Disclaimer: JE owns the characters.

A/N: Thanks for all of the great reviews. Of course, I'd also be nowhere with out Linda. Kisses, Babe.


Thirty minutes, and a lot of convincing Bobby to let go, later I found myself in the control room with Bobby, Lester, Woody, Tank, Hal, Cal, Brett, and Vince. Once I was finally able to move without someone grabbing me for a hug, I started searching through the bags that we had hauled out of my Bronco.

"What do you have there, Steph?" Vince asked as he eyed the bags.

"What does it look like, Vince," I said with an eye roll as I searched through the bags. I found a box with his name on it and tossed it to him. He gave me a funny look and I laughed as I said, "It's a Christmas present. Open it!"

I have never seen his face light up so fast in my life. He was like a five year old seeing the presents under the tree Christmas morning. He dropped down on the floor, please keep in mind that he's a thirty-two year old man with muscles on top of muscles and he's sitting Indian style on the floor, and ripped the wrapping paper off in five seconds flat. He slowly opened the clothes box and pulled out the navy blue sweater that was carefully folded up inside. He held the sweater all the way up and a black velvet box dropped out. He looked from the small box to me. I winked at him as I handed out the rest of the boxes to the guys that were already there.

"Are you going to open it?" I asked Vince as I squatted down next to him once I got the rest of the guys occupied with opening their own.

He was just staring down at the box that he held gently in his hands. He looked at me and gave me a small frown. He leaned over and whispered, "I don't have anything for you."

"It's okay," I whispered as I leaned into him. "You didn't know that I was coming. No one did."

"How'd you do it, Steph? It's the perfect size." Lester asked from a few feet away. He had pulled the green, silk shirt out of the box and put it on after he tore off his RangeMan shirt. It was a perfect fit and a wonderful match to his eyes. Damn, I'm good. He looked over and smiled at me when he saw that he had a little black box as well.

"A good shopper never divulges her secrets," I said with a devilish smile. I wasn't about to tell them that I had called Ella for all of their clothing sizes.

"Kick Ass!" Tank shouted once he opened his little black box. He turned and looked down at me. I think that he liked my thoughtful presents.

"Everyone's is different," I said as I stood up. "It's a little something from me that I designed with each of you guys in mind."

"This is so great, Steph," Lester said as he opened his box. "Alexander must pay well."

"You have no clue," I said as I knelt down behind him and looked inside the box from over his shoulder. I had specialty key chains made for all of them. Each one had a platinum square hanging off of the loop. The square had their name on one side and a picture, or phase, on the other. For instance, Tank's had Tank written on one side with a picture of a Tank on the other. There was a woman's silhouette aiming a gun on the back of Lester's.

"Ah, shit," Hal said as he palmed his key chain.

"What?" Cal asked as he looked down at Hal's hand.

"It says Love Muffin on one side and there's a picture of a stun gun on the other."

The control room was completely silent for a moment as every one thought about what Hal had just said. Then, all hell broke loose as every one started laughing their butts off. I just smiled at a very unimpressed Hal as he scowled down at the key chain.

I was in the process of getting hugs and kisses from the guys when I felt a familiar tingle on the back of my neck. I turned towards the door and saw Ranger leaning against the doorframe. He gave me a half smile as I snuck away from the guys and walked over to him. I grabbed a box out of one of the bags and handed it to him with a genuine smile.

"Lookin' good, Babe," Ranger said as he smiled down at me.

"Feelin' good, Babe," I said with a laugh.

I grabbed his hand and pulled him over to one of the nearest cubicles. I pushed him down in the chair and pointed at the box that he was now holding. He smiled when he read the card because I addressed it to Carlos. He quickly tore off the package, but froze before he opened it.

"What?" I asked warily. I sighed and said, "There isn't a bomb in it."

"Babe," he said with a chuckle. He reached into the pocket of his cargos and pulled out a small box. He gave me a 200 watt smile as he handed it to me.

"Ella ratted me out, didn't she?" I asked with a laugh as I took the offered box.

"No," Ranger said as he turned his attention back to the box in his lap. "I knew you were coming."

"How?" I asked as I took the ribbon off the box in my hand.

"Just a feeling," Ranger said with an almost imperceptible shrug.

I watched as a smile slowly grew across his lips when he pulled out the black cashmere sweater. He quickly caught the small box before it hit the floor. He shot me a questioning look as he opened the box. I just smiled and nodded. He looked down and was quiet for a moment. I watched as his shoulders started to shake with silent laughter as he turned it over. I felt the absolute joy of giving him a Christmas present when he tilted his head back and let out a bark of laughter. He literally jumped out of the chair and threw his arms around me in a bone-crushing hug. I had them put a Batman symbol on the back of his key chain.

"This is the greatest gift that I've ever gotten," he whispered in my ear once he got himself under control. "Thanks, Babe."

"You're welcome," I whispered back.

"Now open yours," he said as he released me and stood back.

I looked down at the box that I still held in my hand. I took a deep breath and flipped the lid open. Thank God I took a deep breath, because I instantly froze. Lying on top of the black satin was the most beautiful necklace that I have ever seen. The silver chain was about fourteen inches long and braided. Hanging in the middle of the chain were four letters that were encrusted with tiny diamonds and sapphires. Babe.

I felt a tear roll down my cheek as Ranger took the necklace out of the box and put it around my neck. I placed my fingers over the letters and smiled up at him. I kissed him softly on the cheek as I pulled him into a hug.

"You're my best friend, Babe," he said quietly. "I wanted to get you something special for Christmas that showed just how important you are to me."

I was speechless. Me! Ranger was never all that great with sharing his feelings and he had just opened up a little. I tightened my arms around him and breathed him in. "You're my best friend, too."

"Breakfast!" Ella shouted from the break room.

I was caught off guard by the stampede of Merry Men that ran out of the control room. I couldn't keep in the laugh that was causing my shoulders to shake. I felt Ranger shake in my arms. I pulled back and smiled up at him and he started chuckling. I had had a sudden flash of Ella's waffles drift through my mind and I guess it was written all over my face.

"Ella's going to be so happy that you are back, Babe," Ranger said as he continued to chuckle while he steered me towards the break room. "She's missed you."

"I've missed her, too," I said as I wrapped an arm around his waist.

It felt so good to be home. I had missed all of these guys. They were such a big part of my life and I had been so lonely over the last few months. I got the feeling, when I talked to them over the last few months, that I was just as much a part of their life as they were in mine.

Five minutes later, I was seated at one of the tables with a plate of waffles drenched in syrup between Ranger and Bobby. Neither one of them was willing to let me out of their sight. I'm guessing that they were afraid that I was going to disappear. I was just about to take my first bite when my cell phone rang. I pulled it out and rolled my eyes when I read who it was.

"I'll be right back," I said quietly to Bobby as I got up.

I patted his shoulder when he gave me a questioning look. I opened my phone as I walked out into the cubicle area. "Yes, Alexander."

"I just wanted to make sure that you had a warm welcome home," he said softly.

"You just miss me already, don't you?" I said with a laugh. "I've only been gone for three hours."

"Please, tell me that they hate you and you're coming back," he joked.

"Fat chance, Old Man," I joked back.

Alexander had turned into a surrogate father to me over the last few months. To say that I was shocked when I got the e-mail from him in the first place was an understatement. We hadn't really associated with each other very much. But, evidently I had made a lasting impression. I guess at some point, during one of our little trips out together when Ranger had asked me to swing by the Ramos mansion, I had mentioned that I had previously been a lingerie buyer. I loved Alexander and it hurt that I had to leave him. His family wasn't all that great to him and he was a little lonely.

"You will come to visit?" he asked after I fell silent.

"Of course," I said as I looked through the door of the break room and smiled at Bobby. He was watching me like a hawk. "I still have to come back tomorrow and get the rest of my clothes."

"Okay. Then I'll see you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," I said sadly as I closed my phone.

I walked over to the windows that looked out onto Haywood and gazed down at the traffic. I felt the first sad tear roll down my cheek. I hadn't cried over something sad in quite a while. I was so deep into my thoughts about Alexander, that I didn't notice that Bobby was behind me. I was startled when I had tilted my head back to look at the ceiling to clear my head and I hit the brick wall that he calls a chest. He caught my waist when I teetered as I whirled around.

"You okay?" he asked when he saw the tears that were still falling.

"I shouldn't have left him today," I said quietly as I stared down at my feet.

"Who?" Bobby asked.

"Alexander," I said as I looked up at him. "He's all alone on Christmas. I should have waited."

"Then, let's go," Bobby said with a smile as he took my hands in his.

"You're working."

"No," he said with a shake of his head. "Les and I were just getting off."

"You'd go with me to Alexander's?"

"If that's where you think that you should be," he said with a small smile as he started pulling me towards the elevators. "We can go wherever you want to go."

"Wait," I said as I stopped. "I have to tell the guys that I'll be back."

"Hurry up. I'll meet you downstairs," Bobby said as he released me hands and turned towards the stairs.

I ran back to the break room and told the guys that we were taking off. I dropped a kiss on Ranger's cheek and whispered another thanks for the necklace. I stopped by the control room and grabbed the remaining presents. As quickly as I could, I ran around the office and placed the gifts in the appropriate cubicle. I was just about to run to the elevator when I was caught by a pair of arms from behind and pinned against a chest.

"Will you meet me for lunch tomorrow?" Cal whispered in my ear.

"When and where?" I asked as I turned around in his arms to look up at him.

His expression was soft and kind. He was smiling down at me and I could tell by the look in his eyes that he had missed me. I wrapped my arms around his waist and gave him a light squeeze.

"Shorty's at noon?"

"Sounds good to me."

"Where are you running off to?" Cal asked as his brows furrowed.

"Bobby's running with me back over to Alexander's. I still have a lot of stuff over there and I felt really bad about leaving him alone on Christmas," I said, the last part sadly.

"Be careful," Cal warned.

"Please," I said with an eye roll as I moved out of his arms and started towards the elevator. "I've been living with the man for the last five months. I'm still alive, aren't I?"

"I'm just saying…"

"I'll be fine," I said as I backed into the elevator when I heard the doors open. "I'll see you at Shorty's."

I waved at Cal as the doors closed and leaned against the wall as I rode down to the garage. I stepped out of the elevator and into the garage and found Bobby leaning against his motorcycle. I shook my head 'no' and pointed out the gate at my Bronco as I tossed him the keys. I've learned over the years that the Merry Men don't trust me to drive while they are in the car. I've also discovered over the last five months that Alexander's henchmen don't allow unknown vehicles into his compound. There was no way that they would let Bobby's bike through the gates. Even if I was on it.