Completely inspired by the wonderfully crazy women of PerfectlyPlum.

Disclaimer: Not mine, except when I'm sleeping, and I'm not telling you what I do with them then.

Rating: Fun, good, mostly clean fun.

A/N: I am a Babe, so is this story. That is all.

Today was November 22nd, and I was celebrating. A little known holiday called 'Start your own country day'.

I was sitting in my cubicle yesterday, nibbling on some leftover Dunkin Donuts Munchkins, and thinking about Thanksgiving while my searches ran in the background. While it's a great holiday where food is concerned, it's just not much fun. I like fun holidays, the ones where people give you presents, or candy, or everyone just has a good time. So I opened up Google and started looking up holidays. I had no clue there were so many of them. There's something to celebrate 365 days a year. I decided that I was going to begin celebrating something new and fun every day. If nothing else, maybe I could perk up the office a little.

I showed up twenty minutes early to work, excited to put my holiday plans into action. When I stepped off the elevator lugging my storage bin of supplies behind me, I was glad to see the floor was almost empty, I'd have enough time before shift change to get everything in place if I was lucky. I skirted past Binkie at the monitors, and said a silent prayer when he didn't look up from his work, I'd rather not have to explain this until I'm done if I can avoid it. Hehehe, it's gonna be so much fun.

There were only three search requests in my box when I stepped into my cubicle, so I plugged the first name into the databases and set to work on my Country.

First things first, I popped the storage tub open and pulled the poster off the top. Slipping outside my cubicle to the main floor I stuck the poster of a beach in Bora Bora up on my outer wall with a few thumbtacks.

Going back to my goodies I pulled out the folded up sheet of banner paper that said 'Welcome to Stephville' in big rainbow bubble letters. It went up over the back wall of my cube, directly over my desk.

Next was my friend Polly. He's a Parrot. Well, not a real Parrot, geez can you imagine what the guys would do to me if I brought a Parrot in here? He's just a silly little stuffed parrot on an ugly brown plastic base. I put a pirate eye patch I'd won on a game at the boardwalk on him, and a red bandana I'd found wedged at the back of my linen closet. The best part was the button on the back of the base. If you pushed it, and then said something to the parrot, he would repeat it back to you anytime someone walked past the sensor on the front. I'd programmed him to say 'Welcome to Stephville, please state your business and Border Patrol will be with you momentarily'.

A mind is a terrible thing when left to boredom, and endless searches in this office, had done just that. I pulled the final touch from the bottom of the bin, smiling wide to no one but myself. I secured the bright pink feather boa across the entrance to my cubicle with more thumbtacks. To keep the foreign dictators at bay until Border Patrol could see to their needs.

I sat down in my chair and checked the time, still at least five minutes until the rest of the day shift arrived. I reached down into my purse and pulled out my Ipod, setting the volume to it's loudest and selecting a Jimmy Buffett album. I left the headphones sitting on my desk so the music was loud enough to just be heard on the other side of my wall, but I could still hear over it. Reaching back into my bag I removed a small green felt hat. I popped it out and set it upon my pony tailed head, adjusting the little red feather in the side. I may be in Stephville, but today is still Robin Hood's birthday, have to honor the man somehow. The last trick in my bag was one of those little pink drink umbrella's. I stuck it through the little hole in the top of my takeout coffee cup, and sat back to await my fun.

Exactly four minutes and twenty seconds later I heard the elevator ding on the other side of the floor. Rubbing my hands together in anticipation, I listened carefully, not wanting to miss a second of this. They chattered loudly as they came across the floor, I heard Binkie talking to his relief for the day, updating him on the accounts. The sound of feet moved farther out into the main part of the floor. Suddenly the talking, the foot shuffling, it all stopped. Guess they'd finally taken notice. No one appeared to be saying anything, but I'd probably give myself a headache if I thought about how much silent communication was going on out there. I'd have to consider figuring out how to pull the main floors security cameras up on my computer later so that I could enjoy their reactions.

The silence continued for another three minutes until I heard the elevator ding again. I heard Tank's voice, talking to Ranger I was almost certain, but it's hard to tell without the normal hush that falls over the floor when he steps onto it. Hehe, I'd beaten Ranger to the 'Hush'.

"Why is everyone standing in the middle of the room doing nothing?" I heard Ranger question rather abrasively. Fortunately my hand made it to my mouth before the snort that was working it's way up made it out of my mouth. I covered with a slight cough, and listened to see what the men's reaction would be.

"Uh, Boss. We were just a little, uh, caught off guard." Lester stammered out. Sounded like he was about halfway across the room.

"Are you slipping Santos, do I need to schedule some field training for you men?"

Instead of Lester's answer I once again heard the sound of feet shuffling. Followed closely by a choking sound. I guess the guys had stepped aside to show the Boss what had distracted them. Just wish I knew who choked on their tongue, Ranger or Tank.

The sound of a single set of boot clad feet echoed through the silence in the office, coming closer and closer to my cubicle as I waited with baited breath. Close, so close. Three feet from the guard boa and Polly went off.

"Welcome to Stephville, please state your business and Border Patrol will be with you momentarily." Polly repeated in his crackly robotic parrot voice. I was dying of laughter on the inside, trying so hard to keep it cool on the outside, and fighting the urge to turn and see the look on Ranger's face. Instead I opened up my search program and checked the status on the one I'd started earlier. It was almost done so I punched the next name in to get a jump on things.

I heard Ranger shift behind me, and Polly started in again.

"Babe" Ranger sounded somewhere between amused and exasperated.

"Babe doesn't sound like business to me Ranger, sounds personal." I said, finally turning my chair to look up at him.

"My business Babe, is that I'd like to know what," He paused and looked around my cubicle just as 'Cuban Crime of Passion' came on my Ipod. My smile was a mile wide when he met my face. "Is going on in here."

"You heard Polly Ranger." I waved in the direction of the sign over my desk. "Welcome to Stephville. I've officially claimed my cubicle." I picked up my coffee and shifted the little umbrella out of the way of my nose while I drank, trying to look nonchalant.

"Explain." Uh oh, we were down to one word again. More feet shuffling was heard on the other side of my wall.

"Well ya see, today is 'Start Your Own Country Day.' I decided I'd start off small this year, and only annex my cubicle, maybe next year I'll work my way up to something larger, but I guess this will do for now. I mean, Stephville really doesn't need a lot. I've got music to keep me happy, an internet connection, my little happy umbrella, and I already talked to Ella this morning, she doesn't mind delivering my lunch to the border." I smiled up at him for all I was worth, even managing not to crack when the ear shattering laughter bubbled up from behind Ranger. He looked away from me just long enough to glare over his shoulder at the Merry Men. When he turned back there was a malicious glint in his eyes.

"You seem to have forgotten something Stephanie. You may have all that stuff, but us out here, we have the bathroom." He looked so triumphant. Dammit I really hadn't thought of that. I have to stop making plans half assed. I narrowed my eyes back at him.

"Watch it mister, we don't play games in Stephville. We may be all about relaxing and enjoying ourselves, but don't screw with our bathroom privileges, I don't think you'd like the cost. Besides, the Merry Men are easy to distract, I could have your bathrooms annexed by lunch time." I tried to mirror the triumphant look he'd sported just moments before but wasn't sure If I was pulling it off. I still wasn't sure, and was even slightly shocked when Ranger's response was to start laughing.

"Alright Babe, I'll tell ya what. Even though I have enough men to surround your borders and take you as a government hostage. I'll let you have your country for today." The smile that had accompanied his laughter slipped away, as the wolf slid across his face and his voice dropped to a gravelly pitch. " Tonight though, I'm going to claim my country, and I'm sticking my flag in the center so everyone knows it's mine."

Before my jaw managed to hit the floor he was gone.

Damn, I need to be careful playing with the big boys. I didn't bring any extra underwear to Stephville, and I'm pretty sure he just ruined mine.

The End