And more! Aren't I nice? Look at all these 'presents' I'm giving you g> – Heather x

'Where are we going now?' Lula asked.

'The Mall.' I said.

'Not that I'm complaining, but why?'

'We're buying Batman a present.' I said.

Chapter 8

'Is it his birthday?' Lula asked.

'No, it's a thank you present. I don't know when his birthday is.'

'Huh. Thanks for what?'

'All the help he's given me over the years.' I said, hoping she would accept that.

'You're holding out on me.' She said, giving me a glare good enough to be a Burg glare.

I shrugged slightly, and turned up the music real loud.

I parked in the lot and Lula and I hauled ass to the Mall. I had an idea for Ranger and Lester but I couldn't figure out Tank. Hmm.

I made a call to my mother and sorted out part of Lester and Tank's present.

Lula and I window-shopped until I found something that screamed Lester, and I brought it. Then I started searching for Ranger's present, after going in four stores I found the perfect version.

But what to get Tank?

I don't know a lot about Tank; I hadn't really spent a lot of time with him. He was Batman's silent right hand man: solid, dependable. But beyond that I only knew that sometimes he had traces of explosives on his clothes, would rather take a bullet for me than face Ranger's wrath, and could sit still without seeming to even breathe for hours on end. That was pretty much the sum total of my Tank knowledge.

Oh, and he doesn't wear tighty whiteys. Cross that off the Tank ideas list.

Wait…there's something else I remember! I went to a store and had it custom made. It would be ready tomorrow. Then I brought some wrapping paper and some scissors and some tape.

All set.

I put my purchases in the boot of the car and Lula and I headed back to the office. Lula was under an oath of silence, sworn over a bacon baguette. There was nothing better than bacon to Lula.

I pulled up at the office, and noted there was a brand new black Mercedes parked at the curb.

'Not a word.' I said to Lula.

Lula grinned but nodded obediently.

Connie signed over the money for Elsie's apprehension: it would just cover the cost of the presents, I'd ended up spending quite a lot, but hey there's no price on that kind of thing, right?

I picked up my check and pocketed it.

'Babe.' Said Ranger as he came out of Vinnie's inner sanctum. 'Outside?' he asked.

I nodded and followed him into the alley at the side.

'McDonalds twice?' He asked. I'd made Batman horrused again.

'It wasn't my fault!' I said. 'Lula said she was wasting away…'

Ranger's lips twitched.

'Did you steal my panties?' I blurted out.

Crap.

Ranger raised an eyebrow and I felt myself blush red.

'Um…' I said.

'You're not going commando.' He stated.

I rolled my eyes, 'unlike some people, I have more than one pair of underwear.'

'So what panties are you wearing?'

'They're red and they have…Ranger! I'm not telling you that!'

'Red.' He said, his voice a shade deeper than normal, 'Very sexy.' Then he pushed me against the wall and gave me a bone-melting kiss that left tingles in all the right places. And damn, he's ruined another pair of my panties.

'Later Babe.' He said, and was gone.

I blinked and tried to pull myself together, but damn, the temperature just got notched up by a few degrees.

I staggered back to the office and tried to act unaffected.

From the grins on Connie's and Lula's faces I'd say it didn't work so well.

I stayed at the office for another hour or so, catching up on gossip, or uh…gathering intel. Yup, gathering intel – that sounds better.

I drove home, and parked in a lousy space. I angled out of my car, taking my shopping with me. I took the stairs up, as I felt bad about the two McDonalds.

And the lift was out of order.

But I'm sure I would have taken the stairs anyway…

I checked my keypad before I unlocked my door; green, I was good to go. I shut off the motion detectors and unlocked the door. I dumped my shopping in my closet and paused as I saw something on my bed.

It was a pair of black silk boxers…they looked a lot like Ranger's.

Next to the boxers was a note in Ranger's flowing writing: I didn't steal your panties; fair exchange is no robbery. R

He took my underwear, so he gave me his.

My mouth was bone dry.

I reached out a hand and picked up his silk boxers, I ran it through my hands and imagined what it must feel like against his…OMG! Suddenly breathing was much harder.

I took a cold shower.

I just finished getting dressed when a thought occurred to me.

I speed dialled one.

'Yo.' Ranger answered.

'The light was green!' I said.

'I re-set the keypad from the comm. room.' He explained.

'Oh.' I said.

What was I supposed to say now? He had my panties, I had his – we were in a weird underwear place.

'Um. Are you and Tank and Lester free tomorrow night?' I blurted out.

'Tank and I are on stakeout duty till eight. But I think we're all free after that. Why?' He said, curious.

'Could you all drop by my apartment at eight thirty?' I asked.

'Sure. We'll bring food. What do you want?'

'I don't mind, what do you guys normally eat?'

'Italian, Chinese, Thai, it doesn't matter.' He said.

'Well bring whatever you want.'

'Ok Babe,' Ranger said, 'we'll see you at eight thirty.'

'Shouldn't you check with them?' I asked.

Pause.

'Hang on.' Much longer pause. 'Yeah Babe, they'll be there.'

'Cool.'

'Later Babe.' He said, and hung up.

Wow, that was almost a goodbye.

I slipped into bed at eleven thirty and quickly fell asleep; shopping can really take it out of you.

I stirred, 'Ranger?' I asked sleepily.

'Sorry I woke you.' he whispered.

'Mmm, s'ok.' I yawned, still not properly awake. 'You k?'

'I'm fine. What's happening tonight?' he asked.

'Secret.' I murmured, snuggling deeper into the covers.

'Bet I could find out.'

'would spoil it.' I mumbled.

'Ok. I won't try and find out.'

'Mmm.'

'Are you awake?'

'Mmm.' I nestled into my pillow.

'Do you want a goodnight kiss?'

'Always.' He brushed his lips against mine and I sighed in contentment. His hand reached up and stroked my hair gently out of my face.

I was lulled by his touch, and just as I was on the precipice of sleep I heard Ranger ask, 'because I what Babe? Why would I make you cry?'

'Because you don't want me.' I murmured, and then I fell asleep.

I woke up feeling I'd forgotten something, but it wasn't Sunday so I scratched Church off the list. I vaguely remembered dreaming of Ranger, something about secrets I think. I shrugged and pushed it to the back of my mind.

Today was presents day, and I had things to do.

First things first, I picked up Mooner and re-scheduled him. An easy $70. Then I mooched lunch at my parents and picked up part of Lester and Tank's present. Then I went to the Mall and picked up the rest of Tank's present. I spent several hours buying shoes and panties for me, then I got a French manicure done and impulsively I got a massage.

Then, feeling incredibly relaxed, I hightailed it back to my apartment to wrap the presents before the boys arrived.

At eight thirty on the dot there was a knock at my door.

I checked through the spy hole and opened the door. It was the boys.

'You knocked.' I said to Ranger, shocked.

Ranger smiled. 'Sometimes I do that.' He said.

'You're wearing jeans!'

His smile widened, 'Sometimes I do that too.'

'Are you going to answer everything I say with 'sometimes I do that'?'

'Depends what you say Babe.' He said grinning.

I rolled my eyes, 'come in.' I said to Tank and Lester.

The smells of the food wafted in with the men, 'Mmm,' I said, 'Thai.'

'You can tell that just from the smell?' Lester said, amused.

'It's a god given talent.' I smiled.

Tank and Lester took an armchair each and Ranger and I took the couch. We ate whilst watching the game, eating Thai, drinking beer.

'Ok,' I said when the game was over, 'wanna know what's going on?'

Lester smiled, 'enlighten us, Oh magnificent one.'

Tank chuckled.

'Man,' I said to Lester, 'I got you pegged.'

Lester raised his eyebrow in question, 'You'll see.' I said, laughing.

I got up and grabbed the bag from my bedroom and carried it back in, and then I grabbed the cake tin from the kitchen side and put it on my new coffee table.

I settled back down on the couch next to Ranger.

'Ok,' I said. 'Today I went to the cop-shop. And I paid a visit to someone we all know and mildly despise.'

Lester grinned.

'So, I saw Morelli. Poor him, he has three broken ribs and a very broken nose, not to mention the black eye and the fractured rib. Of course, I was absolutely heart broken by this.'

'Of course.' Lester said. Tank and Ranger smiled.

'Anyway, I decided that I should thank you, for uh…sparring.' I opened up the cake tin, revealing the double chocolate cake that my mom had made, with little candy silver balls spelling out 'thanks' across the cake.

'I figured you could contaminate the temple if you wanted,' I said to Ranger, 'But seeing as how Tank and Lester liked my Mom's cake last time, I decided to give them a whole one.'

'Thanks Steph.' Said Tank, with a smile.

'You're an angel.' Said Lester.

'You're welcome, but that's not all the thank you's done.' I handed Lester his present. He opened it eagerly, like a kid at Christmas.

He burst out laughing, 'Damn.' He gasped, 'you do have me pegged!'

'What is it?' Ranger asked.

Lester showed him the black leather baseball cap with 'Wiseass' embroidered across the front in white letters.

Ranger laughed, one of those full-bodied laughs that I'd rarely seen.

'Very true.' Said Tank, grinning.

'Thanks Stephanie.' Said Lester, putting it on, 'It's great.'

'You're welcome.' I repeated, glad Lester liked it.

I reached into my bag and handed Tank his present. He unwrapped it and then opened the box, and then he started laughing.

He picked up the key ring out of the box; it was a rectangle of silver mounted on black leather, and on the silver it had 'Women only drive in my bed, never in my car' engraved on it.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his car keys, transferring the keys from the car company's key ring to his new one.

'Awesome.' He said, grinning, 'Thanks Steph.'

'Sure.' I said.

He showed it to the other two and they laughed again. When they finally regained control of themselves I reached into my bag and handed Ranger his present.

'You didn't have to, Babe.' He said.

'I know, but I wanted to.'

Ranger smiled and opened his present. It was an original leather bound edition of Carl Sanderburg's poems, with each page gold leafed.

'Babe.' Ranger said; sounding over-whelmed. 'Thank you. It's perfect, absolutely perfect. Thank you.'

'You sure you like it?' I asked shyly, 'you would tell me if you didn't?'

'If I didn't like it I would have just said thanks and smiled. I love it, thank you.'

'You're welcome.' I said happily.

Ranger glance round at the presents, 'Babe,' he said slowly, 'this must have been expensive.'

'Money's not important.' I shrugged, 'as long as I can make rent and have food, it doesn't matter.'

The boys were looking at me strangely.

'What?' I asked.

'Thank you.' Lester said in all seriousness.

'Ditto.' Said Tank.

They stood up and each gave me a massive hug and a kiss on the cheek, then they murmured their goodbyes and left me alone with Ranger.