Single Shot
Ranger loved me. Holy shit! Batman loved me. I glanced around the room, and started. This was like a dream, a fairy tale. Stuff like this didn't happen to people like me. I was destined to live in a row house with someone like Morelli, raising little terrors like Mary Lou. Not live in the Bat Cave with the Wizard. But here I was, wrapped in safer arms then I've ever felt, in the Bat Cave, with the Wizard. And I was shaking harder then I'd ever shook before.
"I don't want you to hurt her for me, Ranger," I whispered.
I felt him grip me tighter. "Damn it, Steph. I'm not going to stand by and let her do this to you."
I sighed. Jeanne Ellen Burrows was in love with Ranger. Every one knew it, and every one accepted it. Every one but Ranger. He still held me. "Look, just give her what she wants. We'll go back to the way things were before. I'll hate it, but you won't have to choose."
I lifted my head to look at him, and I saw storm clouds roll over his chocolate eyes. He bent and kissed my lips softly, brushing his fingertips along my jaw line. "I choose you," he whispered. My heart raced. "I won't be happy without you, and you don't want to see me unhappy."
I couldn't help but smile and say, "Will Jeanne Ellen see you unhappy?"
Ranger laughed heartily, as he nodded.
My phone rang. I was really starting to HATE this phone. Ranger must have seen some like of panic in my eyes, because he grabbed the phone first. "Yo," he said. He grinned, and handed it off to me. "Your sister."
"Hey, Val," I said, taking the phone from him. He set me carefully on the bed, and curled up next to me.
"Omigod, was that Ranger?" she whispered, in awe.
I laughed. "Yeah," I replied, rolling over to look at him. "I've been with him since yesterday morning.
Like Mary Lou, Valerie fell silent for a moment. I didn't feel like coaxing her to talk, but luckily, I didn't have too. A few seconds later, Valerie asked, "What's up with you and Morelli?"
"Morelli's a horse's ass," I grunted. Ranger's eyes lit up.
"Omigod," she screeched, "You're in LOVE with RANGER!"
I rolled my eyes, and Ranger smiled. Duh, I thought everyone knew that by now! "Does this call have a point?" I demanded, growing increasingly bored with my recent conversations.
Valerie sighed, and I could almost hear her mentally slap her head. "Mom wants you over for dinner tonight. Hold on." I waited a minute, then she was back. "She says you can bring Ranger." I glanced at Ranger. Odds were he wouldn't have it any other way.
"We'll be there," I finished, clicking the phone shut.
"What time is dinner?" He asked, obviously he'd heard everything.
"Six."
"Plenty of time." He grinned and wrapped his arms around my waist. Hot damn!
By five o'clock, I was out of the shower, feeling warm and squeaky clean. I stood in front of the mirror, poking at the baby like fat around my middle. I turned sideways and poked at my gut. Sighing, I turned back the other way, it was less obvious this way. "You're perfect," I heard from behind me. I glanced into the mirror, and saw Ranger watching me intently. It wasn't the same way Morelli would look at me, it wasn't purely sexual. This was intimate. Like he was looking, and actually seeing. Morelli would just look. There was nothing intense or uncomfortable about the way Ranger stared. It was strangely comforting, and reassuring. I knew that he wasn't judging me, but assessing me, and adoring me. It felt good.
I turned and smiled at him. He smiled back. He took one more sweeping glance, his eyes dark enough to make my knees go weak, then he turned and walked back into the bedroom.
Turning back to the mirror, I started with my hair, and a blow dryer, and a teasing brush. I wasn't feeling all that insecure today, so I only teased it enough to give me a little body. Next was the make-up. A touch of rouge, a bit of eye liner, and a smidge of shadow, then some natural pink lipstick. I looked in the mirror. Wow, the natural look wasn't so bad. Maybe I'd try it more often.
I wrapped a towel around me, and moved into the bedroom. Ranger was sitting on the bed, freshly made, lacing up his boots. He wasn't dressed like Commando Ranger. He looked like he'd just fallen out of the Gap, except for the ponytail. Taking his cue, I dug through my suitcases until I located a nice khaki colored, tailor fit dress I had bought a million years ago when I worked for E.E. Martin. It went nicely with the natural look I had accomplished, thanks to my newfound security.
When I turned from the mirror, I saw Ranger staring at me. He didn't have the passionate, sweep-me-off-to-bed look. It was more of a cherishing look, like I was some thing he couldn't touch, something off limits. Something he loved. It made the butterflies in my stomach start fluttering. "We're going to be late," I whispered.
"Do I still make you nervous, Stephanie?" he asked, coming toward me. I wanted to shake my head, but it wouldn't move. I was frozen to the floor, rooted to the spot. Hell, I couldn't even breathe. But Ranger didn't care. He just smiled, and kissed me, wrapping his arms around me. It felt warm and secure, like Christmas morning when you're five. Surrounded with family, by a fire flickering, and really good eggnog.
A few minutes later, we were seated in the Mercedes, headed into the Burg. Dinner was served promptly at six, and we were running on five forty-five. When we pulled up to the front of my parents house, Mom and Grandma Mazur were waiting for us at the door. In the back I could make out Valerie, straining to see. I moaned, bringing a smile from Ranger. "You ready. Babe?"
He got out of the car, and walked around to open my door. When I stepped out, I thought my mother was going to have a heart attack. I must have looked just like Valerie, when she was a teenager. Natural make-up, Gap dress, slipper shoes, tan purse, short brown hair that wasn't three inches tall. Valerie squealed in the back, and Grandma Mazur nodded. My mother made the sign of the cross. I felt Ranger's laughter, rather then heard it. Thankfully, he didn't laugh out loud as he followed me up the walkway to the stoop.
"Mom, Grandma, Valerie. You remember Ranger," I said, re-introducing them. They all nodded. I could practically see Valerie's pants smoking. "Ranger. You remember my mother, and my sister, and of course, my grandmother." Ranger nodded, shaking each hand.
Mom stepped aside, and let us in. Wow, I'd made it through the door without a single word about my mishaps. "Why are you being shot at?" Mom asked. I sighed.
"Don't forget the car bomb," Grandma Mazur interjected.
"How could I!" My mother exclaimed, "My phone has been ringing off the hook all day. Betsy Schaefer doesn't have a daughter who gets her cars blown up!"
I rolled my eyes. "Mom, Brianna Schaefer is a lesbian," I snapped. My mother gasped in shock. "The only thing she blows up is dolls." Ranger grunted. That's the equivalent of a public Ranger laugh. "And I didn't do anything this time! All I did was show up at the office." And sleep with the Wizard, which is why she's after me. But my mother didn't need to know that.
"And I suppose Ranger's acting as a body guard," My mother said.
Ranger inclined his head. "Yes," he said. One word and my mother did a sign of the cross. Even I had never pulled that off.
"Dinner's ready," Valerie piped up, anxious to get into the conversation.
Dinner was lamb chops, mashed potatoes, green beans, and gravy. Ranger took some of everything, including green beans. Not to be one-upped, I took extra gravy. Ranger leaned over, and whispered, "We're running tomorrow." I stuck out my tongue, and passed on the beans.
"So, Mr. Ranger," my father said, interested in the table for the first time in years.
"Carlos, sir," Ranger said, "Or Ranger. But not mister. Make's me feel like my father."
"Where are you from?" my father asked.
My phone rang. For a split second, I thought I wet my pants. Then I realized it was probably just Mary Lou. Excusing myself, I grabbed my phone and strolled over to the sink. "Yo," I said.
"I see you." My heart stopped, as a bullet shattered the window in front of me.
Ranger grabbed me just as I heard the words finish, and we sprawled across the floor. Seconds later, Ranger was up and out the front door, gun drawn, staring into the shadows, probably using some kind of spider-sense.
Moments later, he was back. I was still lying on my back, on the floor. He reached down and lifted me up, tucking me into a corner by the fridge. My mother was staring at a portion of her kitchen wall that had imploded from the impact. "Hollow tipped," Ranger said, inspecting the hole from where he stood. "9 mil. About fifteen feet away." He ducked to look out the window. "Everyone in the living room." Without a word, everyone pushed back their chairs and filed out.
Ranger leaned against me for a moment, shielding me from danger, and kissed me. I felt my heart race, and my knees go weak. Then he pulled away, and flipped open his cell phone. "Yo," he said after a moment of ringing. "We're at the Plums. You might want to get here." He hung up. I must have looked confused, because he said, "Morelli." I sighed. Not again.
I was sitting between my mother and Valerie when Morelli walked in. Ranger was standing by the window, glancing out through the closed drapes. "What the hell happened?" Morelli demanded, stalking in.
"Hello, Joseph," my mother said, a nervous smile on her face. "Would you like a cookie?" My mother, always a Burg wife first, terrified and vulnerable second.
Morelli shook his head and glared at Ranger. Obviously no love lost between them over me. "Check out the hole in the kitchen wall," Ranger said, still looking out the window. Morelli disappeared. We heard a low whistle and he walked back out. "They were aiming for Steph."
"Thankfully, Mr. Ranger dove and saved her," Grandma said, in her you-never-did-that voice. Ranger did a half-smile at Grandma.
"I was just waiting for you so I could take Steph home." Ranger said.
Morelli made a face. The cop face. "I don't think it's such a great idea for her to go back to the apartment," he said, glaring at Ranger.
"Don't worry," Ranger said, glaring back. "She won't."
Morelli stepped forward and clenched his fist. I could see Ranger's face, and it look like he wanted Morelli to hit him. I jumped up. "I'm exhausted," I said, my hand grabbing Ranger's bicep. "I just want to sleep."
Morelli backed off, but continued the kill look until I grabbed my bag and jacket. Ranger brought his gun out and wrapped his arm around me. I kissed my mother, and said it would be best if I didn't see her until this was fixed, but I'd check in everyday. Grandma was next. I told her not to get in the car with anyone at all. Same went for Valerie. Dad was just staring at me, like I had grown a second head. I kissed his cheek and told him I loved him. As we were leaving, he grabbed Ranger's arm and whispered something to him. Ranger nodded, and opened the door, shielding me with his body.
He glanced around the vicinity, and then wrapped himself around me and we jogged toward the car. He slipped me into the seat and jogged around the car. He hit a button on the dash and a visual of the car popped up. It did a series of systematic checks, all ended up green. He started the car, and pulled away from the curb.
"What did Dad say to you?" I asked, leaning back, enjoying his profile.
A grin came over Ranger's face as he replied, "Hurt her and I'll kill you." I started laughing.
A fire burned brightly in the fireplace as I lay in Ranger's arms. We had spent two hours in complete silence; the only sound was our breathing. We'd just been letting it sink in that we were really here, together.
Ranger bent his head and kissed my lips lightly, his fingers brushing my collarbone. "I think I've got it figured out," he said. I looked at him, finding comfort in his chocolate eyes. "I'm going to ask Jeanne Ellen to be your bodyguard, since I'm obviously not doing well. And then I'll grab her when she comes to get you." I nodded. "You won't be anywhere near the scene of course." Again I nodded. He held me tighter. "This will be over soon," he finished. I nodded.
Over. I felt tears build up in my eyes, and I looked down. But Ranger tilted my head up, confusion on his face. "It will all be over soon," I repeated, my voice shaking. "I'll go back to my apartment, and you'll go to California."
Realization dawned in his eyes, and he bent his head to kiss me passionately. "I told you, Babe. I have no intention of letting you go." My heart fluttered. He rolled me onto my back and bent his neck to kiss my collarbone. I sighed. I could get used to this. Omigod!