Disclaimer: I do not own Lester (the character) or the Stephanie Plum series. This short-story is only inspired by the Plum world, out of canon.

Today's chapter is another rushed order (unedited). I have a self-imposed deadline (learning self-discipline here), and I had to sacrifice the proofreading. Regardless, I hope it's still enjoyable. Thanks for reading!

Stephanie

"Yes, dressed in RangeMan gear with the exception of pants." There was a moment of silence on the other line, and if it had not been Ranger, I would have thought he was finding the whole situation hilarious. Lester gave me a look of curiosity from across the room, unable to decipher the bewilderment on my face.

"I need to see this new member of our team right away," Ranger said, hanging up before I had the chance to respond. Sure enough, Ranger and Stephanie appeared at our door shortly after I related the information to Lester.

"Where's the perpetrator?" Ranger's greeting had Stephanie frowning. Lester and I pointed to the guest room, and the two newcomers followed our directions. A few seconds passed, and suddenly Ranger's booming laughter filled out home.

"You are laughing," Stephanie noted with a look of astonishment, not used to seeing Ranger laugh, and the expression on her face morphed into deep worry.

"Ranger's is half Vulcan." I said. The brunette's gaze shifted to my direction, and Lester made the Vulcan sign, a smirk on his face. "But instead of sex, he only laughs once or twice every eight years."

"It's good to see you, Beautiful." My husband made his way to Stephanie and gathered her into his arms. The brunette seemed to take a breath of relief before Lester planted a kiss on her forehead. "You sure keep things interesting around here."

"It's not my intention, trust me." Stephanie crossed her arms over her chest and pouted at the floor.

"What do you think of my babe?" Lester staggered to my side and rubbed my belly. "My babe is going to give birth to a little babe."

"Is it a girl?" Ranger asked with a spark of genuine curiosity in his voice. He took a sit on our sofa and tucked gently on Stephanie's arm. She sat next to him with some hesitancy, taking in our small RangeMan issued apartment.

"Lester doesn't want to know," I said, offering our guest cold refreshments, which my husband lovingly made to make up for Tank taking away my ice cream. "Regardless, we need an employee day care in this building."

"A day care?" Ranger couldn't hide the horror in his voice. Stephanie narrowed her eyes and looked at the man next to her with curiosity. It was evident she wasn't used to seeing Ranger act human.

"Who's going to take care of this baby?" The baby kicked and my words came out breathlessly. Lester rushed to my side and kissed my belly. I ran my fingers through his hair, which had grown with inexplicable speed.

"Well, the baby definitely has my strength," he said proudly.

"Are you sure it would be safe to have a half xenomorph child," Ranger waved at Lester's direction before continuing, "running around with the other employees' children?"

"My child is not a xenomorph." Lester's animated gesticulations had us both going silent. We stared at Stephanie, whose contagious giggles ended with a loud snort.

"You are half Vulcan," I noted, pressing a kiss on my husband's cheek, "and you run the company."

"You are all geeks," Stephanie said.

"Why can't Lester become a househusband?" Ranger asked, and Lester picked up a pillow from an armchair and aimed it at Ranger's face. The latter caught it with the skill of a football player, his face expressionless, but there was laughter in his eyes.

"We are not the only employees with children." I wobbled to the kitchen to retrieve my tablet and handed it to Ranger before depositing myself in a chair with Lester's help. "Many of your employees have toddlers. It would be a big incentive."

"Is this some kind of 'lean-in' argument?" The stoic Ranger returned, a sign that he was listening.

"It's a logical argument," Lester said, sitting on the arm of my chair. "You know the children will be safe."

"Fine," Ranger said, surveying the list of employees. "Are you sure you could take this case, Emma?"

"I won't talk to you ever again if you take me off this case, Carlos." Stephanie, who's silence had me guessing on her wellbeing, scooted to the edge of the sofa and looked over her shoulders to Ranger.

"I would like for Emma to continue serving as my lawyer," she said, her voice firm but almost apologetic. Lester looked down at me, reading the confusion on my face and shook his head.

"Arms-length," my husband whispered in my ear, reminding me of an old conversation. He had told me Ranger kept Stephanie at arms-length, hinting at the promise of a relationship, but never quite giving in. Stephanie, therefore, appeared to balance her relationship with Ranger and her police officer boyfriend while walking on a tightrope. And she was close to falling and getting hurt.

"A broken husband and a xenomorph on the way." Ranger seemed thoughtful for a few seconds. Lester sent another pillow flying across the room. "I just wanted to make sure."

"Stephanie, I would like to go over the scene with you this afternoon." She nodded vigorously, turning her body to my direction. "I need you to tell me everything you learned during the investigation. I also would like to talk to your neighbors and your family."

"My family?" The look terror on Stephanie's face had me even more intrigued. She fidgeted with her hands. "I… I don't want to involve my family."

"We won't involve them in the case," I said tightly, leaning into Lester and letting him dust off an eyelash from my cheek, "but I would like insight into how people see you."

"Why?" Ranger asked, pulling Stephanie into his body. He had known me long enough to know when a case had become a puzzle.

"I just want to make sure there isn't anything else going on," I said, omitting the fact that there were also more personal and selfish reasons behind my interest in meeting Stephanie's family. "The feds are eager to close this case, and it would be nice to be one step ahead of the investigation."

"Thank you Emma," Stephanie said, and her voice trembled when she spoke. "There's a lot I need to tell you."

"Babe." Ranger kissed the brunette's temple, and his eyes closed for two seconds. Lester and I watched silently, taking in Ranger's protective body language and Stephanie's unsuccessful attempts to look strong.

"Stephanie, do you know Ranger stole the "babe" thing from me?" Lester asked. The brunette beauty looked up at us with a rueful smile, but my husband's teasing failed to make Stephanie laugh.

"Emma, I think I killed the detective," she said and burst into tears.

-RS-

Babes, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I would love to hear what you think. If you liked it, sorry it's short.