Disclaimer: JE owns all the characters in this story.

A/N A special thank you to Dyanswan for all her help and encouragement.

Chapter Nine

That evening, while Ranger and I were having dinner I said, "Ranger, even though Lester has forgiven me, I still feel like everyone is still scared of me. Even Lester still seems wary of me. Why?"

"Babe."

"Okay, I know I didn't really think my plan through."

"You never do."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You don't think. You don't plan. You just fly by the seat of your pants. And inevitably it gets you in trouble."

"Oh, so now it's all my fault," I said, my voice getting high and loud. "Why don't you make a list of my faults? I know how you love your lists. Let's see…Number one Doesn't think. Number two Doesn't plan. What's number three, Ranger? Doesn't follow directions?"

"Babe, stop this."

But, I was in full rhino mode, plus my feelings were really hurt. I couldn't believe instead of comforting me, Ranger was criticizing me. I jumped up and grabbed a pen and paper and slammed it down by Ranger's plate.

"You'll have plenty of time to write your list because I'm going some where that I'm appreciated."

Ranger stood up and said, "Stephanie, where are you going?"

"Oh, so now you think there isn't any place I can go where I am appreciated," I shrieked at him.

Ranger tried to take me into his arms, but I evaded him and said, "Don't you dare touch me."

Ranger put his hands up in front of himself and backed up a step. He said calmly, "I won't touch you if you don't want me to, but come and sit down so we can discuss this."

"I can't discuss it," I said as my eyes filled with tears.

All of a sudden I started to wilt and I slid down to the floor. I started sobbing loudly, as I curled my body into a fetal position.

Ranger rushed over and sat on the floor next to me. He pulled onto his lap and held me. I cried in his arms for a few minutes until Ranger asked quietly, "Babe, why are you crying?"

"Because," I stuttered as my breath hitched from crying, "I can't think of any place I can go where I would be appreciated." And I started to cry again.

"Here, Babe," Ranger said as he started to rock me. "I appreciate you. And so do the men."

"The men are afraid of me and you said I don't think or plan."

"That doesn't mean we can't appreciate you. Every one has faults, Babe. I love you, faults and all."

I was starting to feel better so I pulled away from Ranger and started to stand.

"Now where are you going?" Ranger asked.

"I was just standing up. I'm probably making your legs go to sleep."

He chuckled and helped me stand up.

"You okay now, Babe?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

"Feel like finishing dinner?"

"Nah, I think I'll just go take a shower," I said as I headed for the bathroom.

Ranger looked searchingly at me, knowing if I didn't want to finish my dinner I wasn't good. But, he let me go sensing that I needed to be alone.

When I got out of the shower, I put on a cozy robe and decided I needed to have a serious conversation with Ranger. The bedroom was empty so I went through the living room. It was also empty. I peeked into the dining room and saw that the table had been cleared. I went to the kitchen and realized Ranger had put the dishes in the dishwasher. Then I saw it. There was a large piece of chocolate cake on the breakfast bar. Beside the cake was a note.

Babe,

I hope the cake makes you feel better. I'll be in my office downstairs. If you want to talk or just want company, call me.

Remember, I love you.

R

Ooh, I thought, he's so good to me. It also made me feel guilty. He always knew exactly what I needed and gave it to me even if I was acting like class A bitch. When I was in the shower, I decided I needed to talk. Now I just needed cake.

I took the cake and settled myself on the couch pulling the throw from the back and wrapping it around me. I took the first bite and moaned. Probably, it was the best chocolate cake I've ever tasted. The cake was rich and moist with a hint of mocha. The icing was dark and creamy. Some people treat depression with drugs or alcohol. I eat cake.

I was eating slowly, savoring it. My mood elevated with every bite. I didn't need entertainment while I was eating, after all the cake is the entertainment. But, it was very quiet in the apartment and the TV remote was within reach. So I turned it on and flipped a few channels. I stopped when I came to a movie I had seen before but loved. As I watched "How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days" An idea came to me. I don't want to lose Ranger, but I did want to be convinced he really loves me. I thought I could use some of the tricks Andie Anderson used to chase off Ben in order to irritate Ranger. After all, if the man can still love me after some of those tricks, then I will know for sure he truly loves me. So, I enjoyed my cake as I watched the movie and plotted.

When I heard the elevator doors open, I quickly changed the channel. Ranger came in and glanced at my empty cake plate.

"Feeling better, Babe?" he said as he sat beside me on the couch.

I kissed him lightly on the lips and said, "Yeah, thanks. You always know exactly what I need."

The next day Ranger was going to be out most of the day, so I decided to put my plan into action. He had only been gone about twenty minutes when I placed the first call.

"Yo."

"Yo yourself, Batman. Where are you?"

"I told you I was visiting clients today."

"Are you alone?"

"No, Tank is with me."

"Which client are you seeing first?"

"I'm just pulling into the Baldwin Piano Company. Stephanie, what's going on?"

"Nothing's going on. Call me. And I'll call you."

Tank glanced over as Ranger stared at his phone with a confused look on his face. He asked, "What's up with Steph?"

"I have no idea," Ranger said. "She has never checked up on me like this."

I called him every hour and had a similar conversation every time. After the fourth call his phone went straight to voicemail so I knew he had turned his phone off. I grinned. Actually, he took two more calls than I expected he would. Since I knew his phone was off, I started calling every ten minutes. I would leave a message asking him where he was and why he wasn't answering his phone.

When Ranger was on his way back to Rangeman, he thought it would be safe to turn his phone back on. He looked incredulous when he saw that he had twenty seven new messages….all from me.

When Ranger exited the elevator on five, he went directly to my cubicle. He said, "Babe, can I talk to you upstairs?"

Uh oh, I thought. The shit's going to hit the fan now. Although, Ranger didn't look like he was angry. Actually, he just looked confused.

When we got upstairs and settled on the couch, Ranger turned to me and said, "Babe, just what was going on with you today? Why were you so obsessed with where I was?"

"I don't quite know," I said. "I just wanted to make sure you were alright. And then you turned your phone off."

"I had to work. And you left me twenty seven messages. If you want to know where I am so badly, all you had to do is ask the control room. You know my car is tracked just like yours is."

"I didn't really think of that. Besides, that would be embarrassing. They would think I didn't trust you."

"Do you." Ranger asked, looking at me intently.

"Of course I do," I quickly answered. "It's just that sometimes I get insecure."

"About?"

"About how much you love me. About if you love me. About how long you will love me."

"How about this, Babe. I'll carry a tracker like the one you have in your purse and I'll send the signal only to your computer. That way you can track me anytime you want. Will that make you happy?"

"Wow! You would really do that for me?"

"If it will help you feel more secure, I will."

"Thanks, Batman," I said tearing up. "That's the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me."

The next couple of days, I acted all clingy and needy. Ranger seemed a little irritated by it, but never said anything about it. Then I brought out the big guns.

I burst into his office wearing jeans and a pink and white striped oxford shirt. Tank, Bobby and Ranger all looked up at me when I asked, "Ranger, how do you like my new shirt?"

"It looks very nice, Babe," he said clearly unhappy at the interruption.

"I'm so glad you like it," I said pulling a much larger version of it out of a bag. "Because I bought one for you too," I gushed. "Here. Try it on. We can be matchies."

"Matchies?"

"Yes, we can wear them to my mother's house when go to dinner. You know how much she hates black."

"Not happening, Babe," Ranger said, dismissing me.

"At least try it on," I said as I unbuttoned the shirt and started to pull it on one of Ranger's arms.

Tank was watching in stupefied silence, but Bobby grinned and said, "Yeah, Ranger. Try it on."

After I got the shirt on him and buttoned up, I stood back and looked. "It looks great on you. And look what else I have," I said as I went back to my shopping bag. Ranger gave a slight shudder as I pulled out a stuffed bear.

"This one is a Rangeman bear," I said showing him an adorable bear in black Rangeman garb, "Ella made the clothes for it. Isn't it cute?"

Then I pulled out another bear dressed in jeans and a pink and white striped oxford shirt.

"We can all be matchies," I said as I placed the bears carefully on the corner of his desk. "I thought they would look adorable sitting here on your desk."

By now Ranger was looking shell shocked, so I decided I should make my getaway while I could. Just then Lester walked in took one look at us and burst into laughter. I ran.

Ranger slumped down in his chair, put his elbows on his desk and his face in his hands. "Why me?" he moaned.

Lester had finally controlled his laughter and asked Ranger, "What's up with Steph? She's been acting pretty strange lately."

"Stranger than you know."

Ranger told the guys about the phone calls and the twenty seven messages. He told them about how clingy and needy I had been. "And now this….Matchies."

"Wait a minute," Lester said. "This sounds like a chick flick my nieces were watching last week. They had it on so loud, I couldn't help but hear it. It was about some chick who was writing an article about "How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days." She was acting a lot like Steph has been. Only she brought the guy some scrawny dog wearing a Burberry coat, she had on a Burberry scarf and she brought the guy a Burberry shirt."

Ranger went upstairs and into the bedroom where he found Stephanie changing her clothes.

"Babe, are you trying to lose me?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Are you trying to push me away? Get rid of me?"

"Of course not, Ranger. I love you."

"Lester said the things you are doing came from some chick flick where the girl was trying to lose a guy."

"What is Lester doing watching a chick flick?" I asked.

"Forget Lester," Ranger spit out at me. "If you're not trying to get rid of me, why are you doing this?"

"Oh, Ranger," I said, wanting to make him understand. "I was trying to prove to myself that you really loved me. I figured if you could take all the shit I've been doing and not walk away, then I would know you really love me. You haven't walked away but you also haven't made love to me in days."

"Babe, the things you've been doing irritated me and exasperated me. Not exactly the mood for love making."

I just hung my head in shame.

"Stephanie, we can't continue to go on like this," Ranger said, pushing my head up by a finger under my chin. "If I can do something to prove without a doubt how much I love you, will you stop these silly games?"

"I'll stop anyway," I whispered. "I don't do clingy very well."

Ranger chuckled at that and then he kissed me.

A week later I was driving down Hamilton when my phone rang. It was Lula.

"Girlfriend, you gots to see this. You won't never believe it," she yelled at me.

She told me where she was and five minutes later I parked behind her Firebird and got out. I just stared, not believing what I was seeing. Across the street on a huge billboard was a picture of me on one side and a picture of Ranger on the other side. He was down on one knee holding out ring. Under the pictures it read,

"I love you, Stephanie Plum. Will you marry me?"

Carlos Manoso

My very own Batman, Mr. Privacy, asked me to marry him on a billboard for all of Trenton to see. I was speechless. I jumped in my car and sped back to Rangeman. When I got there, I didn't wait for the elevator, but ran the five flights of stairs to the control room. I burst into Ranger's office and leaned onto his desk.

"Did you," pant, pant. Mean it?" Pant, pant.

"Yes. What's your answer?"

"Yes."

And I never doubted Ranger again.

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