My first fic in the world of Stephanie Plum. I don't own anything.

Enjoy and please comment!

I won't tell you if it is a Babe or Cupcake fic, or maybe neither… you will just have to read to find out…

One-shot (unless you can me persuade otherwise…)

§§§

The Crossroad

I, Stephanie Plum persuaded Ranger, the Almighty, to have pizza with me at Pinos tonight. Okay, so I promised him a little something afterwards, but hey, I still got him to have an 18-inch pizza; a great, greasy, extra-cheesy pie with the works—olives, pepperoni, green bell peppers, sausages, and mushrooms.

How romantic.

Not that I was thinking that Ranger would ever be a romantic, but hey, a girl can dream, can't she?

We also loaded up on breadsticks and marinara sauce (my favorite), plus a dozen spicy Buffalo wings. My brain blurred and my mouth watered when the food arrived at our table. Yum, my mind screamed. I'm not sure, but I think I heard Ranger laugh across from me. He probably did, because he was in the company of a ravenous, impulsive woman who had run six miles nonstop, in the rain, to be exact. It was the weekend and we did our usual morning jog, but this time, we saw a high-bail FTA at the corner of the park, and we chased him.

I managed to keep up with Ranger for a few miles or so until I felt my knee buckled beneath me. Ranger stopped and dragged me to my feet, but I couldn't hold myself up, so he told me to hop on his back.

"Are you sure? The FTA is going to get away. Plus, I'm pretty heavy."

"Babe, just do it. I care more about your physically safety than an FTA."

"If you say so," but in my mind I was thinking, how sweet, Ranger just showed his other side. Just a flicker though. I would love to see more.

I braced myself as I hopped on, hoping that he could hold me up, and not surprisingly, he did. He gave me a piggyback ride all the way back to my apartment. I didn't even care that his hands were touching my ass. My mind was wandering. There I was, on top of the hottest guy in the world. Me, the raggedy maiden sweating ceaselessly and him, the stalwart, hot Prince. I didn't even notice the billowing clouds above and the rain pitter-patter on the cement sidewalk. Early spring in Trenton, what else did you expect?

I only noticed when we arrived at my apartment and I hopped off. I was feeling much better, but still dizzy and nauseous.

"Babe, you're all wet," Ranger said, grinning.

I looked down at myself and noticed that my stretchy white tank top was soaked (sweat or rain, I didn't know) and clamped against my damp skin. No wonder Ranger was looking at me like I was breakfast, and lunch. This was just another thing to add to my list of I-don't-cares. I was hot, tired, and hungry. I didn't have breakfast, for heaven's sake. I wasn't going to waste anymore of my energy trying to hide my bra. The traces along the edges were becoming quite apparent, and my nipples were straining. Anyways, Ranger had seen me naked plenty of times… I think. He was Batman wasn't he? Sneaking into my apartment whenever he wanted to see me drooling in my sleep, curled up in the fetal position, snoring.

When I walked into the kitchen to get a bottle of water out of the fridge, his eyes followed me.

"Hey, what are you looking at?"

I inspected myself and noticed that my pink PINK® sweatpants from Victoria's Secret (Lula bought them for me for Christmas—"Girl, you have booty, get some pants that show it off.") had shifted down and my green bikinis were showing. I hastily lifted it up and continued my business, hearing Ranger's snort in the background.

"Want a bottle of H2O?"

"Sure."

I handed a cool bottle over to him and we sat down on the stools and drank silently.

So, that was my morning, and afternoon. The two of us went out to get some buttery scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon, and apple juice (hey, I got the fruit in) at Cluck-in-a-Bucket (actually he ate an organic blueberry muffin and water from the bakery next door, but was kind enough to accompany me in my splurge) for brunch. Ranger dropped me off at home, and I did my little finger-wave before closing the door. I went to sleep afterwards, and Ranger left to do business. He promised to pick me up for dinner, my choice. Boy, oh boy, all the possibilities. Fast food, or an elegant meal… at Pinos (I am a very disillusioned girl when it comes to fancy-shmancy restaurants… something bad always happens, so I stick to Pinos—fresh and tasty).

I fell asleep dreaming of all the places I could go to. I was on cloud nine.

§§§

I woke up at six in the late afternoon, my unruly hair plastered to the side of my face, and my limbs stiff from the morning's exercise. I sure slept for a long time.

I lifted myself from the bed and walked into the bathroom. Ugh. I was a mess. As usual. I needed much taming. I did the makeup thing and got dressed in a pair of dark-indigo skinny jeans and an oversized cozy black V-neck sweater. I gave myself an once-over and left. I whipped up my cell phone of the kitchen counter and buzzed Ranger.

He picked up on the third ring, "Yo."

"Yo yourself. When are we meeting?"

"I'll pick you up in half-an-hour. Have you decided where we're eating at, babe?"

"Yep."

Click off. So much for a conversation.

I moved over to the couch and watched some news until Ranger came.

Which brings us to now.

§§§

We were watching the basketball game on the big-plasma screen TV that Pinos had just invested in. Great investment, by the way, top-of-the-line. We ate in silence, listening to the soft drizzle of rain hit the thin roofing. The sound was calming. I was stunned to see Ranger acting like a normal guy. He was wearing jeans (black, or course), and a tight-fitting black sweater. We were a match—black all over.

Batman and Batgirl.

I was awe-stricken by the way his jaw moved. His jaw was so gorgeous that I just wanted to go up to him and lick it. His masticating was attractive? I was getting slightly light-headed, but it wasn't my fault that I was sitting across from him. Okay, so I was madly attracted to Ranger. Even after the couple of years I've known him, he still knows how to make a girl blush, all over.

In the middle of our dinner, Ranger asked, "Are you okay, Steph?"

Oh yeah, great. If you consider that I'm killing of brain cells by just staring at you, and sweating underneath this cashmere. Instead, I gave a bobble of the head and smiled.

After a while of seeing the Lakers thump the Nets, Ranger turned to me. He stared at me like I was some new species of tree frogs from Borneo and I felt self-conscious.

I joked, "Oh my golly, do I have anything on my face, Victor Frankenstein?" as I frantically put my hands to my face and started feeling around for bumps.

I earned myself a 200-watt smile. Teeth and all. Sexy as hell. I smiled back, and for a second we shared a normal romantic moment. Before…

§§§

"Stephanie, what are you doing here? With him?" he spat.

I recognized that voice anywhere.

Morelli.

He didn't look too good. After I started working at RangeMan a year ago, he had changed. Drastically. He was sporting a scraggly beard (scary image) and his hair was a mess—the once-upon-a-time Brad Pitt look. His hair was fingered through it a couple hundred times. He looked homeless, but since that was the latest trend, he fit in quite well. I could smell the strong stench of alcohol, and it wasn't even midnight.

"We're having pizza. Care to join us?"

It was more of an empty offer; a can't-you-see-we're-busy look. I didn't really want him sitting down with us to eat. Morelli and Ranger had been rivals since the first time they saw each other. With Morelli drunk, it would not be a happy occasion. I knew Morelli could have a couple beers and be fine, but tonight, he was way over his limit.

I'd never seen him like this before.

Scary.

"Okay, babe, thanks for the offer," he mocked, pulling up a seat next to me.

I looked over to Ranger, and could almost see the steam coming out of his ears, his eyes turned pure black, dark as coal. His hands were in his lap, but I knew they would be clenched tightly and white-knuckled. I had noticed on many occasions this trait of his.

"So, how are you two lovebirds doing? Have you gotten Steph into the sack yet? How was it? Was it good enough for you?"

"Morelli!" I hissed, "What is up with you?"

I got no response, only heavy munching on a slice of pizza. I turned to look at Ranger to plead with him to understand Morelli; then out of nowhere Joe planted a great big sloppy kiss on my cheek. He then gave one of his cocky, self-assured expressions at Ranger. Morelli was really trying hard to tick off Ranger. He loathed him.

I could tell Ranger was keeping in his anger, for my sake. I moved my seat over to Ranger and grasped his large hands in mine. I said through clenched-teeth, "Don't-let-him-anger-you. He is really drunk tonight. I'm sorry for his bad behavior."

Gosh, I was really starting to sound like a mother of five-year old twins that couldn't keep to themselves in school.

"Babe," Ranger moaned in my eye, before his mouth brushed just below my earlobe. His mouth was soft and gentle and the caress lingered. I could feel my temperature sky-rocket at the secret action. I was also starting to sweat in strange places.

Morelli noticed the small action and immediately rose to his feet.

"You think you can just use Stephanie for you own sexual benefit by doing that to her, but you have another thing coming. I've been with Stephanie for as long as I can remember and I know more about her you ever will. She is mine, and will always be MINE! Just because you can get every woman in town in bed with you with your mysterious charm doesn't mean that you can trick Stephanie!"

Morelli's hands were moving wildly, making every single hand-gesture imagined without actually knowing that he did it. It was a sight to see if I wasn't at crossroads with myself. Maybe I was just Ranger's sexual toy. His little plaything.

Maybe he had plenty of girls who looked up to him as if he was a badass superhero.

Ranger stood up and said, "Stop Morelli, you are way out of line. I think you've had enough to drink tonight. Why don't you just go home?"

"Why don't you just go home? No. I love Stephanie more than you ever will. I care for her more than any man in the world. And she knows that."

"Don't you Steph?"

Oh great. I was brought into the conversation.

"Uh, I agree with Ranger, you've drank too much tonight. Why don't I drive you home?"

"Answer the question, cupcake."

Morelli started moving over to me, and I wasn't so sure what he had in mind. He didn't look too happy. Morelli's hand was raised as his face softened. I didn't know what he planned to do next, probably a friendly touch on the cheek or a soft caress like he usually did to erase all the bad tension, but he didn't get a chance to.

"Cupcake—I want you to know--"

Ranger stepped in front of me and said emotionlessly, firmly, "Morelli, I think you'd better head home, I'll call one of my men to take you, if you'd like."

"No, I will not submit to the almighty God and his disciples," folding his arms across his chest, brows furrowed, but with a slightly amused look.

"Let's go Steph. You're coming home with me."

He waited for my response, and when I didn't respond, he said, "You know, maybe you are Ranger's pretty little doll. He may find you useful now, but he'll probably get you pregnant and leave you in the dust. Just like he's done before."

I felt really hurt by this comment, but I vowed to stay placid. Morelli's drunk, I kept saying to myself.

Ranger stepped toward Morelli and attempted to steer him out the door, but Joe stayed grounded.

"I'm not leaving," Morelli declared, and I thought, stubborn mule. Just do it, and let it all be over with.

Morelli raised a fist and jabbed Ranger in the stomach. Ranger didn't flinch or anything and stared directly into Morelli's eyes. Morelli threw another punch, and Ranger still stood there immobilized. Knowing his little traits and all, I saw a slight flicker of pain, a twitch in his eye, but nothing more.

Now is the time.

I stepped into the ring.

"Please Morelli, just go home," I implored with my puppy face, "Please."

Now the whole bar was staring at the three of us. No more clinking of glasses. Watching for the next move.

Morelli lifted his fist again to sock Ranger, but this time, he hit me. Side effect of seeing double vision during a hangover. Smack dab square in the shoulder. The pain stung. No more wearing tank tops for a while.

He instantly froze, realizing his terrible wrongdoing. He had never hit me before. Never in his life had he touched a girl that way.

His face turned chalk-white, all the blood drained from his rosy cheeks. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming trunk—stunned and immobile.

I was caught in the crossfire.

"I'm so, so sorry, Steph. I didn't mean to do that. Oh my God, I'm so sorry."

Morelli tried to kneel down to comfort me, but Ranger pushed him again. Ranger crouched on his hind legs and whispered, "Are you okay, babe?"

I rose to my feet, ignoring his hand, the tears stinging my eyes. My vision was blurred but I continued on steady legs.

I jabbed an angry finger at Morelli and yelled, "You cocky, inebriated, S.O.B, what is your problem? How much alcohol did you have? You never have this much! What happened? I could tell your mother right now! Your Grandma Bella wouldn't be too ecstatic either. I care about you more than you'd ever know! You come into Pinos and act as if you own the place, and I am your idiot daughter who just had sex with some smashed, old homeless guy with AIDS and is now pregnant! Well, I'm not, and I didn't. I am a grown woman who can make decisions for herself. I don't need a conceited cop to tell me otherwise. And don't say that I am just some 'plaything' to Ranger; for your information, you've had more 'partners' than anyone in Trenton, anyone in New Jersey for goodness sake! You think that you are women's gift, that you can get any girl in the world with your self-assured, I'm-so-sexy attitude so that you can f—k her! Well, let me tell you what, it isn't working! You are so aggravating! You are so, uuuggggghhhhhh!!!"

I could feel Ranger smiling behind me, what he didn't know what was coming. What Morelli said earlier impacted me deeply.

"As for you, the invincible, supreme Ricardo Carlos Manoso, you act like you are above everyone else, with your fancy black cars, your adamant gang of men, and your million-dollar houses. Every time I think I'm getting closer to you, getting to understand the 'man-behind-the-mask', you up and leave. You never tell me where you're going and expect me to wait for you and understand that is was another 'meeting', a if-I-told-you-I'd-have-to-kill-you mission. Well, I can't stand that. I am not some genius robo-woman. I need to know these things; I can't be left in the dust. Then you show up in my bedroom staring at me. You are so impossible to understand! Am I just another carved-notch in your bedpost! Just some stupid female that couldn't resist your indescribable charm? Plus, what is it with you and the salads! Salads are stupid. Why can't you eat a hamburger, a peanut butter-and-olive sandwich, a cookie! Where is the stupid 'real' Bat cave? Are you hiding dozens of beautiful exotic girls there? Arrghhh!"

Okay, so that last sentence was a bit out of line.

"You two both bother me so much, but I can't help loving the both you. I am so confused and frustrated. My life revolves around destruction and chaos. One of you wants total submission from me- for me to become a housewife, and the other can't do relationships! What is wrong with me!!! There is no longer a middle ground, just stop it. It's really starting to bother me. I can't deal with the cat-and-mouse, push-and-pull game. I am not just some subservient toy you guys can play with! One that allows you to drag me back and forth! You guys like crossfire? I can't stand it; I'm leaving Trenton tomorrow, better yet, tonight! You guys are always bickering in this stupid rivalry as if I'm a trophy that you can just hang in your closet! Well, I'm a human too, you know!!"

I took one last look at the stunned, agape men in my life. There mouths were open and their eyes wide. Ranger was the first to soften and move toward me, but it was too late.

§§§

I stormed out of the warm bar/restaurant and into the chilly night air. I checked my watch, it was eight-thirty. I fumed angrily down the street, ignoring the drizzle. I didn't have my car, so I was going to have to walk a few blocks back to my apartment. I trudged through on the wet sidewalk in my grey rubber Wellington boots and passed a few worms, careful to not step on any. Sorry, even when I was angry, I could let it out on innocent organisms. Especially ones who helped earth. Before I turned the corner, I thought I heard a soft patter of feet behind me, and someone call out "I'm sorry", but when I spun around, there was nothing. Stupid imagination. It had been tricking me since the day I jumped off the roof of my parents' house, thinking I was Wonder Woman. Look where that landed me. In a heap of thorny rose bushes. Grandma Mazur took hours of patience to remove those thorns and sooth me with some lotion and ice cream.

The streets were lonesome except for the occasional car.

I thought over my spiel, and thought that the last line was pretty corny, but that I definitely made my point—I was leaving.

I guess I had finally boiled over.

It had been on my mind for some time now, so it felt good to be leaving. Going out into the new world that had much exploring to do. Probably New York City. I had a few college friends there-- Lawyers, doctors. There was tons of action and crime in the Big Apple. It would be easy to find a job. No, better yet, Point Pleasant. The beautiful Jersey shore, great nightlife, fishing, restaurants, and best of all peace and solitude.

I would wake up every morning the ebb and flow of the salty sea water, to walk along to the hazy beach, my feet grappled by the oozing sand; to find what the tides had brought up, one of the things I've always wanted to do, but not in Trenton. To find seashells, sand crabs, and maybe even an opaque bottle with a letter inside. One that would bring me to an exotic island to meet the man of my dreams.

Okay, so I'm an idealistic romantic.

I can't help that I've watched tons of chic flicks.

I would miss my parents, Valerie, Kloughn, the kids, my parents, Grandma Mazur, Rex, Lula, Connie, Mary Lou, Carl and some of the other officers, the Merry Men, Bob the dog, Sally, and maybe even Vinnie, a bit. Okay, scratch the last one. It was going to be a sad farewell, but for the best. Maybe a letter or an e-mail to each of them tomorrow morning. Something simple that wouldn't draw too much attention to the neighborhood.

The two men in my life would no longer be burdened with me. They would no longer get into physical fights (and profanity-filled verbal debates) with each other and outside people over their "girlfriend's" car-burnings, jumping in trash-cans rendezvous, not-too-stealthy espionage, death threats, awkward hairstyles, and menacing stalkers.

They would no longer be burdened by constant rescue missions. A girl chained to her tub.

They would be able to settle down with a nice wife, have a couple kids, and live in a safe environment, free of death threats and packages with cut-off body parts.

They would be free to continue their jobs without distractions.

They would be able to live, an ordinary life (or as ordinary as their lives got).

I would be out of it.

I could feel tears well up in my eyes, but I promised myself I wouldn't let them out. Or at least until I got home. I didn't want any neighbors spying out their living room windows and starting a gossip-fest of their favorite topic: Stephanie Plum. It was probably already like bacteria proliferation. Fast and unstoppable. I would probably get a phone call from my mom in a matter of minutes.

I could already hear the gossip: Is she pregnant? Did she break up with that kind, young gentleman, Joseph Morelli? Oh, I should call my daughter, boy will she be happy that he's back on the market? Was it that dark-skinned hottie that has her nerves in a jumble? Did she get threatened by a maniac again? How many times has that happened already? Did her car explode again?

I turned off my cell-phone clipped to my knee-high socks (I had no where else to put it so that it would be inconspicuous… maybe I did on my jeans, but I thought that the socks were cooler… I was being innovative.)

Unlike the burg. The burg was a bore.

Same old, same old.

I needed change. I needed to move somewhere was there was less action. More relaxation.

I finally stumbled to the apartment complex, up the creaky elevator, down the old hallway to my small apartment.

At least it was mine. No one else owned it but me.

I locked the front door, went to my room, stripped off my wet clothing for some soft, worn, penguin-patterned PJs, and plunged into my bed and cried. I curled up in the fetal position and covered my face with my hands.

I hadn't felt this down for ages.

§§§

It wasn't about losing the two wonderful men in my life. It was about me bringing them on a wild-goose chase, only to tell them that I was too stupid to give them both up, and that I was the one who needed to leave.

I cried my heart out until my cheeks were red and puffy, until by eyes were so swollen that they were almost shut. I didn't even turn on the bathroom light when I went into the bathroom to relieve myself because I knew it was going to be a horrendous sight- bloated, blotchy cheeks, frizzy hair sticking-on-end, pale skin, a runny nose, and ruined mascara.

At that point in time, I hated myself.

For everything.

Joe.

Ranger.

Having a horrible, unstable job.

Having no money.

No car.

Ruining my parents dream of me settling down. Two kids. A nice four-bedroom house. A nice paying, secure job with benefits. And most of all a loving relationship.

I was a mess, and that was why I was leaving. For good.

I put my act together and walked to the computer on the makeshift table (a big, brown moving box) in the living room. I flipped on the small lamp and turned the computer on.

I logged on and went on-line in search of an apartment. A rental, of course.

I was really leaving, I was choosing the right turn at the crossroad in my life, I kept thinking to myself.

Everything was more than by budget. The cheapest housing was a $700 a week, and that was expensive. So what, I would pool in all my money and work from there. Okay, okay, a cheap dumpy motel first.

Okay, time to start packing.

I turned off my computer.

I took out my dusty old suitcase from the closet next to the front door, from my college days. I blew the dust off, coughing and sputtering in the process. I lugged it to my bedroom and unzipped it. I few small spiders crawled out and I let out a quiet, "eww" before I started packing.

I opened my bureau, took out my panties and bras; then I moved to my other clothing—sweaters, shirts, pants, jeans, jackets, swimsuits (I'd be doing a lot of that in Point Pleasant).

As I flipped through my closet, I came upon the box.

It was a collection of photographs of me and my favorite males in the world—Joe and Ranger, and memorabilia of our time spent together, separately of course. Plane tickets, dinner receipts, small knick-knacks, and most precious of all, a key to one of Ranger's bat-caves. I reminisced of the times I spent hidden in that wonderful cavern. I felt like a modern-day Goldilocks, minus the golden ringlets.

A single tear floated down my blotchy check as I put the key to my pounding heart. If only I could access Ranger's heart as easily as I had his house.

I turned off my night lamp, and I lay back against the headboard and inhaled deeply. Dreaming of myself living in a cozy beachfront studio, with Rex.

Even if I would miss them a lot.

More than anything in my life.

Love was an evil thing, wasn't it?

§§§

At eleven, I woke up, startled, buried in my comfortable, drenched in cold sweat. My brain was humming and slightly disoriented as I tried to focus my vision in the darkness, adjusting to the soft moonlight cast through the blinds.

I felt a presence in the room, a slight movement of the feet. I looked to my right, and my eyes widened to the size of quarters.

To be continued… if I have enough readers and reviewers.

So…REVIEW!

…C