Disclaimer: JE owns them. I do not. Disclaimer applies to the entire story.

~oooOOOooo~

Anniversary Surprise

~oOo~

Chapter 1: The Surprise
Ranger's POV

One year. That's how long Steph and I had been considered a true couple. Steph had been working at RangeMan full-time now for the last six months. We spend almost half the nights together at her little apartment and the other half at mine in the RangeMan building. We eat lunch and dinner together almost every day. Sometimes we go out, either alone or with a group of friends, and sometimes we stay in and let Ella pamper us with her cooking. Basically, we spend as much time together as possible, and I, for one, don't regret any part of it.

A year ago this weekend was our first date. This weekend, I was planning on giving her the perfect weekend. I'd been making plans for a month, finding the perfect dress and shoes, matching earrings and, my favorite part of the surprise, a surprise trip to New York City. Steph will get there and go to the spa to relax and get pampered, and then back at the historic Roosevelt Hotel, she'll get a visit from a hair stylist and makeup artist. We'll have dinner out at Tavern on the Green, and then we'll go see Ghostbusters on Broadway. I had the rest of the weekend planned as well. I hoped it would be a weekend she would never forget.

It was now Wednesday, and I thought about what I needed to do next. First up was the dress. The last time I was in Boston, I'd shopped until I'd found the perfect outfit for my Babe. The dress was almost the same color as her eyes, a deep sapphire blue. It was knee-length and would fit her beautiful figure well. The neckline was a vee down into her cleavage to highlight her beautiful breasts in a very classy and lovely look. I'd taken the opportunity to buy her a new pair of matching shoes. I had plans to hide the dress at Mary Lou's house, so I started my phone calls with her.

"Hello?" Mary Lou's voice came over the line.

"Hi, Mary Lou. This is Ranger."

"Ranger! How are you?" Her voice began to get anxious. "Is Steph okay?"

"She's fine. I actually wanted to speak with you. As of this weekend, Steph and I will have been dating for a year. I'm setting up a surprise trip to New York City for the coming weekend, and I needed your help."

"Oh, how sweet!" She sounded relieved. "What can I do to help?"

"I decided to turn it into a game. I'm going to give her clues along the way and hide different things pertaining to the weekend at specific places. I would love it if I could drop off the dress and shoes I bought her and have you put them in a closet there until she gets the clue tomorrow."

Her laugh echoed over the phone. "That's great! Of course we can do that. Just tell her to look in the place Mikey was always hiding as a toddler. I'll put it in the back of his closet. Is there anything else you need help with?"

"No, thanks. I think I've got it covered. Please keep it to yourself, though. I'd rather not have the 'Burg gossipers getting to this before Steph. Is it okay if I drop the stuff by later this evening? Say around five thirty?"

"That's perfect. See you then, Ranger."

"Yes, goodbye."

Okay, one down, two to go. I called the hotel and spa to confirm our reservation and Steph's appointment. Once that was finished, I sat down to write the clues that would lead her to her gifts and the places she needed to be. I spent an hour writing everything down and then went to prepare the other items on my list.

A few days ago, I'd gone to the mall and bought a Wonder Woman cookie jar I'd seen while shopping with Steph a few weeks before. The same trip to Boston when I'd bought the dress, I'd also bought Steph some jewelry. When I saw the sapphire and diamond necklace and earrings set, I knew it was meant for her. I got them from the safe, put them inside the cookie jar, and put it in the back corner of my closet until it was time to put it out on the counter. I buzzed Ella and asked if she would mind getting it out when she came to the apartment to clean up after lunch on Thursday. She agreed, so I checked that one off my list of things to do.

Next up was the Broadway ticket and spa gift certificate. I put them both in an envelope with one of the notes, sealed the envelope, wrote Stephanie's nickname on the front, and placed it in my locked desk drawer. Steph had a key, but I knew she wouldn't go in there without it being an emergency.

Finally, I went downstairs to talk to Tank. I'd set it up with him a week ago. He would take over at RangeMan while Steph and I were out of town. Unless someone was dead or there was a problem with Julie, we were offline until we returned to Trenton on Sunday night.

"Yo," he said as I knocked and walked into his office.

"We all set for Saturday morning?"

"I'll call her at the prearranged time and tell her you asked her to please wake up and go into the kitchen, where you'll have her breakfast waiting, along with a note explaining what's next in her surprise. I'll tell her that I'll call her back in thirty minutes to make sure she didn't go back to sleep."

"Thanks, man. I'll drop her breakfast and the note off at her place and then head out to the plane to fly up there after that. Remember, death or Julie emergency. Otherwise—" I stopped when he interrupted.

"Yeah, yeah. You and Bombshell are offline till Sunday night. I remember."

I headed to my office, relieved to finally get some actual work done. All that was left was to place the clues and the gifts. On Saturday morning, I would call Vinnie and Steph's parents and let them know she and I were going out of town and not to expect us back until late Sunday night. If they had an emergency, they could call Tank.

~oOo~

Just after five, I waved to the guys in the control room and headed over to Mary Lou's house with the dress and shoes.

"Come in, Ranger," Mary Lou said when she answered the door.

"Thank you. Here are the dress and the shoe box."

"Oh! Can I look at the dress?"

"Sure. Don't let Steph, though. I want it to be a surprise later on. I have instructions for her on the envelope taped to the front."

Mary Lou laughed when she saw the envelope. It not only said Stephanie's nickname, but it also said, "Don't forget the shoes below. You may open them, but not the dress, please."

She carefully unzipped the dress bag. "This is beautiful! It'll go wonderfully with her eyes! I'll go put these into the closet right now. Mikey doesn't use it much, so it should be safe there until tomorrow."

"Thanks again. I need to go. We're going to Shorty's with the guys tonight. You and your family are welcome to join us if you'd like."

"That's all right. I appreciate it. We're going to Lenny's parents' house tonight, though. Have a good time this weekend. I'm sure Steph will love whatever you have planned!"

I walked out to the Cayenne and headed to Steph's apartment to pick her up for dinner with the guys.

~oooOOOooo~

Stephanie's POV

I was having the most delicious dream ever. Kisses pressed against my neck, moving up toward my lips until they parted, and I slowly pried my eyes open. "Carlos," I moaned. "What time is it?"

"Babe," he said with a husky voice. "It's seven thirty. I've gotta go to the office for a meeting. Breakfast is in the kitchen. See you at lunch?"

I nodded, pulling him to me for one last kiss. "I want Ella's cooking today. Mmm. I'll be at the office at nine. Love you, Carlos."

"Love you too, Steph," he replied.

I was asleep again before the door closed.

When my alarm went off thirty minutes later, I stumbled out of bed and into the shower. After lathering up with the Bvlgari body wash I'd stolen from Ranger's apartment, I hurriedly rinsed and got out, drying off quickly before throwing on my cargoes and RangeMan T-shirt. I threw my hair up in a ponytail and went off in search of donuts and coffee. God, I loved that man. Every morning he stayed here, I woke up to find two Boston Cremes and a fresh pot of coffee waiting for me.

There was something different this morning. Propped up against the donut bag was an envelope. I worried, never knowing when a fresh stalker would pop into my life, until I saw Ranger's writing on the front. I pulled a donut out of the bag and grabbed some coffee before sitting down and opening the envelope. A girl had to have her priorities! Inside was a folded piece of stationary with a few sentences on it, so I ate as I read.

~oOo~

Stephanie,

I hope you know that the last year of my life has been, without a doubt, the greatest year I've ever had. Nearly one year ago to the day, I knocked on your door and escorted you out to Rossini's for dinner. Our first official date. That was the best day of my life, knowing after all the years of wanting and needing you as more than a friend that you were finally mine. I only hope that the last year for you has been as wonderful as it has been for me.

I have something special planned for this weekend. Play along with my game and I promise the reward will be great. I'll leave clues to help you find certain items and directions for you to follow. Have fun, but please, don't open any boxes, bags, or envelopes until you're told to do so. Please, for me. I want nothing more than to give you the surprises and gifts you deserve.

I love you, Babe. You are my life.

Clue #1 to be found after lunch:

In your second home
There's something new.
Find it and look inside.
You'll find something just for you.

Love,
Carlos

~oOo~

I wiped away the tears that were silently falling down my face and grinned. I had the best boyfriend in the entire world, and he was all mine. I finished my breakfast, put the note in my purse, tucked my gun into my cargoes at my lower back, and then headed out the door to the office. While I drove, I thought about the weekend ahead, wondering what in the world Ranger had planned.

To hell with my curiosity, I thought. I'll just enjoy the ride.