Surviving Stephanie Chapter 30

Note: Don't hurt me. Please? Thank you all for the kind reviews of the last chapter. My ego may survive this semester after all. Hopefully y'all are still in a generous mood after this bit...

Disclaimer: Wasn't me.

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Ranger almost jumped back, the look on his face was priceless. Right before it turned into a freezing arctic scowl. "What was that for?"

I scowled right back at him. "What do you think it was for? It's for being an arrogant, pushy, Type-A brat!" I informed him, crossing my arms defensively. "And for your information, forever is an awfully long time. It's something you shouldn't spring on people."

His lips quirked. "Scared, Babe?" I narrowed my eyes.

"Bite me, Batman."

"Anytime," he said, stepping closer again. Uh-oh. Ever noticed that guys get suddenly bigger when they get closer and you'd prefer them to get farther? Maybe it's just me.

I took a step back and tried not to think about all the deliciously fun naked-type things his voice was suggesting. "Ranger, I'm serious…"

"So am I, Babe."

"About talking."

"Time for that later." He took another step forward. I had one more step and I'd be cornered. Crap. Time for panicking.

"Who says? I mean, I don't know what's going on here. You could go all- all…" Wow, he smelled really good… "all weird and decide to disappear in the morning. Or you could have changed your mind… or not… and then this is forever or it's for the night or…"

"Shhh," he put a finger to my lips, effectively stopping the babbling. Rats. "Do you think I've changed my mind?"

"Doesn't look like it, no…"

He leaned closer, hands coming up to cup my face, keeping my chin tilted so that I had to look at him. His eyes were dark and serious, full of emotions I didn't know how to identify. "I told you, Babe. The Bat Cave is forever." Don't make promises I can't keep, Ranger…

Oh, to hell with it. Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we may all be dead. I really wished I could remember who said that.

I raised up on my toes and kissed him. Who cared if I might not be around forever? Who cared if I wasn't who he thought I was? I was being myself and he seemed happy with it even if he didn't have the right name. His hands traced down over my neck, my shoulders, my arms, before I finally pulled away. I had one more thing I wanted to make very clear.

"I didn't ask for you to do this, okay?"

"I know," his smile was faint, but warm. "I promise I'll make you hot chocolate later."

I stared at him a beat before I gave in to the laughter. I hadn't even really expected him to remember that, for some reason. "I love you," I giggled, sliding my arms around his neck.

"Love you too, Babe." The words were spoken so quietly I almost didn't hear them .But I did. The recognition sent a shock through me. Oh my god. Was that supposed to happen yet? Wait for it, there was a qualifier… 'in my own way' or something… right? Or 'no strings attached'?

Ranger didn't say anything else.

I bit my lip and turned my head to place a kiss by his ear. Maybe it was just the heat of the moment.

"So, um," I spoke softly, suddenly unsure of what to do. "Where are we exactly? I'm not good with directions…"

"I'll put it in your GPS."

"I'm not good with buttons." This brought a laugh from him, and his hand began sliding through my hair. Mmmm. That was going to put me back to sleep…

"There aren't any numbers involved," he offered.

"Great. One out of three… Higs, you really need to work on that tailoring the curriculum thing."

"I'll see what I can do. For right now, how about a tour?" How about you just keep playing with my hair…

"Sounds good," I said, without moving. "I only have one concern."

"What's that?"

"Am I gonna need GPS for this too?"

"Probably just a map."

I sighed. How did I know? "All right, lead the way, Mr. Wayne…. Hey, does that mean you have an Alfred?"

Ranger smirked. "No. But there is a Tank."

"Well, that's probably a better investment anyway. So, anyone else live here?"

"My daughter sometimes comes up for holidays, and other family but mainly it's a bachelor pad."

Right. Bachelor Pad a la Bill Gates. The kitchen led into a formal dining room, and there was a parlor, a library, an informal parlor, and a foyer with a sweeping marble staircase. My inner Scarlett wept for joy. Just a small country cottage. If you were a Rockefeller.

I think I got hung up on the library and the staircase. I could have been happy with just that. I was still trying to get over them when he was talking about the other wing, the downstairs, and leading me through the upstairs.

"Ranger, when do I get that map?" And how much did you pay the decorators? Yipes… He turned and smiled at me, pausing by yet another doorway.

"After this." The door opened slowly and my jaw sort of hit the floor right in time with it. Big bed.

Really big bed.

Ginormous bed.

The room was beautifully decorated in an oriental style- not far to fall when you rolled out of the ginormous bed- in warm rich earth tones that wereechoed in the comforter of the really big bed…

I glanced at Ranger and back into the room. He was smiling and looking irritatingly amused. "Thought you might like it," he said.

I tried to be annoyed but gave up with a laugh. "I'm too predictable. I need to work on that."

Ranger's eyebrow lifted. "Right."

"I might start to bore you."

He shook his head. "Of all the things you might do, Babe, that isn't one of them."

I had a scathing reply on the tip of my tongue, but when I opened my mouth it just turned into a yawn. I hated it when that happened. "See, boring already," I sighed, gingerly touching the sore spots on my ribs.

"Your meds are in the bathroom," Ranger said, nodding toward a small doorway I hadn't noticed before, what with the bed and all.

Sure enough, there was the little bottle of magic happy sleepy pills right by the sink along with a glass I truly hoped was nothing more than glass. I picked them up and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Eyes a little bluer than I remembered mine being looked back at me. Ranger was right, I realized as I looked at my cheekbones, I had dropped some weight. No more baby fat. Or rather, no more TastyKake fat.

On a whim I set down the pills and pulled off the sweatshirt. The bruises and small cuts on my arms were a little less noticeable but they were still there. I didn't want to know what my torso looked like. The hot pink thing layered over the white tank top blessedly hid the damage done by the seatbelt, but paired with the baggy cargos I did look a little like a street kid.

Well, pink was my color now, I better get used to it. Cheer Bear has always been pink. Maybe I could get a rainbow tattooed on my butt… I smiled and filed the idea away for future reference while I downed the medication.

I'd worry about it tomorrow.

"So, where am I sleeping?" I asked as I wandered back into the bedroom. Ranger gave me a tolerant look.

"Where do you want to sleep?"

Hm, safe answer, or bait him? Someday I probably would end up shipped to a third world country… I grinned and gave him a once over.

"Babe, behave."

I crinkled my nose. "I'm tired of behaving." He laughed and I pretended not to notice. "I don't have anything to sleep in."

The laughter stopped and it was my turn to get a once-over. "I don't mind."

"But I'm all… icky looking," I protested.

Ranger walked over and kissed my forehead. "You're beautiful."

I looked up at him, admittedly skeptical. About two-thirds of me was waiting for a punch line. I could take compliments just fine on a normal day, but I was dotted red, purple, black and, blue… "You're colorblind."

He smiled and raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"You wouldn't even notice if I was pink."

"Babe, there are several parts of you that are pink…" he said, his eyes flashing with an odd mix of amusement and lust. It seemed to be his usual state of affairs around me, when I could tell what state of affairs he was in.

And right now I was pretty sure my face was coloring pink. "I think I better go to bed now…"

"Sounds like a very good idea," Ranger's voice was deep and a little rough. I looked up at him just in time for his lips to meet mine. His tongue slipped into my mouth and I couldn't hold back a sigh. I didn't even notice where his hands were until my jeans fell off. Who knew Bruce Wayne had the fastest hands in the East?

By the time he was leaning me back onto the bed I was down to the tank top and panties and counting myself lucky he was showing some restraint. For about thirty seconds, then I was kind of wishing the restraint would go away. Instead the goal of the night was apparently to kiss me senseless.

It was working, but still. There are much more fun things to be done in large beds with Cuban Sex Gods…

I slid my hands under his shirt and raked my nails down his back. He pulled his mouth away from mine and rolled off of me, effectively ending that tactic. "Dio, Babe… no deseo lastimarle…"

"You won't," I told him, kissing his jaw, then trailing my lips down his neck.

"You won't notice," he groaned before he finally pulled me up to face him. "I won't risk it," he said gently. "Not ever."

I blinked at him, momentarily stunned. Guys turn down sex? But something in his eyes held my attention and somehow all the lust I'd been experiencing sort of… morphed. Into… something… I brushed my lips against his and laid my head on his shoulder, relaxing against him as his fingers began running through my hair.

"This is nice," my voice was quiet when I finally spoke. "More than nice. I like it here."

"Me too."

I closed my eyes and pushed away the Twilight Zone my life had become. So I was probably in love with a figment of my imagination. So what? It couldn't really go worse than my relationship with real guys could it? Whatever. I'd worry about it in the morning. I fell asleep listening to the steady beat of Rager's possibly-imagined heart.

"Wake up," Someone whispered.

My eyes slanted open and I blinked in the onslaught of light beaming through the windows. Wow, big windows… where was I? It took a moment for the night before to boot up.

Oh yeah. Bat Cave. Forever. No Sex. Bummer.

"I'm up," I yawned, turning over to look up into a pair of gorgeous Latino eyes.

"Prove it."

I glared half-heartedly, but I sat up, taking my time about it to let my muscles get used to the idea of moving. "See? Upness."

"Your bag is by the closet." Ranger pulled me to my feet and looked me over carefully. The tank had ridden up at some point to reveal my ribs and its scoop neck didn't do anything to cover up my seat belt bruise. "They look better."

I just nodded, attempting a smile before I made my way over to the bag to start sorting through it. I was already sick of being bruised and sore and medicated. One day was enough. I wondered what Ranger's secret was. Maybe he wasn't Bat Man after all. Maybe he was Super Man.

I slipped on a three-quarter length tee and a pair of soft drawstring khakis. I was going to have to go clothes shopping. Everything had gone from causing a roll to almost falling off. I really needed to try to eat more or something. My dance coach would kill me for dropping so much weight so fast.

Except I didn't have a dance coach anymore; I just had Mac. And Ranger. And Lula, Tank, Jack… I smiled. One of those trade-offs they used to harp about in Life Skills class. Right before they taught us other useful things like how to decide if you were ready for parenthood or how to read a blue print for a dream house you'd probably never be rich enough to build.

I figured the blue print thing was most useful. I didn't know anyone who'd ever decided they were ready to have a baby. Usually someone just forgot a pill or broke a condom. Or pulled a stupid and didn't use a…

Uh-oh.

I froze halfway down the sweeping marble staircase.

Condom. Pill. Birth control? Well, no place like right here to have a Scarlett moment. I gently sank into a sitting position, staring down at the marble without seeing it. Did Stephanie use the pill? Or did she get a depo shot? Cause I hadn't taken any pills… and I knew Ranger hadn't been wearing… I was shaking.

Oh my freaking god. I might have just gotten someone else pregnant… I choked on a laugh, and wondered if I'd be going hysterical soon. Hysterics certainly didn't seem like overkill at a time like this.

Okay, don't panic. Deep breaths. Calming light. Visualize it…. See it… One step at a time. I hadn't seen any birth control pills laying around but then hadn't some of Stephanie's stuff been at Morelli's?

I used the banister to pull myself up and leaned on it until I got to the bottom. How could I have been so stupid? Hey, don't do this, Alyssa. Tons of girls your age make this mistake. Maybe she's on the shot. Maybe this is all a figment of your imagination. Don't panic when you only have half the info… and it may not even be real. Yeah, it wasn't real... that was a good theory. Unless it was real.

My feet remembered the way through the house better than my head did, although it might have just been coincidence. Either way, I found myself standing in the kitchen, looking at Ranger's gorgeous backside. He was wearing jeans. Blue jeans. Wonders might never cease… and a black shirt. Wonders, not miracles here people…

I swallowed, and my stomach did a nervous little twitch.

"About time, Babe," Ranger said, turning around. "What do you want?"

"You cook?" I asked, delaying the inevitable. He smirked.

"A little… you look like it's about to cause the end of the world."

I laughed. "No, no. It's a surprise. Didn't know badass army guys cooked."

He shook his head, then frowned. "What's wrong?"

Choice time, Alyssa. Keep it to yourself or share the wealth… nothing good comes from keeping secrets. Communication is the key, right? And he has ESP anyway.

"Umm." I bit my lip and took a deep breath. This was probably going to get really fragging ugly. "I just have, um, a question…"

Ranger's eyes were assessing. "About?"

"Um, the other night. When we… were together," I couldn't for the life of my say sex and 'making love' sounded sickeningly sappy, "Did you— crap. Look, were you wearing a condom? Because I just realized I missed my pill and…"

Ranger looked like I just nailed him between the eyes with a stun gun. "Babe? You're joking."

"Um, no. Not really…" I frowned, suddenly irritated. "Does it look like I'm joking?"

He shook his head. "Dio," Ranger breathed, adding a few words I didn't really recognize. But I got the gist.

"Yeah. I second that." Feeling drained I dropped into one of the expensive-looking kitchen chairs. "I swear if this week gets any weirder I'm moving to Italy."

"What are you going to do?" Ranger asked. I guessed he wasn't asking about Italy.

Throw myself off a bridge? No, better not say that. I'll get locked in the east wing or something.

"Pray. Buy a pregnancy test. Call Lula. Take the pregnancy test. Pray. Sacrifice a chicken. Read the test. Buy stock in Ben and Jerry's. Call you." I sighed and closed my eyes. Was it really worth chewing through the leather straps today?

There was silence for a while.

"So, is Hector going to be able to put in the security system today?" I asked, deciding that distraction might actually be the better part of valor this morning.

"Yeah. I'll drop you off there this afternoon…" He paused and I felt more than heard him come to stand behind me. His hand brushed the hair away from my face as he came around to sit in the chair next to mine, turning to he was facing me. "We've got a job that's going to run late."

"That's cool. I should probably go chase Bender or something anyway." Except I think he's already dead…

"I'll be at your place at six. I'll bring dinner."

"Sounds good, Higs." My voice sounded hollow and flat even in my own ears, but I just didn't feel up to hiding it. This was just so stupid and awkward and… I hate you Janet. This is probably some stupid revenge for me being me.

Ranger pulled me into his lap and wrapped his arms around me. "Whatever happens, is for a reason, querida."

I stayed quiet and simply nodded. I didn't know who he was trying to reassure. And I kind of wanted him to go back to being odd, sneaky sweet Ranger. Overtly sweet Ranger was great but I wasn't sure what to do with him.