A/N: Some of you requested an epilogue for "Bail-Out," so I thought, why not? It follows the second ending for the story. This is for Michelle. You make me smile :) Happy reading, friends!

Epilogue

Na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na…Batman! The familiar ringtone started chirping in my handbag. I walked my hands backward until I was in something that felt like a sitting position. Except then I remembered how high up I was. Cripes! I slowly moved my hands back to where they were before and held on for dear life. Now was not a good time for this.

"Hey lady!" called the man sitting two branches above me. "Sounds like the dark knight might be trying to call you." He snorted a laugh. "Maybe you should get that."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" I yelled back trying to decide how to give him the finger with my hands currently occupied with a death-grip on a tree branch. Guess he'd have to assume it was implied.

"I'll bet it's important. It's not every day you get a call from a super hero."

Actually I get calls from Batman all the time. Except his alter ego isn't Bruce Wayne. It's Ricardo Carlos Manoso, also known by many as Ranger. And he doesn't live at Wayne Manor. He lives in the penthouse apartment on the seventh floor of a nondescript brick building off of Haywood. And I had a few guesses as to why he might be trying to call me right this very moment. Actually, one guess really. I was late.

"You know, Benny, you could just speed this whole thing right along by shimmying your way down here and hopping in that cab parked at the curb with me."

"Nah, I think I'm good up here. Thanks though."

I glared up at him. Benny "The Brick" Berneski was out on bail for shooting a local bartender in the foot when he was told to pay his tab. Well, that and decking the police officer who tried to apprehend him. Apparently he was a pretty mean and nasty drunk. Sober, he seemed like your regular Joe Shmo living next door. At least by Burg standards.

And I might have even liked the guy a little if he hadn't made the last week and a half of my life a complete disaster. He was my last loose end to tie up at the bonds office before going on vacation. I'd been lucky enough to find him on three separate occasions at three separate bars and in the process I'd become Steph the Duped, Steph the Drenched in Alcohol, and my personal favorite, Steph the Covered in Rotting Garbage. Let's just say Benny wasn't high on my "favorite person" list right now.

And he was sinking lower by the minute. Especially since I had decided to chase him up a tree. Why the tree, you might ask? Probably because I hadn't expected someone nicknamed "The Brick" to be limber enough to climb a tree in the first place. It was kind of funny how often I was wrong about these things.

The Batman theme song started playing again. I sighed. Guess it was time to face the music. Carefully I readjusted myself so that I could reach into the bag I'd slung over my head before attempting to play Tarzan.

I stole a quick glance at the clock on the phone before I answered. I wasn't just late. I was really late.

"Yo," I answered as casually as possible.

"There a reason your tracking device says you're currently ten miles away?"

"Yep."

"Is it a good one?"

"Depends on your definition of 'good.'" There was a lot of silence before I added, "Probably not."

"Do I need to come find you?"

I shifted a little trying to debate my answer. Then the branch suddenly cracked. "Shit!" I screeched as I tightened my grip. I could hear Benny howling in laughter above me.

"Babe?"

"Remind me never to eat another donut again," I said through gritted teeth.

"Where are you?"

"Up a damn tree, ok?" There was a moment of silence on the other end, and I knew Ranger was fighting a smile.

"Today? You picked today to take up tree climbing?"

"No, fate picked today for me to happen on Benny the Brick at a coffee shop drive thru. Except the creep saw me and bolted. I chased him for a few blocks on foot when he decided to test my resolve to bring him in."

"Why not just wait him out on the ground?"

"Because I'm kind of on a tight schedule here." Not to mention hindsight is 20/20.

There was a brief pause. "Want me to swing by and shoot him out of the tree?"

It was a hard offer to refuse. "Right now I'd love nothing more. Except I don't really want you to spend the next several years in prison."

"No worries. I'd make it look like an accident."

No doubt. "Listen, just give me a few more minutes. I think I've got an idea."

"Babe." The call ended. I wasn't sure if that meant I should be expecting his black bat mobile to round the corner in the next few minutes or not. Guess I should get going with that idea of mine.

"Hey Benny?" I called up the tree. "I'm gonna level with you, ok?"

"Sure thing, Plum."

"I've had a really shitty last few years. You see I'm not particularly fond of guys named Ben at the moment because I kind of got conned by one. Well, actually he wasn't a Ben. He was more of a Barney. But the point is, I almost screwed up my life in a major way because of him, and now things are kind of back on track for me. And I'd really appreciate it if you'd let me have one good day here. Just one. I think I deserve one good day amidst all the other shit, don't you Benny?"

"That's a touching story, Plum. Honest, I think I've got the beginnings of some tears in my eyes. But I'm really kind of fond of this tree. It's pretty comfy up here."

I sighed. "Well, I didn't want to have to do this…" I said reaching into my bag again. "Wanna know what happened to the Ben that conned me?" I asked, allowing a sinister smile to cross my face.

Benny smirked. "You chase him up a tree too?"

"He probably wishes that I had." I pulled out my S&W and let Benny's eyes focus in on it.

"Watcha planning on doing with that?" he asked curiously.

"Batman gave me the green light to just go ahead and shoot you out of the tree. Said he could make it look like an accident." Ok, so those weren't the exact words from the conversation, but Benny didn't have to know that.

"Now Plum, I'm pretty sure that's not in the bounty hunter's handbook. You'd probably end up with some time in the clinker for doing something stupid like that."

I shrugged. "Did I mention I've got a lot of friends over at the PD? They aren't exactly happy with you right now because you went and roughed up one of their guys. Pretty sure they'd be willing to look the other way on this one."

Benny's face started to pale. Bingo.

"Oh, and I'm not exactly the best shot. I mean, I try to be accurate, but sometimes these weapony things have a mind of their own. I'd really hate for you to lose a valuable body part in this tree, Ben."

Benny got a smirk on his face. "You're bluffing. I can see it in your eyes, Plum. Nice try."

Bluffing my ass. I fired a warning shot into the tree and felt my heart stutter in my chest when the branch cracked at the force of the recoil.

Fortunately the warning shot worked. I'd never seen a man climb down a tree so fast in all my life. Come to think of it, I'd never seen a man climb down a tree before. Then it occurred to me that Benny was going to reach the pavement before I was. Which would probably give him yet another opportunity to get away. Gah!

I was just planning my own downward descent when I heard what sounded like footsteps sprinting off down the street. Crap. There went Benny.

After getting scratched to hell wriggling down the last few feet of the tree, I decided I'd made it far enough to jump. And promptly fell on my ass. Yep, I was definitely a portrait of grace.

I turned to the street and swore. Of course the cab had left without me. Figures. Guess the tree-climbing charade and the twenty wasn't enough to keep him entertained. Now I was beyond late with no ride and no skip to show for my efforts. Suddenly I felt the sting of tears forming behind my eyes.

"Excuse me, ma'am," someone said interrupting my near-meltdown. "But I think you may have lost something."

I looked over at a mountain-sized man holding a whimpering Benny by his shirt collar.

"Aw, Tank, you shouldn't have," I smiled. "But I'm so glad you did." I quickly glanced around. "You brought a car, right? I'm really late."

"I know. Les is circling the block. Should be by any minute."

As soon as he said it, a black SUV came barreling down the street and screeched to a hault in front of us.

Tank tossed Benny in the back. "Whatdya wanna do with the pain in the ass?" he asked as we sped off down the road.

"I don't have time to think about it. I was supposed to swing by the shop an hour ago."

"I'm on it," Lester said as he swerved in and out of traffic.

"Um, Les? You just passed it," I said as I craned my neck to watch the shop pass by.

"Oops. My bad."

I sighed. "Oh just keep going. This is probably right on par for how this day should be going. I just can't seem to catch a break."

"It's because she's a lunatic," muttered Benny from the back. I heard a loud thunk, and suddenly Benny became a lot quieter.

We pulled into the parking lot, and I dashed up the steps. It wasn't until I was standing inside that I realized I wasn't sure how to handle my classically disheveled appearance. There were a few odds and ends in my bag that might be able to provide some touch-up assistance, but there wasn't a whole lot capable of combatting tree scratches, frizz head, and the lack of dress I was supposed to have picked up.

I was debating which bathroom to go hide in when a rough hand grabbed my wrist and started dragging me down a hallway.

"Hector?" I asked. He turned to me and offered a small smile.

"Come," he said with his thick Spanish accent. "Late." Well that was the understatement of the day.

"Is he mad?" I asked hesitantly.

He glanced back at me then shook his head. "No."

We came to a room with the door cracked open slightly. "In here," Hector ordered. I followed him in.

A familiar dress hung on the back of the door. I felt the prickle of tears again. "You guys are too much," I smiled. "Gracias," I added as I threw my arms around his neck.

"De nada, Florecita." He kissed my forehead then turned and walked out the door.

Quickly I dumped the gown over my head and raced to a mirror to try and do some serious damage control. Twenty minutes later I decided it was probably as good as it was going to get. I poked my head out the door and started tiptoeing back down the hallway. But then I froze. My feet just wouldn't go any further.

I raced back to the room and slumped into a pile on the floor. People were going to talk about this. For a long, long time. And not in the good way I'd always hoped they would. How could I still be Stephanie the screw-up on a day like today?

There was a soft tap on the door. I wiped off a few stray tears before glancing up. The tingles I felt had already given me a pretty good idea of who was standing in front of me.

"Thought I might find you back here," he said kneeling down.

"How did I manage to screw this up?" I asked as a new stream of tears threatened to roll down my cheeks.

"You didn't. You're right on time. Come on." He pulled me to my feet.

"How can I possibly be right on time? I'm an hour late!"

"Do you trust me?" he asked as he led me down another hallway.

"Yes," I answered without even thinking.

We exited the building through a side door. The black Porsche 911 Turbo was parked and waiting.

"What's all this?" I asked. "You weren't thinking about bailing on me, were you?"

He shook his head. "These big shindigs can cause a lot of…stress. Thought it might be wise to have a backup plan." He gave me one of his megawatt smiles.

"I still look dreadful," I grumbled.

He spun me around to face him. "You are stunning as always. And I'd marry you today even if you were covered in sludge and stinky garbage."

I frowned. "Don't say that too loud, or you might get your wish. Stranger things have been known to happen."

His kissed my head and helped me into the car.

"So you've got a plan, huh?" I asked as we pulled out into traffic.

"Always."

I had to admit, the change in schedule was throwing me for a loop. The church, now long behind us, was no doubt full of the friends and relatives that I'd spent countless hours personalizing invitations for. And my mother was probably trying to find a way to sneak a few sips of alcohol to keep from losing her mind.

"Maybe we should go back," I sighed. "I'm feeling kind of guilty leaving everybody hanging like that."

"Why?"

"I invited them to share in our happy day."

"It's not something you really wanted, babe."

"What?" I asked incredulously. "Of course I want to marry you. How could you think otherwise?"

"Well I know you want to marry me. Who wouldn't?" He glanced over at me and smirked. Typical Ranger humor. "But I'm pretty sure you didn't want all of that. I think you wanted to want that."

I wasn't sure how to respond, so I sat and stared out the window. "Well what do I want then?" I finally asked.

He twitched a subtle smile. "You'll see."

Eventually we pulled up to a small beach front property in Point Pleasant. Tiki torches could be seen flickering around back and a pathway of flower petals snaked a trail around the side of the house. Ranger came around and helped me out of the car.

He leaned in close. "How am I doing so far?" he whispered.

I just stood there and smiled. The setting was beautiful. And perfect.

"I've gotta go and take care of a few things. Think you can give me ten minutes before snooping around?"

I gave him a look, but then I laughed. "I can probably give you five."

He gave me a brief kiss. "Done." Then he pulled a Batman and disappeared.

I leaned over and glanced at my reflection in the Turbo window. It was far from perfect, but there was no denying it. The woman staring back at me was Stephanie Plum through and through. I reached in my bag for some confidence-boosting lip gloss and happened upon a small folded piece of paper instead. I shook my head as I slowly unfolded it. "Turn around," it said. So I followed the instructions.

Tank was waiting for me in a linen button-up shirt and khakis. I could tell he was trying to hold back a smile.

"How does he do it?" I asked softly before taking his arm.

Tank shrugged. "He's Ranger."

We followed the trail of flower petals around back and out onto the beach. A bon fire was blazing, and I felt my smile grow as I began to recognize some familiar faces.

I reached down to slip off my shoes, and when I looked up again, Ranger had magically appeared in front of the fire; his outline a familiar silhouette surrounded by the dancing flames. I was suddenly so overcome by the moment that I let go of Tank and took off at a full sprint toward him. My arms encircled his neck as he spun me around.

"I've never seen anyone sprint down the aisle like that before," he laughed, resting his forehead against mine.

"You," I started, suddenly overcome by emotion. "How do you do it?" Tears were already starting to trickle down my cheeks.

"It's a gift," he grinned. "A gift that comes with loving you." He brushed a few tears away before putting me back on my feet. "You ready?"

I nodded. Ranger had bailed me out yet again. Rescuing me this time from myself. Or maybe the false expectations I had for myself.

His dark eyes glowed in the firelight with a deep and affectionate love that was focused only on me. And unlike all the other momentous occasions in my life that had been tainted with subtle hints of worry and regret, there was no doubt in my mind that this was exactly where I was supposed to be.

A silence suddenly came over our intimate gathering, and I realized that I hadn't been paying much attention to what was going on around me. Someone had been talking, and now everyone's eyes were focused on me. I panicked and bit my lower lip.

Oh, what the hell… "I honestly have no idea what the question was," I confessed. "But my answer will always be yes. Yes, yes, and yes. And I do," I added. "I will. Always. Forever. Because I love you."

"You never disappoint," Ranger said with a subtle shake of his head. "Yes, yes, and yes goes for me too."

A cheer went up from the crowd, and we kissed. It was pretty chaste considering the things firelight does to the sexiest man alive. And the fact that heat was currently radiating from everywhere.

We gradually made our way back into the house where Ella was waiting with just about every dish that I'd ever said I'd liked. Including double the desserts. And an enormous layered wedding cake.

"And here I thought the ceremony was going to be the highlight today," I whispered over to Ranger.

He pulled me closer and placed a seductive kiss just below my ear. "Babe, you ain't seen nothing yet."

Oh boy! "Promises, promises," I sighed wistfully. His eyes darkened, and I knew I was pulling the tiger's tail. He gave a barely audible growl, and I knew we were both wondering if it would be rude to randomly disappear for a while. Thankfully the moment passed, and we settled in for an evening of festive dining with our closest friends.

It was everything I never even knew I wanted from this day. Small and intimate with a laid back feel like this all could have taken place around a few greasy pizzas at Pino's. We all sat around talking and laughing at old memories, and I was almost disappointed when everyone started to head home. Almost. Except I had a pretty good idea what was coming once we had the place all to ourselves again.

Once the last goodbye was said, Ranger grabbed my arm and pulled me out the back door. The bonfire was still smoldering in the sand. The night air had cooled with the ocean breeze and I shivered as I stood and watched the waves crash gently along the surf.

"Cold?" Ranger asked as he pulled me closer to him. "We can go back in if you want. I think I have some ideas on how to warm you up quickly."

I gave a knowing smile. "I'm sure you do. Maybe just a few more minutes out here."

He silently slipped his hand in mine and stared out at the ocean beside me.

"Thank you," I said quietly. "For everything. It was exactly what I wanted. And so much more."

"It really was one for the books, wasn't it?"

"I'll say." I turned and wrapped my arms around his neck and stood on my tip toes in hopes for a kiss. Boy did he deliver! Next thing I knew, I was being swept off my feet-literally-and carried back inside.

The bedroom was flickering in the soft glow of candle light and more flower petals were strewn across the bed. Ranger set me down so I had a chance to admire it.

"Better than the wedding cake, right?" he asked, a wolfish grin slowly working its way across his face.

"Ummm…"

He didn't even let me finish my thought. I was on the bed before I even knew what was happening.

"But the dress…" I started, trying to halfheartedly push him away.

"The dress is nice," he said between kisses. "But I think it should probably come off."

"No, I don't want it to get stained from the flower petals."

Ranger scooped up a handful and poured them over me. "They're silk, babe."

I sighed. "You really do think of everything, don't you?"

He got a mischievous look and reached over the side of the bed. Then he placed a small gift bag next to me.

"Aw, you shouldn't have." I pulled out the tissue paper and found something satiny, soft, and white laying on top of a small box. I raised an eyebrow. "You sure this is a gift for me?"

He shrugged. "You can go put it on, and we can find out."

I decided to open the small box first. A pair of simple diamond earrings sparkled in the candlelight. "Wow," I said breathlessly. "They're beautiful."

"I saw them and thought of you." He smiled. "They're rare, exquisite, and obviously stunning."

I leaned over and kissed him. "Thank you so much!" I paused. "But I didn't get you anything."

His eyes darkened. He leaned over me and traced a finger from my neck to my navel; it sent tingles to all the right places. "Go slip into what was in the bag, and we'll call it even."

He kissed me, and we almost forgot about what was in the bag. I quickly slid off the bed and grabbed the slinky piece of lingerie. "Be right back," I called before heading for the bathroom. "Don't go anywhere." I thought I heard him laugh.

Once in the bathroom, I was a little surprised when I slipped the soft white fabric over my head. There was more to it than I thought there would be. But the effect was far from disappointing. Even I had to admit that I looked stunning.

I slowly stepped back into the bedroom and leaned up against the doorway. Ranger's eyes caught mine, and for a brief moment he reminded me of one of those bug-eyed, heart-thumping dogs from the cartoons. I couldn't stop from laughing out loud.

"Cut that out and get over here," he grinned. "Or I might have to do something drastic."

"Oh?"

He leaped off the bed and carried me back to it. I stared into his warm and passionate eyes and smiled. He brushed a few stray curls from my face. "Happy Someday, Babe."

I pulled him close and kissed him. "Happy Someday."