Disclaimer: They belong to JE, unfortunately.

A/N: I've had this idea for a little one-shot for a while. I hope you all enjoy it. If you don't, please don't tell me. Special thanks to FairTaxGirl for being a super-beta.

Big Blue Strikes Again

I was driving down Hamilton Avenue, on my way to my parents' house for lunch. I was driving Big Blue again, since my latest POS went to car heaven two weeks ago.

It's August and 2,000 degrees in New Jersey. Big Blue, being older than dirt, didn't have air conditioning. I felt like the proverbial egg on the sidewalk. My hair, at least the part that wasn't frizzed up two feet from the humidity, was stuck to my neck and forehead by copious amounts of sweat. Since I was working today, I couldn't very well wear shorts and flip-flops. I had on my boots, jeans and a light pink tank top. I could feel the beads of sweat sliding down my back and into my Wonder Bra. My jeans were stuck uncomfortably to my legs and I kept having the most insane urge to scratch my butt because of the excess moisture.

I wanted to go dive into a nice, cold swimming pool, have an icy margarita and a tub of Cherry Garcia and then crawl into a bed with 1,000-thread count sheets in a room that is no warmer than 60 degrees. Hmm, sheets, cool room, comfort, luxury…Ranger. I could go hide out from the heat at Ranger's penthouse, but there was just one problem with that. His apartment may be cool and his sheets might be great, but there was nothing cold about Ranger. Just thinking of him, I felt sweat start to leak down my bare arms. He is without a doubt the hottest man I have ever encountered in my life. Just a look from him and I was ready to follow him like a trained puppy.

The other problem of course, is that Joe would have a coronary if he found out I went to Ranger's place. Joe Morelli and I were currently in the down swing of our on-again, off-again relationship. We had been "together" more or less for a few years, but I had started to think that when we went "off-again" this time, it would be permanent. Joe and I weren't getting along and we weren't seeing each other very often. I usually only saw him twice a week and one of those times was dinner at my parents house. We weren't even having sex. Scratch that, he wasn't even trying to have sex with me. I knew that this meant we both realized that it was over, but neither of us wanted to be the one to deal the deathblow. I guess instead, we were letting it slowly crash and burn. I wasn't over upset about, just a little sad. I knew I didn't love Joe and I knew I wasn't what he was looking for either. At least I hadn't found him screwing someone on the dining room table. I'd known Joe my whole life and I didn't want to hate him for the rest of it.

Mom called my cell and asked me to pick her up a coffee cake on my way to lunch. I turned off of Hamilton to make my way to Gioviccini's Deli, a Burg staple. As I rounded the corner to park, I saw Joe's red Ford Explorer in front of the deli. I looked around, figuring he had probably stopped to pick up something for his mother.

As I drove closer, I could make out Joe's stature and dark hair, but a car was blocking my view of anything else. He looked to be talking to someone. I drove closer and was about to honk my horn to get his attention when I got a clear, unobstructed view of who he was talking to. It was Terry Gillman. As I sat there watching, Joe put his hands on Terry's waist and pulled her to him, where they began making out like they were at a hotel, rather than on a public street. Joe's hands began roaming and Terry put one hand on Joe's ass and yanked him into her.

I honestly don't know what happened. I mean, I had just been thinking that Joe and I were probably over, but that I didn't have any hard feelings towards him. I actually thought, "at least I didn't find him screwing anybody else." What the fuck was I thinking?

The next thing I knew, my right foot was slamming down onto the gas pedal and I heard tires screaming. I had a vague memory of somebody yelling "Oh, shit!" and "Get out of the way!" as I careened onto the sidewalk, with nothing but Joe Morelli in my sights. Joe must have heard the yelling or Big Blue's engine because when I was about 10 feet from him, he pushed Terry out of the way and dove about 5 feet, landing on his ass. I, in turn, hit a telephone poll, but came out swinging.

I was out of the car before I felt the impact with the telephone poll and running for Joe, screaming, "You lousy, no-good piece of dog-shit vermin. I'm going to kill you with my bare hands!" I was in a headlong dive, intending to beat the shit out of him. I saw Joe's "Oh, shit" look as I straddled him and prepared to give him a beat down, vengeful bitch style. I got one good hit in against the side of his head before I was lifted, kicking and screaming, off of him.

Strong arms were wrapped around me, immobilizing my flailing arms. I continued to kick and scream as I was carried quickly across the street. I didn't know who the hell was carrying me, but I continued to kick and got in a few good ones judging by the grunts I heard. "Put me the fuck down!" I yelled, over and over again.

Finally, the ox carrying me stopped in front of a black SUV with tinted windows. Ranger stepped from the driver's seat and said, "Babe, settle down before you hurt Tank."

I immediately stopped struggling, let out a squeak and said, "Tank?" Ranger nodded and I turned my head to look up at the giant holding me. I swallowed and said, "Um, sorry, Tank." I wondered briefly if my mother would be able to find all of my body parts for burial.

Tank smiled at me. A real, showing all his teeth smile. He said, "Bomber, it was worth it to see you dive for Morelli like that. Remind me to never piss you off."

I turned back to Ranger, who was watching me with a strange look on his face. He stared at me for a moment and said, "Are you calm now? We've got to get you out of here."

I didn't understand. Where were we going? I must have looked as baffled as I felt because Ranger said, "Babe, you just tried to mow down a cop in broad daylight on a very crowded street, in a classic car that everyone knows. We need to get you and Big Blue out of here. Now."

Shit. The impact of what had just happened hit me. I was so going to jail. Maybe Grandma would bring me a box of Tasty Kakes with a file in it so I could try to escape. Oh, who the hell am I kidding? The only thing I know how to do with a file is my nails. I was so going down for this.

Suddenly, Tank sat me on my feet and I realized that Ranger had gone to retrieve Big Blue and was idling beside us. Tank opened the passenger door for me and ushered me inside two seconds before Ranger took off. He immediately turned onto another street as we heard sirens racing towards Gioviccini's. Ranger turned to me and I saw a bone-melting smile spread slowly across his face. "Thanks, Babe. That was the most fun I've had in a long time."

I rolled my eyes at him and said, "Thanks for the rescue, Batman." Still with the smile on his face he said, "Anytime."

"Ranger, how did you know what was going on?" I asked. He replied, "I didn't. Tank and I were driving by when we saw you lay on the gas and try to flatten Morelli."

After that, we drove in silence and we drove so long that I started to wonder where we were going. Was he taking me to a safe house? Finally, I decided to ask him. He seemed to ignore me for a moment, but finally said, "We're going to a little place I know at the beach." About a half an hour later, we pulled up to a beautiful beach house. It was two stories, with a solid wall of windows facing the beach. It was fairly secluded and I couldn't see anyone on the part of the beach visible to me.

We got out of the car and I sat on the hood. I was starting to feel the adrenaline let down. I was still angry, but I didn't have the energy to maintain the rage I had felt at seeing Joe with Terry. After a few deep breaths and staring at the waves for a while, I felt much calmer. I was vaguely sad about Joe, but in hindsight, what I had seen him doing with Terry wasn't all that different from what I had done with Ranger a hundred times. I do wish that he'd had the sense to not do it in the middle of the entire Burg, though. I could hear my mother now, "Why me?" "Why does my daughter try to run over eligible men?"

Realizing that I had been sitting there for a while without hearing Ranger, I looked around. I saw him walking back from the house with a bag in his hand. This was secondary to the fact that he was wearing only black swim trunks. My eyes started at his bare feet and moved up his legs, the muscles working in rhythm with his steps. My eyes roamed upward to his flat stomach and broad chest and shoulders. By the time I made it up to his face he was standing in front of me.

He handed me a bottle of water and said, "I talked to Carl Costanza. He said that Morelli is pretty pissed, but he doesn't think there will be any charges filed. He's apparently a little embarrassed that you got such a good punch in before Tank pulled you off of him." He grinned at me and said, "Eliza Doolittle, that was a hell of a punch. I'm proud of you."

Ranger's praise made me beam despite the situation. He leaned against the car beside me and in a more sober voice said, "Are you okay, Babe?" I nodded and said, "I'm fine, Ranger. It was over anyway and we both knew it. I'll miss him as a friend, but I won't miss the fights." I thought for a moment and said, "You know, considering what happened just a few hours ago, I feel remarkably good. It must be the beach."

Ranger handed me the bag he was holding and said, "Put that on and let's go for a swim." I looked in the bag and pulled out a black bikini, sunscreen and a few towels. "Where did you get this stuff from?" I asked him.

Ranger nodded towards the house and I said, "Do you know the people who live there?" He nodded and I assumed that was all the answer I was going to get. I wasn't sure about this swimsuit though. I mean, where had it been?

Ranger spoke up and said, "It's your size and it's new. You don't have to worry about anyone else's cooties." I raised my eyebrows at him, trying to ask another silent question. He grinned at me and said, "You look hot and miserable. I thought a swim in the ocean would make you feel better. I'm going to head to the beach, come on down when you're ready. There's no one around to see you change."

I smiled at Ranger's thoughtfulness and changed quickly.

We spent the next few hours swimming and lounging on the wet sand. Ranger had more water, along with some fresh strawberries. We sat where the waves would reach our legs and ate and drank ice-cold water. It felt heavenly to feel the water against my feet and legs and taste the sweetness of the strawberries on my tongue.

Eventually, we both had enough. Ranger took my hand and led me back to the car. I laid out the beach towel on Big Blue's hood and sat down on top of it, feeling much more cool and relaxed.

Ranger was looking at the front fender and said, "This car doesn't have a scratch on it." I smiled and said, "That's because it's Big Blue, able to withstand flame-throwers, Molotov Cocktails and all manners of crashes. It's indestructible."

Ranger stepped in front of me, put his hands on my face and eased me into a slow, sensual kiss. His tongue darted out and traced the seam of my lips until I opened for him. He kept the kiss slow and undemanding. It was an oddly emotional moment. Ranger always induced lust, but this was something different. Something more.

Ranger raised his head and looked down at me for a moment. He pushed a hair out of my face and said, "Are you ready to stop playing games now?"

I looked at him, not comprehending what he was saying. He ran a finger down the side of my face and said in a low voice, "It occurred to me a while back that maybe you ran back to Morelli so often because I didn't give you another option. I know that you want me as much as I want you. So I'm asking you, are you ready to stop playing games?"

I was shocked to say the least. Obviously I wanted him. The problem was, I felt too much for him for it to just be sex. Maybe I could have that type of arrangement with another man, but not Ranger. He was too much a part of my life, too much within me. "Ranger…I do want you, but I can't do casual with you. You're right that things lasted too long with Joe and yes, it was at least partly because of you. I can't sleep with you and have that be enough. You mean too much to me for that."

Ranger dipped his head for a moment and said, "You know, women aren't the only ones that can change their minds. I knew months ago that if you ever broke things off with Morelli for good, I wanted you and not just for sex. But I need to know if we're done playing games. I have to have all of you Babe. All or nothing."

Ranger wanted me and not just for sex. "Are you sure?" I asked.

He raised an eyebrow. Right, Batman was always sure. I, however, was terrified. What if I did something wrong? What if it didn't work out?

"Ranger, what if we can't do it?" I asked, teetering on the brink of tears.

Ranger pulled me closer to him and whispered, "Babe, I don't fail." Then he crushed his mouth to mine and kissed me like there was no tomorrow. I felt warmth rush from my toes to the tips of my hair and I knew that there was no going back from this. There was no second-guessing. This was where I belonged.

I wound my arms around him and pulled him in closer. I let my hands roam down to his perfect ass, slipping into his shorts to feel his skin against my hands. Ranger tore his mouth from mine and kissed, licked and nipped his way down my neck until he got to my bikini top. He lifted the cups up over my breasts and dropped his head down to take one nipple into his mouth, sucking and nipping until I was ready to beg for more. "Ranger, please…"

As he said, Ranger was in no mood to play games. He ripped off my bikini bottom and slipped one finger inside me. I fell back on the hood of big blue, grinding myself onto his hand. I was beyond ready for him and as I met his eyes, I knew he was ready, too. "Ranger, I need you." Ranger removed his hand and keeping eye contact with me, pulled down his shorts and tossed them onto the hood. He lined himself up to enter me, but stopped short and said, "I love you, Babe. This is just the beginning."

Tears of joy formed in my eyes and I wanted so much to tell him that I loved him, but I was unable to form words as he entered me. Ranger is a big man and with the emotion I was feeling and the fullness of him inside me, tears began to fall. My body, mind and heart all felt like they were on fire. My body couldn't get enough of him and my heart couldn't contain the joy I was feeling. I couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that I was being given this chance that I thought I would never have.

Ranger leaned down over me, his mouth on mine, then on my nipples and my neck, his hands roaming over my body, tweaking my nipples and grasping my hair to pull me in for a kiss.

I wanted so much to tell him. "Ranger…I love you…I've loved you for so long." He stilled for a moment and looked into my eyes, his black with lust and emotion and said, "I know, Babe."

Ranger seemed unable to hold back anymore and I was teetering on the edge as well. He stood up, pulling me by my hips to meet his body at the edge of the car. He held on to my hips and began to move faster, his thrusts more shallow. The only sounds I could hear were the movement of our bodies against each other and the distant waves. I felt my orgasm coming soon and then I was exploding, screaming out my release. Ranger tensed and groaned, "Babe," as he stilled against me, pulling me up and crushing me to him. We stayed like that for a moment until Ranger pulled away slightly and gave me a slow, sweet kiss, cradling my head with his hands.

He pulled out of me and we both groaned at the loss of contact. I was still pulling myself together when he lifted me into his arms and started walking. "Where are we going?" I asked, kind of unnerved.

He grinned down at me and said, "The Batcave," and looked ahead to the beautiful beach house. He laughed at the look of awe on my face and I squealed with delight as he threw me over his shoulder and ran us the last twenty feet to the house.

He sat me down on the porch, opened the door, and giving me a wolf-grin, said, "Come on, Babe, we have a lot of rooms to break in."