Ranger To The Rescue
by Molech
Part 1
Ranger looked at the file in his hand and wondered for the nth time why he had agreed to take the case on. This was the type of case that should have gone to Stephanie, low risk and low pay. He was the big bad bounty hunter that went after big bad cases. His special forces training and murky past made him the perfect choice for bringing in the lowlifes Vinny bailed out on charges of aggravated assault and rape.
Yet here he was, staking out the last known residence of one Willow Rosenberg. Currently FTA (Failure To Appear) on a charge of carrying concealed, nothing extraordinary for Trenton but then he knew she wasn't local. Her hometown was recorded as Sunnydale, California. The girl was obviously far from home and in trouble.
The police mug shot showed a young face, smiling at the camera. That in itself was strange, people who got arrested did not normally smile so benignly. They usually scowled or smirked. They rarely looked so innocent, though Ranger knew too well that appearances could be deceiving. Her red locks and green eyes had mesmerised him and he could have kicked himself for not recognising the feeling sooner.
He sat back in his black BMW. He was dressed in his usual black outfit. Black slacks, black t-shirt, boots and cap. He had recently cut his hair and was sporting a crew cut, offset by the 3-day-old beard. He had nearly given the girl in the coffee house a heart attack when he smiled at her, not that he was full of himself. He was just confident of his affect on women. Their knees usually started to shake and heart rates rose dramatically. He had the same effect on felons but for slightly different reasons.
He was intrigued by this girl and instinctively knew there was more to this story. He'd been to Sunnydale once and was not keen for a repeat visit. Too many things went on after dark, even for him.
Willow walked along the sidewalk,lost in thought. She had so much to do and so little time left. Being stopped and arrested by the Police had not been in the plan and had set everything back by a couple of days.
"Should have sent the rat!" Willow muttered under her breath. To be honest she was more upset with herself than her friends. She had been glad to get out of Sunnydale and more than happy to head for the West coast, after all she did have some distant relatives living in the Burg.
It was her own lack of common sense that got her into trouble. Now she had skipped her court appearance as the stars came into alignment and the spell could finally be performed. She couldn't afford any distractions or delays otherwise Angel and Spike would be furious with her. Buffy and Faith would probably not talk to her for at least a week and Giles and Xander, well, she didn't even want to think about them two. After all she was the single one and the only one qualified to do this but did they really expect such a plan to go smoothly when she had no backup?
"Goddess..." She sighed, as she reached her destination. The flat she was renting was small and secluded. The neighbours were mostly elderly couples and the street was normally very quiet. Tonight was no exception though she did notice a black BMW parked at the corner. It had tinted windows but she could have sworn there was someone sitting inside. She felt the hairs on the back of her head rise and butterflies start floating in her stomach.
Willow could not remember feeling anything similar since coming face to face with her evil vampire self. She scuttled quickly up the stairs, trying her best to ignore the growing panic. She did not like being watched.
Ranger saw the girl approach her flat. She seemed smaller than he imagined, more fragile. Not good. When she stopped at the foot of the stairs and looked in his direction, he could have sworn her gaze seared through the tinted windows and went straight into his soul. "Oh, God..." The sigh escaped his lips before he remembered he did not believe in any deities.
He sat there for a good 5 minutes after she disappeared up the stairs, wondering what had just happened. He was suppose to be Mr Invisible, Mr Stealth himself and he'd been made by a snippet of a girl. Maybe he was being paranoid or maybe she was being paranoid. Yes, there was definitely something in that theory. He was certain it was this case. It was making him act out of character.
If he was truly himself he would not even consider walking up to the front door, ringing the bell and waiting for the girl to answer. He would definitely not leave all his guns in the car and approach an FTA unarmed. Yet that's what he found himself doing.
Part 2
Willow heard the front doorbell followed by a firm knock. She had been expecting it but still her heart felt like it had just finished a 10,000-mile race. She opened the door slowly, to find the frame filled with a dark figure. She instinctively took a step back but her eyes never left his, searching for any sign of hostility or evil. Finding nothing but curiosity, she smiled at him and took a further step back. If he was a vamp he wouldn't be able to enter and as a human, she didn't have the physical strength to prevent him entering anyhow.
He didn't budge and her small smile left her lips, at which point he chose to introduce himself, "I'm Ranger. I work for Vinny." His voice was low and soft. The smile returned to the girls' lips together with a somewhat perplexed look. "The troll who paid your bond agreement." Ranger said in way of explanation.
"I didn't realise he was a troll." Willow chuckled. "He looked more like a weasel..." She noticed the side of his lip twitch upwards. He was dressed in black from head to toe, though she couldn't see his socks, she would have bet they were black too. She thought that if you'd bleach his hair, reduced his body mass by about half and changed his nationality and accent, you'd get the perfect copy of Spike. At that thought her smile transformed into a grin - she liked this guy. "Are you going to come in?" She asked, convinced he was human.
He didn't move. "I'm here to take you in a reschedule your court appointment."
"Then we have a problem." Willow sighed, "I can't go anywhere tonight." As an afterthought she added, "Sorry." They stood there facing each other in silence.
Willow was about to shift her weight from one foot to the other when Ranger stepped forward, "I can wait."
He didn't exactly barge in; she had invited him after all but tonight, of all nights she didn't really need an audience. "Ranger..." Willow started cautiously and he froze, just inches away from her.
"Yes, Willow." The voice sent shivers down her spine and the proximity made her blush. Great, now she was behaving like a teenager. She sneaked a glance at him and there went that twitch again! He thought she was funny!
Willow brought herself up to her full height and stared straight into the mans' collarbone. Her eyes flew up to his face and she noted the twitch had become permanent, transforming into a gentle smile. Her indignation dispersed as quickly as it had formed.
"I only have one room and you can't stay the night." She said, leading the way. Ranger followed close on her heels. Her feet were still clad in the sneakers she'd worn earlier and the slacks ended few centimetres above her ankles, revealing nicely toned skin. Her green top defied description but brought out the colour of her eyes and contrasted with the fieriness of her hair.
Ranger licked his lips as he watched her hips sway before him. He'd have to give himself a mental slap in a second, as women never had this effect on him. OK, there were a precious few that did, but he could usually mask it much better.
He'd been in her room earlier in the day. After all there wasn't a lock he couldn't open. Still, he looked around and noted the small changes. Some books lay open on the table and a laptop was hooked up, currently showing a Matrix screensaver. He hadn't seen it earlier so she must've been carrying it around.
The smell of coffee permeated the room. He groaned inwardly, another caffeine addict was not what he needed just as he was on the point of quitting.
"What's the routine?" Willow asked, going straight to the kitchen area to fetch a couple of mugs.
"I bring you in. No matter what." Ranger took the proffered mug filled to the brim with steaming black liquid.
"I really can't go now."
"You said." The twitch was back.
"I know." Willow thought they'd soon be using grunts to communicate judging from the way the conversation was shaping up. "So, why aren't you taking me in?"
"This isn't routine."
"Oh..."
They stared at each other for a beat and Willow indicated the couch. They might as well sit down, rest their feet, and figure out what exactly was going on.
Ranger brushed his fingers along the laptop keys, removing the screensaver to reveal the Police Departments records blazing from the browser. "Shouldn't you log out of that?" He asked.
Willow glanced at the screen. "I've got another 30 minutes before they notice the breach." She replied but logged off nonetheless. She'd finish cleaning up her record after Ranger was gone and completed what she'd been sent to do.
Ranger was mildly impressed. Hacking into the Trenton Police Department wasn't too difficult, knowing how much time you had left, that made him wonder. He sat down and examined the books. They were old and on closer inspection, in Latin. His Latin was rather rusty and he'd always preferred Greek but he recognised some of the words. Words like, "light", "soul" and "resident" practically screamed from the headings. There also seemed to be an etching of a guy with seriously bad teeth protruding onto his lower lip. Strange reading material for a girl or anyone for that matter.
Willow sat beside him and realised how strange the situation had become. She'd wanted back up in her mission and now it seemed she'd gotten her wish. Hopefully Ranger would be up to the task, for if he didn't plan on leaving, she'd sure as hell make him help!
Part 3
Willow stretched her legs out and took a deep breath. This guy was beginning to exasperate her. It wasn't just the laconic attitude; she'd coped well with Oz's monosyllabic responses and economic approach to words. The dress sense screamed undead English bleached vampire but the body language and presence was something else. Ranger took everything a step beyond. Her senses were buzzing and heading for overload. If he brushed his leg against hers one more time she might consider singing the "halleluiah chorus". Something she'd frequently heard about from her cousins in the Burg. It sounded nice but not on a first date.
Ranger also wondered what exactly he was doing. They'd sat down, exchanged a few pleasantries and the girl had told him she needed to do some research and could he amuse himself for an hour. So now he was doing just that, brushing against her like some teenager desperate for attention. Oh, he was subtle, like a ton of bricks, pretending each touch was accidental, caused by some movement or another. It was slowly driving him nuts. He'd definitely need to shoot something soon.
"I'm done!" Willow jumped to her feet, no longer able to cope. Ranger followed suit and they found themselves facing one another, closer than before. His hand moved an imaginary lock of hair away from her forehead, his fingers caressing the side of her face. He was smiling at her, as she didn't flinch. Instead she caught his hand and licked her lips, "I see I'm gonna have to give you something to do!"
He noted the tone of authority he'd suspected in the redhead all along, tinged by something akin to a promise. He stole a longing glance back at the sofa, measuring it for length and breadth. He knew it would do for what he had in mind. The weight of a book hitting his chest brought him back to the present. She had let go of his hand.
"How's your Latin?"
"Rusty." Just like a few other things, it seemed.
"OK, I've got a dictionary somewhere around here. I need page twenty-seven, paragraph three translated. Word for word." Willow looked at him, the challenge clear.
"I thought you said you were done." A sparkle coloured his chocolate eyes, as he licked his lips.
"That part." She said, focusing on his lips, "I'm done with that part." She did have a better explanation but had forgotten the words and so just pointed at the book on the table.
Willow could not let herself get distracted no matter how seductive Ranger appeared. On the other hand, nothing focused the mind like sex. She blushed at the thought and turned away from him, fearing he could read her mind.
Ranger sighed. He never sighed and it caught him unawares. If he couldn't shoot something, he'd just have to give into temptation. He caught up with Willow in one big stride and took hold of her arm. The momentum made her swirl into his chest, her palms resting on his chest, trapped, as he locked his arm round her back.
"Ranger!" Willow sighed. Her eyes were black with desire and just a shadow of fear.
"Willow..." He whispered and lowered his lips to hers. He'd wanted to do this since he saw her photograph; there was simply something magical about the girl. The touch of his lips was feather light and he was waiting for any sign of objection on her part. Instead, she'd closed her eyes and he'd felt her relax. He deepened the kiss and literally stopped thinking, as the next thing he knew his t-shirt was on the floor and Willow was biting into his nipple.
Willow wanted him. There was no way she could hide her body's reaction to his touch. When his lips met hers she thought she was slowly melting away, the fire teasing her and lingering in previously dormant places. The second his tongue started battling for domination, her internal fuse ignited. She wanted more heat, more touch, more skin. She found herself acting on impulse, following some long suppressed instinct. His t-shirt was an immediate barrier, so she got rid of it.
"Willow!" Ranger looked into the girls' glazed eyes. He'd only meant it to be a kiss but it had somehow gotten out of hand. Not that he didn't want her but he'd grown out of one night stands a good few years back. Willow was worth more than that to him.
"Willow!" He said again and ran his hand through her hair, pulling her gently upwards.
"Wow!" She slowly drifted back, concentrating on the husky voice that kept repeating her name. Things began to take on shape and a mountain of a man came into focus before her - a half naked, well-toned hunk of a mountain to be precise. Willow was certain he had his own gravitational field, as she'd been sucked in very easily and felt unable to separate. "What happened?" She asked sheepishly, a crimson blush spreading from her neck upwards and closely matching her hair colour.
"It's called chemistry." Ranger grinned, quickly putting his t-shirt back on.
"Oh..." Willow sighed and waved a mental goodbye to the six-pack, which disappeared from view.
"Oh!" She exclaimed, as Rangers' grin widened. She'd swear he was reading her thoughts.
"What time is it?" She asked as casually as she could. She headed for the kitchenette to get some very cold water. She would have preferred a cold shower but with Ranger still in her living room she didn't trust herself or him for that matter not to let chemistry take over, again.
"9.24pm" He read from his wristwatch. There were no clocks on the walls.
"What!" Willow swirled round again but this time all on her own.
"You are kidding me!" He just looked at her, slightly raising his eyebrow. "OK, so you're not kidding." She was heading for a panic attack. What was she thinking! She had roughly 30 minutes to finalise everything for the spell. She looked around, wondering what to do first. She'd need the table moved and a space cleared, she'd need to light the candles and draw the pentagram. First of all though, she'd need to get rid of Ranger.
Ranger observed the girl go from blind panic to deciding on a plan of action. He had no idea what the problem was but was convinced she was someone to have on your side when in a crisis. Her eyes finally settled on him and he knew she was going ask him to leave. He'd like to see her try.
Part 4
"Help me move that table!" Willow snapped at Ranger. He'd just given her a look that said, "You'd better not ask me to leave" and somehow she didn't fancy her chances. The muscles she had felt in their short embrace were solid enough to warrant respect and a good dose of lusting, she added as an afterthought.
"Where to?" He asked casually, not betraying the small sense of satisfaction he felt.
"Anywhere out of the way." Willow's tone was brisk. "I need a clear two metre diameter on the floor." He picked the table up with one hand, as if it weighed nothing so she turned away from him, covering a grin that came naturally to her face and started to gather supplies from the kitchen. If he was that strong he could move the sofa by himself as well!
Ranger knew now for certain that he was involved in something extraordinary. The alarm bells he usually heard though were strangely silent. He just knew he wanted to keep this girl safe and protected, no matter what she was involved in. He saw her gather some ingredients from the kitchen, ignoring his macho display from a second ago. It had been very childish but he couldn't help it.
"Willow." The voice was gentle, nearly like a caress.
"Yes?" She asked, freezing mid-movement at the sound. It had come from directly behind her but she hadn't heard Ranger move.
"I'll help you." He whispered in her ear, a quiet promise he rarely made.
"Thanks." Her smile was genuine and heart-warming. Her voice though caught in her throat, as the gleam in his eyes was predatory. "If you could move the sofa a bit..." She let her thoughts trail as he kissed her again.
There was a whole church choir singing by the time the kiss was finished. They were both out of breath staring at each other. Neither sure of what was happening between them.
"You better leave." Willow said gravely.
"No."
"I can't concentrate with you here." Ranger shot her a painful glance, but Willow went on, "What I'm doing is serious and I need my wits about me. Not my hormones!"
"No." It sounded more like a growl than a statement.
"Ranger, please..." Willow touched his hand. They locked palms as if they'd been doing it for years - her tiny hand buried in his. He brought his lips down to caress the smooth surface locked in his grip.
"How long do you need?" He asked after a beat.
"An hour." Willow sighed, "Two tops."
"I'll be back." The gleam in his eyes left no doubt about it.
Willow completed the spell in a matter of minutes. She was drained, as always. She managed to resist the urge to curl up and sleep though and went straight to the window that overlooked the street. She couldn't see the black BMW anywhere and sighed inwardly.
Ranger was a dangerous man. She knew that instinctively. He was older than her but then so were most of her male friends, with the exception of Xander, who really didn't count since she'd known him all her life. "Ranger. It must be a nickname." She thought to herself, as the images of their strange encounter flickered through her mind.
He was gorgeous. Tall dark and handsome described him perfectly. He moved like a cat, quietly and swiftly. Willow sighed again and reached for the phone. She needed to get out of there before he got back. There was no way she could explain the burnt circle in the floor, nor more importantly the sudden change in her appearance.
She had caught sight of herself in the mirror and a much more mature reflection had greeted her. Willow knew this was a possible side effect of the spell and that it was temporary. For the time being gone was the perky nineteen-year-old and in her place stood a mature looking thirty-year-old woman.
Willow grabbed the laptop and her coat and headed for the door. She wouldn't really need anything else. She mostly just required to put some distance between herself, this flat and Ranger, at least until the side effects wore off. She'd also need to call Sunnydale and see if Angel was OK. She assumed the spell had worked, as her aged appearance was a testament to the price paid for his new permanently souled status.
"The things one does for friends." She thought as she closed the apartment door. Willow had noticed her figure appeared fuller and her clothes felt a bit tight in various places. The cab she ordered would pick her up from downstairs in the next couple of minutes so even if she had clothes to change into it would risk precious seconds before Ranger's return.
TBC
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