Disclaimer: I REALLY wish I owned 'em (but I don't), that I was making big bucks with 'em (right!) and I'll return em all when I'm done with them...maybe. And again, huge super hugs to Stayce for her phenomenal beta skills!

Better Than Birthday Cake - pt 4

Previously

Ranger gently turned me around and moved us towards the hallway and the front door, keeping me firmly attached to his side. I stumbled, and Ranger swung me up in his arms. I was too drained to resist, so I simply laid my head on his shoulder, my hands gripping his shirt as tightly as I could. He walked down the steps and up to the SUV, beeping it unlocked as he approached. He set me carefully inside, buckling me into the seat and brushing the hair away from my face. He dropped a kiss to my forehead and shut the door, rounding the front and gracefully sliding into the drivers seat.

I didn't remember the ride home, nor the walk up to my apartment. Ranger carried me to the elevator, then into the apartment. I wasn't even aware when he undressed me and slid one of his T-shirts over my head, tucking me into bed and turning out the lights. I was so exhausted I just curled into a ball and closed my eyes, letting darkness take over my mind as I drifted off to sleep.

I awoke the next morning feeling disoriented; my bed had never been this comfortable, nor my sheets so soft. I looked around me, taking in the quiet luxury of Ranger's bedroom. How in the hell did I get here?

The events of the evening before at my parents house came flooding back, and I cringed as my mom's and Val's hateful words echoed in my head. Was that really what they thought of Ranger? And me? The looks on their faces said yes, and tears started to well up in my eyes again. God I was pathetic! Even my own family couldn't understand me, or my choice of friends. Why couldn't they accept my life the way I chose, especially my best friend?

As much as my mother kept trying to force the issue, I couldn't go back to Joe, that was certain. When we broke up, instead of all the yelling and screaming, we'd sat quietly and talked about where our relationship was, and where it was headed. Neither of us wanted that, and we parted as friends. He was now seeing a school teacher he'd met in Philly, and things seemed to be going good for them. I couldn't be happier for him, and even though we no longer saw much of each other, the times we ran into one another were comfortable without all the tension that had been present the past couple of years.

I sighed and decided it was time to get out of bed. Ranger wouldn't appreciate me lounging around all day in his bed. I knew how much he valued his privacy, so the sooner I was out of here, the better.

I went into the bathroom, took care of Mother Nature, and turned on the shower. I stripped and stepped under the hot spray, letting the water wash away the remnants of the night before. I lathered up the shower scrubby with Rangers yummy shower gel and almost swooned as the fragrance wafted up to me, enveloping me in the intoxicating scent of Ranger.

I finished cleaning up and exited the shower, wrapping one of the huge towels around me after drying off while combing my fingers through my unruly hair. I went out into the bedroom, looking for my clothes I had worn the night before. I really didn't want to put them on, but I had no other clothes there, and I'd long ago stopped keeping any of my uniforms in Ranger's closet.

Once I determined my clothes were nowhere around, I grabbed up a pair of Ranger's sweatpants and a T-shirt, pulling a hoodie over the ensemble to hide the fact I wasn't wearing any underwear. I'd wash them and return them later after I got home to my own apartment.

When I opened the bedroom door, the wonderful smells of an Ella breakfast complete with coffee assaulted my nose, and my stomach decided to let the world know it how deprived it had been. Loudly. I heard a chuckle and saw Ella setting out a breakfast feast of pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs and donuts on the dining room table, a glass of juice sitting at the single place setting. I blushed, even though this wasn't the first time my stomach had vocalized its displeasure at it's empty state in front of her.

"Omigod, Ella! That smells wonderful! Please say you'll adopt me! I promise I'll do all of my chores, and I won't even expect an allowance." I almost moaned as I sniffed the air again, taking in the magic that was Ella's cooking. The appetizing smells became somewhat overpowering, causing me to feel dizzy as I realized I hadn't eaten anything for the past two days, and it was even longer since I'd had a decent meal. She chuckled, then ran an appraising eye over me, taking in the way Ranger's sweats hung on my body and dullness of my complexion.

I winced as I saw an expression of irritation cross her face, followed by determination. I moved over to the table and sank into a chair, waiting for the dizziness to pass and bask in the aroma of my favorite breakfast. I reached out a hand to grasp the mug of coffee, unsurprised to see my hand shaking a little, but clearly it upset Ella. She turned, pinning me with her dark gaze as she began questioning me, her voice soft and non-threatening.

"Stephanie? When was the last time you ate? You're so thin, dear. Are you feeling all right?" I could hear the concern in her voice, which made me want to cry. I swallowed a lump in my throat and tried to reply, not knowing exactly what to say.

"Um, a couple days ago, I think. I'm okay Ella. Really. I was just making room for dinner at my parent's last night. It was my sister's birthday and my mom had a huge dinner prepared. And birthday cake, let's not forget that!" I was babbling again, so I hurriedly took a gulp of coffee to keep my mouth busy. I should have known Ella could tell I hadn't been eating very much. She was, after all, the one who shopped for some of my distraction outfits that Ranger had once provided.

She tsk'd and moved towards the door, letting herself out quietly. I busied myself with my breakfast, slathering butter and syrup over my pancakes. I took a bite and almost passed out from sheer bliss. Yum! Chocolate chip! I took a bite of bacon and could have sworn I was in heaven. Nobody could cook as magically as Ella, and I intended to make the most of it. After all, the only thing I had back at my apartment were some stale crackers and hamster nuggets. Well, some water in my fridge, but it didn't do much to kill the hunger pains. That thought made me remember last night while I was getting ready.

Crap! Ranger had seen my empty fridge! I was gonna have to do some fast talking later, unless I managed to avoid him until I could get some skips in to replenish my sagging bank account and pick up a few things. I liked that idea better, since I knew I was a lousy liar when it came to Ranger. Well, not really a lousy liar, since I couldn't bring myself to lie to him. Just bend the truth a bit. Unfortunately, I seemed to be transparent when it came to him, because he always managed to squeeze the whole truth out of me anyway. So, avoidance was the plan. Guess that solves that issue. I'd put that plan into action just as soon as I finished my meal.

I happily plowed into my breakfast, dismayed to discover I was stuffed when I'd barely eaten half my food. Damn! And it was so good too! Who knew when I'd get a meal like this again, especially since I didn't think I'd be visiting my parents house anytime soon, much less eat there. And it's not like I could just show up on Ranger's doorstep every night for dinner. I wondered if Ella would fix me a doggie bag? I'd hate to let this all go to waste...

My inner musings were interrupted by the front door opening, and Ranger strode into the room. I looked up and gulped, his blank face firmly in place and his eyes boring into mine. So much for the plan!

I shifted uncomfortably under his steady perusal, wishing desperately for the ground to open up and swallow me. If only I'd left as soon as I remembered he'd seen my refrigerator, I'd be home by now and could delay the inquisition for a few days. Stupid stupid stupid!

"How long has this been going on, Stephanie?" Ranger's voice sounded like he was almost growling. Somalia, here I come!

"Um...well my mom's kinda been on my case ever since Joe and I broke up and she found out he's seeing a teacher in Philly, but last night was the first time Val's ever said anything." I said, feeling my face heat up in remembrance. Ugh! Hopefully my admission to Val about being in love with Ranger got lost in the shuffle. "I'm really sorry about last night, Ranger." I sighed then. Just the thought of the horrible way they spoke to him last night made my chest hurt.

"I'm not talking about last night." He spoke again, moving closer to me as he continued to study me. Maybe he didn't remember that part?

I frowned. What was he talking about? I thought for a minute, then it hit me. Crappity crap crap! The stupid plan!

Oh, well...um...I was really busy today and totally spaced out lunch, and then when Nicky Zambrano dumped his spaghetti on my head I sorta lost my appetite, and then I had to hurry to get Val's birthday present..." I faltered when I noticed his expression. Gulp!

"Can I at least pack first?" I asked, my voice coming out in a squeak.

This obviously was the perfect thing for me to say, because his face changed from pissed to confused in 0.2 seconds flat. Maybe not Somalia then, but still...

"Pack for where?" he asked, his voice betraying his bewilderment. I'm marking today on my calendar, because I have finally been successful in confusing Batman. It might mean Siberia instead, but damn I was proud of myself!

I looked down at my feet before answering.

"Well, um, you seem kinda mad at me, and um...see I heard you send people who piss you off to third-world countries, and uh, well, could I pack some things first?" I asked. Damn, I wish that squeak would go away! "Oh, and I need to find Rex a new home, unless I can take him with me..."

My voice faded as I looked up and saw his expression. Wait a minute. Was he laughing? He was! He was laughing at me! Not his usual almost smile, oh nooo! Flat out laughing so hard he wasn't making a sound, and were those tears in his eyes? That son of a bitch!

I felt the slow burn of anger start to build in my body, my hands making their way to my hips and then suddenly I was in full blown rhino mode. How dare he!

"I'm glad you find me so amusing, but to be honest with you, I'm just a little sick and tired of people laughing at me." I could hear the hurt in my voice underlying the anger, so I did what any good 'Burg girl would do. I flipped him off and started for the door, needing to get out of there before the tears started to flow. Ranger was the last person I thought would laugh at me, so his little display at my expense cut me to the quick.

My eyes were stinging as I reached for the doorknob, only it wouldn't open when I turned the handle. I looked up to see Rangers hand planted firmly on the door, holding it shut. I clenched my jaw, holding myself as rigid as possible to keep from hitting him.

"Would you remove your hand?" I bit out. No way was I going to let him know just how much his laughter hurt. I had to do something fast, before I made an even bigger fool of myself. "Please."

I felt his hand grip my chin and lift my head towards him, but I stubbornly refused to look at him. Hell could freeze over first!

"Babe?" Gone was the humor of just a moment before. Instead his voice sounded concerned, apologetic even. But that couldn't be right. Ranger never apologized to anyone, least of all to me. Not that he'd ever hurt me like this before. Well, maybe once, but that was a long time ago, and way before I realized I was in love with him. That was a piece of cake compared to this.

"I'd like to go home now Ranger. Thank you for breakfast, but I have a lot to do today." I really needed to leave right now, or I'd end up giving him another reason to laugh at me. I wouldn't be able to make it through another round with any pride left if I didn't get away from him.

"Steph, I'm sorry. I wasn't laughing at you." He actually sounded sorry, and that was my undoing. A tear slipped out and rolled down my cheek, then another. Great. Now I was gonna bawl right here, in front of Ranger. My humiliation was complete.

"Dont cry, Babe. I'm sorry. So sorry." He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his chest, trapping my hands between us. His hand rubbed soothing circles on my back and he began whispering softly in Spanish as I sobbed against his chest.

After a while I calmed down, exhausted from all the emotion I was feeling. I started to think about his apology. I wanted to know who he'd been laughing at if it wasn't me. After all, I was the only other person here, so it stood to reason that I was the object of amusement. I shifted in his embrace so that my face wasn't buried in his chest and cleared my throat.

"Who were you laughing at if it wasn't me, Ranger?" My voice sounded a little wobbly, and I grimaced. The last thing I needed was for him to think I was being a baby, although I guess it was a bit late for that. His shirt was soaked with my tears and snot, so I guess I'd just have to suck it up and pretend it didn't happen. After all, denial always worked best for me.

"Babe, what you heard is an old story." He sighed and let out a chuckle. "A long time ago I did send Tank and Lester to a so-called 'third world country', but it was payback for a practical joke they played on me. I sent them to a little country in Africa called Qatar, but like I said, it was a long time ago. The guys like to bring it up to scare the others, and it works. No way would I ever do that to you, no matter how upset I get. I was laughing at the reminder, Babe. Not you." He was caressing my cheeks as he finished, wiping a few stray tears from my face.

Relief flowed through me at his reassuring explanation, and I relaxed against him. Not only the fact that he hadn't been laughing at me, but that he'd never send my away like that. Another thought popped into my head, something I'd wondered earlier.

"How did I get here this morning? I thought you took me to my apartment last night." I really didn't want to look at his expression, but I hoped it wouldn't be blank like it had been earlier.

"You don't remember, do you?" He smiled and tucked a curl behind my ear. I shook my head no, my brow scrunching up as I tried to think back to last night after leaving my parents house. Nope, nothing.

"I didn't take you back to your apartment last night, Babe. I brought you here where you wouldn't be alone and I could keep an eye on you." His hold tightened a fraction and I felt him take a deep breath before he continued. Why didn't you tell me you needed money, Steph?"

I froze. Damn! How did he know? Okay, time to employ my distraction skills here.

"What makes you think I need money, Ranger?" There. My voice sounded almost normal. I could do this.

"Babe."

tbc