One-Shot. S/R Established. Ranger comes home in a bad mood. Steph knows just how to handle it.

Ranger walked into the apartment. I stood from the couch where I had been going over files and walked to him smiling. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he wrapped his arms around my waist. His eyes were stormy and his face stony.

I kissed him softly standing on my toes. "I thought we said no blank faces at home."

He claimed my lips in another kiss causing me to lose my train of thought for a moment before I remembered and pulled back. I traced his furrowed brow.

"You good?" I asked. He nodded. He let me go and grabbed the mail off the table flicking through it. Tossing it all in the trash.

He walked into the kitchen and picked up the covers off the food. I sat across from him frowning. We ate with a tense silence surrounding us. I mostly pushed my food back and forth across my plate. I tried to reach over and take his hand and he just brushed off my touch.

"Carlos, what's wrong?"

"Nothing Stephanie."

"Ranger. What's wrong?"

He glared at me dropping his blank face. "I told you nothing is wrong."

"Ranger you came home in a bad mood. You don't talk to me. You don't look at me during dinner. You won't touch me. What the hell is wrong? Is something wrong? Can I help?"

"Stop asking questions Steph. There's nothing you can do." He growled at me. I stood silently and dropped my napkin back onto the table. I cleared my plate and put my dishes in the dishwasher. He stood and started doing the same. He turned and I backed him up against the counter.

I poked him in the chest. "Ricardo Carlos Manoso, You will not treat me like I'm under you. Like a little woman that can't do anything. If you want me to back off and leave something alone ask me and I will but I will not tolerate being talked to the way you just did just like..."

The unsaid words hung in the air. He had yelled at me the same way Joe used to. I didn't tolerate it from Joe and I sure as hell wasn't going to tolerate it from him, even if I was in love with him. I refused to be in another abusive relationship.

"I'm going to go take a shower and by the time I get out, I hope you're out of this funk or one of us is going to be sleeping on the couch tonight," I said before walking to our bedroom.

Ranger POV:

I sighed and leaned against the counter. I rubbed a hand over my face. She was right, I was being an ass and treating her like Joe did. Today had been hell. I had blown everything out of proportion and I knew it. I shouldn't have blown up on her like that when she started to ask me what was wrong. I just didn't want to show her any weakness. I wanted her to still think of me as her Batman.

This morning I had left Steph sated and asleep in my bed. I pulled on an Armani suit and leaned over Steph to kiss her forehead. "I'll see you later. I love you, babe."

"Love...You...Too Carlos." She said before drifting off back to sleep. I kiss her lightly on the lips before walking out. I made my way to an 0830 client meeting. I couldn't find a space close to where we were meeting and had to park two blocks down. The meeting went well, but as soon as I stepped out of the building it started raining.

By the time I got to the turbo, I was soaked. I tried to use my remote but it wouldn't work. When I tried to unlock the door with the key it snapped off in the door. I growled and jogged to the cafe across the street and used their payphone telling Tank to come get me and bring me a fresh set of clothes along with the flatbed. Tank forgot my spare set of clothes, he had been laughing too hard.

We dropped the Turbo off at Al's and drove back to Rangeman. We rode in silence back to the office with Tank glancing at me every once in a while. I sloshed my way to my office with the men looking at me. After a stern look and they, all scrambled to get back to work. I made my way to my office where I started on paperwork. At eleven I had a meeting with a couple looking for security. The woman's father owned one of our larger accounts and he had referred the couple to us.

Lester and I sat in the conference room as they came onto us. Turns out they were swingers. They wanted us to join them. When we told them no they left withdrawing their interest and an hour later I got a call from her father wanting to break his contract.

I went back to my office trying to do paperwork but not being able to focus I leaned back in my chair. When I did it broke with a loud crack and I landed with a bang.

Tank came into the office and looked at me on the floor. "Boss, what the hell was that noise?"

"My chair broke," I said through gritted teeth. He let out a big belly laugh.

"You been eating dessert with Steph lately?" He asked. I glared at him before standing.

"I'm going to the gym."

He laughed and followed me out. I made my way to the gym and didn't bother changing. I walked over to the rack of dumbells and picked up two. One of them slipped from my hand and fell on my foot. Thankfully I was wearing steel-toed combat boots. I picked up the weight and put them both on the rack.

At this point, I was done for the day. I walked to the elevator and took it up not wanting to risk another injury. When I came into the apartment Steph was waiting for me on the couch.

I rubbed a hand over my face again as I heard the shower turn off. I knew if I didn't get my attitude fixed Steph wasn't even going to look at me. She didn't run from her problems anymore, she didn't run from our arguments. She faced them head-on. By going to the shower she gave me a few minutes to get myself figured out.

I walked into the bedroom after I knew she had finished dressing. I went into the closet and put on my silk boxers. I crawled into bed behind Steph and wrapped my arms around her. I let out a sigh and she leaned back into me. I rested my chin on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry babe. I've had a shitty day. The only thing good about it has been you and I fucked up with you."

She turned in my arms and tucked her head under my chin. "Tell me about it, Carlos."

So I started from when I had left this morning. When I ended she was giggling. I shook my head and shifted letting my head rested on her chest. She tangled her fingers in my hair still giggling. "I'm sorry I blew it out of proportion babe." I said. "I just still want to be your Batman."

"Carlos you'll always be my Batman, but Batman was also human." She said running her nails over my scalp.

I basically purred. I looked up at her and she cupped my cheek and kissed me. "I love you, Carlos."

"I love you too babe," I said. I took her hand and fiddled with the rings on her finger. I kissed them and looked at her.

"I'm lucky you think you deserve me," I said.

She smiled. "I think you have that backward. I think I'm lucky you were stupid enough to marry me."

"Might be stupid but I wasn't stupid in marrying you, babe," I said rolling her onto her back. She wrapped her legs around my waist and rolled her hips against my ever-growing erection.

"Carlos." She whimpered. I claimed her lips in a passionate kiss pouring all of the love I felt for her into it.

I rolled us to put her on top, only I rolled the wrong way causing us to tumble off the bed. I managed to roll so I landed on the bottom with Steph's body on top of me, knocking the air out of me.

"Fuck." I gasped. Steph straddled me and laughed.

"Are you hurt?" She gasped out in between laughs.

"I'm fine babe. Only my pride." I said. She continued to have fits of laughter before calming and leaning down to kiss me.

"I'm sorry for laughing at you. Maybe you should let me take the wheel tonight." She said. I grinned.

"Go for it, babe."