Yes, this is my third day in a row posting. I wrote bits and pieces for different things these past two months and I finally got around to either doing edits or just going for it and posting. I have two more things that are somewhat close to completion that should be ready to post sooner rather than later. (Since You've Been Gone, being one of them;)
Had the idea for this short one and despite being on the fence about it, I said F it and decided to post it. It'll be two, three chaps at most. Let me know your thoughts.
Disclaimer: The Plum Universe belongs to JE.
"Babe." I greeted automatically, answering her call on the first ring like I always do.
"Ranger…" Hearing Connie's raspier voice instead of Babe's softer one on the other end of the line had me frowning visibly. Not only is Babe very protective of her phone, but she wouldn't delegate a call to me to someone else. Unless…
My jaw clenched as I felt a familiar jab in the pit of my stomach.
Worry.
Terror.
A swirl of undefined emotions I've felt many times. Each and every time when she's been in danger.
Danger!
Babe!
Being scared for her… for what could happen to her… what could be happening in this very moment had my insides in a continuous knot.
"Connie?" I prompted her to tell me what was going on, specifically where Stephanie was, as I exited my office.
"She's uh…" There was a long pause as she mumbled something away from the phone's speaker. "I need help… with her." Connie didn't give more details aside from that I needed to get my ass to the Bonds office ASAP. "Bringing some back-up might be useful." She added before disconnecting abruptly.
Frowning at the device, I walked down the hall hastily. Hal, Tank and Lester were exiting the break room as I stormed past.
"You three, with me." I ordered as I reached for the stairwell door. Without question, all three followed me down to the garage. Everyone was silent as Hal and I piled into my truck and Tank and Lester went for a fleet SUV in order to follow. We've been through numerous Stephanie emergencies and it was obvious in my silent haste that this was about her.
I drove on autopilot and with a speed that had to be illegal to make it to the Bonds office in half the time it should have taken me to get there.
Hal's sharp intake of air as he gasped vocalized my sentiment exactly as I zipped to park in front of the office. No one mentioned me being parked in the opposite direction to traffic. It didn't matter. Nothing else mattered.
"What happened?" I demanded of Connie as I got out of the truck, stopping on the sidewalk to look up.
"There were these donuts…" She began as the men joined us on the sidewalk.
"You guys ate some random donuts that showed up at the office?" Lester asked incredulously.
"We thought it was a food delivery. You know?" Connie shrugged. She thought Lula or Stephanie had ordered them.
"They were laced with something." Hal stated, eyes wide at the scene before us. Or should I say, above us?
"Obviously." Connie sneered at the same time as Lester pipped in with 'No shit'.
"Why aren't you in the same state as them?" Hal asked, his mind working frantically.
I had to admit that was a good question. Connie seemed normal compared to Babe and Lula.
"Lula stuffed four donuts before Stephanie and I could even assess the treats before us." Connie shrugged, as if Lula absorbing food was no big deal. "Stephanie had one and a half, I think. Or maybe it was two… or just the one…" Connie broke off, pensive.
"How many did you have?" Lester asked.
"About half of one." Connie said that's all she had a chance to enjoy before Lula went all crazy, shortly followed by Stephanie.
A T-shirt fell on my head, interrupting our pumping of information out of Connie. Quickly grabbing the cotton to remove it off my head, I realized it was a Rangeman T-shirt. Correction, a female Rangeman T-shirt.
It was Babe's.
"Hey, Batman!" Her voice made me snap my head up. She came into full view, leaning over the edge of the roof slightly.
"Babe." It was safe to say we were all staring up slack jawed. Stephanie stood on the office's roof, wearing her 'skip' jeans, the ones ripped at the knees and worn enough to be comfortable to move in, and a lacy black bra.
To our horror, Lula stood next to her in nothing.
"How did they even get up there?!" Lester asked on shriek, just as baffled as the rest of us.
"Beats me." Connie shrugged, saying once whatever the donuts were laced with hit them, Lula and Stephanie were unstoppable on their quest to make it up to the roof. "Seeing as I needed assistance, it was either calling you or the TFD."
We all stared up at the pair for a few beats, taking it all in.
"Holy cow! What is this?!" Vinnie's annoyingly sleazy voice announced his joining the mix.
"That's your cousin, dude!" Lester was quick to chastise the way Vinnie was ogling Stephanie.
"Right." Vinnie averted his gaze when he realized I was standing mere feet away ready to inflict bodily injury if he didn't knock it off. "So what's going on?" He asked, still a little too amused by the situation.
Connie gave him the quick rundown.
Vinnie visibly paled. "Donuts, you say? Like delivered in a clear plastic box kind?" His voice rose in pitch, making his nervousness obvious.
"Spill." Tank's booming voice made Vinnie jump.
"Uhm…" Vinnie glanced at the side of the building that led to the back alley, as if assessing a possible escape route.
"Don't even think about it." I warned. "Talk."
Seeing four Rangemen and a pissed off office manager staring him down, had Vinnie cooperating.
"You sick fuck!" Connie was the first to react, forming a fist and punching him square in the gut. Before she could inflict more pain, Lester wrapped a secure arm around her midsection and pulled her back.
Hal gave Vinnie a jab to the kidney that had the sleazeball crumpling to the floor. He deserves way more pain than what's been inflicted, but he seems to be enjoying it. I'll have to figure out an appropriate way to deal with him. I don't believe for a second he had no idea the women could eat the donuts he purposely had delivered to the office. And of course they're laced with something that increases libido, amongst other things. Asshole.
"I wanna fly!" Babe's giggling admission had my head snapping up.
"No, Babe." I shook my head at her. "No, flying." I'm aware of the story. The last time she wanted to fly, she jumped off a garage roof and promptly broke her arm.
Tank and Hal dashed into the office to find a way up to the roof. From the corner of my eye I saw Lester and Connie share a brief look before he let her go in order to follow the other two inside the building.
"Catch me, Batman!"
"No!" Connie yelled at the same time Babe jumped.
And all I could do was brace for impact.