Hey All…this is just a quick fic, set 5 years after Seven Up. Hopefully there are no spoilers for you, if there is, well waiting a few days till 7 comes out won’t hurt. No major plotlines will be entered into, this is just something that has been bouncing around my head for a while now so I thought it was time to get it out. Hope you like it!

 

Nat

 

 

 

 

 

Steph’s Hell

 

 

 

 

 

Damn him. It was 2 days after that horrid, dreadful, nasty phone call. And here I was, walking into Mary Alice’s junior high school. I hadn’t been able to say no to Mary Alice since the day Angie had called her a bigger freak than me. I mean if that were true, she would need all the support possible in the future years.

 

So here I was, walking slowly through the gates following the signs to the auditorium. Through to the masses. The masses waiting for me to talk to them, about being a bounty hunter, for career day. How do I manage to get sucked into this kind of thing? I thumped my self on the forehead and turned around. I picked up speed as I went and just as I was about to get onto the Harley I saw Mary Alice’s puppy eyes and Rangers laughing eyes.

 

Damn him! I could do this. I’d do it just to prove him wrong! He had avoided this, When Mary Alice had called our place to ask if he’d talk, he’d simply said ‘No, ask your aunt Steph.’ And handed the phone to me. I mean he could have said no for both of us right? Right. And now here I was. And it was all Rangers fault.

 

I turned and walked back to the auditorium and followed the signs that pointed towards the law enforcement booths. Great company in the form of Eddie, Carl and Big Dog. “How the hell you guys pull this duty?”

 

Carl frowned, “My shitty nephew, that’s how.”

 

“What’d he do?”

 

“He rang up the boss, asked if I could have the day off. Boss said, ‘Sure! I’ll let both him and his partner off for the day. They can both come down to your school and sit on their asses all day long!’” Carl snorted. “Prick of a kid.”

 

Eddie and Big Dog were grinning at him. “What about you Eddie?”

 

“I do this every year. I was gonna take this year off and let this 2 do it, but then a little birdie told me you were going to be here.” Eddie was grinning. I smiled back, all the while planning Rangers death. I’d have to broadside him, completely out of the blue, cause its impossible to sneak up on him. Maybe I’d stand in the hallway waiting for him, dressed in a bra, undies and 4inch slut shoes. He’d pick me up and carry me to the bed room, and while he was busy, I’d pick up the gun I’d concealed under the pillow earlier, then I’d shoot him. Or better yet, I’d wait until he was laying slack limbed face down on the mattress as he does, and after an orgasm I’d shoot him. That sounded better, that way I’d get an orgasm first. A girl should always have priorities. Get this day over and done with, go home have a donut on the way, have a shower and shave my legs, if Ranger were going to die, I may as well make it pleasant. Then I’d dress, call Ranger, and while he was on his way home I’d put the gun under my pillow, then I’d go wait in the hall way. After an orgasm, or two, maybe even three, I‘d shoot him. Yes. It was an excellent plan. Not that I had a hope in hell of actually shooting him, but the rest sounded exceptional.

 

“Earth to Steph… Earth to Steph…” Eddie was grinning again. “You gonna take a seat or what?”

 

So I did. And that’s all I did. Valerie came over and dumped a box of mixed donuts on the table. Hmmm, a bribe. My sister sure can be smart. If she hadn’t suggested this in the beginning I wouldn’t be here. Even smarter was she walked away without a word. Definitely learning. A bell rang and suddenly there was a cacophony of sound and a thousand smelly unwashed junior high kids came through the doors. This was hell, God was punishing me for not going to church and seeking heaven in another’s arms. I’m in hell.

 

 

                                **************

 

 

I was surrounded and there was no way out. Little kids were all around. I was using my cell phone under the table to send ‘911’ messages to Rangers pager and mobile. I bet he was laughing. Kids were asking me questions left right and centre.

 

AAGGGHHHHHH!!!!

 

I wanted out.

 

“Tell us about the time you shot some guys little toe off!”

 

“Tell us about the first car you blew up!”

 

Ugh, I was going to go crazy. I pointed to a tiny little girl in the front. She had white blonde hair, big blue eyes with glasses like coke bottles and braces. “You, what do you want to know?”

 

“How did you get your job?” she was mousy with a small voice that I struggled to hear over the din in the auditorium.

 

“I applied for a clerks position, and ended up with my first file.” A nice delicate way of saying I bribed my way in. Eddie, Carl and Big Dog were sitting back rocking on their chairs. Grinning.

 

A tall kid with a ring in his eyebrow called out “What was the first file? Like what did you have to do?”

 

Hmm, could I answer this delicately? It wasn’t as if everyone didn’t know, but it was kind of embarrassing how inept I had been. Ok semi truths. “Joe Morrelli was my first file. He was a police officer who had been framed for murder. Though no one knew it at the time.”

 

“Are you any good at your job lady?” Some snotty girl asked. I was betting she was a cheerleader. “How the hell did YOU catch Joe Morrelli?”

 

“You know Joe Morrelli?” I asked rather sceptically. Now that I looked at her, she looked kind of like Terry Gilman. Ugh, figures.

 

“Well, yeah. He was dating my cousin.” There it was.

 

“I locked him in a refrigerated truck.”

 

“You never answered my original question.” Snotty little bitch.

 

“Yes I’m good at my job. If I weren’t I’d be dead.” It was true, I would be dead, but it was more that I was lucky than good.

 

“How did you learn how to do you job?” Snotty little bitch again.

 

“I had a friend teach me the basics.” And pick up after me when I messed up. The black girl standing next to Terry’s cousin spoke up, she looked kind of familiar too.

 

“Ranger?” That surprised me.

 

“You know Ranger?”

 

“Michael Hall is my uncle.”

 

Michael Hall? Oh Tank. I smiled, this had to be the niece he was always whinging about. I had seen her at Tanks 30^th birthday a few weeks ago I remembered. She was wild. She had also been all over Ranger. “You embarrassed Ranger at Michaels 30^th birthday you know.”

 

I smiled, cause while Ranger had been embarrassed I had been amused. Ranger is mine and I was secure in that, and also, this girl couldn’t be more than 16. That helped. She was blushing, it was hard to tell cause she was so dark, but she was. “I was sooo drunk, I can barely remember getting there.”

 

It was true, she had arrived that way at about midnight when most of the kids had left. She had kept me amused for hours, Ranger embarrassed for hours and Tank would have been upset but he was kind of out of it too. Of course the next morning when he had found her passed out on the couch was a different story. But I wasn’t going to say anything about that in front of her friends.

 

“My god Bessie!! Your uncle is just sooo hot! I can’t believe…” The voice faded away as that particular group walked away. Terry’s cousin seemed to be upset that she hadn’t upset me.

 

More kids and more questions. More fun poked at me. More snide comments from kids that had no idea. And more fun poked at me. Eddie had been telling stories to kids who had inturn told other kids, until eventually things were turned around so much that I had been FTA and I was here to tell the story of how the police had captured me.

 

I’m sure that by now I had sent at least 50 ‘911’ messages to Ranger. I know that he didn’t have anything to do today, well nothing pressing. Finally I sent a ‘Please!! I’ll do anything if you get me out of here. ANYTHING!!’ Now there were a few things that Ranger really liked. And that was virtually a promise that I would do those things for him. However I hadn’t said when, and after this episode he wasn’t getting anything for a few weeks, well ok, days. Ok ok, hours. I was going to make him wait. If he turned up.

 

I was starting to remember why I hated high school. Damn cheerleaders. I was returning from the bathroom when I saw Terry’s cousin and friends picking on the small girl with the white hair. Bessie was standing back not really part of it, but not doing anything to stop it either. I walked over to them and gave Bessie a look. She looked down and shuffled on her feet. I looked over to Terry’s cousin, “So you never told me your name.”

 

“Missy.” Hunh, doesn’t that figure. The only good thing about high school now was that I was twice as old as everyone else and didn’t have to come back tomorrow. I stood and stared her down until she left.

 

“Bessie.” Bessie turned and looked at me, her eyes fell to her feet. “I like you Bessie, but I hope to hell you don’t turn out the way you’re headed.” I turned and winked at the white blonde haired girl. She smiled softly and tailed me back to the table. She hung around and half an hour after I sent the last message I heard a quiet over near the entrance. I started to gather my things together. Eddie looked over from where I was talking to some kid.

 

“Where are you going.”

 

“Umm, gotta skip to pick up.” That sounded convincing, right? The quiet was coming closer and I could see Rangers dark hair sliding through the crowd as it parted before him. Yum, he looked sooo hot. Ranger was dressed in a black t-shirt that I knew wasn’t painted on, but looked it. Black cams and boots. He had gold rings in his ears and a thick gold chain around his neck.

 

“You rang him didn’t you?” Carl was scowling at me.

 

I looked at Ranger who was looking at me, Shit-eating grin on his face. “I called him numerous times.”

 

Eddie grinned, “Guess this means you’re taking off.”

 

Ranger grabbed my arm. “Lets go.”

 

I waved happily at the guys, Carl still scowling at me sat hunched in his chair with his arms crossed. I cheekily blew him a kiss as we walked away with my free arm. Ranger slowed and said hello to Bessie as we passed she gave him a big smile and Rangers hand tightened on my arm. I said goodbye to the white blonde girl, who was standing near the door, as Ranger dragged me along behind him. Seemed as though he was in a hurry. Missy was standing outside with a group of friends when we passed and I pulled out of Rangers grip and took his hand. I gave Missy a big ‘shit on you’ grin. As we left I headed to my bike. It wasn’t there. I looked around and saw Ranger standing against his bronco. “Tank take it?”

 

“Yep.” Tank had an annoying habit of taking my bike. I didn’t mind too much cause he always returned it with a full tank of gas. Ranger opened the passenger side door and went to climb in behind the wheel. I don’t think I’d ever been happier than now. My knight in black had come to save me again. Though this time he took his damn time. I scowled at Ranger as we took off.

 

We stoped for a red light and I took my seat belt off. I got up on my knees and leaned over, I grabbed Ranger by the neck of his t-shirt and pulled him to me. “If you ever ever ever ignore me again like that, I sware I will never touch you again.”

 

It was an empty threat if ever I've heard one. I pushed him back and sat to do my seat belt up again. Ranger took off and pulled into the nearest park. He undid my seatbelt while pushing his chair back and pulled me into his lap. He grabbed my head and turned me to face him. “Liar.”

 

He kissed me with lots of tongue. Eventually he pulled away and put me back into my seat. That kiss had just decreased the hours he was going to have to wait for me to seduce him. Now it was more likely to be just the amount of time it took to get to our place. Damn him.