Happy Birthday ShellSueD! Here's a Babe story for you (and hopefully all Babe fans) based on the song "The Space Between" by Dave Matthews Band. It's not exactly a literal translation of the song, but I did rework the lyrics to include them where I could. All familiar characters belong to Janet.
I could feel the nerves coming from my phone before even seeing Stephanie's number. I'd been expecting a call because I know how much she hates flying.
"Babe."
"I just wanted to tell you that ... if I die today, the last person I'll be thinking about is you."
"You're only flying to Vegas, Steph. You've done that a number of times."
Airplanes scare her almost as much as guns do. Her fear of both, combined with her independent nature, had me hiring a man she wouldn't recognize to keep an eye on her from her building's lot to her capture in Vegas.
"Yeah, and I hated flying there every time ... this one is no different. There's no hope for me when it comes to aerial travel. Even if I squeeze my eyelids together and tell myself lies ... like I'm really on a beach in Kauai, sipping an umbrella drink, with you standing over me - shirtless - about to take my hand to go for a walk on the beach. When really ... I'll be strapped into a death trap, thousands of feet in the air, with rain streaming down from the sky in both my leaving and landing states. I checked the weather, it's going to rain today everywhere I am."
"You'll be fine."
"I hope so. Any chance you have a plane to get me there? Something with your name on it, I'm sure I'd feel better about taking."
"I can make alternative arrangements if your Spidey Sense is telling you not to board."
She sighed into the phone. "No. I'm just worrying like always. I'll be okay. Can we have dinner when there's no longer the space of a country between us?"
"It's a date."
"I love you, you know."
"I do. And it's returned tenfold."
"I know," she told me.
I didn't like the unsettled feeling I got when she disconnected. I couldn't escort her there, but I plan on meeting her in Vegas before she leaves the city. She'd briefly mentioned a Ferris wheel that serves cocktails to get passengers through the ride, and she seemed interested in the experience, so I was going to make it happen for her. I still plan on it if I can get the shit here dealt with in time to get on a separate plane that will arrive before she leaves. Then I'll have a few days to devote solely to her.
First up is a handful of phone calls. The most important one being to Julie, hopefully catching her before she gets on the bus so she can tell me how well she did on the test she was concerned about. Another call was to my mother, letting her know I'll be out of town. And the last two were to clients. One wanted to know if I was interested in a weekend bodyguard job to get him from D.C. to Miami and back with no incidents. I informed him I'd be available since I'd have the opportunity to see my daughter for a few hours, and I'm sure I can convince Stephanie to be my 'backup'.
The second client-conversation involved a security consult which any of my men could've handled, but with a new client I want it known that this is my company and I'm involved in every aspect of it. That's important to me. I didn't just sell my name or reputation to turn a profit, which is why I felt I had to go over the payroll even though I pay someone well to handle it. I also arranged for a tour of a building in D.C. I've been considering for another branch of Rangeman since I now know I'll be in the area next week anyway.
When Bobby knocked on my door, I'd made it almost all the way through the reports I always double-check in case Santos gets lazy.
"Come in," I said, looking up from the tiny grenade Lester had drawn in place of an 'O' in his recount of a break-in he'd responded to.
If I didn't like Lester 'Fuck 'Em' Santos, I'd shoot him. He's an overgrown frat boy more days than not, but he did turn the ambiguous 'Fuck Them' into a rally cry before we'd head out on a mission. Since agreeing to take orders from me again, he gets any job I ask of him done here.
"Steph was heading to Vegas?" Brown asked me from the doorway.
"Yes. She was on the nine am flight out. Why are you asking?"
"There's reports of a plane possibly carrying an unidentified package. We all know what that means."
I do ... all too well. Explosives could be present.
Brown was still talking. "The plane had already taken off when the airline received the call containing a threat ... the flight was on its way to Vegas."
"She left from Pennsylvania this time, not Newark."
"Fuck."
That got me immediately on my feet. "Why wasn't I contacted by Perkins?"
"I'd bet he has his hands full with Steph. She hates flying."
She'll never do it again without me after today. And Perkins is no doubt hoping to die before I get to him.
"What do we know?" I demanded.
"The flight's being diverted ..."
"Find out where and get me either a chopper, car, or plane, there. Whatever's faster."
"Who do you want with you?"
"Whoever's standing at the door by the time I reach the lobby."
"Count me in."
"Fine. Move."
He wisely got the hell out of my way and proceeded to haul ass to keep up with me, his cell already in his hand. He could want to be there for Stephanie, or because he and I have been through, and come out of, many firefights together. Each 'job' ended with us likely pissed, sometimes injured, but always alive. We've been friends longer than I've known Steph, but I don't give a fuck about anything except getting to hold her again.
I wasn't surprised to see Tank already holding the lobby door open for me.
"I'll drive," he told me.
"No. Trust me, you want me focused on something right now," I told him.
"Hal and I will be right behind you," Bobby said, nodding to the other man before both peeled off to the right of the garage where the fleet vehicles are, while Tank followed me to my truck. The last time I saw my best friend look panicked is back when we were both seven and he was questioning our decision to test out a roller coaster that promised a 116 degree drop at 70 mph. He didn't puke then, but I can tell his breakfast will make an appearance if something happens to Stephanie, not only because he considers her a friend, but he knows my days will be numbered if she isn't here to fill them.
"She'll be fine," he assured us both.
Everything in me wanted to believe him, but I wouldn't survive the blow if I held out for hope that isn't there. Delusions of a good outcome and misguided faith can keep you safe from pain for only a short time, so I remained silent until we reached the airport Vince, then Bobby, called to tell us is the site of the emergency landing.
I didn't think my gut could be squeezed any tighter. There's only three ways I can see this playing out. One being that this is the work of a sick son-of-a-bitch who gets his rocks off terrorizing people. That would force me to hunt him down and beat the fucking shit out of him, but I - and possibly he - would live. The other options I don't want to think about, though my mind won't stop going there. There could be something on board that'll be found and diffused quickly, but if it isn't and couldn't be ...
"She'll be fine," Tank repeated, sensing the change in the air around me.
"There's no alternative."
"No ... there isn't," he agreed.
We crossed the state line and I was finally able to breathe. I had Steph's number set to be repeatedly called as I drove while Tank fielded calls from the control room. He could've kept trying her cell in between relaying info from Vince to me, but I wanted to be the first one to hear her voice, even if it was going to be broadcasted within the confines of the vehicle.
"I'm okay," she said immediately, when I finally made contact.
"You'd better be."
"I'm not bleeding, screaming, and there are no tears running down my face or vomit streaming down the window by my seat. Your guy can swear to that in court."
"You made Perkins?"
"Don't trust him with any Rangeman secrets. He told me he's one of your guys so I'd let his neck out of my chokehold."
"Proud of you, Babe."
"I needed a distraction, and confronting either a nutso stalker or a guy too interested in me personally, was preferable to picturing myself and everyone else being blown to bits in mid-air."
My stomach went back to twisting. "My mind and mouth are warring with how to respond to that comment."
"Let me cut through the befuddlement so we don't waste our time just talking about unimportant stuff. I'm sorry ... I shouldn't joke about dying."
"You're not allowed to die."
"That's what I keep telling everyone. It seems to be working for me, too. I may not deserve the nine lives I've been given, but since you need me ... and you deserve everything for what you do and have done for everybody ... I'll likely always be spared."
"You've gotten sappy since you hooked up with Bossman," Tank said to her.
"I'm on speaker?" She asked. "Good thing I didn't say anything bad about you or dirty about Ranger."
She stopped talking and I heard nothing except muted voices, as if she'd pressed the phone against her chest for a minute.
"Try Perkins again," I ordered Tank.
"Steph?" I said louder, hoping she could still hear me.
It took a few heart-stopping beats, but she quieted the beast within me when she responded.
"Sorry ... I'm here."
"Don't you dare quit talking to me," I warned her. "I need to hear your voice."
"I know you do, and I desperately want you here so I don't have to be strong anymore, but you've shown me how to be ... and I have to do what I can to help out. We still don't know anything, aside from nothing has exploded but something still could. Having no answers isn't making things better. I suck with kids, but there's a mom sitting across the aisle from me who's freaking out more than I am. Now her little guy is attached to my hair."
That explains the 'ba-bas' that can be heard through the phone. "Your curls are irresistible."
"Yes, but when your fingers are in them, it's a completely different thing than when tiny ones I swear have fingertips made of VELCRO find them fascinating."
Never did I think I could laugh with my reason for living suspended, literally, up in the air. That's exactly what kept me coming back for more ... with every conversation, smile, laugh, and reciprocated 'I love you', she's lessened some of the dead weight I've been carrying around for decades. She's single-handedly held back a little of the darkness that still threatens to take over, but that war needs to be fought far less often since I've met her.
"I love you, Steph." Those words are frequently said, but just how much I do care about this woman ... chokes me every fucking time I voice it. "You'd better not be lying about being alright."
"I'm not. And don't shoot your rent-a-guy. He's using all his muscle - physical and contact-wise - to find out if this is all talk or if we really should be scared. He doesn't appear to be sweating too much ... so I'm taking that as a good sign."
"My men don't sweat under duress, Steph."
"I'd believe you, but I've been in the gym with Woody and Tank ... and they stunk."
Again, I caught my lips twitching, as were Tank's.
"I. Don't. Stink," he told her.
"You do after you've wiped the gym floor with both Woody and Ram. Any other time, you smell pretty good ... spicy. Not as mouthwatering as Ranger and his evil shower gel smells, but not bad."
"What does Perkins say?" I asked Tank.
Because I could hear a baby and nothing else, I knew she was also holding her breath waiting for the answer.
"He hasn't found any evidence of an explosive."
She snort-sighed. "That doesn't do a lot for me. I haven't found anything either, but I don't feel any calmer, which isn't helping my mood."
"I'm here waiting for you when you land."
"Now that helps," she said, pausing before coming back on the line, "since it appears to be happening soon. We were just told to get our butts back in our seats."
I cut my eyes to Tank who nodded.
"We're being warned to prepare for touchdown. Don't worry, I'll be okay and I'll find you inside. At the risk of making Tank sick, I'll say it again ... I love the heck out of you. Okay ... and you, too, Tank."
He went still but then forced himself to relax. "We're flying with you next time."
I could picture her grin. "There's not going to be a 'next time' for a good six months."
"You've gotten ballsier," he noted. "A year ago you wouldn't have considered taking another flight period."
"I haven't hit RangeGuy-brave yet, but I'm a little closer to it. Me and my balls will see you guys soon. Try not to scare anyone at the airport, everybody's rattled enough already."
Then she was gone. I felt better hearing that she's okay and still mostly calm, but I won't be alright myself until she's safe and secure in my arms again. Once we stopped playing games, we became inseparable. Our emotions are no longer seen as twisted, instead our feelings are now so twisted up in each other ... we've become a strange pair of allies, fiercely-loyal partners, as well as confirmed soulmates.
"I'd take that plane down myself if I could," I admitted to Tank.
"I know. You'd do anything for her. I get it. If I wasn't worried about people being injured or panicking that would cause injuries, I'd tell Santos to get his ass here with something that'll take out an engine just to get her back on the ground faster."
It's complete bullshit, but I appreciated his effort to keep my mind off what could still happen. I found a place to park and we double-timed it into the main terminal. It took longer than I'd like, but the plane did land safely. As long as Stephanie and everyone else is off it, the fucking thing could blow to hell and back and I wouldn't give a shit.
Before the passenger's were allowed off the plane, I got word that this was a phone threat from an airline employee who'd been fired two weeks ago for refusing to fly after a security concern was deemed safe. The asshole decided to cause a concern of his own as payback. I had Vince run the name I'd been given and then sent Bobby and Hal to the address tied to the fucker to make sure the police apprehended him. I'd made it clear that if they got to him first, they have my permission to do what I would if I were there.
The airport was full of activity, but I heard Stephanie's voice loud and clear. She was going off like the devil would in the middle of a crowded room full of faithful churchgoers.
"We had to go through all of that crap because some idiot got let go?!" She was saying. "What the fuck is wrong with people these days? I'm called 'crazy' when there are nutjobs like this running around?"
I saw Perkins' blond head standing half-a-foot above everyone else's. He didn't look happy. The only thing more terrifying than a scared Stephanie Plum ... is a pissed-off one, but she can be angry, loud, and completely rain-soaked, and I'd still thank God she's standing in front of me ... all mine to take care of again.
"It's not like I wanted to die or anything," she continued, a little calmer now, "but all that waiting and worrying over a fucking phone call? I wish I could get my hands on the jerk myself."
"I'm sure Ranger could arrange that," Hollis Perkins, a man I helped train a few years back, told her.
I'd arrange a meeting with the caller if I felt like sharing her. I don't. If anyone can change a person's entire life ... it's Stephanie. I watched her scan the area for me. She let herself completely relax, took a deep breath, and then turned her head to the right. She was suddenly looking directly into my eyes, and once again ... I felt the jolt that always happens when I see her.
She left Perkins in the dust as she closed the distance between us. When she was within grabbing-range, I reached out, curled an arm around her waist, and kissed her like I wouldn't get the opportunity to again, because it's always possible that I won't. Today proved that.
As my mouth worked hers, her hands fisted in my shirt, holding on tightly for the ride. She didn't kiss the ground when she landed back on it, she kissed me instead ... pulling my head back to hers when I made a move to raise it.
"Jesus," Tank said, clearing his throat uncomfortably. "Don't quit making out on our account."
"I think it's nice," Hollis told him. "Especially after a scare like that."
"Shut it. Your ass is in danger of a beatdown as it is, don't add to it by being a pussy."
That got Steph pulling away from me. They each deserve a beatdown for that alone.
"Calm down, Guys," she told them, noticing the wild-eyed look on the blond who appears to have already been added to her group of 'Merry Men'. "We made it through another disaster, don't ruin the moment by bickering. Perky was more worried about me and everybody else than himself, so he lived up to Rangeman's requirements. He even offered to steal wine for me so I could take the edge off my nerves if I wanted to."
"Perky?" I asked.
The full-on grin she gave me was the most reassuring thing I've seen in awhile. "He kept saying 'Ranger's gonna kill me, Ranger's gonna kill me,' over and over again. I thought nicknaming him would snap him out of it. It did. He was very adamant on not being called Holly, so that left Perky."
"Only you, Babe."
"Yup. He probably would've shot anyone else who was purposely irritating him."
I thought back to one specific time he and I were working together to settle a matter, and I knew that to be true.
"It's a possibility," I told her.
"So now what?" She asked. "There's no bomb, I didn't make it anywhere close to my skip, and they already know who to arrest here. We can still attempt Vegas, but it's going to take a few days because between the possibility of exploding, and what was in his diaper," she pointed and waved as a dark-haired woman holding a baby boy passed by, the boy blowing Steph a kiss while the mother waved back, "have me totally convinced driving is the way to go even if it takes much longer."
"I'll have someone in Vegas pick up your FTA for you. He'll be delivered to Vinnie by the end of the day," I promised her.
"Make sure the capture money goes back to Vegas with whoever you order to do the job," she told me.
"Alright."
She didn't believe me. She knows I'll just come up with something else for her to be reimbursed for ... like babysitting Perky, which will be written in the books as is as part of his punishment for not calling me at the first sign of trouble.
"Since the police are handling the man I'd pay a lot to 'question' myself, you and Perky can take my truck and head back to Rangeman," I told Tank. "I'll rent something here and Steph and I will follow later." I cut my eyes to the other man. "I want a word with you when I get back ... you'd better be there."
"I was set to call you first thing, but your woman here told me she wanted to field the call."
"Are you blaming Stephanie for you not doing your job?" I asked him.
My tone made the three of them shiver simultaneously.
"No. I take full responsibility for what I do ... or didn't do fast enough this time."
"That's better."
Steph put a hand flat against my chest. "He was great up there. You would've been proud. He kept people calm and gave me things to do so I'd be in control of something instead of going apeshit on everyone. So please go easy on him. I wanted to hear your voice and tell you myself that I'm alright ... I just didn't think it'd take so long to do it. I'm sorry for scaring you."
"You don't have anything to apologize for."
She pressed a soft kiss to my mouth. "Neither does he." She glanced over her shoulder at the two men watching us. "Run," she advised.
Tank looked at me and I nodded. They're free to go. "Unless Bobby and Hal need something," I told him.
"They're here, too?" Steph asked.
"In the state, not the airport," I said.
"I'll make a call first," Tank told me.
With a hand smacking into the base of Perkins' neck, Tank used the hold to get Hollis moving forward.
"Wow ... you guys are a 'touchy' bunch," Steph said. "So they clearly have plans, what are ours?"
I took her hand. "Right now, we're walking out of here together. And be warned, Babe, once I get you alone, there will be no space left between our bodies, minds, or our hearts ... for a tear, bad thought, or clothing, to fit into."
"Ooookay ... I can find nothing wrong with that plan. Do you know what I realized today?"
"What?"
"No matter what the nightmare I'm currently facing is, all I need is a small connection to you to make everything in my world alright again."
A/N: The quote Steph says to Ranger about him being the last person she'll be thinking about if she dies, is one I saw online.