So yesterday I had some Microeconomics hw to do, but as it always is when you're trying to procrastinate, I convinced myself that a short little break was called for. I flipped through channels until I landed on a documentary on the Discovery channel about the 9/11 attacks. Two hours later I was still on the same hw problem, but an idea for a fic had formed:D

The story in itself has nothing to do with NY or 9/11 (It's just too sensitive a topic and I've got too much respect for that day's heroes to mess with a fictional tale of events). This story deals with S&R meeting in an alternate universe, living slightly different lives. Ranger is still dark and yummy. Stephanie still has a 'dangerous, why can't you just work at the button factory' job, but unlike her bounty hunter counterpart, she's got technique as well as luck on her side.

FYI, the Miami-Dade area has a Venom Response team comprised of firefighter/paramedics (this how the fic idea sorta connects to the 9/11 documentray) that in many cases save the day. (Hint, hint).

Disclaimer: The Plum universe belongs to JE.

I'd just rinsed off a cucumber and was getting ready to start cutting when a high-pitched scream reached my ears. I snapped my head up, looking out the kitchen window over the counter. There was a blur of movement on the other side of the window, so I hurried towards the back door.

My daughter bumped into me when I stepped out onto the porch. "What happened?" I cupped her face in my palms, searching her eyes. She's in her early teens and a few months ago made some changes to her persona. One such change involved her hairstyle, leaving her forehead and one eye partially hidden behind a curtain of dark, silken tresses.

"I..." She shrugged, saying she didn't know.

I frowned. "Why did you scream?"

"I didn't it." I followed Julie's outstretched arm, to stare at the man she was pointing at.

"Santos." I barked out, louder than necessary to get his attention.

My cousin's a muscular, athletic man with a military background and yet he was hopping in place, eyes wide. "S-s-snake!" His own voice got him out of the trance, quickly abandoning his post at the grill and reaching the back door with astonishing speed.

"Where?" I couldn't see it. The backyard consisted of a porch and a small green patch of land that radiated outward from the pool. My yard isn't cluttered. It's nicely kempt, barely decorated by a tree on one corner of the property with a thick coating of vines around the trunk from a neighboring plant. Aside from that, there are other small plants along the perimeter of the lot, but not much else.

"Over there!" Another shriek, this time from behind me.

I moved forward, intent on taking a look, but two small hands gripped my muscled arm. I looked down at my daughter only to find that she was shaking her head at me.

"What if it's venomous?" She tugged my arm again even though I was looking at her. "We should call a professional." Julie gave me a pleading look.

"Fine." I capitulated, not wanting to upset her. Our time together is restricted by a schedule and we always try to make the most out of it. This was the first weekend we got to spend together in weeks and I wasn't about to let one snake, if there even is one, ruin it.

"Calling right now!" My cousin shouted from inside the house.

A little less than twenty minutes later an SUV parked on the curb in front. I rose from my position on the couch and went outside to great the professional. I stopped on the last step leading to the front door to wait for this guy. I heard the driver's side door open and close, paying extra attention to the boot-clad feet I saw round the side of the vehicle. Since I'd been too busy staring at the person's feet, I didn't have a chance to see their face before they opened the back.

And then the person slammed the back panel door closed, finally stepping away from the vehicle. To my surprise it was a woman! I was not expecting that. Don't get me wrong. I'm not a male chauvinist or anything of the like. I'd just hadn't expected that such a… stunning professional would show up.

I tracked her movements carefully as she approached, one delicate hand firmly gripping a snake hook and holding some kind of cage with the other. She walked gracefully, confidence oozing from her pores. Her curly brown hair was in a high ponytail that bounced as she walked. When she was a few feet away from me I noticed that her eyes were blue, a deep shade that reminded me of the sea.

"Lester?" She asked me.

"Uh…" I shook my head in the negative.

"That would be me." Lester stepped around me, offering his hand to the woman.

She introduced herself, but I was too busy staring at her lips to catch the name. "Can you tell me what you saw?" The woman focused her gaze on Lester, giving me the perfect view of her striking profile. I thought I detected a Jersey accent. I should know, because one of the offices of my security firm, Rangeman, is located in Trenton, New Jersey. Another one is located in Boston and one here, in Miami. "Okay." She nodded at whatever Lester told her, which I also didn't catch because I was too busy cataloguing her. "Backyard then?"

"Yeah." Lester nodded, but didn't move. "You know, I should stay here to protect her." He moved closer to Julie, puffing out his chest in an attempt to impress. "Just in case."

"Right." The woman's tone was laced with amusement, but she kept her smile hidden.

"This way." I cocked my head to the side, leading her to the side gate. Expertly, I unlocked the gate and swung it open. I motioned for her to go first, since she knows what she's doing.

"Thanks." She moved past me, letting me get a good whiff of her scent. It was a soft, sweet aroma that reminded me of cake for some reason.

I followed her down the side of the house until the narrow walkway opened out to the backyard. "I didn't see anything."

She flashed me a polite smile in return for the information. "Sometimes people catch a glimpse out of the corner of their eye and jump to the conclusion that it's a snake." She set the cage next to the porch before moving towards the general area where Lester said he saw the snake.

I made myself scarce, standing away from any of the plants along the perimeter. Not because I was scared, but because I didn't want to get in her way. From my position I watched her make her way towards the back of the property, efficiently using her hook to check the plants at her feet. Her cotton shirt read FIRE RESCUE on the back and I'd caught a glimpse of the name sowed on her left breast. Plum.

"Oh!" The exclamation brought me out of my internal musings.

"What is it?" Without thinking I lunged forward, my heartbeat spiking at the thought of her being hurt.

"There's definitely a snake…" She let out a breathless laugh, a rich and seductive sound, abandoning her hook and reaching with both hands into the vines on the tree trunk. Feet planted firmly on the ground, she pulled. "Burmese python."

I watched in horror from a few feet away as this tiny woman, well, tiny compared to me, pulled and pulled to get the snake out into the open. I grimaced, realizing that although slender, the snake was easily longer than her height.

"Ah!" A loud yelp sounded behind me, making me tear my eyes away from the scene before me. Lester was standing on the porch, eyes trained on the 'monster'. "Get it!" He shrieked, obviously terrified.

It took the woman almost an hour to corral the slithering reptile. I wanted to step in to help when the snake tried to wrap itself around one of her legs, but true to her title of professional, she expertly avoided what could surely turn into a death grip. With impressive strength, she lunged the cage and its cargo back to the SUV.

Silently, I watched her drive away before going back inside.

S&R

Lester, after having time to cool off from the traumatic incident, did what he does best: went out to party. Julie and I went to the movies, enjoying some father/daughter bonding time.

Now, late at night, I was having a hard time conceiving sleep. All I could think about was her, looking ridiculously sexy, dealing with the huge snake. I'm no Saint. I totally checked her out, from head to toe and back. And I liked what I saw, but most importantly, what I didn't see. I'm positive that under her uniform of cotton neck-shirt and dark cargoes hides a curvy body. When a familiar twitch below my waist made its presence known, it dawned on me that I was getting myself worked up over a woman I may never get the chance to see again.

"Carlos, Carlos, Carlos…" I muttered under my breath, turning onto my side. Lester was probably right. I've been alone way too long.

"You probably don't even remember what a woman looks like."

Lester's words echoed in my head. Instead of being annoyed I grinned, feeling my body respond to thoughts about Ms. Hot and Professional. My dick definitely remembers.

I had to see her again.

I'm a good looking guy and thanks to my line of work I have the opportunity to meet different kinds of people. But it was the first time in many, many years that a woman captivated my attention the second I laid eyes on her.

"Plum." I tested her name out, tapping one finger on my chest. It's relatively easy for me to conduct a background check on anybody, get the information I want fast and secure. I grinned, something I don't do often, as I swung my legs over the side of the bed.

My bare feet padded silently across the hardwood floor to the desk by the bedroom door. I booted up the computer as I sat down in front of the screen. There was just something special, magical even, about the blue-eyed brunette and I'm in desperate need of more.

More of her.