Thank you to everyone who reviewed. Your thoughts and insights are precious to me.

Disclaimer: They belong to JE, not me. Definitely Babe and definitely NOT for Cupcakes. M rating for language and adult situations. All mistakes are mine, including any pertaining to veterinary care. When in doubt regarding care of pets, please consult your regular veterinarian promptly (says the person who was once on a first name basis with the night answering service). Thank you to the challenge a few months ago that gave Steph the perfect line to close out this story. Chapter heading quotes are from "Amid the Falling Snow" by Enya.

So many secrets to be found/Amid the falling snow.

"I meant to call you," Steph whispered. "How did you know to come?"

"A guardian angel," Ranger said as his arms tightened around her.

Hal met her glance with a smile and a nod from his place next to the door. He turned back to Bobby and Ram, saying something in a low voice in answer to the medic's question. Tank watched everything from his vantage point leaning against a wall, his arms folded across his chest in a pose that looked formidable until she saw the worry in his eyes.

"I'm glad you came."

Ranger kissed the tip of her nose. "It wasn't the same without you."

He guided her towards the chairs, settling them into the one closest to the reception desk. Steph thought about insisting that she could sit by herself, but his arms were strong around her and every time she thought about Bob, she needed that strength desperately.

Time dragged, broken only by occasional coffee runs. Lester came back once with three boxes from the Tasty Pastry, and flatly refused to reveal how he came by them on a Saturday night. Steph nibbled on the lone Boston Crème, but her heart wasn't in it. Food made her think about Bob, and she couldn't think about him without the sick feeling that it was her fault he was in surgery now.

"It's not your fault," Ranger whispered in her ear.

"He's my dog."

"He was Morelli's responsibility until you arrived home. Morelli deliberately left your clothes where he knew Bob would be bored and chew on them." His hand ghosted across her back. "It's not your fault that you didn't know Bob would be there and that he had access to things he shouldn't have."

"He needs training," Steph said, then immediately reviewed what she said when Ranger went still. "Bob. Bob needs training. We just let him get away with everything, and he hasn't learned how to be a good dog. If I'm keeping him, then I need to train him. And I need to be trained on how to be a good dog owner."

Ranger tipped his head so he could look in her eyes, and he gave her a dazzling smile. Leaning in until their lips were almost touching, he gazed steadily into her eyes. "We will be good dog owners."

"I thought the Bat Cave was a dog-free zone." Steph wanted to erase the millimeter between them, but she also wanted to be perfectly clear on what Ranger was saying.

He smiled and kissed her. "Fences are cheap."

"Ms. Plum?"

Dr. Goode's voice cut through the room, and Steph scrambled upright, tugging down the ruined hem of her black dress. Ranger stood up behind her, and the Merry Men snapped to the alert.

The veterinarian's eyes were tired behind her half glasses. "He made it through the surgery just fine. We have him in recovery right now, but it will be a few hours before he's with it."

"Can we see him?" asked Steph as she tried to convince herself that she had heard what she had been hoping to hear.

"We normally don't encourage it," said Dr. Goode. "Many times the animals are disoriented and confused while recovering from the anesthesia and this can be distressing for the owners. He should be up for visitors tomorrow morning. We have staff here until noon for owners who wish to spend time with their hospitalized pets."

Steph nodded, disappointed but willing to trust the veterinarian's judgment. "What about after that?"

"There's usually a three day stay in our ICU while we monitor his gut functions." She looked around as the rest of the Merry Men drifted closer, straining to listen in. "Once he is eating and eliminating normally, we'll send him home with medicine and instructions. He'll need to be kept quiet for at least ten days while the sutures heal."

"What kind of food can he eat?" asked Bobby, taking notes on his tablet.

Dr. Goode raised one eyebrow but didn't comment. "We have some bland, easy to digest canned food we can send home. As he progresses, you can gradually re-introduce his normal kibble. If at any time he goes off his food or seems to be not himself, don't hesitate to call. We always have someone available and I can be reached if that doctor isn't comfortable in handling the situation."

"Thank you," said Steph. She was near tears again, but this time in relief. Bob would survive, and she hadn't screwed up anything too much, other than owing Hal and Ranger a lot more than she could repay.

"I'm glad this had a good ending," the veterinarian said and gave them a weary smile before excusing herself to the back area.

Before Steph could exhale in relief, she was grabbed from behind and enfolded in a bone-crushing hug. What had started out as a breath became a squeak, and she couldn't be sure if even that made it past the band of iron squeezing her rib cage. Then she was pulled into another hug, then another and so on until she reached Hal.

"Thank you," she said, standing on her tiptoes to place a kiss on his cheek. Hal turned bright red but ignored the whistles from the other Merry Men.

"Any time, Steph. I'm glad he's going to be okay."

Ranger slid an arm around her shoulders. "Ready to go home?"

"Yes," she said, then repeated her thanks to each of the men who had given up their celebration to lend her support as they left. Tank was the last one out the door. He exchanged a complicated handshake with Ranger and then mussed her curls.

"Hey!"

"You take care, Bomber," he said, then with a nod he was gone.

The sigh that escaped her was a tiny one, but Ranger pulled her close and kissed her mussed-up curls. "What was that for?" asked Steph.

"Just because," he said, and nudged her towards the door.

As they walked into the cold night air, Steph stumbled a little on the rutted snow. Ranger caught her easily and helped her into the passenger side of the Turbo. He waited until she had fastened her seat belt before closing the door firmly and walking around the front.

The growl of the high performance engine awakening sent goose bumps across her skin, and she shivered.

"Cold?" Ranger asked. He nudged the heat a couple notches higher without waiting for her answer, and Steph didn't argue. The warm air felt heavenly, and her thoughts were drifting in the direction of a hot shower and crawling into bed.

Ranger held his hand out to her, and Steph stared blankly at it for a long moment before her eyes went to his face. His gaze was on the road, but she could tell he was giving that only a part of his attention. Gently, she clasped his hand and brought it to her lips. His fingers closed over hers as she kissed his knuckles, and his smile was one that she hadn't seen in too long of a time.

"I know you're tired," he said softly, "but would you come back with me to Haywood? You can shower and put on some comfortable clothes, and I'll scrounge up something for you to eat."

Warmth that had nothing to do with the Porsche's state of the art climate control stole through her.

"I am tired," she said, "but I would like to stay on seven tonight. Can we swing by my apartment? I need to pick up a few things."

He squeezed her hand. "Sure. You want me to come up?"

"No, I think I can handle it."

Steph barely waited for the Turbo to come to a complete stop in her parking lot before she had the door open and was heading inside. Her keys rattled in the lock and she pushed the door open, flipping on the lights in the hallway. There was a stillness to her living room that made her stop for a moment, and her eyes tracked to the spot where Hal had picked up Bob so carefully to carry him out. It seemed like there were now two memories she didn't particularly want associated with this room, but one she was going to put to rest forever tonight.

Bombshell's got a plan, she thought, and allowed herself a tiny grin.

She pulled her overnight bag out of the closet and packed what she needed from the bathroom. The bedroom took her even less time, except for the thirty extra seconds she spent carefully folding certain garments. Then she zipped the bag closed, nabbed her purse and phone from the counter and locked the door behind her.

As Steph stepped outside, she noticed that the calm air had filled with large flakes that floated like a thousand feathers. Common sense urged Steph to walk down the sidewalk to the Turbo and get in. But everything had started on an evening of snowfall and so she dropped her things on the sidewalk and spread her arms wide as she lifted her face to the gentle kiss of the snow.

Her phone didn't start playing the Batman theme for at least twenty seconds. Steph opened her eyes and grinned at the man holding his phone to his ear and watching her with a quizzical expression. Scooping up the bags, she scampered to the Porsche and shook her hair to dislodge the snow before opening the door.

"Need help?" Ranger asked drily as she slid into the passenger seat.

"Nope," she said, still grinning at him. He reached out and touched a finger to her damp curls, then shook his head and started the car.

The drive to Haywood seemed to take only seconds, although Steph was fairly sure that they hit every red light in the city. The Turbo turned smoothly into the RangeMan underground garage, and she took a deep breath. Ranger's hand captured hers and she smiled at him. "Last chance to back out, Batman."

"Never," he said promptly. He parked the Porsche in the spot closest to the elevator and was out of the car before she could move. Steph had only a brief moment to wonder about his reason for hurrying, then Ranger was opening her door and holding out his hand to her again.

She took his hand, acknowledging that she wanted his help, and was immediately engulfed in a firestorm of igniting nerve endings when Ranger backed her against the car and kissed her as if he meant to brand the feel of his lips on hers for the rest of her life.

When Ranger finally backed away, she was flushed and out of breath. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears and the adrenaline high was better than any she'd ever experienced on a Black Friday at Macy's. If there had been any doubts about what she wanted to do and whether this was the right time to do it, she only had to look into Ranger's dark eyes to know the answer.

"Wow," she breathed, and his smile widened.

"Yeah, wow." He leaned in and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips. "Let's go upstairs."

Steph couldn't resist a finger wave at the garage cameras, but was careful to keep her grin out of sight.

"Don't tease them," Ranger warned as he fobbed open the elevator.

She leaned into him, bracing herself against his arm as she stood on tiptoe. "You shouldn't kiss me like that in full view of the cameras then, Mr. Manoso. I nearly spontaneously combusted."

A shiver ran through him as her breath brushed against his ear, but the gleam in his eyes made her reconsider the wisdom of what she said. Before Steph could scoot out of range, he had her pinned against the wall of the elevator. Ranger scrambled the cameras as he crowded close. "Babe, I'll have to consider that as a challenge."

"No." Somewhere she dredged up that one word and followed it with a hand on his chest. "I want a shower and food before you forget. There's no way I'm going to be in any mood except pissy without those two things."

He backed away and leaned against the far wall, his arms crossed. "I could make you forget about both of those."

"I have no doubt that you could," she said, mirroring his pose next to him. Steph nudged him with her elbow. "You're not going to, though."

"Why not?"

"'Cause you're a good guy underneath all of the black and badassery." Ranger studied her for a moment, then held out his hand to her, and she took it, not resisting when he pulled her into the crook of his arm. The weight of his arm around her shoulders was welcome; it reminded her that she had someone in her corner who wouldn't let her down.

The elevator stopped smoothly on the seventh floor and Ranger kissed the top of her head. "Go take your shower while I check in with the guys in the control room. If you need anything, Ella is back from the party and would be more than happy to help."

She squeezed his hand as it slid free, and clutched her bag a little tighter. While there wouldn't be time to go through the elaborate preparation that she'd used getting ready for the Trenton PD Holiday Party, she thought there would be enough to fix the worst damage from her unconventional evening. The only question was how Ranger would react.

Steph slipped through the heavy door and tried to calm her racing heart as she closed it firmly behind her. Ranger isn't Joe. Ranger wants me to be me. Joe wanted his ideal of what I should be.

The high heels were the first off as she walked into the bedroom, and the shredded, crusty nylons quickly followed. Steph shook her head at what had once been a sexy little black dress and dropped it in the hamper, wondering if there was anything even Ella could do to salvage it.

The last bit of tension drained out of her body as the shower hissed on at her touch and steam rose from the hot water. She stepped under the cascade, closing her eyes as it washed away everything crusty, dirty and sticky. The scent of Bvlgari filled the bathroom as she lathered up the shower puff and the smile that lifted the corners of her mouth was much like Ranger's had been in the Porsche. She was free and capable of standing on her two feet without being too proud to take help where offered. Stephanie Plum was growing up.

That thought buoyed her through the rest of her shower. Quickly, she dried off with one of the luxuriously thick towels from the pile on the counter, and started taking out the pieces of her Jersey Girl arsenal from the overnight bag.

Steph finger-combed her hair and scrunched detangler into it with her fingers. She left it loose around her shoulders after checking to make sure there was no dried Bob drool still sticking to the strands. There wasn't any time for makeup or mascara, but she hoped that her decision to forego them wouldn't affect the outcome of her plan. A look at the clothes on the counter, and she slid every compact and tube back into the bag. Ranger definitely wasn't going to be looking at her face. Steph slipped into the ensemble and adjusted a strap here and there for better effect.

A firm knock on the door startled her badly. Steph slapped a hand over her triple-beating heart and tried to sound normal. "Yes?"

"Babe, you ready? The food's done."

She couldn't help it. Steph glanced in the mirror and studied her reflection, her lips pursing ever so slightly as she took in the tousled hair and the clothes that fit her as if they were custom made. The smile that lent a sparkle to her eyes had no doubt or hesitation about it.

"Yep, I'm ready. Be out in a few."

All that was left was to smooth down the fabric of the robe and slip on her high heels. Perhaps the heels were over-kill, but Steph wanted impact, and while she wouldn't put on mascara for courage, she certainly could work the four inch height advantage like a true Jersey Girl.

Valley Girls have nothing on me, she thought, nodding for emphasis as she checked out the mirror one last time. The material of her clothes whispered around her bare legs like a dream, and Steph threw her shoulders back and straightened. This was the time to be proud of who she had fought to become. It was time to leave behind the whispers and the doubts and understand that she lived by her standards, not the 'Burg's.

Her shoes made no sound across the carpet, but her heart pounded hard enough to make up for it. Steph took one last deep breath for courage and walked into the living room.

With exquisite timing, Ranger came out of the kitchen. He went still, and the plates in his hands slid to the floor. Steph couldn't help the tiny smile that quirked the corner of her lips. She'd felt the same way more times than she could count when confronted with the famous Manoso charm. Now she was evening out the scales, and from the way his eyes swiftly turned a breath-stealing black, things were tipping solidly in her favor.

"Babe," he whispered.

Steph shrugged, making the material of the peignoir ripple. "Evidently it's a tradition to buy grandchildren underwear for Christmas. It's not quite-"

Whatever she was going to say next was lost forever when Ranger crossed the distance between them and demonstrated exactly how much he liked the ensemble. When he finally let her up for air, he was breathing heavily and the fingers that framed her face trembled.

She rested her forehead against his. "I'm going to guess you like the underwear."

"I'm sending Edna on an all-expenses paid trip to Vegas," Ranger said. "Stephanie, are you sure?"

"About this? Yes. About the future I want? Yes. About you? Absolutely yes." She smiled at him and placed a whisper soft kiss on the corner of his mouth. Then yelped in surprise when he swept her up in his arms. "Carlos, put me down."

He grinned at her, a predatory expression that made her shiver in all the right places. "Babe, I plan on showing you at great lengths how much I'm on board with your plans. Starting right now, I want you to know every single second how much I love and support you."

"Nuh-uh." Steph held up her index finger. "Food, Carlos. I need food. Then I'm yours for the night. And the morning, for as many as we have together."

The glance he sent towards the bedroom was eloquent. He sighed and set her gently on her feet.

"I should probably clean up the mess on the floor, too." Ranger leaned in close and nibbled at her ear lobe. "Just be warned, Babe. While I'm making sure you're fed properly, I'm going to be thinking about who I want for dessert."

Her breath hitched, but Steph didn't back down easily. She touched her tongue to the pulse point on his neck and was rewarded with a tiny noise from Ranger. She took a step back. "So am I, Batman. I wonder which one of us can be more imaginative?"

His wolf grin came back in spades, and she answered it with one of her own. As he disappeared into the kitchen, Steph's gaze settled on the dining room table. Obviously Ranger had meant to give her an elegant meal to make up for the missed RangeMan holiday party. An open bottle of champagne chilled in a silver bucket next to crystal glasses and two lit candles.

Steph nudged a chair to one side and slid onto the table. The smooth wood was cool against her bare skin, and she shivered even as she blew out one of the candles. Reaching over to the champagne, she poured it into the glasses and carefully set the bottle back in the ice. One glass she put to the side for Ranger. The other she sipped from as she waited with one foot propped on the chair and the other swinging free.

Ranger came back into the room, carrying two fresh plates. He stopped as he took in her new perch, and the plates met the same fate as the previous ones. He didn't even notice as he stepped around the mess.

"Babe," he said, stopping just short of touching her.

Steph smiled and blew out the last candle. "Good thing for both of us that dessert is still the base of my food pyramid."

Thank you again to everyone who has read this story, and my deepest gratitude for the generosity of those who shared thoughts and reactions in the reviews. Look for the next chapter of Abide in August, as that particular story is in sore need of updating and I think I have finally grown up enough as a writer to get it done closer to right.