A/N: That went quicker with an update than even I expected :) I still don't know entirely what Steph will do at some stage - though I have quite an intersting idea *evil laugh*
I was dreaming of being on a beach somewhere where it was warm and sunny and looked like paradise. Sipping a cocktail, I watched the waves roll in and out, setting my mind into an almost zen-like state.
I don't know where I was or what I was doing there other than listening to the waves but the next thing I know, I felt a pleasant tingling sensation down my back and a warm presence which made me close my eyes and let out a soft moan. Opening my eyes again, I was no longer at a beach but what looked like a bedroom – more precisely Ranger's bedroom with its heavenly Egyptian cotton sheets and the scent of …well, the scent of Ranger. There were definitely worse ways to wake up if you'd ask me. Though I wouldn't have minded the beach either.
"I had a great dream," I mumbled still rather sleepy into my pillows, pushing my head further into the feathery-soft item, feeling Ranger's lips travelling a path from my neck down my back until he reached the edge of the sheet which had ridden low and was covering only my ass by now.
"The dream becomes even better when you wake up next to it," Ranger mumbled into my neck, having moved up my back again.
It took me a moment in my sleep-hazy state to realize what he had said, before snickering softly into my pillows.
"You did not just say that," I exclaimed between yawns. "I wasn't aware that big, tough Army-guys could be that cheesy."
"Oh, you have no idea then what us big, tough Army-guys are capable of doing then," I heard him laugh, before pressing another kiss in the nape of my neck.
While dwelling some further in the sensation of more tingles up and down my spine, my eyes landed on the bedside table.
"Didn't you have an appointment with Lester at 0500 this morning?" I asked, wondering whether he had gotten soft.
"Perks of being the boss, Babe. I can delegate shit like this to Tank," he laughed, kissing another patch of skin. "No worries though, the only one I'd get soft for is you, and certainly not when it counts."
A moment later the sheet which had previously covered the lower half of my body was gone and Ranger took its place, covering my backside in wet, open-mouthed kissed until he figured it was enough and turned me around, starting what could probably be counted as his second work-out of the day.
"So, have you made up your mind what you want to do?" Cal asked from his position at the door of Ranger's office. Carlos had been gone most of the day with work and meetings and I was bored. I had spent a few days mainly bunked up in the penthouse without seeing anyone really until I was almost going insane and decided I needed to do something against my boredom. Carlo's office was as good a place to start looking for entertainment as any other really. When Cal appeared almost out of the blue with his question I was sitting behind Carlo's desk, typing emails, running some searches and doing some administrative work – mainly his paperwork. Well, his paperwork up to a point that I could without him being present. I knew he wouldn't mind really. Ranger always had been more into the 'doing' part rather than the paperwork that followed.
"Ranger's paperwork apparently," I joked, pointing towards the computer monitor in front of me. Cal laughed at my answer before shaking his head.
"I meant more in the long run, but I guess less paperwork for the boss makes him happy which makes us happy in return. So keep doing that for a while…."
"How can someone so organized and planned out let get paperwork so out of hand and behind every possible deadline?" I muttered more to myself than anyone really, but Cal seemed to have heard and threw me a smile before he answered.
"Because it is a pain in the ass," he commented flatly before pushing himself of the doorframe he was presently leaning against and stepping into the office, sitting down in one of the chairs opposite Carlo's neat desk a moment later.
I just shrugged at his reply, knowing this already in all fairness since it was one of the things the guys around here had been complaining about often enough. Thinking about his earlier question I stopped what I was doing for a while.
"I… don't really know," I admitted honestly. "I… I was thinking of getting back into my old job, but not sure whether I want that even by now."
"Why not? What's keeping you from getting back into bounty hunting?" Cal asked surprised and interested equally.
"I… don't know. Let's face it, I was never particularly stellar at it. I don't think I even enjoyed it very much. Most of the time I just got lucky – if you didn't count all the misfortunes of me landing in various liquids or other stuff or how often I managed to loose cars or get hurt. Yes, I always got my guy in the end, but… there was always a certain loss attached to it beforehand. And don't they always say best stop when you are on top? I can't get much higher than bringing in the person who was I supposedly accused of having killed. So… maybe that's the perfect end for Bounty Hunter Stephanie Plum."
"No more Bombshell Bounty Hunter?" Cal asked, looking almost sad.
"Maybe it is time the Burg and everyone in it find something new to talk about."
"You could write a book about your time on the road. I'm certain a lot of people would like to know where you where and what you were up to."
I just shrugged at his suggestion and wondered why everyone was suggesting something that ridiculous. It wasn't as if my time on the run was that exciting and could fill novels. No idea what people thought I had gotten up to but I was pretty certain it would be very disappointing to a lot of them.
"How about I keep my options open? I… don't really know what I wanna do, other than getting better and back on my feet so to speak. The rest will find itself along the way."
Cal looked at me for a long time, not saying a word. To a certain point his almost-stare made me almost nervous that I was about to say something. But he beat me to it.
"You know, I always liked the Stephanie Plum that went after idiots and brought them back in, went into everything trusting on her instincts and her luck. She was the rebel that fought old-fashioned expectations and machoman behavior, trying to prove herself every single day to everyone. Apart from maybe trying to appeal to everyone's idea and taste a little less I never thought she needed to change and to improve. Because you were amazing the way you were. But… since you are back and proved to everyone that all of them who doubted you were just plain stupid and wrong I just… found new amazement for you. You seem so much freer and more careless in a good way now. Like you finally found your balance and your spot. Like you are finally … you."
I smiled at him for a long while. Cal, with his burning skull tattoo very visible and colorful on top of his shaved head always seemed to most people like a goon, a bad guy who would do anything for the right price and hit first and asked questions second. In reality Cal was out of all the RangeMen my favorite – well after Ranger obviously. He was a good guy and one you could really talk to and about stuff. He had incredible listening skills and was a lot of fun to be around. His rather unorthodox and scary shell hid a good and sensible guy with his head in the right place and his heart as well. As hard and tough as he seemed, as soft ans sweet was his personality.
I knew we had talked about my disappearing act quickly during one of the many times he had visited me at the hospital. But somehow…. It never seemed closed and finished.
"I…. I know I said it already a few times, but I am sorry. For how I left things for you and for how I um…. involved you in my disappearing act."
"I am not," he said, surprising me. "I… in the beginning it was hard to believe you'd do something like this. But… the longer I thought about it, the happier I was at some sort. I was still part of your plan, I helped you to orchestrate it so to speak. I was an instrument in your disappearing act. Out of all the guys, I'm the only one who had that connection to you. I understood what you had to do and even more so why you had to. I knew you couldn't just ask someone for that kind of help and disappearing during broad daylight wouldn't have worked as easily or would have meant you'd actually never make it to your destination. I wasn't happy at first, but I was glad to not see you behind bars. Or having to explain to Ranger why his girl was behind bars."
"What makes you think I'm Carlos' girl?" I asked curious. And yes, I was naïve. After Carlos having spent almost every minute at the hospital and now bringing me to Haywood it went without much ado that I was more than just a girl. But Cal surprised me once more when neither of these facts was his arguing point.
"You are wearing his shirt. In my experience it doesn't get much more serious than that," he laughed and I laughed with him.
"In all fairness it is pretty much the only garment I can wear that is loose enough so my gunshot wound isn't constantly hurting. Getting shot is a real bitch," I complained and Cal laughed some more.
"I know and they won't get much better with each new gunshot wound. As a matter of fact they just get more annoying."
And then he got up, smiled at me one last time before doing whatever he had been doing before and I was left with the rest of Carlos' paperwork.