ONE-SHOT
So, I had an idea the other day and, although I vowed to never write Stephanie Plum fanfics, I have gone against my rules. Alas, here is the first, and not only, fic I plan to write for this series. Have fun and review!
Disclaimer: I do not own the Stephanie Plum series, which belongs to Janet Evanovich-unfortunately-and I also do not own the song "Should've Said No" by Taylor Swift.
BROKEN CHANCES
BY CRYSTAL PONY
The plane touched down in Newark, New Jersey and Stephanie sighed in relief. She turned to look at Ranger and found him smiling at her in amusement. She glared at him and he turned his full 1000 watt grin on her. She frowned and crossed her arms over her chest.
"What?!" He continued to grin at her and shook his head.
"Nothing Babe. Let's go." She huffed at him and followed him off the plane. Glancing around the airport, Stephanie shivered when she saw the cold snow waiting for them when they walked out of the warm building. She turned her head when a low chuckle reached her ears and continued frowning at Ranger.
He gently took her arm and steered her towards baggage claim. Just recently, they had been in Florida working a distraction job for Rangeman. Obviously, they had just returned after a successful takedown and was dreading having to face the cold winter air of New Jersey.
Grabbing their luggage off the belt, Ranger turned and walked to the exit door, Stephanie following after him. A black F-450 was idling at the curb in front of an equally black SUV. Stephanie grinned at Tank and Lester, Ranger's right hand men as they got out of the truck and headed towards her.
Steph was pulled into a tight hug and grinned at Ranger's glare, which was directed at his aforementioned right hand men. Her bags were quickly loaded into the truck, as was she, when Ranger finally got into the driver's seat after debriefing his men. He smiled over at her and put the truck into 'drive', heading out of town and onto the road leading to Trenton, New Jersey.
*
It was an hour later when Ranger pulled into Stephanie's parking lot and cut the engine, turning to face her. She smiled at him in thanks and got out of the truck, gathering her stuff from the backseat. She entered her apartment and flicked on the lights, setting the bags down with a relieved sigh. That sigh turned to one of disgust when her gaze flicked over to the angrily flashing answering machine. She looked again and was taken back at the 145 messages waiting for her. She sighed and grabbed a beer from the refrigerator before plopping onto the couch and hitting the 'play' button. Her mother's voice came over the machine and Stephanie grimaced at the sound.
"Stephanie, this is your mother speaking. Pick…"
"Stephanie! Oh my god! I'm so sorry! I just heard that Joe's been cheating on you with Terry and Joyce. Can you say eww? Call…" Stephanie cut off the machine and deleted the rest of the messages waiting for her. She sighed again and threw the bottle at the wall, jumping when she heard an answering fist going through her wall. She turned, startled to see Ranger standing there, fist bawled and eyes flashing fury. She slowly stood up and walked to where he was standing and looked at the impressive hole in the wall. She sighed and turned her attention back to Ranger.
"Ok. I admit I am mad, but I have a right to be. You don't." He glared at her and grabbed a beer from the refrigerator. Sitting down in one of the ratty chairs, he popped the top on the beer and drained half of the bottle. Stephanie stared at him for a moment before going to her room and shutting the door. She stripped to her t-shirt and boy shorts before falling in bed, calling out an order for Ranger to lock up when he left. Then, all was quiet before hell broke loose.
*
Dawn broke the new day and Stephanie woke up with an arm banded across her waist. She tensed and glanced down in confusion, relaxing when she saw the golden brown skin of her best friend. She leaned further back into Ranger's arms and felt them tighten around her. She looked back and met his gaze, warm on her face. She whispered a shy 'hi' and received one in turn. She turned back around and snuggled back into his arms, falling asleep quickly.
*
An hour or two passed before Stephanie woke back up. She noticed the space next to her was empty and frowned, wondering where Ranger went. The sound of running water from her bathroom pulled Stephanie from her musings and she got up, grinning evilly. Waltzing into the kitchen, she was stopped short at the sight of a box of Boston Crèmes and a pot of fresh coffee. She inhaled the aroma and squeaked when a pair of arms snuck around her waist. She looked up to see Ranger grinning at her and smiled back, thankful for the morning…meal. Pulling out of his arms, she walked back over to the box and took a bite out of one before offering Ranger the box. He shook his head 'no' to her unasked question and she shrugged, returning the box to the counter. She poured both her and Ranger a cup of coffee and diluted hers with milk and sugar. She went to do the same to Ranger's cup only to have it snatched from her. She grinned and replaced the coffee stuff before turning to her coffee. She drank at least half of it before looking at Ranger again. His grin was wide and bright looking back at her. She glared at him and put her cup back down.
"What do you want? And what are you grinning at?!" Ranger shook his head at her and turned to go past her and out the door. Before walking out, he turned to her and issued a challenging glance.
"So Babe, are you going to kill him or let me have the pleasure of doing so?" Stephanie shook her head at him and grinned.
"Thanks Batman, but I'll take care of him. In my own way." Ranger grinned at her and walked out the door, ready to see Morelli get what he deserved.
*
A week went by without a confrontation between Joe and Stephanie. Unfortunately, for Joe at least, this 'time out' gave Stephanie the time to come up with the perfect idea for revenge. Ranger continued to watch over her, becoming more approachable and open. It was at the end of the second week when things came to a head. Mt. Stephanie exploded. Word had gotten around the 'Burg that Stephanie was now dating 'that bounty hunter' and Joe confronted her. Sadly, for Joe anyways, Stephanie was also fed up with the pitying glances from residents of the 'Burg area and her mother's non-stop rants of 'Why me?' and 'Now look what you've done! You ruined your only chance of marriage by keeping that job and hanging out with that thug.' Aka Ranger. Needless to say, Joe had bad timing.
The ordeal ended with a smoldering police car, a stunned-literally-Joe, and a fuming Stephanie wrapped up in Ranger's arms. The confrontation started off normal enough for Joe and Stephanie, at least for them, when a skip spotted Stephanie and threw a homemade Molotov cocktail. Fortunately, the skip had bad aim and missed Stephanie, but…well…it didn't miss Joe's cop car. Basically, people stopped by for the weenie roast. Anyways, Joe went ballistic, blaming Stephanie for the current bon fire. I guess he missed the memo that nobody touched Ranger's woman. He shoved her and Steph's knee became acquainted with 'the boys.' And, for a grand finale, she stunned his ass…literally. Ranger and Tank showed up to see Joe shove Stephanie, but Tank held Ranger back, barely, from bashing in his face. Fire trucks and cops showed up to see the show and passed money around. Their laughter was soon stopped when one happened to glance up and see their money-maker wrapped in Ranger's arms, ice shooting from their eyes. Statements were quickly taking and Steph was led back to Ranger's car and carefully placed inside of it.
Stephanie continued glaring out the window and jumped when she felt a hand engulf hers. She turned and smiled warily at Ranger, who in turn lifted her hand to his lips and then placed their entwined hands on his lap. Bliss.
*
Saturday night at Pino's hosted Stephanie's plan for revenge. You see, about a month ago, Pino decided to create a karaoke night to draw more business. It became a regular hang-out for Stephanie and the off-duty Merry Men. Most importantly, it became a bigger hang-out for Trenton's finest, especially one named Joe Morelli.
It was nearing nine o'clock when Stephanie finally made an appearance, Ranger's hand resting low on her back, followed by Tank, Lester, Hal, Cal, and Bobby. They headed straight to a table in the back of the room, backs against the walls, and ordered pizzas and beers, Ranger taking a day off for once. Stephanie got up and headed to the bathroom, stopping to talk to Pino for a moment. Ranger's eyes tracked her movement, aware of everything around him. Tank cleared his throat and Ranger turned his head, lifting an eyebrow at his friend.
"Yes?" Tank laughed and shook his head, looking away from Ranger's silent glare. Stephanie soon came back to the table and settled once again at Ranger's side. He smiled down at her before turning his attention back to the conversation. A throat being cleared over the microphone snagged everyone's attention and the waitress introduced the first singer. Half an hour passed with horrible singing, only a few could be called possibly pleasant, when the waitress called Stephanie to the stage. She gave Ranger a quick kiss and a wink before strutting up to the stage, waving shyly at everyone calling her name and whistling. She stopped in front of the microphone and glanced out at the crowd, immediately finding Joe. She cleared her throat and spoke into the microphone.
"Hey all! I'm going to sing "Should've Said No" by Taylor Swift and, Joe, this one goes out to you." The lights dimmed and the beat started, Stephanie's husky voice soon joining the band. The crowd started singing along with her and Joe paled when she started down the stairs and stopped in front of him to finish the song, finally walking into Ranger's arms as she sang the last line to him.
"You should've said no, baby and you might still have me." The lights came back on as the music faded out and the crowd went wild. The Merry Men came up to surround a slightly sad Stephanie and Ranger, a smirk on his face, ready to defend their boss and his woman, more importantly, they were defending their best friends. Stephanie took a deep breath and whispered one last time into the microphone.
"Good bye Joe." She carefully set the microphone on the table and walked out of Pino's in Ranger's arms and, at the same time, she walked out of Joe's life. Forever.