Ray and Fraser stumbled into the apartment and collapsed on the couch.
They had just been through a near-disaster. While pursuing some suspects,
the Mountie and the detective had been run off the road and the car they
were in - fortunately a police-issued vehicle and not Ray's beloved GTO -
had gone over a steep embankment. Both men had managed to jump out before
it had crashed and burned, but neither had been able to see where his
partner had gone, and it had been several minutes before they found each
other. Both were bumped and bruised and badly shaken. 

After they'd been checked out at the hospital, Fraser had expected
Kowalski to drop him off at the Consulate, but Ray had insisted that
Fraser come home with him.  "You got a good knock on your head and the
doctor said someone should keep an eye on you," he explained. 

Now the two men sat on the couch and just looked at each other. Each was
thinking the same thing: 'I could have lost him today.' They were not
thinking of themselves, but of each other. Finally, the silence was broken
as both spoke at once. 

"Ray...."

"Frase...."

Ray smiled shyly at his partner and friend. "You first," he said.

"Ray, when I jumped out of the car I didn't know where you were. You
jumped, then I jumped, but I didn't see if you had landed safely. I was so
afraid that something had happened to you." 

Kowalski shook his head. "Fraser, I didn't exactly jump - more like you
shoved me." 

"You wouldn't jump. I had to make sure you got out."

"I'd have jumped as soon as I knew you were okay. I didn't even know if
you got out of the car in time. I saw the car crash, but I didn't see
you." He shuddered involuntarily, remembering those terrible few moments
when he hadn't known if his partner was dead or alive. "Why didn't you
jump when I told you to?" 

"I wanted to make sure that you got out first. You're my partner. It's my
job to ensure your safety." 

"An' it's my job to make sure that you're safe. I don't like it when I
don't know if you're okay. Damn it, Fraser, you're not just my partner.
You're my friend, but...." 

"But?" asked Fraser, worried about what that word meant.

"I don't know how to explain it. 'Friend' isn't good enough. It doesn't
describe what you are to me." 

"The English language is inadequate in that department," Fraser agreed. 

"Are there any better choices in other languages?" Ray asked. He knew that
his Mountie partner was fluent in several languages. 

"Many of the aboriginal languages are quite expressive," Fraser told him.
"There is one term I quite like. It's in the Kwak'wala language." 

"So what is it?" Kowalski wanted to know.

Now it was Benton's turn to look shy. "It's 'ka'la'yu.' It means...." 

"What does it mean?"

"It means 'you're my reason for living.'"

"Ka'la'yu," Ray pronounced carefully while the other man waited for a
reaction from him. "Is it true?" 

"Is what true?" Fraser asked nervously.

"That I'm your reason for living."

Knowing that this would change everything between them, Fraser answered,
"Yes." 

To the Mountie's pleased astonishment, his partner threw his arms around
him.  "Thank God," Kowalski breathed. "I've been sitting here wondering
how to tell you what I feel, what I've been feeling since this afternoon,
and I didn't know how to say it. Ka'la'yu. You're my reason for living. I
don't know what I'd do without you, Fraser. You *are* my reason for
living. Knowing that I'm going to see you is the reason I haul my ass out
of bed in the morning. Fraser, I...." He let his voice trail off. 

Looking into his beloved's eyes, Fraser asked softly, "You what, Ray?" 

"I love you." All of Ray's insecurities started to take over. He was
terrified that Fraser had only meant that Ray was his best friend and that
Fraser's saying that Ray was his reason for living didn't mean that he was
in love with him. He released his hold on the Mountie and started to turn
away. 

He was quickly stopped by firm hands gripping his shoulders. "I love you
too, Ray," Fraser told him. "I love you very much." He felt Fraser kiss
the top of his head, his brow, his nose and his cheeks before finally
laying a gentle kiss on his lips. Ray returned the kiss enthusiastically,
and soon the two were lost in each other. 

Later, in bed, Ray asked, "So how many different languages can you say 'I
love you' in?" 

"I think English is quite satisfactory for the purpose. Why, is there a
language you prefer?" 

Ray pulled the Mountie down close to him. "Body language," he answered. 

END