I do not own any of the Characters below, I write for my enjoyment only; I post for your enjoyment.

I woke up one if my favorite ways, with Joe pressing up against my back and growing. Three Morelli introduced organisms and thirty minutes later, we were in the shower where I got to experience Joe's magic fingers and tongue all over again. I am one lucky girl. My name is Stephanie Plum, and I'm a Bond Enforcement Agent for my cousin Vinnie. I only work for him part time. I work full time for my mentor and friend, Ranger Manoso, at his Security Company named Rangeman.

With the water in the shower turning colder we got out and started our day. By the time I got my hair and make up done and got downstairs, Joe had made coffee, walked Bob and was sitting at the table eating his breakfast, looking good enough to eat himself. My favorite breakfast cereal was sitting on the table waiting for me. I grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down next to him.

Joe Morelli is a Trenton cop; he is 6 ft of movie star good looks and screaming 'I'm a bad boy with attitude.' Truth is, growing up Joe was a bad boy - the kind every mother prays her daughter won't be attracted to. Unfortunately for my mother, Joe and I have been in and out of each other's lives since we were kids. Joe has lost the attitude but kept the looks. He's now a cop - one of the best in Trenton, probably in New Jersey, maybe the country. Where Joe used to be a different-women-every-different-day kind of guy, he's now a one women kind of guy. He's chosen me and I'm not complaining.

For the past 9 months, Joe and I have been living together in bliss. 3 months ago I officially moved out of my apartment and moved the last of the winter clothes and that box in the back of the closet that I haven't open in years into Joe's house - our house. My lease had been up for renewal and Joe and I had spent weeks talking about the pros and cons of not renewing it. The money I would save was a big pro. Not having anywhere to run anymore was both a pro and a con. But truth be told Joe and I weren't fighting that much anymore, I mean the hand-waving-stomping-out-being-too-stubborn-to-talk-after kind of fight. We still argued about stuff, but we decided to grow up and deal with our issues face to face in the moment. We've found that after the yelling and hand waving was done, if we were both in the same room together, we could calmly discuss the problem and come together with a compromise we both could live with.

Ranger had been the first issue we had to deal with. He was my friend and I didn't want to lose that, but Joe didn't trust Ranger. After the screaming was done and I admitted to myself that Joe had a point, we sat down and calmly discussed the reason why he didn't trust him. It had been eye opening to say the least. Joe had known about the stolen kisses Ranger had taken and he had suspected that we'd had sex. It had been hard for him to form those words and he'd been relieved to learn it had only been one time when we had broken up. He'd said he understood and he'd gotten past that a long time ago, but the continued familiar relationship that I allowed Ranger to share with me was always going to be an issue and one that had to be settled. I'd known this and had already decided that I had to deal with my relationship with Ranger, but until Joe put it on the table that night I had been avoiding it. Deep down I was afraid that by setting conditions, Ranger would no longer want a friendship. But if I was going to work for Rangeman Joe deserved the respect that it was only a working relationship and that very next day I gave that to him and to my surprise Ranger agreed. He told me that he was happy being my friend if that was what I wanted. And if Joe was the one, he was happy for me. To anyone else he would have looked like he did at any other time but I knew the difference. I'd kept my job at Rangeman, doing security searches and investigations along with the occasional distraction job and Ranger went in the wind for a few weeks after that. Joe didn't like the distraction jobs I did, but with the new defined relationship with Ranger and his agreement that is was best to bring the FTA in outside in a controlled environment, he keep quiet about them.

Since I was still working for Vinnie from time to time, Joe decided to teach me some 'tricks of the trade' for bringing in the bad guys. To this day, whenever I cuff a guy after a take down I blush remembering the night we were playing around with the cuffs and Joe showed me that technique. After the first couple of times Lula decided she didn't want to know the details, more likely that I wasn't going to give them. Lula knew I didn't give out those kinds of details. Ranger had returned from where ever he was and dropped by Joe's and my booth at Pino's and shook hands with Joe. They did some silent male communicating thing that seemed to ease the air between the two. After that night Joe and Ranger were actually able to share air space without the feeling of doom approaching. The two will never be friends but it made my life a lot easier.

Joe calling my name broke into my reminiscing.

"Cupcake, you OK?"

"Yeah"

"Seemed like you weren't listening."

"Sorry Joe, I was just thinking about the beautiful morning we had."

He grinned. "Well because of that beautiful morning I'm going to be late. Wouldn't change a thing, but I have a meeting in 20 minutes that I need to get to. I'll call you later." Joe repeated to me, got up with his bowl, kissed me goodbye, dropped his bowl in the sink and left. I sipped my coffee realize I was going to be late and that was one of the problems with Ranger even before the new relationship Ranger required promptness. So I grabbed my keys and purse and left for my day.

I reached Rangeman with two minutes to spare. I parked and rushed up to my cubby on floor 5. The control room was a buzz that morning and as I stepped into the room all eyes turned to me.

"What?" I asked.

Nothing but stares in return.

"What?" I asked again. "Why are you starring at me?"

Tank approached and moved me into the office shutting the door behind us. "Ranger went offline last night at 6 and hasn't reappeared." "And?" I asked. "It's not like he hasn't done that before."

"Not without telling one if us he was doing it and not since he got back from the last time"

I knew Tank meant the time he went into the wind after I set up the definitions of our relationship. Everything had stayed the same in the control room. It wasn't as if Ranger had ever got touchy feely in front of the guys. Tank was the exception. Ranger trusted him with everything. Tank knew the truth about our relationship. I suspected the guys had always assumed we were sleeping together and he'd done nothing to change that, even though we only did once, years ago.

"Is there anything you might know about him going off grid?" Tank asked

"I haven't spoken to or seen Ranger since the staff meeting yesterday," I told him. That was at 3 and Ranger left afterwards and, apparently, went offline. "What can I do to help?" I asked, knowing that if Ranger didn't want to be found there was nothing I could do to find him

"Just act like nothing's different. He'll turn up." Tank turned, walked out of the office and was gone. I followed a beat later. The guys returned their eyes to me, so I repeated my question "WHAT?"

"Steph. l" It was Lester that spoke. "We're just wondering what you know?"

"Why would I know anything you don't?"

"Well …um … well." Lester was at a lost for words.

"Spit it out Lester!" I decided Ranger's privacy rule be damned.

"Just thought you would know where the boss was … like maybe you were with him," he stumbled out.

"OK, listen up." I let out a breath. "First, I haven't seen or spoken to Ranger since the staff meeting. Second. Ranger and I were never together the way you think, no stolen kisses, no longing glazes no dinners up on 7. Third, I gave him back his key fob 7 months ago. I'm just one of the guys." And with that I went to my cubby, booted up my computer and stared at the files in my in-box.

By lunchtime I had convinced myself that Ranger could take care of himself and I had other issues to worry about, like the stack of files that I haven't been working on and the idea that Joe dropped in my lap last night of a vacation. It was June and he told me I could choose any place to go. He was scheduled off the week of July 13th and it would be great to actually get away somewhere. By the time I ate my turkey sandwich I was ready to return to my desk and get to work. I turned the corner into the control room and discovered Ranger was no longer offline. He was seated at my desk looking at my unfinished pile of files.

"Yo" I said to him

"Babe"

"Nice of you to show up today." I was trying to keep the mood light. Ranger got right to the point

"I need information on this FTA. I need everything - even the smallest detail. All I know right now is that he caught a flight to Chicago this morning. Woody and I will be on the four o'clock flight today. I need it before I land at 6, but I would prefer it before we take off. It takes priority over all else."

"Yes sir," I said giving him my mock salute that I know he hates. But I was rewarded with his seldom scene 200 watt smiles then he was gone and I went to work.