45 Minutes later

"Why are you wearing a Tux?" Babe asks, making me glance up from my desk. I got dressed and showered in Bobby's Suite before coming back up to look over some papers while waiting for Steph to get ready.

"Wow, Babe, you look beautiful!" I stand and motioning for her to get closer. She is wearing an off the shoulder, floor length red dress, which hugs her figure at all the right places and whose skirt flares out from her waist down. Her hair is pulled into a simple knot on the back of her head, with a couple of curls framing her face. "Hold on one second" I tell her, go over to my safe in the wall and after entering the code and retrieve two of the three jewellery boxes I have in there. "I bought this a while back with you in mind, but there was never a right time to give it to you."

I open the rectangular box, which holds a simple silver bracelet. Two thin silver chains holding onto a simple silver heart in the middle. The other smaller box holds sterling silver flower cluster earrings with a small diamond. Both will go perfectly with her dress, which should be the eye drawer, not the jewellery. There is also a ring in my safe, but I won't get that one out until Babe and I have gotten on the same page. "Ranger...I can't accept this."

"You can. Here try it on" I take the bracelet out of the box and gently put it on her left wrist. "The earrings you will have to do yourself" I add with a wink.

"When did you buy this?" She questions, but doesn't move her eyes from her wrist.

"A while back" After Hawaii. It is a set, which goes perfectly with the ring.

"Why are you wearing a Tux?" She queries again, finally looking up at me.

"Because I am going to join you." I smile at her and grab the box with the earrings. "You can put these on in the car. We have to go."

"You can't just join me. The tickets were sold out months ago, I know because my Val and Albert tried to get some few weeks back to go with my parents." Steph stops me in my tracks.

"I always have a table. Rangemen has a good relationship with the fire and police department and always attends their charity auctions. There hasn't been one in recent years that I missed if I was in the country." I reply and push her out of the room. With the heels she is wearing, she is only a few inches shorter than me.

"Going once, going twice, going three times to the gentleman with number 62" The auctioneer calls out and I shoot Steph a grin.

"Fifty Thousand dollars for a date with me?" Her eyes are wide and she shakes her head. "You are insane! All of you are insane! You just outbid one another."

"I am sorry you will have to have go on a date with that dick over there, but thirty-five grand is my threshold." Tank replies.

"Yeah we can't all be money hoarders like Ranger" Bobby adds.

"Someone has to keep the economy going" Les quips.

"Please, you hoard money like no other." Mary adds with an eye roll. "Contemplates for ten minutes in front of the cereal aisle if the store brand one will be as nutritious as the Kellogg's one and if it will be the same value for money. And that is only the start of it. A twenty minute run to the store turns into an hour and a half if my husband's joins me."

"Les is a cheap ass" I nod in agreement, put my arm around the back of Babe's chair and lean in close "This better be one hell of a date, Babe." I smile when she shivers slightly and lean back again. The men at the table raise an eyebrow in question and I would laugh out loud, if it wouldn't be attracting Steph's attention, who is now in a conversation with Mary.

"Did you know?" I narrow my eyes at my friends, while Steph and Mary are looking for Steph's parents.

"Know what?" Tank questions confused.

"Babe is single, has been for a year."

"What? No way!" Les exclaims and by the look at Bobby and Tank, they didn't know anything either. Hector however has his blank face in place and is sipping far too casually at his rum.

"Hec?" I ask in a warning tone.

"Wasn't my information to share" He shrugs with a smirk. "Besides you could have just manned up, cop or no cop." And with that he stands, making his way to Zip, his boyfriend, who is on security detail for this event.

"That man and his secrets" Bobby laughs.

"If I was looking for a good bloody fight, I'd take him to the mats, but Bobby has seen enough wounds this week, so I will give him a pass this time" I smirk.

A while later I find Steph alone on the balcony, looking over Trenton, with a glass of champagne dangling from her hand. "Such a beautiful night."

"Shame you cannot see the stars like in the desert." Babe replies without looking over her shoulder.

"Why did you keep it such a secret?" I ask when I Steph next to her, knowing she would know what I meant.

"I just wanted to be single, concentrate on myself and figure out what I want for my future." Steph shrugs.

"And did you find out what you want?" I ask and my insides freeze, waiting for her answer.

"Privately yes, job wise not so much."

"You want to quit your job?" I ask surprised. She loves chasing criminals, at least that is what I thought. Besides she is really good at finding them.

"Maybe?" She phrases it as a question, making it clear she has yet to come to a decision. "I am good at solving mysteries, not so good at other things involved in being a BEA and I am getting sick of living pay check to pay check. I want to see the world, travel, buy a house" Babe shrugs again.

"You can always…"

"No" she instantly shakes her head. "I know where you are going with that sentence, thank you for the offer, but no. I am sure of that. I love Rangemen and I am grateful for what you have done for me in the past, but I can't see myself making a career out of it."

"That seems fair." I nod and decide to give it a rest. She know she can come to me if she needs help deciding on a new career. "So what do you want from your private life?"

"You" one word, three letters. Simple and direct. And I don't know how to answer apart from grabbing her face with both of my hands and kissing her. I tilt her head slightly and open my lips, let my tongue dart out to lick along her lips. She is wearing a Strawberry flavoured lip gloss, making me do it again. A sigh escapes her, giving me a perfect opportunity to slide my tongue in between.

With my right hand I keep her lips on mine while the other slides down to her ass, pulling her closer. I don't know how long we stay like this, but eventually we have to pull apart for air. "You have no idea how long I waited to hear that from you!"

"As much as I like hearing this, what kind of deal is on the table exactly? Because I know I don't want to be your casual girl, I can't be. I lo...like you way too much for that." My heart skips a beat at her mistake.

A smile spreads across my lips and I raise an eyebrow "You want to negotiate?"

"I just want to know the terms and conditions" She shrugs. "Can't blame me, because you have given me plenty of mixed statements over the years."

"I don't" I nod and give her another quick kiss. She is mine and I am not letting her go. "Well, so here are the terms...1) We will date for a while, exclusively. Dinners, long walks on the beach the whole shebang. 2) We move in together a couple of months from now. We can stay at Haywood or buy a house. I don't care, as long as Rex is in my living room, your underwear in my drawer and the cookie jar with the gun in the kitchen." At that Babe giggles. "3) We get engaged and then married in a small intimate affair. 4) Kids. I already have one and Rex is yours, but maybe we can make some more if you want. 5) We grow old together."

"Wow, those are some terms. I may need to speak to my lawyer before signing on the dotted line." She winks. "But I think we can come to some sort of agreement here."

"Perfect" I pull her close again and kiss the hell out of her.

Author's Note:

This is the end. What did you think? Too Cheesy? Leave the comments below.