Standard Disclaimers Apply.
Rating: PG-13 (Mostly for language)
Spoilers: You can spoil yourself all the way through Plum Lovin'.
This picks up right at the end of PL.

For Stayce, with lots of love.

How in the hell was I supposed to open my door?

I sighed as I walked up to my apartment door and looked down at my arms, full of crap from my parent's house. I juggled the boxes of flowers and the cake plate in my arms, trying to shift them so I could shove my key in but as soon as I lifted my hand, everything started to slip.

"Shit! Shit, shit, shit!" I swore as the flower boxes fell to the floor. I stomped one of the boxes for good measure and shoved my key in the doorknob. I threw open the door and kicked the boxes into the hallway. I sat the cake plate on the counter and tossed my pocketbook and keys beside it. I bent down to pick up the boxes and had a momentary flash of regret when I noticed it was the box with Joe's yellow roses I had stomped on. I picked the box up carefully and the broken stems hung over the box and the yellow petals fell like rain to the floor.

I huffed and put the box onto the counter along with the other two boxes. It was odd having flowers, especially from three different men. Three very different men, I reminded myself. I went straight to the fridge and grabbed out a beer. I finished one before I looked over at the boxes again. There was only one thing to do.

I swept the boxes off the counter and onto the floor and went into my bedroom to flip on the radio. I needed to work on some nervous energy. I eyed the boxes one more time and started stomping on all off them like there was no tomorrow. In a way it was freeing. Now I didn't feel so bad about trashing Joe's roses. Now all of them were destroyed. I mean, what was I going to do with them anyway? Look at them? They'd get trashed the first day. This was better. I was being proactive, I told myself. Ranger would be proud.

Though… they did smell nice. And they would look pretty on my kitchen counter. I shook my head as I did a little dance on the boxes, singing to a catchy song on the radio. I didn't need flowers. I could have flowers any old day. I could even buy flowers for myself if I wanted some. Okay, so I wouldn't. But that wasn't the point.

I couldn't stop grinning even after I scooped up the remains of the flowers and tossed them in the trash. I figured I'd better call Joe and at least thank him for remembering me today. But I needed more liquid courage before I had that conversation. It would probably have something to do with love and something about the emergency wedding I'd been a part of earlier this afternoon. Even though I'd said the L-word to him finally, it didn't mean I wanted to shout it from the roof tops or anything. Really, I figured it was one of those things that only need to be mentioned at special times, maybe like when I was having an orgasm or something.

I got halfway through my next beer and pulled out my cell phone.

"Hey, Cupcake." I could hear the police scanner in the background. "Heard you got married this afternoon. Anything I should worry about?"

I sighed, "No. It was staged. Val and Albert got married."

"Good to know. I'd hate to shake Diesel's hand and wish him luck. Though he'd need it."

I couldn't help the hint of annoyance that entered my voice, "Excuse me?"

"Relax, Cupcake." I could imagine him smiling and leaning back in his chair. His five o'clock shadow would be in full swing by now. Maybe he'd want to get together later… Wait! I told my hormones, remember what he just said, you're supposed to be pissed. "So what have you gotten into now? Diesel still around?"

"He disappeared. Reassigned or something like that. I was calling about the flowers."

"What flowers?"

"The flowers you sent me."

There was a long pause on the other end, "Oh yeah. Those flowers."

"What do you mean 'Oh yeah. Those flowers.'? What the hell does that mean, Joe?" I put my hand on my hip and yelled into the phone, "You didn't get those flowers… Did you?"

There was another long pause and I blew a gasket. "Un-fucking-believable!" And I disconnected.

I stood, leaning against the counter, tapping my foot on the floor a hundred miles a minute. I could feel my temper rising about to rear its ugly head. I blew out a deep breath. Okay, I had to keep a level head. Maybe he'd forgotten and called his mother. Yeah, I could live with that. He was a busy man, working double shifts.

But the other part of me was screaming- You tell a man you love them and this is what you get? Some lousy yellow friendship roses from a guy whose bed you warm at least once a week?

I was burning up and I started to pace. Now I didn't regret stomping on the damn flowers. In fact, I was going to pull out those damn flowers and stomp the hell out of them until they were permanently embedded in my hardwood floor!

My home phone rang and the answering machine clicked over and I gave it the death glare.

"Steph? Damnit, I know you're there. Alright. I didn't get the flowers. There. I said it. I didn't get them. You should come over so we can talk about it tonight. I'll get pizza. My treat. Call me back."

I narrowed my eyes and my nostrils flared. Then who did? I shouted at the phone, but of course he couldn't hear me. He had balls to call me. I'd give him that. If he called me again, I'd personally go down to the PD and be in possession of them.

The phone rang again and I disconnected it. I went right over to the trash can and pulled all the flowers out again and threw them on the floor. Stupid, stupid Valentine's Day, I thought as I stomped. I kept yelling at the top of my lungs as I pummeled the flowers into pulp. I had no idea what I was yelling but I was so pissed off that it didn't matter. Not like the neighbors could hear me anyway. Their TV's were still drowning me out.

"Babe. What are you doing?"

I spun around and stopped in mid-stomp. Ranger was standing in the doorway, leaning against it like he owned the place, arms crossed over his broad chest.

"I hate Valentine's Day." I started stomping again, "I hate flowers. I hate the little naked cupid with the arrows and I hate the stupid things it makes people do."

I kept on stomping even as I heard Ranger chuckling. I shot him a look over my shoulder, "I suppose you find this funny."

"Where did they come from?"

He was looking at the daisies I was currently making into mush. "I suppose these came from Diesel. There wasn't a name on the card but he's the only other person that would write something about Valentine's Day not sucking this year, when in fact it does. And I thought that Joe had gotten me yellow roses, but he didn't."

Ranger gave me a look and his eyes flicked over to the phone, where the cord was dangling off the edge of the counter and the phone receiver was off the hook.

"Don't ask." I huffed. "I'm not done being pissed off."

Ranger walked over from the door frame and bent down to the floor picking up a couple of petals, "You really did a number on these, Babe. I'm proud of you."

"Save it. I trashed the long stemmed one you sent me too."

Ranger smiled and it temporarily took my breath away. All of sudden I was very aware that we were standing in the middle of my apartment together on Valentine's Day when I thought he was still out of town.

"What are you doing back? Aren't you supposed to be in the wind or something?"

"It's Valentine's Day, Steph."

I crossed my arms over my chest, "And?"

He shrugged his shoulders.

"Argghh! Why are you here?"

He raised an eyebrow in my direction and something passed between us. Now I knew. There was something strange that happened at my parent's house. And it had to do with the cake plate which was still sitting on the counter like a bad omen. It wasn't my mother's. I should know. I asked her. I asked Grandma and then I asked Valerie. No one knew where it came from. The brush of lips against the nape of my neck freaked me out. There was only one person who could've made it all possible and at the time I'd thought him to be out of town. But lo and behold, he's standing in my hallway.

I pointed to the cake plate. "You leave that at my parent's house?"

"The cake plate?"

"No." I said, putting my hand on my hip, "The purse." I sighed, "Yes. Yes the cake plate. Did you leave it?"

He crossed the room to the kitchen and picked up the cake plate. "Nope."

"What do you mean no?" I crossed the room and snatched it out of his hands, "I was standing at the doorway of the front door when I felt someone brush their lips across the back of my neck and when I looked down the cake plate was sitting on the steps."

I felt Ranger step behind me and brush the hair away from my neck. "You mean like this?" His lips brushed over my skin and I got goosebumps. "Was it like that? Or like this?" He turned me and brushed his lips over mine briefly. "Well?" He said, stepping away.

"Uh-huh."

"Babe."

I looked up at him, "Uh-huh."

He waved a hand in front of my face.

"Yeah. It was like that. Do you think you might know the culprit?"

Ranger grinned.

"Okay then," I said, backing away from him. I didn't trust him when he grinned like that. It meant bad news for both of us. "Did you send the red rose or not?"

"What do you think?"

I gave him a look. "Did you send it or did Ella send it?

He propped himself against the counter. "You know the answer to that, Babe."

I went over the pile of wasted flowers and dropped them back in the trash. Again. "Just wondering. It seems perfectly acceptable to let someone else send them and then take the credit."

Alright, so I was still fuming. So sue me. I'd been on and off with Joe for a few years now and he had someone else get me flowers. I still couldn't believe it. Oh, who was I kidding? Yes, I could.

One perfect red petal was still intact and I picked it up to smell it. The scent was intoxicating and the sentiment behind it was overwhelming.

"Why one rose?" I looked up from the petal and caught Ranger watching me, "Any reason why you sent me a red rose on Valentine's Day, Ranger?"

"It suited you." He said, reaching out and grabbing a hold of my wrist. "Something beautiful for someone who outshined it even when she was stomping it into the ground."

"It was beautiful." I said, pursing my lips, "But I remember something about the meaning of flowers and there's something bugging me."

I chewed on my lower lip and Ranger's eyes darkened.

"Do you know the meaning?"

"Does it matter?"

"Are you going to stop answering my question with a question?" I huffed.

"Depends. Are we negotiating?"

I threw my free hand up in the air. "God, you're difficult."

Ranger pulled me back into him, "The same thing can be said about you, Babe."

I mentally cracked my knuckles, "What about the cake plate? What's that all about?"

"Whatever you want it to be."

I raised an eyebrow and he raised one back. Interesting.

"Does this have to do with the pyramid conversation?" I asked, "Because if it does, I think I need to finish my beer."

"It's not the end of the world to have this conversation and I think you've had enough from the looks of things." Ranger told me backing me up against the counter. "I meant what I said about the food pyramid, Stephanie. Tell me, what's your main food group?"

I didn't even have to think about it. It was so simple and I was a fool, "Dessert."

"Then there you go. There's your answer."

I locked my jaw. He made it sound so simple, "Just like that. You waltz in here and announce it just like that?"

Ranger laughed, "Babe, it took you this long to figure it out and I had to hint."

I crossed my arms over my chest and gave him a look.

"Is there a reason you chose the single red rose?"

"What do you think?" He leaned into me and before I knew it, his lips were pressed against mine. I kissed him back like a starved woman, and then I knew. He was serious. And then it hit me all of a sudden. He was serious. My knees buckled and he supported my weight by slipping his arms behind me and holding me up.

Oh boy.

When he leaned away from me, I was plastered against him, unwilling to uncurl my fingers from his leather jacket.

"The cake plate and the red rose…" I mumbled. "I think I'm in shock."

Ranger was watching me closely and I looked away from him and looked at the phone.

"Where did you go?"

"Miami."

"To see Julie?"

"She had a recital thing."

I smiled at the image of Ranger at a recital.

"Stop grinning." He told me and I laughed. "I'll shoot you if you ruin my image."

I grinned up at him, "Go ahead punk. Make my day."

He leaned down and kissed me again, but this time was more heated than the time before and got my blood to doing the fast dance to orgasm town.

"Are you going to call him back?"

I sighed. I should call Joe and at least find out if it was his mother that picked out the flowers. I might be able to forgive that. Maybe. Probably not.

"Yeah. I would at least like to know who did it for him before I go over there and blow up."

I plugged in the phone and called Joe.

"Homicide. Morelli speaking."

"Who did it?" I said, trying to stay calm.

"You aren't still pissed about that are you? They're just flowers, Steph."

I did some metal colorful cursing and then counted to ten, "So I take it then it wasn't your mother."

The silence on the other end was starting to get on my nerves.

"You've got to be kidding me."

I flicked a glance in Ranger's direction and he was leaning against the counter beside the fridge watching me intently. I waved him off and frowned.

"If you want, I'll get you more flowers. Just come over tonight so I can show you how sorry I am." Joe said, and I could tell he was rather pleased with his offer of compromise. If he thought I was going to agree to that after what he'd done, he had another thing coming. He was delusional.

"I'm going to ask again because I'm asking nicely and this isn't going to last forever. Who. Bought. The. Flowers. Joe?"

Again the silence and I could tell he was trying to think of something good.

"Oh boy. This must be really bad, Joe. Because by now you'd have something to say. I know it wasn't Grandma Bella. The note attached if it were her would be 'I had a vision…'. So- was it one of your sisters?"

Joe cleared his throat and then he coughed, "Terry."

I sucked in a breath, "What was that? I think I missed it."

"Look, Cupcake, it's not that big of a deal. We've been doing some work together and I forgot about Valentine's Day and she said she'd help me out. I don't see the big deal. At least you got something."

I slammed the phone down on the counter so many times that the receiver fell apart in pieces.

"You're pissed aren't you?" Joe asked, "Look it's no different from what you have going on with Ranger. The street is a two way and maybe you should think about that if you can't deal with Terry."

"Oh yeah?" I yelled, "Well guess what Joe? I guess you won't have to deal with that anymore, now will you?"

"Cupcake-"

"Hey. I got you something for you for Valentine's Day, Joe. It's a big, fuck you. It comes non-returnable and with a don't call me back!" And I threw the mouth piece down and stomped it into the floorboards. I didn't stop until every single piece was the size of a speck of dirt.

"Problem, Babe?"

Ranger was looking at the demolished phone receiver with a grim look on his face.

"Fixed." I said, gritting my teeth. I was so mad I could barely breathe, "We're through." I looked at the phone I'd just destroyed and got even more pissed.

"Babe. I know that look. Take a deep breath. You look like you're going to explode."

I bit my lip, "I might."

Ranger grabbed my arm and pulled me into him He wrapped his arms around me and his lips brushed along my hairline. I curled my fingers into the front of his jacket and stuck my nose into his chest. We stood there for a minute and Ranger spoke, "You okay?"

I breathed out a sigh, "I'm better than I have been in a while, actually." I felt liberated. Joe had freed me to do exactly what I wanted and I was going to do it. And to use Ranger's words, it was going to be good. It was going to be better than good. It was going to be something to remember.

"You have plans for Valentine's Day, Ranger?" I asked, looking up at him smiling.

"What did you have in mind?"

I looked at the cake plate and looked back at him. I looked him up and down slowly and a slight smile played at my lips, "How about some cake?"

"I thought you'd never ask, Babe."