[ He doesn't even so much as cast his partner an admonishing glance, but that says as much for how justified he considers Ray's jealousy to be as it indicates how much Ray can get away with before Fraser intercedes for the sake of peacekeeping. He could pee in the flower arrangements, steal frosting off the cake, dance with the bride and drink himself so paralytic that he personally took out the banquet table, and Fraser would only smile and say his apologies for him and steer Ray away somewhere else.

Welsh had explained the perils of an open bar to him with the slow steady understanding of a man who had seen this kind of thing before, sweetly assuring in his usual way that Fraser - whose idea of a wedding disaster involved a musk-ox, a barrel of oak whiskey and a canoe - clearly had no idea what he was letting himself in for.

In short, he was prepared to allow Ray to get away with everything short of actual criminal damage, and even then he was flexible.

Fraser glanced up once they'd circled the corner, smiled hesitantly at Ray. How could he help himself when his partner's mood seemed to have lifted at last? Ray had been positively stormy for weeks, even intolerable at times. At first he'd put it down to the usual push and pull of their relationship, but of course it was Stella. How could it be anything else? But Ray was smiling--maybe it was the light at the end of the tunnel finally reaching him, the fact that in the hours that followed, he might finally be released from the facsimile of hope. Maybe. But he doubted Ray was thinking even remotely along those lines.

He ducked his chin briefly toward his chest. ]

I've been hoping to ask a favor of you, Ray. At these events, I tend to be ah--well ah, swamped. And the Vecchio family in particular is...prodigious. Lots of sisters and daughters and aunts and...

[ Fraser rubbed at his eyebrow in discomfort. He sighed. ]

Would you consider...that is--could you, if it seems like I might be out of my depth--? [ Help me, Ray Kowalski, you're my only hope. ]