When I was twenty five, I went through a phase. A phase of travel. It hit me without warning. One day I simply woke up and the itch to see the world was driving me crazy. So, I did the only thing I could do. I saved up my money, packed my bags and left Trenton for two and a half years - without so much as a second glance. I toured the states and then the world. I stayed clear of the drugs but found it a lot harder to resist the men. Thankfully, I left them all behind. Or so I thought.
I sigh as I ease my motorbike to a halt. Placing both feet on the ground, I cut the ignition and pocket the key. Dragging my head out of the helmet, I run a hand through my curls. Helmet hair – ugh. The only downside to my current transport situation. Hanging the helmet on the right handlebar, I give the bike seat a loving pat. Six months ago I made the decision to switch from four wheels to two. Not only do I look damn fine on my Honda VTR 1000, but it is a hell of a lot harder to place a bomb on a bike. Points for Stephanie.
Turning my attention to the elevator, I cast the camera a little finger wave before the steel doors close. I've been working at Rangeman for over four months now, ever since me and Joe called it quits for good. The break up wasn't hard, but it wasn't exactly easy either. There were tears, there was yelling, but near the end, there were hugs and promises not to write things on bathroom walls. I now vary my work between the bonds office and distractions, surveillance and searches for Rangeman. The pay isn't bad and nicely steady, I haven't been behind on my rent in three months. More points for Stephanie.
I unzip my leather jacket and glance down at my boots. I tap them together, mimicking Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. There's no place like home. I close my eyes, but sigh with defeat when I hear the elevator ding. It was worth a try. For some reason, I woke up this morning and just did not want to work. I mean, not the usual 'I can't be bothered to get my ass out of bed' feeling. I'm talking Spidey senses are tingly here. Stepping forward I pass the guys on monitor duty and give them a pair of raised eyebrows - greetings from a tired Stephanie.
"Morning Beautiful." Lester grins as I stop outside my cubical. I'm glaring at the computer, hoping that my eyes will suddenly turn to lasers and that pesky problem will be gone. "Dreading a day of being glued to the screen?" He asks innocently as I turn my dirty look on him. "It isn't funny, I'm going to be stuck here all day, my ass numb and my eyes crossed." I mutter darkly, smiling despite myself at Lester's cheesy smile. For the past week I've been avoiding my inbox like the plague. I've done everything I can think of, distractions, low bond skips, a couple of high bond skips, hell, I even volunteered to do surveillance just to avoid searches. But it's Friday now, and my futile attempts to run are over. Admitting defeat, I step forward and drop myself into my seat. "Bring me a coffee Lester, this going to be a long day."
Seven hours, fours cups of coffee and a countless number of searches later, there's a knock on my cubicle. I wearily turn around, rubbing my eyes and stretching my legs. "Yeah?" I yawn, blinking up at Ranger's frowning face. "I haven't done anything!" I insist quickly, perhaps a little too quickly because he raises a single eyebrow. "I haven't blown anything up. Haven't gotten myself covered in filth. I haven't even had a doughnut in a whole week!" My defences are up because his look hasn't changed. Stepping forward, he holds out a single rose. "Babe."
"Oh. Thanks." I sheepishly grin, reaching for the flower. "It's not from me." His tone says angry but he's got the blank face on, so it's hard to tell how bad this really is. "Oh?" I match his frown and take a small white envelope from his other hand. I glance up, thinking he's going to leave me alone. Apparently not. He waits expectedly, eyes trained on the stationary. Rolling my own pair of eyes, I turn away from him. I tear open the envelope and pull out a creamy white card. Inside there's one word. One word which I had hoped never to see again
Princess
Ranger has stepped closer, reading over my shoulder. "Something you want to tell me about, babe?" Turning on my heel suddenly, I brush past him without so much as a glance. I feel the eyes of the entire crew on me, curious to know who's brave enough to send Ranger's girl flowers. None of them have apparently noticed that nothing has happened in the past four months between us. No stolen kisses, no midnight visits, no nothing – all has been quiet on the Ranger front. Not that he's avoided me. In fact, it's just the opposite. We may not be bed buddies, but lately we've spent a lot of time getting to know each other. Which is fine by me. I know Ranger can't commit to a relationship, and at the same time, I can't be satisfied with great sex and nothing more. But lately, the single life has started to loose it's attraction and I've been trying to get a date, but apparently I'm Ranger's untouchable woman. Note to self, tell Ranger to spread the word that me and him are nothing more than friends.
I reach the paper shredder and jam the flower inside, watching with satisfaction as it's destroyed. Next comes the card. All the while, I'm trying to reassure myself. Shaking my head, I quietly mutter. "It's not him. It's definitely not him." I bump into a hard muscled chest as I turn around. Ranger again. "Babe?" His single eyebrow raises itself once more. Glancing at the shedders contents, I can tell he's intrigued by my actions. "It's nothing." And with that I march back to my desk.
An hour later I hear a knock once again. Whirling around I find Lester holding a bouquet of half a dozen red roses. "Don't tell Ranger, ok?" I warn, grabbing the flowers. Nestled amongst them is another white card. "Don't tell me what?" A quiet voice inquires. Lester casts me a 'I tried' look, shrugs his massive shoulders and quickly scrams. I'm left alone with an annoyed looking Cuban sex god. "What does it say, Steph?" It actually says: Princess, play nice. But he doesn't need to know that. "Nothing important." I try to edge past him but he grabs both the flowers and the card. Flicking his eyes from me, to the card, he growls ever so slightly. "He seems determined." Determined? Ranger, you don't know that half of it. "He's nothing. Give me those." I snatch the flowers back and throw them into a near by bin. I pretend to be interested in my searches, waiting for Ranger to leave me alone. Ten minutes pass and I know he's still standing there, staring at me. I put on my best puppy-dog eyes and face him once again. "Ranger, it's nothing. Seriously, let it go." Now he's smirking at my pout but apparently it works because he slowly walks away. Phew.
"Stephanie." It's my full name and it can only mean one thing. With a resigned sigh, I stand up and take the flowers from Ranger. A full dozen red roses, and another card. I had come so close, I just started to shut down my computer and pick up my purse, all I had to do was make it to the damn elevator. I flick open the card and hang my head in defeat. Princess, the more you throw away, the more I'll send. The problem is, it's true. Knowing what I have to do, I shove the card in my jeans pocket and keep a firm grip on the flowers. "Thanks." Ignoring Ranger's open hand – no doubt waiting for the card – I make my way towards the elevator. I can't hear his footsteps but my tingling spine lets me know Ranger is following me. "Boss, we've got a breach in security. There's a car down stairs in the parking lot, and... some guy is just leaning against it..." Hal reports, sounding confused as hell. There's two reason's behind this. One, no one has ever broken into Rangeman. Two, if anyone was to ever break in here, they would not spend their time casually leaning against a car. Looking at the screen over Hal's shoulder, I sigh.
"Oh, fuck."
A/N: Heya Plum fans. This is my first Plum fanfic. I'm a Babe most of the time, have to admit it. But I will definitely read and appreciate input from Cupcakes. Don't worry, Joe won't be abused. He's a decent guy, he's just not the guy for Steph (But hey, that's my opinion, and I love to hear others). Anyway, in my universe, the characters are a little younger, but only by a year or two. Steph is maybe 28/29 and Ranger is 30. Our mystery man will be introduced in the next chapter. Please read and review. Reviews motivate me big time. And I love to hear what fellow Plum fans have to say. Cheers.