For ifreet by Aingeal

Diefenbaker did not understand the mating rituals of humans. Just when he thought he had them worked out, they surprised him again. At first he thought that humans didn't mate very often, having spent several months with only one for company. Then he discovered that humans did, in fact, mate, it was simply that his human showed no interest. At least, he had thought that was the case.

As it turned out, when they made it to Chicago he discovered that his human was interested in mating, even if his choice in females wasn't all that well thought out. Dief had thought that maybe that was it for his human, he wouldn't be mating at all, but then he had showed interest in the other male human they knew. He wasn't really surprised about this as the two seemed to have been making mating signals at each other for a long time.

However, it took some time for them to actually realise what was going on. Dief had spent a long time trying to persuade them that really they should just get on with it and mate. They did everything else, they bonded, they spent time together, but the actual mating, well, they apparently weren't in a hurry to get around to that part. Once they had, of course, they had been much happier, which hadn't surprised Dief at all.

What did surprise him was when they started talking to a human female. At first he had thought it was all part of their work until he had noticed the mating signals again. It had been little things; the odd glance sent the female's way, sometimes a smile or a touch. He had seen the same things when Fraser and Ray had first shown interest in each other. At least this time there were two of them so it shouldn't have been so hard to figure things out.

And, as it turned out it wasn't. There were long and boring talks between the two of them but the humans seemed to have realised. They had asked the female, Elaine, on a date. She had said yes, as if there had been any doubt. Which was why Dief was now waiting outside Fraser's apartment with a well dressed Ray.

He watched as the human Ray glanced at his watch for the fourth time in the past five minutes. There were waiting, outside the door of the apartment, for Fraser to appear. Diefenbaker wasn't even allowed to go inside and grab a snack . It wasn't fair. At least the human female had suggested Diefenbaker come on this strange date. He wanted to witness first hand the way the males were going to act around the female.

"Benny, are you ready yet?" Ray asked through the door.

Dief could tell he was impatient. So was he. Fraser never usually took this long to get ready.

The door opened and a smartly dressed Fraser stepped out. "Yes, Ray."

"You're wearing a suit?"

"Well, we are going on a date with a lady, Ray," Fraser replied.

"You never wore any of that on our dates," Ray said.

"I did, Ray," Fraser pointed out. "On our third date."

"The one with the lobsters?"

Fraser nodded.

"Okay, maybe you did."

Diefenbaker wondered what the differences in clothing meant. Perhaps they used clothing in the way that birds used feathers, as a way of signalling their intentions. Clearly if Fraser had chosen to wear a suit he reserved for important occasions on the first date he wanted to impress the female.

"Are you nervous, Ray?"

Ray shuffled his feet. "Yeah, I'm nervous. We can't screw this up."

"I know, Ray," Fraser said, putting his hand on Ray's shoulder. "I'm sure it will be a memorable evening."

"I just hope it's memorable for the right reasons," Ray muttered. He sighed. "Okay, let's go."

Dief let the humans go ahead so he could observe from the rear. They were nervous, that was clear. Of course, they had been nervous with each other on their own first date. He wanted to wait and see what the female would be wearing. Of course, as a wolf, he couldn't see a wide range of colours, but he was sure that wouldn't be too much of a problem.

When they arrived outside the door of the female's apartment Diefenbaker noticed the males were even more nervous. Ray was adjusting his tie and Fraser was checking his collar. Ray looked at Fraser and then rang the bell.

The door opened and Elaine stood in the doorway, She was attractive for a human female, Diefenbaker thought. She was wearing a dress that, to a wolf's untrained eye, looked quite expensive. Her hair was different and she was smiling.

Ray greeted her first. "Hi, Elaine."

"Hi, Ray. Hi, Benton."

"We brought you these," Fraser said, holding out a bunch of flowers.

Diefenbaker would never understand why humans gave each other flowers. These flowers were roses which were, apparently, romantic. Ray and Fraser had spent a lot of time in a store talking about which flowers to get. The pungent smells of all the blooms had made Dief feel sick. In the end they had agreed on roses and, although they were from both of them, Ray had been the one to pay for them.

Elaine took the flowers and sniffed them."Thank you. Who chose these?" she asked.

They looked at each other and answered in unison. "We both did."

"You know, you don't have to be nervous just because you're going on a date with a woman."

"We're not nervous, are we, Benny?" Ray said.

Dief whined. Of course they were, who was Ray trying to kid?

"Hey, Dief," Elaine said, reaching down to give him a pet. She had very nice hands, this human. She also had a new scent about her. Perhaps that was part of the mating process.

Diefenbaker basked in the attention. He was sorry when Elaine stopped fussing.

"The wolf gets a better greeting than we do," Ray said.

"Would you like me to stroke behind your ears, Ray?" Elaine asked.

That would be interesting, Dief thought, but Ray said nothing.

"Don't tell me I embarrassed you."

"No!" Ray replied.

Yes, she had, thought Dief.

"Yeah, that's why you look like Fraser's dress uniform"

"Very funny, Elaine."

"Shall we?" Fraser offered his arm.

Elaine picked up her purse and locked the door. "Thank you," she replied, taking the proffered arm gratefully.

As they walked to the car, Fraser seemed to be holding the female's arm differently to the way he held Ray's. Of course Elaine was shorter, maybe that was why. It wasn't as relaxed, but it was gentle. Diefenbaker wasn't surprised when Ray took Elaine's other arm.

When they got to the car Fraser was all manners.

"I think Elaine should travel in the front," Fraser said, carefully opening the door for her.

Elaine flashed him a smile as she carefully stepped inside. "Thank you, Benton."

Fraser went around to the other side, which earned a sigh from Ray, who opened the door and pushed the seat forward so Fraser could climb in the back. Diefenbaker leapt in first. He wanted to make sure he had a good view.

"Just don't pick on my driving like Benny does," Ray said to Elaine as he got in the driver's seat.

"I can't promise that, Ray," Elaine replied.

"Perhaps if you didn't run so many stop signs, Ray..."

"Just pretend you can't see them in the back," Ray mumbled.

Diefenbaker leaned forward. He was sure he would be able to see the signs but he decided to stay quiet. He didn't want to cause a fuss and be left behind before they got to the food place. Besides, he wanted to see how this new pack dynamic could work.

"So where are we going, Ray?" Elaine asked.

"Crabs and things, isn't that right, Benny?" Ray called the back.

Fraser leaned forward to talk to Elaine. "I believe Ray is mocking me," Fraser replied. "We're going to an Italian restaurant."

"Yeah, and I'm paying," Ray added.

Fraser frowned. "I thought we agreed to split the bill between us, Ray."

"We did. My money is your money."

Elaine was smiling, in the way women seemed to smile when they found something cute, the way they smiled at Dief, he thought. "That's so sweet. "

"Thank you kindly, Elaine."

"Yes, thank you kindly, Elaine," Ray added.

"Ray, there's no need for sarcasm."

"Sorry, Benny. Sorry Elaine."

Elaine patted Ray's knee. Ray seemed distracted from his driving for a second. Diefenbaker hoped they didn't want to mate yet; they hadn't eaten. "It's okay, Ray. I just want us to have a good time tonight."

"I'm sure we will," Fraser said.

Dief wisely chose not to bark his approval.

Their destination was an Italian restaurant where dogs were welcome at the outdoor tables. It was, Fraser had told him, called Via Veneto Ristorante. The males often seemed to favour Italian food places for their dates so they must have been serious about the female to want to bring her to such a place. Fortunately, it was also warm enough to sit outside.

Ray approached the waiter on duty. "Vecchio, table for three," he said. It was quite busy.

The waiter went and consulted the book. "Ah, yes, right this way."

"Thank you kindly," Fraser replied.

They were led to a quiet table on the far side. It was fairly private. Diefenbaker looked around. There were some couples, some families but it didn't look like there were any humans like his. Maybe that was why Ray hadn't minded bringing him along so people wouldn't know his humans were on a date.

Fraser pulled out the seat to let Elaine sit down. It was a small round table which suited them just fine. Once they were all seated the waiter gave them the customary smile.

"I'll be serving you tonight. Here are your menus and the wine list," he handed out a nice leather bound menu to each human and then a small wine list. "Would your dog like anything?" he asked.

Dog? Diefenbaker wasn't a dog.

"He'll be fine," Ray said.

"Perhaps if you could get us a bowl of water?" Fraser asked.

Diefenbaker appreciated that. He hoped to be fed a few scraps at the very least and he would need a drink after that.

"I'll bring it when I come back to take your drinks order," the waiter replied.

"Thank you," Ray said.

"Are you comfortable Elaine?" Fraser asked over the top of his menu.

"Yes, Benton, thank you."

Ah, so she was calling him Benton. That had to be important, Dief thought. Ray called Fraser Benny, and nearly everyone else called him Fraser.

"What about you, Ray?" Fraser asked.

"Yeah, I'm comfortable. Your seat all right?"

"Yes, Ray."

"Good. Okay, first of all drinks." Ray was looking at the list the man had given him.

"I'll have a water, Ray."

"Oh no you don't. We're having wine, and that includes you," Ray said.

Diefenbaker was never sure why humans wanted to drink wine. It tasted very strange. But he also knew that when Fraser drank wine he seemed more relaxed. Perhaps that was what Ray was thinking.

Elaine looked Fraser's way. "I don't mind splitting a bottle with you."

Fraser obviously reconsidered. "All right, are we having red or white?"

"Ladies choice," Ray said. He was obviously still on his best behaviour.

"Thank you, Ray," Elaine replied, looking at the list. "I'll go with the house red."

"Red it is, then."

It was good timing as the waiter reappeared, pen and pad in hand.

"Have you decided on your drinks?" he asked.

Ray nodded. "We'll take a bottle of house red and a jug of water with three glasses."

The waiter noted it down, although he could probably remember it. "A good choice. Thank you."

He went away for a second and brought Dief a nice looking bowl full of water. Dief gave a bark of thanks and the waiter left.

"Now all we've got to do is pick the food," Ray said.

This was Dief's favourite part.

"Are we having a starter, a main and a dessert?" Elaine asked.

Oh yes, this female was a good choice for the pack.

"Yeah, why not? It's only money."

"I'm sure we can afford it, Ray. I'll have the minestrone soup," Fraser said.

Elaine looked at the menu. "Yeah, me too."

"What about you, Ray?"

"Okay, I'll have the soup."

They were all having the soup? Perhaps this was a human mating thing, Dief thought.

"You don't need to feel you have to have it," Fraser said.

"I like soup."

"Are you sure about that, Ray?" Elaine asked. She seemed to be teasing Ray.

"Yes. What flavour is it?"

"Minestrone, Ray," Fraser said, repeating himself.

"That's it?"

Dief barked. He would be happy to have some soup.

"It won't come out of a can," Elaine said.

"I'll have the minestrone soup. I just want to see what's so great about it."

Fraser seemed pleased by Ray's choice. "All right then. And for your main course?"

"Pizza," Ray said quickly.

Dief barked. He would like pizza, more to share that way.

"Yeah, I'll have a pizza," Elaine agreed.

"Then I will also have a pizza," Fraser said, not really looking at the menu.

"What, we all pick the same thing again?" Ray said. He didn't seem happy with the idea.

Elaine nudged him. "There's not a law against it, Ray."

"I know. It's just so...who picks the same things to eat on a date?"

"We did, the first time we went out, Ray," Fraser pointed out.,

"We saw a movie, Benny. There wasn't a lot of choice apart from popcorn or candy. And Dief ate the candy."

Dief whined. It wasn't his fault humans made things so tasty. He hadn't gotten to see the movie, either, he'd had to wait in the lobby. It was a very different date to the one the males were having with the female. This was clearly a date between the three of them; they were courting. With the males Dief had never been sure where the line between friendship and romance was.

This time Fraser and Ray seemed to be showing there was a difference. They wanted to date the female, romantically. Although they were friends too. It was confusing to Dief. But he was mainly here for the food, anyway.

"We're not having candy, Diefenbaker," Fraser said.

Dief settled down. He hadn't wanted it. Fraser was clearly too distracted by this date to pay much attention to him.

"Can we get back to the menu here?" Ray asked.

"I thought we decided what to order," Fraser said. "Except for a dessert."

In the meantime, Elaine had been studying the menu. She looked up at her two dates. "You know, Ray's right, we should be adventurous. Besides, I'm not paying so what's the most expensive thing on the menu?" She glanced back at the menu, smiling sweetly.

"Elaine," Ray said, giving Elaine a look.

"Hey, you bring me out on a date you should treat me like a lady. Right, Benton?" she nudged Fraser this time.

He nodded. "Absolutely, Elaine."

"I thought we were having the soup," Ray said. He had said 'we,' not 'you' or 'me.'

Fraser was still looking at the menu. "We could order some appetisers."

"If we want dessert we'll have to skip the appetisers," Elaine said, putting her menu down. "And I do want a dessert." The last part was spoken in no uncertain terms. Elaine, as the female, seemed to be the one who decided things.

"I'm going to have ricotta and spinach cannelloni for the main," she said, closing the menu up.

Fraser was still looking at his. "Are you sure Elaine?"

"Yes, I'm sure," she said. She didn't sound impatient. "What about you, Ray? You could have the lasagne."

"I can't," Ray replied.

Elaine frowned. "Why not?"

Fraser cleared his throat. "Ray's mother makes the best in Chicago and Ray wouldn't want to be disloyal by having the dish at a restaurant. Am I right, Ray?"

Ray looked sheepish. "Yeah, you're right. I'll stick to pizza," he said firmly and put his menu down, placing it on top of Elaine's. "The funghi pizza."

Dief barked. That sounded very good.

"Okay, we'll ask for an extra half," Ray said. He didn't sound as annoyed as he usually did. Perhaps he was trying to impress the female.

"In that case I'll have the tomato and basil pasta," Fraser said.

At least it wasn't pizza.

The waiter soon arrived to take their order. He noted it all down. Dief could smell the food from neighbouring tables and the far off scent of the kitchen. He was hungry. Yet the humans weren't taking any notice of any of this, they just seemed to be looking at each other, or briefly touching each other's hands.

Dief was glad when the soup arrived. The waiter left him an empty plate but sadly there was no food on it. Although he was still hungry, seeing the humans eat might give him something different to observe. So far human mating rituals seemed boring. No wonder few animals took their potential mates on dates. He was sadly disappointed.

They didn't seem to be doing much, just eating their soup. They were still glancing at each other, as if they were waiting for one of the others to speak. Perhaps that was the trouble in there being three of them, they were confused as to who could speak and when. Eventually it was Elaine who spoke, confirming Dief's opinion that she was in charge of this activity.

"You know we can talk, this isn't a silent date," she said, smiling.

Fraser stumbled with his spoon. "Oh yes, we knew that, didn't we, Ray?"

Ray shrugged. "Yeah, of course we did. We just don't know..." he broke off.

"What to talk to me about?" Elaine asked.

Ray turned to Fraser who gave the answer. "Yes. Not that we don't want to...talk to you."

Elaine had nearly finished her soup. "We could talk about...I don't know," she made a few hand gestures, breaking the air around her as she thought of a subject. "I know, how about we talk about Ray not being able to find his tie for his dress uniform when he was going to get a commendation."

Fraser looked intently at Ray. "You got a commendation, Ray?"

"Why do you ask that and not why I couldn't find my tie?" Ray asked as he put his spoon down. He'd finished his soup, too. Didn't look like Dief would be getting a taste.

"I'm sorry, Ray, but you've never mentioned it."

"That's because Ray is modest except when it comes to cars and women," Elaine said.

"Yeah, well, if I showed Benny off the whole of Chicago would want to kill me," Ray replied.

"Yeah, I mean, you do know I'm going to be showing off you guys, right?" Elaine said. Dief noted it wasn't really a proper question.

It was a good job Fraser had finished his soup as he spluttered a little, "You are?"

"Don't sound so worried, Benny, it's you everybody will be looking at," Ray said.

Diefenbaker had never understood why that was. In this new relationship he thought everyone would look at the female, she was the one with power.

"I don't know, Ray, when you find the tie to your dress uniform you look handsome," Elaine said.

"I have to agree with Elaine, Ray," Fraser added, with a hint of a smile.

Ray seemed pleased. "You really think so?"

"Oh yes."

"Oh yes."

They replied more or less at the same time.

Ray was definitely smiling now. "Cool."

The waiter then arrived to take away the empty soup plates. He didn't seem very interested in letting Dief lick them. The humans suddenly became very quiet when the waiter was around. Perhaps they didn't want him to know they were on a date, Dief thought to himself. Not that it mattered to him.

Once the waiter had left, however, the conversation seemed to effortlessly pick up where they left off. They appeared to be getting the hang of this three-way date thing.

"Your uniform doesn't flatter you, Elaine," Fraser said.

"Thank you, Benton," Elaine smoothed her dress out to draw attention to it. "What do you think of this dress?"

Fraser tilted his head slightly. "It suits your complexion."

"And you look great in it," Ray added. Clearly he didn't want to be left out of complimenting Elaine.

"Thank you."

"Would you like another olive, Elaine?" Fraser asked, picking up the bowl that was on the table as an appetizer and holding it out toward her.

Elaine waved her hand. "No. If I have any more I'm not going to have enough room for dessert."

Fraser out the bowl back down but looked puzzled. "But we haven't had dessert yet."

"What Elaine means is she'll feel full at the end of the main course and we'll never get to desert," Ray explained.

"Ah," Fraser paused. "Breadstick, Ray?" he asked, picking one up and proffering it in Ray's direction.

"Benny, you're not my mother, you don't need to keep feeding us."

Fraser gingerly put the breadstick back. "Sorry, Ray."

"We appreciate the thought though, right, Ray?" Elaine was giving Ray a certain look, one not to disagree with.

Ray nodded. "Oh yeah, we do."

Fortunately for them and Dief's ever present hunger the waiter then arrived with their mains. He placed a slice of pizza next to Dief. Just the one? Dief was disappointed. Still, it was better than nothing and he hurriedly ate it before the humans noticed. Not that they would, they were already too busy tasting their own food.

Fraser had finished a mouthful when he seemed to be glancing at Ray's plate. Ray was taking a satisfying bite out of his pizza. It was good pizza.

"That pizza does look appetising, Ray."

"You want to try some?" Ray asked, offering a slice.

Fraser nodded nervously. "Please."

Ray cut a slice in half and offered the bigger half to Fraser. "Here we go," he said sliding it over to Fraser's plate. "Elaine, you want any?"

"Sure," she replied. "Mmmmm, that is good."

Dief had to agree, it was.

"Not as good as Ray's mother's," Fraser said, when he'd tasted his own.

Ray was smiling. "Benny, your loyalty to my mother's cooking is touching."

"Do you want to try some of my cannelloni?" Elaine asked.

"If you're offering," Ray replied.

"Here you go," Elaine said, passing the plate to Ray.

He used a spare fork to take a sample. "That's good," he said around a mouthful.

"Would anyone like to try my pasta?" Fraser offered.

"Yeah," Ray said.

"Sure," Elaine added.

They both took their forks and leaned over to take a sample of Fraser's pasta. Each took a good forkful.

Dief whined but they ignored him. Perhaps the food sharing was just for the humans, as part of their mating ritual.

"Do you guys always share food on a first date?" Elaine asked, in between bites.

Fraser finished chewing but didn't seem to have an answer. "Well comma we ah..."

"Only with people we trust."

Dief was still hungry and eyeing a slice of Ray's pizza. He whined to get the human's attention.

Ray rolled his eyes. "Fine, just one more slice," he said.

To Diefenbaker's delight Ray leaned down and deposited a small slice on his plate. Dief ate it before Ray could change his mind.

"You two spoil that wolf," Elaine said.

"So do you. You gave him half your sandwich last week," Ray pointed out.

It had been a very nice sandwich, Dief remembered. Tuna.

"Although it probably wasn't very good for him, I'm sure he was grateful Elaine," Fraser said, giving Dief a look.

Dief barked in agreement. He had been grateful.

Elaine took another bite of cannelloni. "So, was that why you agreed to come out with me?"

"We don't just date people who are nicer to the wolf," Ray said.

Fraser looked puzzled. "We haven't actually done this before."

Elaine laughed. "I was kidding, Benton."

"Ah. I understand," he said and went back to eating his pasta.

"Why did you want to date me anyway?" Elaine asked. "I mean, you're two guys, you're happy, you don't need me."

That was exactly what Diefenbaker wanted to know. Thank goodness she had asked them.

Fraser looked thoughtful. "It wasn't a question of needs but wants."

Ray nodded as his finished a slice of pizza. "Yeah. We like you. And we thought, we both like you, you're attractive So, instead of feeling guilty about it why don't we try it and see?"

Fraser looked surprised. "That's the most logical thing you've ever said, Ray."

It was logical and did it make sense. At least, Dief thought so.

"Really?"

"Yes," Elaine agreed. "And it was sweet. But why now?"

"Working closely with you on the Fabrini case made us aware of our feelings for you," Fraser explained.

"Yeah, and Diefenbaker did lock us in the closet together," Ray added.

Dief woofed. It had actually been accidental. He had just wanted the doughnut on Ray's desk. Okay, perhaps accidental wasn't the right term. Though he hadn't intended for it to be romantic.

"Benny and me talked it over and... that's why we're here," Ray finished.

"How far is this going to go?" Elaine asked.

"As far as you want," Fraser answered.

"No pressure, Elaine. Just enjoy it," Ray said.

"I am."

It didn't take the humans long to finish their mains. Dief didn't manage to get any more scraps, the humans were clearly too busy paying attention to each other. He had tried for another slice of pizza but it had just been out of reach. Ray finished first and Fraser and Elaine nearly finished at the same time.

"Do you have room for dessert Elaine?" Fraser asked as he began clearing the plates.

"Yeah, what about you guys?"

"I'd like a dessert."

Ray shrugged. "We might as well go all out."

All out? That sounded good to Diefenbaker. He whined.

"Does Dief want one?" Elaine asked.

"He'll just beg otherwise," Fraser admitted.

Elaine gave Dief a friendly smile.

The waiter arrived to take away the empty plates. He was quick and efficient but Dief wanted to keep his plate for his dessert.

"Leave that one," Ray said as the waiter bent down to pick it up.

The waiter gave Dief a smile. "Okay then."

He disappeared off, the clatter of plates making Dief wonder if the human wouldn't drop them. There were still wonderful smells coming from the kitchen. Dief was really looking forward to his dessert. He followed the progress of the waiter as he returned since the humans seemed too busy with their strange mating ritual.

"Who would like a dessert?" the waiter asked.

"We'd all like one," Ray said.

Diefenbaker barked his approval.

The water had out his notepad. "Would you like to see the menu again?"

"Please," Fraser said.

The waiter nodded and went to fetch them again.

Ray was frowning, "You don't remember what was on the menu?"

"Yes, Ray, but I thought you might like to check the price," Fraser replied.

"Very funny."

"Here we are," the waiter said as he returned. He handed each of them a menu, starting with Elaine. Dief didn't get one, but then he was having whatever they were having, or at least, he hoped so.

"I'll come and take your order shortly. Do you need any more drinks?"

"Could we have some more water?" Elaine asked.

"Certainly." The waiter went off again, stopping to collect some plates form a neighbouring table on the way.

Fraser only glanced at the menu before deciding. "I'll have a tirimasu."

Ray rolled his eyes. "Big shock there."

Elaine looked over the top of her menu at Ray. "Care to share, Ray?"

"It's Benny's favourite," Ray explained.

Elaine turned to Fraser. "Really Benton?"

"Yes. Ray's mother makes an excellent one."

"I'll have to try it," she said.

"You can," Ray said. "Maybe next time." Before anyone could say anything about a next time Ray announced his choice. "I'll have the cannoli."

"Ray's favourite," Fraser added.

"Okay I'll go for..." Elaine glanced at the menu one last time, "the panacotta."

"It's a nice choice Elaine," Fraser said.

The waiter was smiling when he came back. He had taken his time, Dief thought. He put a fresh pitcher of water on the table and Elaine poured herself a glass, carefully topping up the others.

"Can I have your order?" he asked.

Fraser gathered the menus together.

"One tiramasu, one cannoli and one panacotta," Ray said. "Please," he added.

"No problem."

Fraser handed the waiter the menus and he went to give them to the new couple who had sat down at the table nearby. It was strange but Diefenbaker hadn't noticed the other patrons. There was a poodle sitting across from him. There was also one of those small dogs covered in hair on the other side of the outdoor area.

There were a lot of humans too, but Dief had not noticed any of them. Paying attention to the humans he knew had been much more interesting. Of course, their food was interesting too.

The desserts arrived pretty quickly. As did Dief's share. Almost immediately the humans took a spoonful or forkful of their dessert and put it on the plate Dief had earlier licked clean. It was much better with three humans, Diefenbaker decided, he got more of a share this way.

After he had finished his portion, he looked up to see if there was any more he could scavenge. The humans seemed to be enjoying their food as they weren't talking as much. Until they noticed that Ray was a bit of a messy eater.

"What?" Ray asked as Fraser and Elaine looked at him.

"You've got cream on your nose, Ray," Fraser said, gesturing at his own nose.

"I have not."

"You do, Ray," Elaine added.

"Here." Fraser and Elaine leaned across to Ray.

"Allow us. "

Very gently they each used the tip of a finger to wipe away the cream. As they sat back down Fraser poked his tongue out and licked his finger, and Elaine put her finger into her mouth and sucked it clean. They gave Ray an innocent look but Dief could tell there was more going on between them. The atmosphere was changing.

"You're both licking cream off my nose?" Ray said, after several moments pause.

They hadn't done it literally, Dief thought.

Fraser was half-smiling. "The thought does appeal, Ray. "

Elaine looked Fraser's way. "I never knew you were kinky, Benton."

Fraser appeared to be embarrassed and settled his gaze on the table. "Well, I'm not...that is to say..."

"Just get him to show you what he can do with a lanyard," Ray spoke up with a grin on his face.

Fraser tried to clear his throat. "Well...Ray is...perhaps I..."

"Not on a first date?" Elaine asked, innocently.

"I would prefer it on the fourth date," Fraser admitted.

Ray joined in. "Oh, come on, what about the third?"

"I thought perhaps you could show Elaine what happens when you..."

Ray didn't let him finish. "Hey!"

Their banter continued for some time. The males' attention was on the female but she was the one leading the conversation. There was a different atmosphere between them. There was romance and something else that Diefenbaker wasn't sure about. There seemed to be a lot of gazing going on. He wasn't sure what it was but there was a change in the way the humans smelled. It was a lot like the odour the males got when they were thinking about mating. Things were more tense but, at the same time, the humans seemed to be enjoying it.

Fortunately they were so distracted that it was Diefenbaker who was able to lick their plates clean. Fraser had even left some tiramasu. Yes, there were benefits to coming along on dates with the humans, even if they were acting rather strangely.

The waiter cleared the table once Dief had cleaned the plates. He also picked up Dief's dish. Dief wondered if he should beg the human for more food but he seemed a bit too busy giving attention to the poodle. Ah well, thought Diefenbaker as the bill appeared, maybe he would get more food when they got home.

The bill was paid by Ray who refused to let Elaine pay for anything. Dief was now sure that the date was all about pleasing the female. They sat at the table after they had paid, finishing off the last of their drinks.

"Do you guys...want to come back to my place?" Elaine asked, sounding nervous.

"We wouldn't want to impose..."

Ray took the lead then. "Benny, it's hers place or yours and I bet Elaine's furniture isn't falling apart."

"In that case, we'd be very grateful."

"Good."

They didn't say anything much else, they simply drained their glasses and headed back to the car. They hardly seemed to notice Dief was there. He even had to climb over Fraser to get to his seat. For once, Fraser didn't scold him. It was a slight consolation.

On the journey back Elaine had her hand on Ray's thigh and Fraser had his hand on top. Ray seemed to be enjoying it. It appeared to be very awkward for Fraser in the middle but he didn't seem to mind. He was smiling at Ray then Elaine. Sometimes Elaine smiled at Ray and Fraser and Ray smiled at Fraser and Elaine. There was that gazing thing again. Diefenbaker just looked out of the window.

It wasn't long before they arrived at the female's apartment. Elaine's home was very nice, lots of space, much more so than Fraser's apartment and there was more furniture. It was nice smelling too, very welcoming. Diefenbaker found himself investigating all the furniture. He could certainly get used to a place like this, he thought as he flopped down on the rug on the kitchen floor.

"Do you want a drink or something?" Elaine asked as she took glasses out of one of the cupboards.

Fraser nodded.

"Yeah, not too much," Ray said.

Elaine nodded. She placed three glasses on the countertop and took out a bottle of white wine from the fridge. She filled each glass about halfway and handed one to Ray and then one to Fraser. They stood awkwardly in the kitchen area for a few moments until Elaine let the way into the living room.

"Maybe we should sit down," she suggested.

"Sure," Ray replied.

They sat together on the couch. They were touching, well, their knees were, but they didn't seem to be doing anything else. They placed their glasses on the table in front of them. This was very boring, Dief thought. The tension was stronger now and there wasn't the same light atmosphere of earlier. Perhaps this was part of the cycle of human dates. Dief was about to give up watching the humans when Fraser suddenly picked up his glass and drank half the contents.

Ray and Elaine seemed to be looking at him in shock. They were even more surprised when Fraser leaned in, touching the back of Elaine's neck, and then kissing her. She removed the glass from his hand and passed it to Ray who placed it back on the table. Now she had her arm around Fraser and was kissing him back.

Ray pulled on her other arm and Elaine released Fraser. Ray then pulled her close and kissed her. Elaine seemed to eagerly return this kiss, too. Fraser was now nuzzling her neck. It was then Elaine opened her eyes and looked at Dief.

"Guys, does he have to watch?"

Ray and Fraser both got up and came over to Dief.

"We need some privacy, Dief," Ray said. "But you can have a doughnut for this."

"Please, Diefenbaker, I'm sure if you wait outside you can have a nice dog biscuit."

Fraser's offer wasn't the best but he knew that Ray would give him a doughnut. However he was still curious as to how three of them could mate together when they couldn't even all kiss at the same time. Still, if he stayed they might not do it at all. With a sigh, he got up and walked over to the door, casting one last look behind him as he headed into the corridor. The door was quickly slammed shut behind him.

As he sat in the hallway he could hear some very strange noises coming from behind the door. He recognised a few from when the males mated on their own but there were some new ones there too. Possibly from the female. Whatever they were doing, they seemed to be enjoying it. Dief lay down and closed his eyes. He had learned all he could, for now, anyway. His new pack would get some getting used to but if it made his humans happy he couldn't really complain. Especially when there were doughnuts involved.