Title: What if?
Fandom: due South (AU)
Rating: PG
Length: 1063
Author notes: For the Do-Over Challenge. So a couple of years ago, I wrote a dS movie fusion with one of my favorite movies, and gave it the utterly unimaginative title of Kate & Leopold Retold, a due South Remix. However, the story I told wasn't quite how I'd originally envisioned it. And when I saw the film again the other night, I was reminded of that, and thought this might be the perfect time to polish up a scene I'd written and ultimately abandoned, once it became clear that RayK wanted to be Kate, and not Leopold.
Summary: Ray awoke with a pounding headache.



Ray awoke with a pounding headache. “What happened?” he mumbled as he struggled to sit up. His eyes widened as he took in the wholly unfamiliar room. “Where am I?”

The man sitting across from him sighed heavily. He looked conflicted for a moment, then shrugged and said, “You’re in Chicago.”

Ray stood up, shakily but under his own power, and move to the window. One look had him moving back to the couch to sit down heavily, shaking his head. “I live in Chicago. In fact, I followed you from Chicago, and this is not Chicago.”

“Not the one you left, but it’s still the same city.” He shifted in his chair and Ray tensed. The man noticed; he slowly settled back, then held out his hand. “Let’s start again. I’m Ray Vecchio, and I already know you’re Stanley Kowalski.”

Ray took his hand warily, then shook it. “It’s Ray,” he corrected. “My name, that is. Only my father calls me Stanley.”

“Okay, so something we have in common them. Good.”

“So now that we’ve been introduced, will you tell me what’s going on here?”

Vecchio took a deep breath. “Look, you aren’t going to believe this, but here goes nothing. You’re in Chicago, but it’s a future Chicago. Well, for you anyhow. For me, it’s the present, where I’m from.”

“You’re crazy if you expect me to believe that.”

“Maybe I’m crazy and maybe I’m not, but it’s the truth.” He gestured toward the window. “You saw what was out there. Any of that look familiar?”

“No,” Ray had to admit. “But that doesn’t make your story true.”

“Really? How high up are we? And what about the cars, you ever see anything like those? Hell, look around my place, it’s full of stuff you’ve never even dreamed of.”

Ray shifted on the couch to take in the whole room, then looked back at Vecchio.

“This is really Chicago?” Ray asked, voice quiet.

Vecchio looked at him with what seemed to be a mixture of concern, annoyance and amusement. “Yeah, and you’re not supposed to be here, so we gotta figure out the best way to get you back before anything gets screwy.” He shook his head. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to follow me.”

“I wouldn’t have if you hadn’t been following me all day. What was that about?” He shook his head. “And assuming this is really happening and I don’t just have a head injury, how did I get here? Can everyone travel through time here?”

A loud bark and a scratching sound interrupted Vecchio before he could answer, and he glanced over a t a closed door.

“Aw jeez, Dief – I forgot about him. Listen, I need to take him out, so you just stay here for a few, relax, look around, whatever. Just don’t go anywhere, okay? We can talk some more when I get back.”

Vecchio opened the door to what Ray assumed was his bedroom, and a wolf pushed past him, jumping on Ray.

“Dief! Get off of him!”

Ray twisted away and grabbed the wolf by the head to keep from being bitten, but it looked like he was safe. In fact, if the creature’s wagging tail and lolling tongue were to be believed, Ray was fairly sure he was being laughed at. He pushed the wolf away just as it managed to catch Ray’s ear with its tongue.

“No licking! We haven’t even been introduced,” he went on, making Vecchio laugh.

“This is Diefenbaker – Dief for short. He’s half wolf, but don’t worry – he’s more interested in hunting donuts than anything. I’m just watching him for a neighbor.” Vecchio shifted his focus to Dief. “Who’s supposed to be back today, so you better shape up, or Benny won’t let you stay here and then where would you be, huh?”

Ray couldn’t help but smile as Diefenbaker immediately jumped off of the couch, moving to sit by Ray’s feet and nudge his hand.

“Oh no, don’t try to get me into this – I just got here,” he said with a chuckle. He looked up to see Vecchio eyeing him speculatively.

“Huh. Dief usually doesn’t jump people he just met, so he must like you.”

For some reason, that made Ray feel just a little better about this strange new world he was in. He ruffled Dief’s fur and looked down at him. “Well, as long as he isn’t all over me, I like him too.” Dief snorted at that and ran to the door, Ray following behind. “Like I said, I need to take him out, but we’ll be right back.”

Ray watched them leave, then just sat there and let himself be overwhelmed by it all. He’d been holding on since he woke up, but this was so far from anything he’d ever even dreamed of happening he didn’t know what to do. Curling up on the couch and just staying that way until he could go home sounded like a good idea, at least for now.

A quiet rap on the door a short time later made him open his eyes. Surely Vecchio wouldn’t knock; this was his home after all. Ray sat up, still unsure of what to do, when the door opened slightly.

“Ray?” a male voice said softly. “Diefenbaker?”

Ray relaxed just the tiniest bit. This must be Diefenbaker’s owner; Vecchio had said he’d be back soon. Gathering his wits, he stood to meet the man.

“They just went for a walk,” he started, then words left him as the man entered the room and he got a good look at him. Nearly as tall as Ray, dark haired, pale skinned, and with the bluest eyes he’d ever seen, the man was like something out of a dream. He almost laughed at that; what about this day wasn’t dreamlike?

The man looked at him questioningly. “I’m afraid I don’t remember you, Mister…”

“Stanley Raymond Kowalski at your service,” he said, grimacing at how formal he sounded. “But my friends call me Ray.”

“Ah. Well, I’m pleased to meet you, Stanley Raymond Kowalski. I’m Benton Fraser, Ray’s, that is to say Ray Vecchio’s, upstairs neighbor. He’s been watching Diefenbaker for me, but then, you’ve already guessed that.”

A blush tinted Fraser’s cheeks, and Ray wondered if he wasn’t the only one feeling flustered.