese danish Ray was carrying in one hand. Fraser couldn't bring himself to even frown at the half-wolf or Ray as the danish landed in eager jaws.

Ray carefully set a cup of coffee in front of Fraser. Before the Mountie could complain, Ray spoke. "You need the caffeine. No way in hell you got enough sleep last night."

One elegant eyebrow raised slowly, but Fraser said nothing. Ray sat back down and gulped his coffee, hoping to avoid actually tasting the sludge. Fraser hadn't been offended by the coffee, at least not to any significant level, so Ray returned to shoveling through their latest case's materials.

In truth, Fraser was grateful for the coffee; he rarely indulged in such beverages but today it was necessary. Once again, Ray seemed to know just what he needed. Some days the detective was oblivious to everything but what he deemed important; other days he seemed to pick up every nuance of his environment. The constant fluctuation confused Fraser, who craved stability in his companionship. It seemed that the only thing stable about Ray was his dynamically shifting moods--not that Fraser minded, not really. Even with the confusion, Ray was a much-needed breath of vibrancy in Fraser's life. He brought energy and meaning back to Fraser, even if Ray kept them an arm's-length apart most days.

Fraser wouldn't have minded standing a little closer, not that he'd ever say a word about it. Ray wouldn't want to hear such things from his staid sometimes-partner.

Fraser methodically worked through the second victim's personal belongings. The man seemed to have come to Chicago to attend a motivation seminar, and afterwards decided to stay for some sightseeing. Fraser found a couple of brochures--not ones that Ray's victim had collected--some notes from the seminar, and a handful of money order receipts. The victim had cashed his money orders at a large downtown bank, for a total of nearly three thousand US dollars. Considering that the man hadn't been in the city but three days, two of which were taken up with a seminar, the amount appeared a bit high. Fraser set the receipts aside to show Ray, who seemed to have disappeared again.

Ray tried to focus on McDonald's receipts and candy wrappers, but he was losing the battle so badly he finally gave up and went to find something chocolate to eat. Or maybe clean the bathroom... anything to get him away from Fraser for a few minutes.

Fraser was thinking about sex. He had to be; all of a sudden the Canadian shifted from serge red to rich, swirling blood red. Ray saw that color when Fraser went panting after the bounty hunter, as well as a few other odd moments here and there. It occurred to Ray that Fraser might be getting off on whatever he was reading, but it was unlikely. Fraser wasn't wired that way, Ray was sure. As tired as they both were, it was no surprise that they were daydreaming a bit--or more than a bit, to judge from Fraser.