WOOHOO, 999 words! I was reading some of ShellSueD's challenge answers, and this one popped into my head. I hope you like it. :-)

All the characters you know and love belong to JE, but the mistakes are mine!

UNKNOWN POV

I cracked open an eye that felt like it had been cemented shut. I had no idea where I was. All I could see around me were trees. As I was about to sit up, I heard a barrage of gunfire in the distance. I decided to stay where I was for a moment. I could have sworn that I didn't re-enlist after my last tour. In fact, I'm pretty sure that last night I was at dinner with Stephanie Plum. When I rolled over to take stock of my surroundings, I noticed that there was a canteen and a Ranger knife laying nearby. With those two items, I knew I could survive, if I could only figure out where the hell I was.

o0()0o

RANGER POV, PREVIOUS DAY

I was sitting at my desk looking over the resumes of the men I had interviewed today, when a certain Blue eyed brunette popped her head into my doorway. "You busy?" I gestured for her to take a seat and she bopped into the office, taking a seat across from me. "I just finished the last of the searches you needed, so if you don't have anything else, I'll see you around the bonds office."

I had to think fast. I didn't realize that her latest job at Rangeman would be so ephemeral. "Why don't you stay for dinner, and I'll check with Rodriguez to see if he has anything else for you."

She rolled her eyes. "Ranger, I told you I don't need a pity job. I don't mind helping out when you need it, but I don't need you to find things for me to do. I can't stay for dinner, either. I have plans."

I arched an eyebrow. "I was under the assumption that Morelli was working undercover."

She snorted. "Joe can stay undercover for all I care. I'm done with the on again, off again crap. That dumbass tried to pick a fight with me before he left." She stood to leave. "I told him he could do whatever he wanted, because I was done riding that carousel."

She was walking towards the door, and I didn't know how to stop her. "Do I need to listen to the police scanner in case you and Mary Lou get in trouble?"

She laughed and walked into the hallway. "Not seeing her, either." Before I could stop her, she walked away calling over her shoulder, "Goodnight, Ranger."

An hour later I was no closer to deciding who to hire. My mind kept going back to Stephanie, and I wondered where she was. Finally, I threw the files into my desk drawer and booted up my computer. Bringing up my tracking program, I found out that she was at Rossini's. I shut down my computer and took the stairs down to the garage. I know I shouldn't be doing this, but I can't stop myself. In minutes, I was headed to the restaurant.

I was sitting in my car debating the merits of going in to see who she was with when my passenger door opened. Tank sat next to me. "She know you're following her around like a stalker?"

I slid him a look. "You wonder what the weather is like in Kazakhstan this time of year?"

He laughed. "No skin off my ass, man. I'm just thinking that if you don't man up and tell her how you feel, someone else might beat you to it."

His words turned out to be oddly prophetic. At that moment, Stephanie walked out of the restaurant with one of the men I had interviewed this morning. He walked her to her car where she hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. She looked so happy that I wanted to punch him. Instead, I sat there until she drove off, trying to clear my head of the red haze of rage that had taken over. Once I was sure I could talk, I turned to Tank. "That man was in my office this morning interviewing for a job. I think he needs to do a field trial. Call the chopper and have Cal come pick him up." Tank was chuckling as he left the car.

Later that night, I let myself into her apartment. I left my keys and belt on her dining room table and crept into her room. She was in her thinking position on the bed, so I sat in my chair. I thought she was asleep until she said, "What are you doing here, Ranger?"

Unless I was going to get rid of every man in Trenton, I had to tell her. "I've been thinking about us."

She was quiet for a long time. Finally she said, "Us?"

"Yes, us. I love you, Babe. No qualifiers."

"No trying to get rid of me in the morning?"

"Never again, Babe." She lifted the covers, inviting me into her bed as well as her heart. It felt like coming home.

o0()0o

The next morning we were enjoying coffee in bed when she asked, "How did your interviews go yesterday?"

I hope she didn't sense my hesitation. "All right."

"There was a guy named John that you spoke to yesterday, what did you think of him?"

After the night we shared, she decided to ask me about the guy she went to dinner with? "You know him?"

She laughed. "Of course I do, he's my cousin. He's Shirley the Whiner's brother. I haven't seen him since he joined the Marines."

As soon as I was in my car, I called Tank. "Recall the chopper and get him back here, ASAP. Tell Stephanie's cousin that he has the job as long as he keeps his mouth closed." I hung up the phone to the sound of Tank's laughter.