A capture of Plum proportions

Disclaimer: The characters are the property of that saucy minx known to us all as Janet Evanovich.

Spoilers: I might have unconsciously put in some ST one's, not sure.

Rating: No smut but plenty of language. Oh the language!

A/N: After taking the plunge and posting my first fiction I have done the unthinkable and done another one. I just couldn't stop. It's almost like an alien life form has decided to invade my body and…well, no it isn't like that. Anyway, I have always wondered if Ranger ever has a bad capture of Plum worthy proportions. So yea…hopefully you will enjoy! It was originally going to be a one-shot but the story kinda evolved into something a little…bigger.

OMG! i just screwed up majorly by trying to submit the 2nd chapter and deleting the whole thing because i couldn't understand how to do it! sorry, so pls R&R again

Ranger's POV. Sometime after ST.

"Cameron Gomez," Tank read out loud as he momentarily took his eyes off the road and glanced over at the name on the top folder that lay on my lap. "Wanted for beating his wife to death, trying to burn the evidence and after failing at that, the moron buried her. Idiot. If I wanted to make someone disappear it would be a lot cleaner and my neighbours would definitely not hear about it and call the cops." "True that," I agreed.

Tank and I were driving out of the lot in front of the Bonds Office and had a full day of apprehensions ahead of us. The sky was cornflower blue with very little wind. It was summer in Trenton and it was a beautiful day. I smiled to myself as I recalled breaking into Stephanie's apartment this morning. Knowing she had been out all night ripping up the clubs with Lula and Connie, she would almost certainly be worshipping at the altar of the golden arches and Alka-Seltzer this morning. After stopping off at a MacDonald's drive through to buy the Cure, I instructed Tank to make a detour, and let myself into her apartment. Stephanie was snoring softly, spreadeagled facedown on her bed in a tank top and boxers. I shook my head at the mess that constituted her bedroom, walked across to the window and drew back the curtains to let in the bright morning sunlight.

She had drool across her cheek and smudges of makeup on her face and pillow.

"How was last night?"

"Go 'way," she mumbled into the pillow. "My head hurts and I need to sleep."

"You need to get up. It's already 9. Can't sleep away the whole day."

"Oh yes I can. Now go away." She practically snarled at me.

"Babe. Can you smell something?"

She froze. And slowly began moving. First wrinkling her nose, then blinking. Pushing herself onto her elbows. Smelling deeply.

"You're a good, good man Ranger," she whispered and stumbled into the living room where she proceeded to rip open the paper bag and shovel fries into her mouth like there was no tomorrow.

"Aaaah. Pure heaven. God bless you." I watched silently as she licked the salt off her fingers and I started to grow hard in places I hadn't been hard for a long time.

"If you know what's good for you babe, you wouldn't do that again."

Eyebrows raised, she stopped mid lick and looked at me like a rabbit caught in headlights.

"Feeling better?" I asked already knowing the answer. It never ceased to amaze me how much saturated fats, carbohydrates and sugar my babe could eat and still look the way she did. Life was unfair. I hadn't touched fries in years. And there was only one way that I could get the look that Stephanie had on her face right now. And now was definitely not the time.

"Working today?"

Stephanie realised that trying to shake her head was a bad idea and opted instead for an incoherent, "Nuuurrr."

"Babe."

"I'm going back to sleep," she mumbled, struggling to stand up.

"Babe," I repeated, doing a mental headshake. "Like I said, you can't sleep away the whole day."

"Fine," she said blowing out a sigh. "I'll wake up when you leave, and then I'm hitting the beach."

Mental image of a lobster in a bikini lying on the sand.

"You'll fry."

"I don't care. It's vitamin D anyway. Good for me."

There was no point arguing with her so I left Stephanie to her devices but not before I heard her say in a soft voice, "Ranger?"

I stopped at the door.

There was a pause. "Thanks."

I nodded and left.

"Boss?"

I was interrupted by Tank.

"Sorry, what's up?"

"We're here."

I shook my head surprised at myself. I hadn't been caught lost-in-thought before. Man, I thought, Stephanie must really be getting under skin more than I realised. Banishing those disquieting thoughts from my conscious, I turned my attention back to Tank. We had parked along a stretch of quiet residential houses. Cameron Gomez's house was a small single story brick affair. The lawn was overgrown, and there was an altogether forlorn and neglected air to it.

We got out and I rapped on the door with the butt of my Mag-light.

We waited for a few minutes but no one answered. Exchanging looks with Tank, I quickly picked the lock and we softly crept our way inside, guns drawn, slowly sweeping the house. Parlour, living room on the right, dining room and kitchen on the left with the bedrooms at the rear. It was a total mess. Clothes, empty pizza boxes and beer bottles were flung everywhere and it smelled like Gomez regularly sweated out his body weight in BO and wore wet t-shirts.

"All clear boss. Looks like he's bolted."

"Or maybe not," I replied as I opened the fridge. It was stocked full of instant microwave meals and cans of Bud.

"Gomes wouldn't run and leave this much grog behind," I reasoned.

Tank grumbled. "Damn. We gotta find this punk before the day is out. Where the hell could he be?"

Tank and I left by the back door and made our way to the front.

Indicating to the house on the right, I instructed him to ask the neighbours if they knew anything while I would tackle the house opposite.

No one was at home when I inquired, but Tank struck gold.

"Old lady at home. Said that Gomez left about half an hour before we arrived and she reckoned it looked like he was headed for the beach."

We swung back into the SUV, U turned and laid rubber.

As Tank and I pulled into the lot at Point Pleasant, we spotted Gomez's battered SUV. Donning a pair of shades, bullet-proof vests and combat boots, I admitted that we stood out like a sore thumb. Not to mention the fact that we were fully armed in all black. If Tank and I were intimidating in Stark Street, I wondered what the reception would be like at the beach. Shrugging away that thought, we turned to the mission at hand.

The beach was crowded. Apart from being the school holidays, the beautiful weather had drawn people from their offices and houses and I realised that it would be a challenge to find our man in this throng. We passed a hotdog stand and I immediately thought of my babe. I knew that she would probably be at the beach before long and I began to look for her too.

Trudging through the sand, Tank and I began to scour the beach for Gomez.

"He can't be that hard to spot. I mean, this guy is about 300 pounds of pure flab. Put that in a pair of Speedo's and it should be a piece of cake to spot."

I smiled at Tank's optimism and admitted that he wasn't too far off the mark.

"Hmm. Just look out for screaming women and children."

Tank's chest thunked up and down indicating he was chuckling.

"Should we split up?" Tank asked as we walked past a group of teenager girls. Mouths dropped open, nipples hardened and all lapsed into a kind of revered silence as we passed. Well, I guess its not everyday you get to see two men dressed in black SWAT gear strolling along the beach.

"I hate it when they do that," Tank grumbled.

I smiled.

Tank continued his grumbling. "Damn this sand. Boss, sorry to sound like a girl, but this friggin' sand is getting into my boots."

I gave a mental eyeroll and shook my head. "Get over it."

A/N: So, what do you think so far? I've basically finished the whole story (it's not very long. Only one more chapter to go), and I would edit and post it, but it's a Saturday night which means it's time for me to go and get drunk at my local pub with my friends. So I will post the finish action-filled finale tomorrow. Hopefully. I would love for feedback and comments. All constructive criticisms are welcome with open arms!