Author's Note

This was inspired by a meme posted on the Janet Evanovich Fan Fiction group on Facebook. This will be a four chapter fic. Chapters 1 through 3 are completed, reviewed, and ready to post. Chapter 4 is in progress. Chapter 1 is the shortest. Many thanks to KathyJoK for the technical beta. (Which is not, technically, a betta. Hmm … that seems fishy to me. :D )

Here Comes The Judge

CH 1: A Need Arises

This was the kind of Friday afternoon that Tank liked.

Technically, the strategy meeting in Ranger's office was over. Pressing matters had been discussed and responses planned. Lesser matters had been resolved or disposed of. It was quiet and calm in this office and in the control room right outside the open door. No alarms, no emergencies, nothing urgent needed their attention. Tank and his three closest friends could take a rare few minutes to relax and shoot the breeze.

Carlos "Ranger" Manoso leaned back in the rolling chair behind his desk. At just under 6 feet tall, he was the shortest in the room. He was also clearly the one in command in this or any other situation. Tank and Bobby Brown relaxed in the two office chairs in front of the desk. They were large chairs to accommodate large bodies. Most people looked small next to Bobby's 6 feet 3 inches and 230 pounds but he and everyone else looked small compared to Tank's 6 feet 6 inches and 280 pounds Lester Santos occupied the love seat that was against the wall to the left of the desk. His long limbs sprawled across it, making his 6 feet 4 inch tall, 220 pounds look gangly and uncoordinated.

Bobby and Lester had returned to a favorite long-running argument over the deliberately ambiguous ending of John Carpenter's The Thing. The two traded barbs and re-hashed theories while Tank and Ranger looked on. Personally, Tank agreed with Lester. MacReady was still human and Childs was infected.

Finally, Lester slapped his leg and exclaimed, "That's it. Time for a re-watch. Let's have movie night next time we're all free."

The guys all nodded in agreement. There was a brief pause. Normally, Ranger hosted Core Team nights in his apartment on the seventh floor. This was their first chance to get together since Stephanie Plum had moved in with him. Had that changed things? Tank didn't want to assume either way but didn't want to outright ask, either. A quick glance at Brown and Santos confirmed a similar hesitancy.

Thankfully, Ranger spoke up before things got awkward. "You guys find the time, I've got the place."

Tank nodded. "I'll check the roster when I get back to my office."

"We should make it a classic horror double feature," Lester suggested. "Pair it up with Leviathan. That's another good one."

Bobby thought for a minute. "How about sticking with Kurt Russell and watching Escape From New York?"

"Hmmm." Lester absent-mindedly scratched his knee while considering it. "If we go with a second Kurt Russell film then it absolutely has to be Big Trouble In Little China, but now I'm kind of looking forward to seeing Lisa Eilbacher and Peter Weller kick infectious-mutant butt."

"Triple feature? Thing, Leviathan, and Big Trouble?" Bobby looked around for consensus and got it.

Conversation trickled off again. Tank noticed Ranger's gaze sharpen, focusing on something on the control room floor. His expression didn't change but Tank could swear Ranger's face looked brighter. Happier. Not that Tank would ever tell the man that.

Still, it was no surprise when Stephanie hurried in. Her curly brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail and her hands were full of shopping bags including one small pink one. She made old jeans, a plain white t-shirt, and black shit-kicker boots look sexy as hell.

Not that Tank would ever say that out loud either. Certainly not where Ranger might hear. He liked having his face in one piece.

Steph absently nodded hello to him, Bobby, and Lester as she rounded the desk and planted a quick kiss on Ranger's lips right there in the office in front of God and everybody.

No angst. No drama. No guilt. No unresolved yearning and longing looks. Tank swore that it wasn't just him but all of Rangeman that had breathed a sigh of relief when these two finally got their act together.

While the transition was by no means smooth, Morelli had taken it surprisingly well. Well enough that he and Ranger were able to reestablish a good working relationship. Morelli had even quit bad mouthing all of Rangeman's employees. There was a ripple effect throughout Trenton, including the Plum household, that made life easier for everyone, especially Stephanie.

Tank barely heard a murmured "Babe" as Ranger pulled her into his lap. She dropped her bags on the floor as he nuzzled her neck. She smiled and let out a contented sigh.

After a few moments, Steph pulled away and asked, "What time is our reservation?"

"The reservation's at – " Ranger hesitated only a split second when Steph narrowed her eyes at him. "Eight sharp, so we need to leave at 7:15."

Most people wouldn't have noticed that pause, but Tank did and he had to hold in a smile because of it. He was pretty sure Bobby and Lester were doing the same.

The three of them knew Ranger better than anyone. That's why they heard that pause. They also knew how much using military time annoyed Stephanie. Most of all, they knew that Ranger would do pretty much anything to keep her happy, especially when there was a pink bag from Victoria's Secret sitting right there in front of him. If that meant saying eight sharp and 7:15 instead of twenty-hundred and nineteen-fifteen, then so be it.

"That only gives me three hours to get ready." Steph gathered her bags but didn't move from Ranger's lap. "Oh! I almost forgot!" She looked at Tank. "I ran into Olivia at the mall. She asked me to tell you that she has no food allergies of any kind. Not to seafood or anything else. What's up with that, Big Guy?"

While Tank appreciated the information, he kind of wished he didn't have an audience, particularly this audience, listening in. Maybe they'd let it slide.

Bobby looked at him with curiosity. "You two have been on several dates already. Where are you planning to go out to dinner that you'd ask about that now?"

Or not.

Dammit.

Hoping to ease past the subject, Tank replied vaguely, "Not out so much as in."

"What's this?" Sensing weakness, or, even better, gossip, Lester perked up. Straightening out of his slump against the big shapeless cushions of the loveseat involved a lot of wriggling. He looked like a bug stuck in a spider web. It was hard to look badass when losing a fight to furniture. "Dinner in? Does this mean – "

With knowing eyes and an almost-smile on his face, Ranger interrupted his cousin to declare, "You're bringing her home to meet the Judge."

Yeah. That was definitely a statement, not a question. Worse, the smug bastard was right and he knew it.

Bobby full-on grinned, bouncing in his seat. "Oh man! The Judge!" He punched Tank in the shoulder. "This is serious, man!"

"As a heart attack," added Lester with a laugh. "Which is what she might have if the Judge gets fired up and comes roaring after her."

"Wait. I'm confused." Stephanie looked around at them all. "Who's the Judge?"

"Only the most perceptive, most discerning being that ever walked this earth," said Bobby solemnly. "The Judge arrived one April morning, stepping fully formed from a peculiar patch of cold fog so thick it was nearly blinding."

Lester took up the tale, using his best narrator voice. "His origins are a mystery. There was no record of him before he appeared. Where did he come from? How did he arrive? He did not say. He will not say. He has never answered any questions put to him. Instead, he demanded and received complete obedience from those he encountered."

Tank sighed as his so-called friends teased Stephanie, who now looked even more confused and possibly a little spooked. It was all he could do not to roll his eyes.

"Oh my gosh," she gasped. Her eyes were wide, eyebrows raised high. She put one hand up to the base of her throat. "Who is it? Is it Rodriquez? It is, isn't it? I've never even seen him but his search requests just appear in my inbox like magic!"

~ ~ To Be Continued ~ ~