Title: Anatomy Lessons

Author: Robin

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters and I could only make money on this from the people paying me not to write.

A/N: Silly Babe fluff. It is another glimpse of Steph and Ranger's Happily Ever After. This was previously posted on PFF, but I've never posted it over here. If you've already read this, please don't feel obligated to read it again. If you haven't, enjoy!

Rating: R

I looked up from the expanse of paper, focused on Ranger and cocked my head to the side. The eyes weren't quite right. Too close together. I brought my charcoal up to the page, smudging here and shading there. After a moment, I scrutinized the paper and I then glanced back at Ranger again. Better, I thought.

Ranger shifted slightly and I groaned. "Ranger, baby, you have to hold still."

"Babe, we've been at this for over an hour. I need to move."

"I'd believe that of anyone else, but I've seen you sit for a five hour surveillance shift without moving a muscle. You can do it Zen-master." I continued to work on the shading on his face, struggling to capture his beautiful features. "And don't scowl, you get a little wrinkle on your forehead. I'm not good with wrinkles."

"I'm not scowling, Babe. I'm grimacing. My skin is stuck to this damned couch." I looked up again at six feet of naked male perfection, artistically sprawled on the black leather couch and I felt a rush of heat right to my core... just like I had each of the previous 70 or so times I'd looked up at him.

I managed to keep my knees from buckling and said, "I'm sorry. If you hold still a few more minutes I'll be done and then I can kiss it better."

"I'm gonna hold you to that." He smiled. All in all he'd been a very good sport.

"Okay, I'm gonna work on your lips now, so shh." I concentrated, tongue between my teeth, trying to capture on paper that elusive half-smile of his.

A few months ago, Lula had talked me into taking a class with her down at the community college. She was working on her basic courses after deciding she eventually wanted to get into the nursing program. I'd decided to show my support by joining her for one of her classes, Intro to Drawing. It sounded like fun and was only one evening a week, so it was pretty easy to fit into my life.

Except last week. Last week, Ranger had just gotten back from one of his mysterious wanderings and his plan to get me naked and keep me in bed for 12 hours had superseded all prior engagements.

And I didn't mind.

Only problem was I'd missed my final class where I would have worked on my final project... a study of the human form. If I didn't do the project I'd get an incomplete in the class, not that it mattered really, except to me. I really wanted to follow through with this and maybe even take another art class next semester.

This left me with a small problem... where to find a model.

The solution had been surrounding me while I was debating this quandary. He'd been cradling my sated body in his arms as our bodies cooled down and we simply enjoyed being close to each other. What better subject for my project than this flawless male specimen. Of course, I'd never thought he'd agree to it.

"Remind me again, how you got me to agree to this," Ranger said as if reading my thoughts. I put charcoal to paper once more with a small smile curving my lips. It turned out there are some moments when a woman could get a man to agree to just about anything.

"Well, I think I was on top at the time," I said my smile growing into a wicked grin, remembering with just a whisper of guilt how I'd finally gotten my way. He would have agreed to just about anything in that moment simply to get me to stop the sweet torment.

So he'd agreed. Not without a price. He was a mercenary after all.

He sighed in quiet contentment, "How could I forget. You have more effective ways of torturing a man than the government."

"You know you loved it," I said saucily.

"Absolutely. And I consider myself a very lucky man," he replied, his dark eyes serious while that hint of a smile evolved into a full-on wolf grin. His body had started stirring again, this time in areas that caused a tingle to rush through my body and made my mouth go dry. Art class was just about over. Time for Sex Ed.

I stepped back from the easel to survey my work and decided that it was done. It could use a touch here and there, but all in all, I was pleased.

"We're done," I said setting the charcoal down and wiping my hands off.

Ranger flopped back on the couch, eyes closed, relaxing for a moment. I could only imagine how tired and sore some of his muscles were. "I owe you a massage," I said, as I joined him on the couch, gingerly settling my clothed body over his nude form. His arms came around me pressing me closer to him and his hands moved to caress my ass. I leaned down and kissed him. The kiss went from friendly to frenzied in a matter of moments and I was breathless when we finally broke apart.

"You owe me more than that, Babe," he said, his voice low and passion laden. Ranger rolled us over, then stood, scooping me up in his arms. "First, I want to see how it looks."

"No!" I said, "It isn't done."

"Babe, don't worry, I just want a little peek." He walked around the other side of the easel, still carrying me. I buried my face in his shoulder, embarrassed to have him looking at my work.

For a moment he just stood there, not speaking. Unable to contain my curiosity a moment longer, I raised my head to see his reaction.

He looked… stunned.

"That bad?" I asked, trying to keep my tone light, but I already felt the burn of tears at the back of my eyes.

I felt him swallow and draw in a breath. "No, Babe. It's... it's really good. I never realized you had so much talent." Pleasure bloomed in my chest at his praise and he pressed a sweet kiss to my smiling lips.

"I do have one question, though," he said as he set me on my feet.

"Hmm?"

"Why did I pose fully nude, if you were only going to draw me from the waist up?" He sounded curious and only slightly irritated.

"Well..." I licked my lips and wondered how much trouble I was gonna be in.

"Babe?"

I babbled, "The assignment didn't require a full human form; I could have just drawn a specific body part. And when I thought about it, Lula and the rest of the art students will be seeing it at our art show on Friday. We'd have to enter the witness protection program if they all saw you without your clothes on. This building doesn't have enough security to keep them away." I avoided his eyes, keeping them glued to the image of Ranger staring seductively at me from the drawing.

"That explains why you didn't draw all of me, but it doesn't answer why I've been laying here naked." He was standing, hands of hips, one eyebrow raised, completely uninhibited in his all his glory. Really, it should be illegal for the man to put on clothes at all.

"Oh, well, that's easy. I just like to look at you." I waggled my eyebrows, smacked a kiss on his lips and, giggling, scurried away from him. He was too fast, though. He laughed as he caught me around my waist and threw me over his shoulder, carrying me towards the bedroom.

He plopped me on the bed and settled himself on top of me, kissing me senseless once again. He kissed along the underside of my jaw and lightly sucking my earlobe into his mouth, he whispered, "Time to pay up."

A jolt of excitement zinged through me as I contemplated the price I'd pay and I met his wolf grin with one of my own. I was happy to owe Ranger and even happier that he didn't take American Express.

The End