Disclaimer: Any characters or places you recognize belong to Janet Evanovich and her family, who publishes the books. I suppose they also belong to Tristar, but they're still in the process of writing a script for "One" which may never be finished, and if and when it is…well, I know for sure they'll never find the perfect Ranger. Unless they somehow combine the DNA of the Rock, Vin Deisel, and Antonio Banderas…it ain't gonna happen.

AN: Wow. I got on in the morning before school, and I had like 15 emails telling me people had reviewed. I'm so glad you liked it.

In answer to dibbs question…well, read this and find out. There is going to be a bit of a plot that has to do with Ranger and Stephanie finally being together, and the problems that will arise with that. And also, in future plot, you'll be seeing the bit about "Sanchez" as mentioned by Ranger. I'm sure you can all make your guesses, but I swear, I'm trying not to do a total cop-out (excuse the pun) and make Joe do something that puts Steph in harms way. Look for that in 8.

With no further ado:

Dunkin' Donuts and Discrimination

There was a weight on my chest that was oddly comforting, and I wondered for a moment if Rex had eaten a mysteriously mutation coded grape to make him large and strong enough to get out of his cage, amble through my apartment and fall asleep on my chest.

I peeked out of one eye and found that the weight was much more pleasing than a furry, mutation giant hamster. Ranger's head had managed to nestle just below my breastbone, placing a light pressure on my ribcage. For a moment I thought he was asleep, but as I lay there, I felt his fingers making designs against my stomach. The motions were made in a soft lull, as if he was only half awake.

He stopped for a moment, then let his hands travel up the side of my waist toward my breasts. "Morning, Babe."

He pulled his head up, leaning his chin against my sternum, staring at me.

"How'd you know I was awake?"

"Your breathing changed."

"Hm."

He sighed. "We have to get up."

I shook my head, turning it to the side, burying my face in the pillow. "Too early."

"It's nine."

"Too early."

He moved off of me, rolling out of the bed. "Get up "

"Mm. Need sleep."

He dropped butterfly kissed across my shoulders. "I'm taking a shower."

"I'm sleeping."

"I'll be all alone in the shower. All alone with the shower head and my shower gel."

I reached for his hand blindly as he moved away, sitting up. "I'm up! I'm up I'm up."

He sauntered towards my bathroom, and for a while I just sat on the bed watching him. Then I rolled myself into a sheet, and moved off the bed.

Ranger poked his head around the doorway, shaking his head. "Babe."

"I can't preserve some modesty?"

"I've seen every part of your body. My hands and lips have been everywhere. You don't need modesty."

"It's light out now!"

He shook his head. "You have to let the modesty thing go."

"Well, you can say that! You're perfect!"

His eyes darkened. "So are you."

Feeling self-conscious, I let the sheet drop, and moved swiftly toward the shower, hoping he wouldn't see too much. He caught me by the waist, picking me up and cradling me to his chest, his eyes roving my form as he moved toward the bathroom.

He set me down in the shower, reaching behind me to start the water, and his hand reached for the loofah. He turned to look back at me, looking feral. I shivered, and he moved towards me, his eyes holding the promise of warming me right up.

We dressed with multiple, very pleasing distractions, but eventually made it out the door. When I had suggested I go get doughnuts before work, he'd given me a raised brow and nodded to the lot.

I smacked my palm against my head. "Right. Explosion."

"It worries me that this is normal for you."

I shrugged my shoulders in a "what can you do" gesture. "I still want doughnuts."

He sighed. "We'll get doughnuts by the office."

My eyes lit. "You're going to buy me doughnuts?"

"There will be no sprinkles."

I smiled, a skip to my step as he ushered me into his Mercedes. "I can't believe you're buying me doughnuts."

He angled into the drivers seat, barely glancing at me as he pulled out of the lot. "I must like you."

He took my hand before we got to the door of Dunkin' Donuts, and I felt the giddiness straight down to my toes. I grinned up at him, watching his face slide into a more neutral mask than I'd seen from him since he'd picked me up the night before. Upon reaching the door, it opened, and we were met by Big Dog and Carl Constanza. Big Dog grinned at us as he bit into a powered sugar doughnut, using the hand holding coffee to wave to me. Carl nodded to Ranger.

He smiled amusedly at me. "Hear Morelli got his ass kicked outside Antoni Manoso's restaurant last night." He cut his eyes to Ranger. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

Ranger gave him a cool look, then broke into a grin. "You got a warrant to go with that question?"

Big Dog bit back laughter, swallowing. "Hey man, I won five hundred dollars off that scuffle. I just want to thank the guy that gave him matching shiners."

Ranger raised an eyebrow. "I'll make sure Antoni gives him the message."

When Carl and Big Dog sobered enough to speak, they both gave him a serious look. "There weren't witnesses, were there?"

"He won't press charges."

It was Carl's turn to raise an eyebrow. Ranger shrugged. "He's got plenty of incentive not to."

"Sanchez, you mean?"

"What about Sanchez?"

Carl nodded. "Later, Steph."

"Bye, Carl."

Carl moved away, and Big Dog touched my arm as he followed. "he ever calls you a whore again, he'll be lucky if he can walk. And we all think you've got balls to bring in a naked guy."

I smiled as he moved away, and Ranger opened the door for me, still holding my hand as we got in line.

The woman in front of us gave me a shrewd look, hiking her bag farther onto her shoulder before she faced away from us.

"Hi, Mrs. Alpome."

She turned, staring at me, completely ignoring Ranger. "Oh, hello Stephanie."

"How's your husband?"

"Dying," she answered.

I couldn't think of anything to say. "Oh."

She moved up in the line a bit, and I followed, making sure Ranger's hand was secure in mine.

"Well, I'll tell Grandma Mazur I saw you."

She nodded, her voice reproving as she spoke to me. "Oh. I'll be telling you grandmother I saw you, too."

Then she was being helped, and I was left in shock, not for a moment believing her. She'd totally ignored Ranger's presence, and spoken to me as if I'd had a child out of wedlock. I stared bemusedly up at Ranger, but he was determinedly ignoring my gaze. Hmm. A trend.

"Ranger?"

Slowly, he let his gaze meet mine. He squeezed my hand. "Yeah, Babe."

I sighed in relief, and the girl at the counter looked up at us. "What can I get you?"

I looked up at Ranger, waiting for him to order. He merely nodded his head fractionally toward the counter.

"Um…a large coffee."

"Two of those," Ranger said from behind me.

"Will that be all?"

"No," I said. "A chocolate doughnut and…"

"Just get a dozen. Connie and Lula will massacre you if you don't get them doughnuts."

"Fine, but I'm getting you a glazed."

"I won't eat it."

'Yes you will."

Another girl handed us coffee's, and Ranger took them both. "I'm going to get cream."

"You don't know how I take my coffee."

"Five sugars, one Splenda, three creams and a Half-and-Half."

I blinked. "Oh."

"Get your doughnuts."

I grinned at him as he moved toward the stand that held concessions.

He pointed to me. "No sprinkles."

I turned back to the counter. "I guess…seven glazed and seven chocolate."

She nodded, pulling out a box and picking out doughnuts. "That your boyfriend?"

I glanced at him, his back to me as he poured cream into one of the cups.

I smiled. "Kind of."

She shifted, going for the glazed now. "Isn't it kind of…weird?"

I rolled my eyes. "Weird?"

"Well, I mean he's…"

"He's what?"

"Well, he's Mexican. And you're…white."

My patience, which had been running thin, ran out totally.

"Okay, number one, he's second generation Cuban-American. Not Mexican. He's not from Mexico. His parents aren't from Mexico. Mexico is not involved. And I'm Italian and Hungarian. My great-grandmother was from Italy. And two—no, it's not weird."

She gave me a hands up gesture. "Jeez. Sorry."

"Yeah." I frowned at her. "Right."

Ranger slid in next to me at the register, handing me my coffee and pulling out his wallet. I dug through the box for my doughnut, biting into it with a moan, and Ranger shook his head. The girl I'd reprimanded was already down at the other end of the counter, helping someone else, and an older woman was at the register. She eyed Ranger while he was looking down at the wallet, taking his credit card and swiping it as she winked at me.

I grinned, and Ranger rolled hi eyes, grabbing his card and sliding it into a pocket of his wallet.

I reached for the box, and he slid an arm behind my back. As we moved off, the box in my hands, I felt the eyes on my back again.

We broke through the door and I pulled out a glazed doughnut, proffering it to Ranger.

"I am not eating that."

"Yes, you are."

"No."

"Yes!"

"No."

"Okay, I just defended you to some girl I don't even know to get this doughnut. Eat it."

He turned his gaze to me, slowing his walk as we headed back across the street to the bonds office. "Defended me?"

"God," I started, pushing the doughnut into his hand. "How do you deal with people like that? She asked me if it was weird that you were Mexican and I was white!"

He looked down at me. "What did you say?"

"Well," I started, my voice rising in indignation. "First I told her you were Cuban American, not Mexican."

"And second?"

"I told her I was Italian and Hungarian, not white."

"And what did you do next?"

"Hey, make light all you want, buddy. Butt his is serious business. She was a total—."

Ranger tugged me closer to him, and kissed the top of my head. The he took a bite out of the doughnut. "So what did you do next?"

"I told her it wasn't weird."

His lips turned up the barest of inches. "Good to know."

He opened the office door and ushered me in, taking another bite of the pastry I'd forced on him. Connie and Lula looked up and froze. Files landed on the floor. A nail polish brush rolled off the desk and dripped crimson polish all over the floor.

I held up the doughnut box. "I come bearing gifts."

They completely ignored me. Their glances went between Ranger and I, shock and awe mingled on their faces. Lula broke the silence.

"Holy moly. You got him eating doughnuts? You're the shit."

"Any skips for me, Connie?" Ranger asked?

She blinked up at him, then turned her eyes to the files. "Uh…ye—um, yes. There's one right…uh…here." She handed it to him, still with an unbelieving look on her face.

Vinnie poked his head out of his office. "I hear you took my cousin out last night, and beat up Morelli."

"You believe everything you hear?"

"Just don't get yourself arrested. All my other agents are crap."

I frowned, and Ranger smiled. "The rumors say why I beat up Morelli?"

Vinnie's head disappeared, the door closed, and the lock clicked in place. "Stephanie doesn't work for me anymore! She actually brought skips in!"

"Your ass!" Lula called. "I bring skips in too!"

Both Lula and Connie took doughnuts. "You really beat up Morelli?"

"My hand slipped."

They both gazed at me in admiration. Lula glanced behind us, out into the lot.

"Where's your wheels, girl?"

"They exploded."

"Oh, right. So…how'd you get here?"

She was prying, and everyone knew it.

Ranger glanced in my direction. "We're leaving, babe."

"Oh, so you drove her in? Well, that was nice of you, to drive out of your way for Steph like that."

Ranger gave me a death glare, and I jumped up, shaking my head at Lula.

I set half the doughnuts on napkins on Connie's desk, and tucked the box under my arm. "Sorry. Got to go."

I turned my head at the door, and Lula made a high five gesture, grinning at me. I waved goodbye, grinning as Ranger took my hand, guiding me to his car.

Halfway to Haywood, my cell rang. I stared at the LCD, contemplated throwing the phone out the window, and then, sighing, answered it.

"Hello?"

"Stephanie Plum!"

"Mom, I really don't have time for—."

"What's this I hear about you and Ranger?"

"Well we—."

"And Ranger hitting Joseph? Why would he do that?"

"If you heard some of the things Joe said about me you wouldn't be asking that question.

"Well, what about Ranger staying the night?"

"Mom. You do not want the answer to that question."

"And you yelling at poor Lucille Danelli's daughter?"

"She called Ranger Mexican. And I didn't yell."

"But—."

"Mom, you're giving me a headache."

"Young lady—."

"Look, Joe and I are done. Ranger took me out on a date. One date will very likely lead to many more dates. That's it. End of story."

She was quiet for a while. "Are you coming to dinner tonight?" She finally asked.

"I don't know."

"Come. Bring Ranger."

"Mom, I don't think—."

"He'll come. Your grandmother will behave, Valerie won't stare, and your father will speak about something other than the potatoes."

"I…"

"See you at six."

The line went dead, and I banged my head against the window.

Ranger caught my eyes through the rear view mirror.

"We have dinner with my family at six."

"Any way I can get out of it?"

"I'll take 'Houses in Siberia' for five hundred."

He sighed. "Your family's crazy."

"I swear to God Grandma Mazur won't hit on you."

"No way to stop the woman, Babe."

"Sorry."

He took his had from the shifter and grabbed mine, intertwining our fingers. "I'll live."

"You better."

AN: Okay, now, before you all flame me for making so many people having race on their minds, let me just point out that the burg is still stuck in that whole 60's, stay-at-home-mom, Leave It to Beaver way of life. Someone thought Ranger was a terrorist the last time he showed up in Chambersburg. If (well, when) Ranger and Steph ever do end up in a relationship, there are going to be complications. And there will be more to come. Just…don't abandon me because I'm showing the race thing. I personally think it's abhorrent, and I would SO do Ranger if I got the chance, but old-fashioned places are like that. I've got a great uncle who would probably disown me for dating someone who wasn't white. I can barely talk to him most of the time, because he's just that ignorant.

But now you know kind of the central plot. If that makes you squicky, I suggest moving on to something with more fluff. shrugs What can I say? I like to angst it up a little bit.

By the way, if anyone notices any "donut" instead of "doughnut" mistakes, tell me about it. I hate Dunkin' Donuts for screwing with my mind like this. It's funny, because here in Colorado, we have Krispy Kreme (because I swear to you, half of California has moved to Colorado) and when I went to the East Coast (Conn., Mass., Maine, etc…) all there was was Dunkin' Donuts. Then about two years later they put in ONE KK on a huge freeway, and I guess for months it was packed constantly. I guess the good things just go east.

What's the word for this? Cream and sugar are NOT concessions, but I honestly can't think of the word. Someone help me out here!