A/N: Thank you again for all the kind reviews! I'm even starting to get a few critiquing my work, which is much appreciated. I don't have a beta so all mistakes are mine, so feel free to call me out on them. Happy Saturday, and to all those who celebrate – Chag Urim Sameach! (The irony of my celebrating Hanukkah while writing a Christmas story has not escaped me, but I have grown to celebrate both holidays. More about the the whole feel of the season for me, anyways!) Anyways, enjoy and be merry!


Stephanie knew it was Saturday and yet here she was at her desk at Rangeman, plugging away.

She rationalized it in her head easily: she had to drop off Ranger's gift, it was easier to make Christmas party decisions with the guys nearby, she had a better internet connection than at her place, her mother couldn't get past the lobby even if she wanted to, et cetera. She was well aware that she just wanted to see Ranger for a moment, but her subconscious deigned that as too weak to admit aloud.

Instead, here she was, 11 am on a Saturday, eyes darting towards Ranger's door every few minutes, on hold with the manager of Biaggi's Italian restaurant, seeing if they could accommodate the size of her group.

Pathetic.

She had only gotten there about thirty minutes prior, and with Ranger's door shut, she had no way of knowing if he was out of the office or in his office, at least not without asking around. She had had enough teasing about the gifts to last her a lifetime, so she decided to exercise that little thing that some people called 'patience,' and just wait it out. It was torturous.

She thought for a second she could hear the manager on the other end of the phone counting how many people could fit in his restaurant, and she knew that didn't bode well for her plans.

She asked Ranger how many people she should round up to, and he had surprised her with the answer. At any given time there were about 40 men in the office or out in the field – including part-timers who she barely knew. Ranger had told her that she could make the call on bringing significant others, but she decided against it at the last minute. She figured that while a few guys had wives, the others would resort to taking casual dates, and there was bound to be a few shocked women at all the testosterone in the room, let alone the firearms. Instead, she decided that with the booze flowing and the guys getting increasingly inappropriate, it was best to leave the wives and girlfriends at home.

Ranger had continued to surprise her when he asked if she'd have it planned by the end of the weekend, and if she wouldn't mind sending an invite to the heads of the other branches as well. This was daunting in its own way, because now not only was she saddled with completing this seemingly insurmountable task, but she knew for a fact that at least one of the other heads was Ranger's brother. She knew Mateo led the Boston branch, and while she had never met the man before, a company Christmas party didn't seem to be the best venue to her. The best venue to Stephanie would be someplace in another dimension.

He said to round up to 70 (70?!) people, just in case. She had no idea what that 'just in case' meant, but she figured that there was no such thing as too much food in the case of Rangemen employees.

"Hello? I'm sorry for the wait," a flustered voice came over the telephone.

"Oh, it's fine," she assured them. Biaggi's was one of her top contenders. Italian food, cozy setting, good bar? That was all Stephanie needed to guarantee herself a good time, and she knew that the same could be said for most of the men.

"I'm so sorry, we are undergoing renovations right now and we just don't think we'd be able to accommodate such a large number."

Stephanie sighed, but reassured them that it was alright, she had expected as much. Crossing the name off her list, she felt the tension that had settled in her shoulders start to buzz slightly. Ranger had to be close.

"Babe."

She spun around to see him, unable to help the smile that crossed her face. Guess he wasn't in his office then.

"Hi there."

He nodded subtly with his head, motioning for her to come with him, so she hopped up out of her chair and made her way with him to his office.

As he unlocked the door and the stocking rocked against it, he cocked one eyebrow at her. She shrugged, trying desperately to mimic his eyebrow. She was not successful.

He tossed her a smile before reaching in and grabbing the gift and making his way to his desk. His smile was a challenge to her, and she felt herself flush at the prospect of him "opening" a gift in front of her. He was changing the rules and she didn't know how she felt about that.

Once seated, and Stephanie settled across from him, he took a look at what he had pulled from the stocking.

"Babe."

"That's the only word you've said to me in five minutes."

His lips twitched at that, and he held up the gift, letting it dangle from his fingers.

A pair of miniature, shiny, silver handcuffs hung from his index finger, the loop wrapped securely around him. It was an ornament, maybe 2 and a half inches long, that she had picked up impulsively the week before Thanksgiving. Originally she had thought that she'd put it on her own tree, but with Ranger's stocking plan, she realized he'd appreciate it just as much, if not more. Their shared history of handcuffs was a special thing, even if it did make her blush.

"I know you don't have a tree or anything, but…"

He remained silent, his smile growing minutely, and gently hung it on his own tiny black Christmas tree there on his desk.

It was big for the tree- almost took up one whole side of it – and a bit heavier than it was meant for (which, Steph suspected, was no ornaments at all) but he just bent a wire branch to rest beneath it and support it more fully, and there it was.

It was a surreal moment for both of them. For one, Ranger never thought in a million years his office would ever have any decorations, let alone a lit up Christmas tree (even if it was black) with an ironic ornament hanging off it. And for Stephanie, she never thought she'd see the day where Ranger smiled this much, or was this much of a pushover for her dumb wants. It was amazing.

They traded smiles for a long moment, each of them reveling in their feelings.

"What's on your table for today?" Ranger asked, leaning over his desk slightly, wanting to be closer to her.

"Mostly party planning. I was thinking around 3 I'd brave the mall and try my hand at shopping."

He took a deep breath.

"Want some company?"

Her jaw dropped. Was he serious?

"You'd go to the mall? With me? Voluntarily?" She narrowed her eyes. "Do I have a stalker that I don't know about?"

"You can help me choose some things for Julie."

"That's not an answer, but I'm willing to let it go because it's Christmas time and I don't think I even want to know if I have another crazy after me. It'll dampen my spirit."

He shook his head, the smile still in place. That smile that Stephanie wanted to kiss right off his face.

"No crazies, Babe. Just me."

"And me," she countered, trying not to hyperventilate. Did that mean that Ranger was after her? God, she hoped so.

"Us."

She bit her lip to keep from smiling too large, and then moved to stand. No amount of lip biting was going to help her when Ranger stood from his chair too, an instinctual act of chivalry.

"3 work for you then?" She stood by the door, staring at him. Something had changed, she knew it.

"Sounds good. I'll see you then, Babe."

Eek!


She got to her desk and there was a Post-It with a scrawled note on top. She didn't recognize the handwriting, so she could rule out a few people, but she still didn't get what it meant. It said 'Capital Club 34.' Huh?

"Capital Club, huh Steph?"

Lester appeared from nowhere right behind her. He was in jeans and a t-shirt so she suspected he wasn't on duty either, just on his way out.

"Yeah, someone left me this note…" She trailed off, looking to see who else was on duty.

"Is that where we're having the Christmas party?"

"What?" Her attention was back on him. "No, it sounds like a strip club! We are not doing that."

Lester laughed loudly, throwing his head back. Steph waited expectantly.

"That's not a strip club, Steph. It's a business club downtown. Top floor of the Century building, looks out over the whole city. It'd be great for a party."

"I bet it costs more than my yearly salary."

"I bet it doesn't. We even do security for the Century, so I am sure it wouldn't be that bad. Besides, it's perfect for Rangeman's first Christmas party. Wasn't your first time special?" His voice dropped and he waggled his eyebrows leeringly.

Before Steph could respond, Bobby popped his head out by elevator.

"Yo, Santos, you ready to roll?"

"Later, Beautiful."

"Later Lieutenant Libido." The sweet smile did nothing to take the shock from her words and as he stumbled backwards toward Bobby's now increasingly agitated demands that he 'get his ass in gear,' Lester was racking his brain, trying to figure out who told her.

Grinning to herself, Stephanie began to do more research on the Capital Club.


She booked it, and she felt it gnawing away at her stomach.

It. Cost. So. Much.

She double checked with Tank (Ranger had been in a teleconference with his accountant since she last saw him) that the price was okay. It fit within Ranger's budget he gave her and covered absolutely everything, from the catering to the centerpieces to the valet, and even gave her a big enough leeway to guarantee an open bar for at least part of the night. (She knew how much these guys could drink, and she didn't want to make Rangeman file bankruptcy, hence the 'part of the night.')

She had to admit, if she put the cost aside, it was a good deal. She had to do virtually nothing. The event planner on their side just asked her tons of questions and she answered them as honestly as she could. Everything from what centerpieces she wanted (she said it had to be manly. No flowers and no flames. She expected a bowl of weeds.) to color schemes (black and silver with touches of green was as festive as she was willing to compromise) to food (she received several sample menus in her inbox but had yet to choose one). She felt lighter, yet heavier.

She knew Tank was being honest ("If he gave you that much money to spend, then he wants you to spend it") but it was just more than she felt comfortable with. As was the usual case with Ranger.

Finally, 3 o' clock rolled around and she felt Ranger standing behind her.

He had changed from badass Ranger to someone she barely recognized. Gone were his black cargos but instead he was wearing tight fitting (around his butt anyway, which was where her eyes were drawn to first) dark gray jeans, a white thermal shirt (she always deemed them 'waffle shirts'), and a badass black leather bomber jacket.

"Ready, Babe?"

She nodded before gathering her stuff and slipping on her black trench and tightening the belt. She was wearing jeans and heeled boots, which she knew was tempting fate, but she felt better about the whole day if Ranger was going to be by her side. He wouldn't let her fall on her ass.

He directed her towards the Cayenne, which he didn't usually use, but she wasn't going to complain at all. Just because it wasn't the 911 didn't mean it wasn't magic. Besides, she was pretty sure this was a Turbo too. She could slum it for now.

She hadn't realized she had been quiet until he had actually questioned it.

"Something on your mind, Babe?"

"I booked the party venue," she blurted out.

When she wasn't forthcoming with more information, Ranger found he actually had to pry. "For Thursday the 20th?" She nodded. "Where?"

He watched her fidget, playing with the buttons on her coat, but he waited her out regardless.

"Capitalclub34."

"Where was that, Babe?"

"Capital Club 34," she confessed.

"We provide security over there; should be easy to secure. Nice job."

"Don't you want to know how much it cost?"

"Did it go over budget?"

"No."

"Did you put it all down up front?"

"…No, I did a deposit."

"Did you agree to a date with the manager for a lower price?"

"What? No, Ranger!" She was getting exasperated.

"I'm just failing to see why I could be concerned about this price."

"That budget was ridiculous! I might not have used it all, but I used more than I wanted to."

"Babe, you wanted to have the party in the conference room and have Ella cook. I'm not surprised you spent more than you wanted to."

Silence fell between the two of them, yet he knew the conversation wasn't over. When she quietly admitted the price, like he knew she would, he let a smile creep across his face.

He reached over and placed his hand on her thigh, stroking lightly.

"It's a Christmas party, Steph. Rangeman had a very successful fourth quarter and an even more successful year. This is not breaking the bank, or even putting a dent in it. My men deserve some downtime and I am happy to foot the bill. Don't worry about it."

Her hand tentatively went over his, resting lightly. When he shifted his hand to allow his fingers to take hers, she responded immediately, holding on tightly.

They kept them that way until they reached the mall.


"You know, I don't know the last time I was in a mall just to shop," Ranger commented after about a half hour.

"You don't say?" Steph tossed back sarcastically, to which Ranger raised his eyebrow at. "Ranger, you've been on edge this whole time. I know it's a bit of a madhouse, but the likelihood of a terrorist attack is pretty slim."

He would've blushed if he hadn't had such great control over his body's involuntary reactions. It was true; he was on edge. He wasn't on the alert for terrorists per se, and his type of enemy wouldn't frequent the mall during Christmas. It was Steph's skips that he was trying to keep an eye out for, lest they cause any trouble during what is supposed to be a relaxing afternoon out.

"Come on," Steph said suddenly, taking his hand in hers and pulling him to a nearby store. It was a small accessories store and he realized Julie would probably like some stuff here.

"Would these make you feel better?"

He took his eyes off the shelves (he had been mentally categorizing the inventory and how appropriate it was for Julie) when he looked back and saw Steph wearing a comically large pair of sunglasses. When his only response was a smirk, she knew she had to try harder.

"What about this?" She threw a feather boa around her neck.

"Babe."

"Ranger." She rolled her eyes and took the sunglasses off, leaving the boa. "You've been protecting me so long that I'm not even sure you realize you're doing it. But you can relax. We're in the mall; it's my territory. Maybe this time I'll protect you."

He took the ends of the boa and pulled her to him, making sure their bodies touched completely.

"I will try to relax," he murmured.

"That's all I can ask," she said softly in return, gazing into his eyes. She abruptly realized where they were (she was sure he was always completely aware) and fought to regain some control of the situation. "What do you think of this Julie? It's fun." She gestured to the boa.

Ranger took her hands in his, where he still held the ends of the boa, and looked like he was thinking about smiling.

"Again, Babe, I don't know how I feel about getting Julie something that makes me have those kind of thoughts about you."

He stepped away, turning to find some large, goofy sunglasses that Julie would like.

Stephanie felt her cheeks get hot and as she went to involuntarily place a hand to them, she realized sharply that she couldn't.

He tied them – tied her – up. The boa was in an intricate knot that was secure but didn't cut off any circulation to her hands. She didn't even feel him do it, didn't feel the tug of the boa or the manipulation of her hands. Her mind suddenly had an onslaught of images and scenes and ideas that Ranger might have had as he told her that this boa gave him thoughts and then…

Holy hot flash, Batman.


They stayed at the mall for a few hours, and Stephanie was inordinately pleased with how she was able to help with things for Julie. She even insisted on paying for a few things, citing them as her own gifts for the girl.

Once Ranger was able to relax even the tiniest bit, it made a difference with how the rest of the shopping trip went. He was tugging her to other stores, spending a brazen amount on Julie, and even demanded she try on a few things. It was a casual, playful side of Ranger that Stephanie didn't understand at first, but was so glad she was getting a chance to.

She was still disappointed when he dropped her back at Rangeman to get her car and didn't kiss her. If he was having all these…thoughts about her, why was he so reluctant to kiss her? Or ask her to stay for dinner? He had sent her off with a tender caress of her face and a kiss on the forehead, and that was supposed to be enough for her?

She thought of her coming gifts and realized that if he was determined to be chaste, she was going to do have to step up her game. She was more than willing.