A short piece in honor of Ranger's birthday. If you enjoy, please let me know with a review.

While the characters belong to JE, the mistakes are mine alone.

Lester POV

"Will Scarlet to Little John, you copy?"

"Cut the crap, Santos. What do you want?" Tank growled.

"Confirm ETA on Robin, over."

"This is a comm unit, not a two way, you idiot," Tank said. "Ranger's plane is due in at 1710, just like it has been all freakin' week."

"Copy. Returning to Nottingham at 1710. Friar Tuck, you have eyes on Maid Marion?"

"Why do I have to be the chubby bald guy? Why can't I be Will Scarlet?" Bobby whined.

"Because Will Scarlet was the sexy, fun guy, like me," I explained. I thought it was pretty obvious, but maybe Bobby wasn't as familiar with the tale as I was. "A friar is a church guy, which was almost like a doctor back then." Sounded reasonable, anyway.

"Now you're making shit up," Bobby said. "At least let me be Alan-A-Dale."

"Nobody remembers Alan-A-Dumbass, Bobby," I said. I certainly didn't. "At least people know who Friar Tuck is."

"Whatever. This whole code name shit is stupid anyway," Bobby griped. "Yeah, I got eyes on Steph, uh, Marion. She's still in her cubicle, but she's packing her things up now. Looks like she's headed out for the day."

"Alright, let's review. Little John will pick up Robin as he returns from the Crusades at 1710," I started.

"Since when did the Crusades take place in Miami?" Tank grumbled.

I continued, ignoring the interruption. "Little John will bring Robin back to Sherwood Forest and deliver him to Marsilio's on the pretext of meeting a potential client. He was told this was a high dollar client who wanted to meet the CEO before signing. He should be dressed to impress."

"You know Steph wouldn't care if he showed up in sweats," Tank said.

"That's not how it works. Friar Tuck, you will pick up the Maid Marion at her apartment at 1820 and bring her to Marsilio's on the pretext of working a distraction. She's already been briefed and been instructed to really put some effort into it and bring the sexy."

"Please tell me you did NOT say that to her." Bobby groaned.

"Yes, FT, that's exactly what I told her. She gave me a squinty eyed glare but I think she got my meaning," I said.

"You're lucky she didn't knee you in the groin." Tank said.

I grimaced at the thought.

"Listen. This will be the first date story they tell their grandkids. How Great Uncle Lester's brilliant strategizing finally brought them together, while they were both looking smoking hot, and how, because of my plan, they could no longer deny what had been simmering between them. They may even name their first born after me."

I heard both reply at the same time. "Yeah, right." "Uh huh"

"Alright gentlemen, let's focus here. Operation Merry Birthday Ranger Hood is a go. I repeat, it's a.."

"Shut up, Santos, we get it," Tank barked. "And if we end up in a 'Stan with nothing but a toothpick, I'm going to use mine to shiv you."

"You've got anger issues, Little John. And can you think of a better birthday gift for the guy who has everything? We are helping him get his head out of his ass so he can finally get the girl. He and Steph have been dancing around each other for years. Now that she finally cut the cop loose, it's time Ranger stepped up, whether he wants to or not."

Lester POV

Marsilio's is the quintessential Italian restaurant in the Burg. Multiple generations of Marsilio's could be found working on any given day, overseeing the fresh-made pasta and red sauce in the kitchen or moving from table to table in the front of the house, making sure everyone was properly taken care of. Bobby V was a fixture at the host station inside the door. Not a Marsilio by birth, he was just as much a part of the restaurant as Mama Marsilio. If you wanted access to the best Italian food west of Rome, you did not cross Bobby V.

These reasons made Marsilio's the perfect location for this operation. Besides being one of Steph's favorite restaurants, I knew no one from the Burg would dare disrupt their romantic dinner for fear of incurring Bobby V's wrath and being forever banned from the restaurant.

I positioned myself outside of the restaurant, eager to see the fruits of my labor. A black Ford Explorer pulled to the curb half a block from the restaurant and Steph slid out of the passenger side door. Damn, my cousin was a lucky man!

Her little black dress clung to her curves in all the right places and stopped well short of modest. The short skirt coupled with her high heels made her legs look a mile long. Her hair was pinned up and her long white neck begged for a man to start kissing there before working his way down to the exposed top of her creamy breasts.

We made eye contact and she narrowed her eyes and spread out her arms in a "Well?" gesture. I smiled and gave her a thumbs up, thankful she couldn't see how tight my cargo pants had become.

I keyed my comm. "Friar Tuck has delivered Maid Marion. Little John, what is your ETA?"

"We hit traffic on Route 1. We should still make it to the restaurant before the client, but it will be tight," Tank replied, keeping to the cover story. No problem. I figured that might happen and had planned for it.

In fact, I had been planning this for a week now. Ranger's birthday was the perfect time to execute. I told Steph we needed help bringing in a high bond FTA. With her permission, Rangeman had used Steph's picture to set up a fake dating profile on a hook-up app. She used the app to connect with the guy and started reeling him in. What she didn't know was there was no high bond FTA, and that I was the one responding to her messages. The 'mark' had agreed to meet her at Marsilio's for dinner. The plan was for her to meet him there, get a free dinner and then lure him out where we would grab him.

She moved to the door and was greeted warmly by Bobby V. The large plate glass window allowed me to appreciate her assets as Bobby V escorted her through the restaurant to a booth in the back.

"Mayday, mayday, the Sheriff of Nottingham is approaching the restaurant." Bobby's voice startled me as it sounded in my ear. Shit, way to be aware of your surroundings, Santos.

I shifted my eyes back to the entrance in time to see Morelli hold the door open for a petite brunette with impossibly large breasts. I'm more of an ass man myself, but yowza! Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of a black SUV pulling to a stop on the street just as the cop reached the host stand.

"Shit, shit, and double shit. This is not how it was supposed to go," I said to no one in particular.

I wasn't sure how Steph and the cop had left things. I had heard she was the one to cut him loose, and that he wasn't happy about it. But it looked like he had moved on. Still, this could be awkward, and certainly wasn't the romantic tête-à-tête I had envisioned.

I knew Ranger had clocked me as he exited the vehicle. Scanning for threats, always vigilant, always aware of his surroundings. He would have seen Morelli entering the restaurant ahead of him. What he didn't know was that Steph was in there waiting for him. And what she didn't know was that Ranger was the man she was waiting for.

I watched through the window as Morelli and his date were led to the only other empty table in the joint. Morelli pulled the chair out for his date, said something in her ear, then moved back towards the booth where Stephanie was seated. Meanwhile, Ranger gave Bobby V a nod as he moved past the host stand and headed straight for Steph and Morelli. I'm not sure how he saw her so quickly in the dark restaurant; it was like he just knew she was there. This may end up being a FUBAR of epic proportions.

"Now what, master strategist?" Bobby asked.

Tank's voice came through before I could respond. "Now, we get our affairs in order and prepare for a long, one-way flight in a cargo container. I'm going to spend my time sharpening my toothpick."

Stephanie POV

I had only been seated for a few minutes when I saw Joe and his sister Cathy come into the restaurant. Lester was on the sidewalk looking dumbstruck. Knowing Lester, it was probably from the size of her chest as much as it was seeing Joe walking in ahead of Ranger. Joe got Cathy settled at their table before coming over to mine.

"Hey, Joe. Thank you both for helping me teach the guys a lesson about minding their own business," I said.

"No problem. The Mets aren't playing for shit and Cathy was more than happy to leave the kids with Jim and take a night off," Joe said. "Besides, Ranger's paying for our meal. I'll be ordering the lobster risotto tonight."

As Joe said this I spotted Ranger moving across the restaurant in my direction. His custom tailored suit may have been cut to hide the weapons he carried, but it did nothing to disguise the spectacular physique of the man wearing it. Desire curled in my belly and I hoped my Nippie nipple covers lived up to the hype.

"Make sure you and your sister order wine and dessert as well," Ranger said as he approached the table, eyes locked on mine. "I'll be taking the cost of both our meals out of Lester's pay."

"I was planning on it. And, I can see my presence is no longer needed," Joe said before moving back toward his table. At least, I assumed that's where he went. After Ranger arrived, I didn't have eyes for anyone else.

"Babe," Ranger said, sliding in beside me. The booth was in the back corner, and we were both sitting with our backs to the wall. I had chosen this side so I could watch Lester and there was the added bonus of knowing Ranger would sit beside me.

"Welcome back," I said. "Nice of Lester to treat, even if he doesn't know it yet."

"My cousin has an inflated opinion of his abilities as a covert operative," Ranger said. "I'm more than a little insulted by his set-up plan. What kind of business man would I be if I didn't know who my potential clients are and whether or not we are in the process of garnering their business."

"What about me? Like I couldn't figure out he was the supposed FTA when the guy uses the dating app handle LesIsMore10. What is the 10, anyway? His IQ?" I asked.

"Knowing Les, it's probably his measurement," Ranger replied, glancing down at his lap and making me cringe.

"Gross! I could have lived my whole life without knowing that," I said. Hmmm, would that make my guy Ranger12?

"Yes it would," he replied with a smug grin. Oops, out loud apparently.

The waiter approached and took our order. It came as no surprise when I ordered the fettucini alfredo with sausage and Ranger ordered the grilled chicken with vegetables. We chatted about his trip to Miami and he filled me in on his visit with Julie. The waiter came to clear our plates. I ordered the tiramisu for dessert and Ranger ordered coffee, black.

"I'm torn about this whole thing," I said, pulling a piece of Italian bread from the basket on the table. "On one hand, it's sweet that the guys want to see us together, but on the other hand, our love lives are none of their business." I ripped a bite size piece of bread off and popped it in my mouth. "I mean, we've been together for two months already. If we had wanted to share that with the world, we would have."

"Then maybe it's time we did," Ranger said, taking my hand and bringing it to his mouth. He placed a gentle kiss on the back of each finger, then slid a beautiful antique looking platinum and diamond ring on the all important ring finger.

"My contract with the government is complete. While I can't say the dangers from my past are all gone, they are significantly less. This ring is my promise to you, in whatever way you will have me."

I stared at the gorgeous ring, stunned. The diamond was a generous size without being ostentatious. And the fit was perfect. I felt tears of joy gathering in my eyes and I blinked rapidly to clear them before I did something stupid and ruined my mascara. I took Ranger's hand and kissed the back of it as he had done to mine.

"I accept your promise, and I give you mine. We'll figure out what that means together," I told him. Realizing our very private conversation had just taken place in a very public setting, I moved to lighten the mood a bit. "You know, I'm supposed to be giving you the gifts today, not the other way around."

"You did when you accepted the ring," Ranger said. Jeez, I could get used to Romantic Ranger. "I don't want you spending money on me, Babe."

"I didn't exactly spend money on you," I said with what I hoped was a sexy smile as I trailed my hand up his leg. "Unless you count the heels I was planning on keeping on after you unwrapped me."

The waiter set the plate with my dessert on the table just as my fingertips reached their destination. Ranger's nostrils flared and he pulled his wallet out of his coat pocket.

"We're going to take that to go," he said, handing the waiter his card.

Tank POV

"$465 for dinner for two? What the hell did they order?" Lester whined.

"Whatever they wanted to," I replied, running a file over the end of a small wooden toothpick. "Morelli had the lobster risotto and a $200 bottle of wine. Not sure what his date ordered."

Les glanced at the toothpick, but knew it was all for show. If I were going to make a shiv, I'd be making it out of metal. Plus, it wasn't like we were in a box on a cargo plane headed for the Middle East. Instead, we were parked in front of the Clip N Curl waiting for Edna Mazur to finish with her wash and set before heading to an afternoon viewing at Stiva's. Sweet Jesus, please let it be an open casket.

Bobby had gotten off easy. He had been carrying several bags of groceries for her when Edna reached out to cop a feel. The grope startled him and he tripped off a curb and busted his ankle, lucky bastard.

"I suppose it was worth it," Les said. "After all, Ranger and Steph are finally together. Of course, both are emotionally stunted and need all the help they can get to take things to the next level. We don't want to rush anything, but I had this idea about Christmas. I call it Operation Stork Claus."