The Course

Fraser/Kowalski Fanfiction
Title:	The Course
Author(s):	Bone & Aristide
Date(s):	November 2000
Length:	185 KB, 31995 words
Genre:	slash
Fandom:	due South
External Links:	at slashcity at geocities [Dead link] at AO3 (from DSA import) at Bone's site
cover art is uncredited
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The Course is a Fraser/Ray K story by Bone & Aristide.

"A week after the end of their quest, Fraser finds Ray's weather diary - and realizes he almost passed up a chance at happiness."

Story Header

Notes: See, what happened is, Bone got infected with a plot virus, and we wrote this in an attempt to cure her of it -- feed a cold, starve a fever, smut a plot. Desperate measures, baby. Our boys don't have safe sex, but we strongly encourage you to.

Acknowledgements: To Kat Allison and Crysothemis for awesome beta support, and to Mouse for a little discussion on perception.

Dedication: To nancy, from both of us. Wholeheartedly.

Pairing: Huey/Dewey (just kidding, geez...Fraser/Kowalski)

Rating: NC-17 (and we're not kidding on that one)

Summary: Randomness. Inevitability. Smut.

Reactions and Reviews

The Course by Bone and Aristide. Where can you go wrong with those two writers. Both are wonderful individually and together. They are definitely some of the best in the Due South fandom. This one is brand new. It has a good angst level and just enough humor to temper that out. It is a post CoTW story that has the boys pining away for one another. When they realize the other feels the same way that is when the angst starts, who knew that was possible. I've read it sometimes though. Ray is being very self protective not wanting to get hurt again and Fraser is determined to get him out of that. I like the Fraser eager to learn about m/m stuff and a little slutty. Just the image of a loosened up Fraser was way to hot for me.

While Aristide claims that they wrote this story to 'cure' Bone of the plot virus, the plot isn't the main focus of "The Course". The focal point is rather the slow evolution of Fraser and Ray's intimate relationship during whose course Ray learns that he cannot guard his heart forever just to ward of the mere possibilty of future hurt, while Fraser throws himself wholeheartedly, almost recklessly, into the same future, for once following his emotions instead of reason. This story shows us a beautiful world unfolding that brings our boys even closer together, and in doing so conveys a tangible feeling of warmth to the reader. Beautiful.

This is a fabulous story by two wonderful writers. Bone is one of my favorite TS and DS writers. This story shines just as much as the others. In this one Ray is undercover as a teacher, Ben comes down from Canada to visit Ray and helps him with the case. Ray is angsty, Fraser is confident, as usual. And Good God! Slutty! The idea of a convincingly slutty Mountie is not easy to pull off, but they did. I love Fraser in this one. Like Ray, I wouldn't be able to resist him either.

I love this portrayal of Fraser and Ray - the way they interact in the school setting and the way their private relationship develops. The story is told from alternating Ray and Fraser first person POV's and is extremely well done.

At first I wasn't sure I liked this one. It was a little more angsty than I wanted to read at that moment. Sometimes your in the mood for angst, sometimes you want a little lighter reading fare. Then I went back and I thought about it and I really did like the story. I've been having a couple of those days where at first you aren't sure if you like something or not and then you go back and think about it and realize that you do. This story isn't full of angst and Ray is the only one really there. Fraser kindof balances it out with a kindof optimism that is usually present in his character. So I bought that. There was also none of those annoying things I hate like the 'I'm not gay, it's just him thing', or the 'I love you, let's fuck". (I don't even think they get out the 'I love you's', but you know they do. It's in every action if not vocalized.) Well, Fraser was a little inexperienced, but he is inexperienced in everything to do with love, sex, and relationships (whether with women or men), so what, there is no shock there. I can buy that. I like the way Fraser is so wanton in this one. He is an eager student in learning about m/m stuff. Fraser slut done well, while maintaining his inherent naiveté appealed to me greatly. Hard to do that well, but they managed it. I like that. I just love the image of a rumpled loosened up Fraser as well. Relax he does it for an undercover assignment. Read it if you want to know what that is about. That image of Fraser all relaxed and sexy had me about as turned on as Ray. I would have wanted to fuck him through a wall too. This one is a post CoTW story, by the way. I also like how the angst really starts after they realize they both feel the same way. I've seen it happen before, but that is still just too weird. You think it would lessen then, but such is life not always. The trouble often starts with the revealed desires.

This story starts out after Fraser and Ray's adventure. With Fraser back in Canada and Ray in Chicago. When going through some things Fraser happens to find a diary (a weather diary) that Ray kept while on their adventure. It starts out simply talking about the weather, but Ray begins to reveal more of himself and what he's feeling as it goes along. Spurred on by what he finds within Fraser comes to Chicago to talk to Ray about it. Only problem is Ray is doing a little undercover gig as college professor for a little while. Well, knowing they need to talk, but to avoid breaking his cover Fraser joins the class. Things pretty much progress from there. It's a lovely story, that is just scorchingly hot in places. One of my favorite collaborations by these two authors.

Fraser and RayK go their separate ways after their adventure to find the Hand of Franklin, and when he returns to Chicago RayK is sent undercover posing as a teacher. A week later Fraser finds RayK's diary and is shocked, and delighted, to discover Ray's secret desire which matches his own. Follow Ray south, Fraser ends up joining him undercover as one of Ray's students and they have to cope with their growing attraction to each other as they fight against time to uncover a drugs ring. Favourite line, "Don't want to ruin what we got, and don't want to get tangled up any more than I already am, so either way, it's no good. Nothing good about this not-being-together crap. Hate that. Hate it."