Disclaimer: These characters are not mine and I am not making any money.

Author's Note: I hope you guys enjoy this story. This is a Babe Story!

Getting Started

"Babe." Ranger can make that one word mean many different things. This time Steph believes he is trying to say 'I can't believe you're eating that.' She gazed in his soulful dark brown eyes and gave him a look. She was standing in front of the counter and he was sitting on the bar stool on the other side of the counter.

"What?" She asked around a mouthful of Boston creme donut.

He chuckled slightly; a barely there deep rumble that came from within that muscular chest but Steph heard it and she shivered from the way that one little sound could make her feel. "That stuff will kill you."

Steph rolled her eyes and changed the subject. "Did you have a reason to drop by this morning?" She asked him; a little annoyed.

"I'm going out of town for awhile. If you need anything; call Tank." He said as he got up and came around to stand in front of her. Steph stood her ground even though she wanted to run. Okay so maybe she wanted to run in his arms and kiss him senseless.

"I'll call Tank if I need anything." She promised as she finished her donut.

"Are you and Morelli still off?" Ranger asked. Steph snapped her head back at the change of topic. She nodded. "Permanently." Ranger studied her a for a moment and then nodded. He kissed her forehead. "Don't go crazy, Babe."

She gave him a smile. "Don't get shot." He gave her a small smile before turning and walking out her front door. She heard the locks tumbled and then all was silent. Steph let out a huge sigh and sat down at the counter. Joe and her called their so called relationship off almost three months ago. They were however still really good friends. In fact that was how she came by these delicious Boston cremes. Joe had stopped by that morning a little earlier than Ranger and dropped them off. Sometimes she was already up and getting ready for work and sometimes she was still asleep. If she was asleep he never woke her up. He would sometimes leave a note but more often than not he would just leave the food without a word.

She liked and enjoyed their new easy friendship. They hung out all the time; watching Ranger games or movies. They went out to eat or sometimes just stayed in. The only difference now was that they didn't have sex. She did miss it sometimes but she didn't love Joe the way she loved Ranger and it didn't feel right anymore. But since calling things off with Joe; Ranger stayed away. No more hot and heavy kisses. No more caresses. No more innuendos. He was being stubborn and difficult. So difficult in fact she was thinking of just giving up and dating someone else completely but her heart already belonged to Ranger so she had decided to just wait until the time was right to tell Ranger her feelings.

Steph finished her last donut and took off for her shower. It was a busy time in the bail bonding business right now. People were skipping right and left. But that was good; she needed the money. Steph jumped in the shower and did a quick run through. No reason to do anything special since she was just going to work. She blackmailed her sleazy cousin Vinnie almost three years ago for a job as a bounty hunter. More often than she cared to admit she would end up rolling in something nasty or falling in something nasty or have something nasty thrown at her; but she always got her man. It may take several attempts but she did.

She got dressed in a pair of dark blue jeans and a pink tank top with her favorite boots. She pulled her hair back in a ponytail. It was a humid morning and she didn't feel like messing with it today. She grabbed her bag full of goodies and cruised out the door.

She parked her shitty POS baby shit green Toyota in front of the office and got out. After several attempts she got the front door of her car shut and headed towards the Bail Bonds door.

Once entering the cool interior of the building she smiled at Connie. "Good morning, Connie."

Connie smiled and answered back. "Good morning Steph. We are busy this morning." Connie was a few years older than her and she was gifted nicely in the breasts department. This morning she was a wearing a tight red jean skirt and a white button up blouse that barely contained her double d girls. She had bright red cowboy boots on to match the skirt.

"Good, I need busy." Steph looked around. "Where is Lula?" Lula was a former ho and their now file clerk part time bounty hunter. But she had a itchy trigger finger so sometimes it was better to leave her behind.

"She had to make a stop at Cluck N' Bucket for some chicken. She's going to be late."

Steph looked at her watch. "It's barely 11. She wants chicken already." Steph wondered out loud.

Connie nodded. "She had a craving." Steph nodded and held out her hand which Connie filled with folders of skips.

"How many do we have today?" Steph asked; clearly surprised.

"There is a total of six right now. Mostly first timers that were easy marks or people like Mooner." Connie told her smiling.

Steph laughed. "Mooner will be easy. He's probably high and just forgot."

Connie nodded in agreement. "Also on the list is 49 year old Lisa Edels; arrested for being drunk and naked in public."

Steph laughed. "Naked?" Steph looked at Lisa's file. She was tall and long. She had bleached blond hair and gray eyes. She was pretty.

Connie nodded. "She got drunk and decided she was ready to go to bed. So she stripped. Only problem was she hadn't made it home yet. She was still in the parking lot of the bar."

Steph shook her head in disbelief. "Figures."

"Then we have 78 year old George Embers." Steph pulled his file. Only way to describe him was old. He had shock white hair, but only over his eyebrows and sticking out his nose and ears. His head was bald. He had piercing blue eyes. Connie continued to explain. "He was arrested for hitting another man at Bingo. He claims he called Bingo first but the other man did so George hit him."

Steph let out another giggle. "He should be easy too. Whose next?" She flipped to the next folder. This girl was petite with dirty blond hair and brown eyes but cute.

"Casey Miles is a 22 year old waitress. She works at a local diner. Guy came in and asked her out. She said no and he copped a feel. So she poured hot coffee in his lap. He pressed charges."

"He deserved it; the asshole. She should be relatively easy too." Connie nodded in agreement.

"The next two is husband and wife. They were arguing and he hit her and then she stabbed him." Steph couldn't help it. She started laughing. She was laughing so hard she didn't see Lula come in with a big bucket of chicken.

"What's she laughing at?" Lula asked. Steph got her laughter under control, turned to Lula and explained her bout of laughter. Lula rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Is it a full moon? A lot of people doing stupid things." Lula sat down the bucket of chicken then grabbed two breasts from the greasy bucket. She then sat down on the couch and started eating. Steph eyed Lula's outfit of choice for today. Lula was a full figured woman and she showed it with pride. Today she was wearing a neon orange spandex top with a neon green spandex skirt. The boots were neon orange and her hair was neon green. She matched perfectly. Steph grabbed a leg and sat down next to her. Connie grabbed a thigh and went to munching.

After a few minutes of silence, Lula broke it. "So you and super cop still calling it quits?"

Steph swallowed her chicken and nodded. "We are. We are so much better as friends then anything. We get along a lot better than before."

"And how is Joe doing?" Connie asked through a chunk of chicken.

Steph smiled. "No more heartburn." Steph declared. Lula and Connie laughed. Steph finished her leg and then threw the bones in the trash. She turned to Lula. "You wanna come with?"

Lula jumped up and nodded. "Where we going?"

"I need money bad since my bank account is hitting rock bottom so grabbed that bucket of chicken. We are going lure Mooner first with chicken."

Lula grabbed the chicken. "Let's go, White Girl." They waved good bye to Connie and walked out the door.

Steph and Lula pulled up in front of Mooner's place and parked. They got out of the car and headed to Mooner's front door which was standing wide open. They reached the the front porch and Steph reached a hand out to stop Lula.

"Lula, I have a bad feeling."

"What kind of bad feeling? I hate it when you get bad feelings."

"I don't know, but I'm not going in there." Steph backed up and grabbed her cell phone. Lula quickly followed.

"Hey Joe."

"Cupcake, I'm a little busy."

"I know and I'm sorry but could you please send someone out to Mooner's place."

"What's going on? He smoke one too many?" Joe asked; laughing.

"Joe, that's not funny. We came to pick him up but his door is wide open and I have bad feeling."

Joe quickly sobered. "I'll send someone out, Steph." He promised before hanging up.

"He's going to send someone out to look around." Steph told Lula.

Lula nodded. "We could go look around." She said as she started toward the house. Steph stopped her and shook her head.

"No we stay out here. I have a bad feeling, Lula. My spidey sense is really wigging."

"Wigging?" Lula questioned. Steph shrugged. "I don't know a better word right now for it."

Lula nodded in understanding before going silent.

A cop car pulled up and Lula shuddered. "I hate cops." Steph looked over at her friend. "I know but please don't leave. It's just Eddie and Big Dog. They're friends."

When Eddie got closer he finally spoke. "What seems to be the problem, Steph?"

Steph shrugged. "Mooner went FTA and we came here to pick him up and his front door was wide open. I had a bad feeling, Eddie so I called Joe."

Eddie and Big Dog both nodded. "We'll go look around. You two stay here." They nodded and hung back.

A seriously looking Eddie and Big Dog came out a couple of minutes later; Eddie was on the phone. "We need it as soon as possible. I don't care. This is obviously a crime scene." Steph's heart sank. She knew something had been wrong. Eddie got off the phone and then turned to Steph.

"It's a good thing you called us, Steph."

Steph swallowed hard. "Is he?"

Eddie shook his head. "There is no body in there but there is a sign of a big struggle and some blood, Steph."

Steph started to see stars and her vision got a little iffy. Eddie forced her to sit down with her head between her legs. When she could properly breath and see again; there was crime scene people everywhere. She looked around and spotted Joe. He walked over to her and opened his arms. She went to him but she didn't cry. She was afraid she would never stop.

"You okay, Cupcake?" He asked; concern lacing his voice.

She nodded. "Who would want to do this to Mooner. He's a good guy."

Joe crushed her a little closer and shook his head. "I don't know, Steph. I just don't know."

He watched them from across the street. A smile leering on his face. "It's time, My Dear. Everything is ready. It's time. Soon you will be mine." He faded into the background and once again disappeared.

Author's Note: If anyone can remember Mooner's real name...please let me know. I'm lazy and don't want to go through the books. This is a Babe story with twists and turns. Let me know if you enjoyed what I have written so far. Thanks!