Disclaimer: Neither the Plum Characters nor the Highlander characters belong to me. No copyright infringement is intended.
Notes: This is an idea that just wouldn't go away, so I thought I'd have some fun with it. It is set at the end of "Eleven On Top".
Genre: Cross-over (Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum wtih Highlander the Series)
WARNINGS:: WORK IN PROGRESS!!!!! BABE(ish) FIC. MORELLI FRIENDLY. NOT A DEATHFIC
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Immortal Twelve
From TT's Miscellany

Prologue

Stephanie sat in the back of the squad car, waiting. She had been freed, Con Stiva was under arrest, her insurance rates were likely to skyrocket even higher and she had several very serious issues to deny.

“I’ll drive you to Joe’s,” Eddie said, stepping in front of Stephanie.

She just nodded in acceptance; not really ready to face either Ranger or Joe at the moment. “How long before I can reclaim the Buick?” she asked.

Eddie’s grin widened as he glanced over his shoulder at the blue monstrosity. “Soon,” he replied. A low chuckle escaped him. “Thing’s probably still good to run with only minimal damage. They don’t build them like that anymore.”

“Sure they do,” Steph grumbled under her breath. When Eddie looked at her, she asked, “Ever hear of a tank?”

Eddie laughed out loud and motioned for Stephanie to get turn and sit correctly so they could leave.

She was going to protest, when she glanced up and saw – felt - Ranger headed her way. Not ready to deal with him just yet, she turned away as another presence made itself known. Looking around, she spotted a figure in the crowd staring at her Their eyes met and Stephanie shivered as Eddie closed the driver’s door and pulled away. One last glance over her shoulder revealed Ranger searching the crowd.

With a sigh, she stared out the window at the passing scenery.

<><><><><><><>

Part 1

Stephanie woke suddenly, gasping for air and quickly covering her mouth to stifle the scream that wanted to escape. Her body shuddered for several minutes before the nightmare died away. Glancing at the clock beside the bed she saw it was 2:43A.M.

Scanning the room, she let out a breath when she realized she was in the guestroom at Joe’s house. It only took her mind a moment to recall she had settled here about ninety minutes before after wandering the house for several hours.

Joe had tried to encourage her to lay down beside him, knowing she would need assurance she wasn’t alone. Steph had readily taken him up on the offer, however, once Joe drifted off and despite the tight hold he maintained on her, Stephanie’s thoughts would not settle and she needed to move.

Finally physical exhaustion took over and she had collapsed on the bed and fallen asleep.

She couldn’t have been resting too long when the dream started. Unfortunately, she knew it wasn’t a dream.

Even now, she could remember the experience. She had been trapped in that cupboard, cuffed and suffocating. She knew she was going to die. She could feel her body screaming for air, feel her heart race as her lungs stopped drawing in air, feel the darkness begin to overtake her. Her last thought had been of Ranger.

She knew she had died, could even remember feeling her heart stop. But then something happened. A gasp tore through her and she was alive again. She began to panic when she realized she was still in the cupboard, but a few minutes later Ranger had pulled open the door and she’d fallen into his arms.

Terrified, her mind reeling from what she had just experienced, she barely noticed that the prickling she felt when she knew Ranger was near was now screaming at her. Then she had been sent away with Tank, returned in the Buick, and brought back to Joe’s house by Eddie.

Now, in the darkest part of the night, she couldn’t stand to be alone.

Walking into Joe’s bedroom, she opened the curtain to allow the moonlight to flow in. She slid down the wall in the corner and watched Joe sleep. He was real. Joe was there for her tonight. Whatever happened to her couldn’t be real, couldn’t have happened the way she thought.

She had almost convinced herself that it had all been a dream and she had only passed out, not died, when a shiver ran down her spine. Her head whipped around and her eyes tracked out of the window, straight to the big tree on the corner. She stared intently, knowing someone was there. A moment later another shiver ran down her spine, turning her head, she watched as a dark car made its way down the street. It was easy to recognize Ranger’s Porche.

Turning her head in the other direction, she was in time to catch a shadow break away from the tree before disappearing into the night. That presence disappeared, but Ranger’s remained.

A few moments of stillness later, she finally admitted to herself that the knowledge of Ranger’s presence wasn’t going away.

As she forced herself up and out of her corner, she took a deep breath, admitting to herself that her life would never be the same. A wave of sadness washed over her as she took in Morelli’s sleeping form, instinctively knowing he would be lost to her, knowing that his dream of them with children and a family would never come to pass.

Leaning over the bed, she placed a gentle kiss on his cheek and left the bedroom.

In moments she was outside, opening the door to the Porsche.

She buckled her seatbelt and stared out the window, well aware of Ranger’s eyes staring at her.

Finally, after a deep breath, she felt she was ready to face whatever he had to tell her. Turning her head to meet his eyes, she simply demanded, “Explain.”

A small smile quirked the corner of his lips upward. “Babe,” was all he said, amusement evident in his voice, as he turned to face front and started the car.

A short drive later, they found themselves on Haywood near the offices. A shiver ran down Steph's spine as her eyes shot up to look at the top floor. She saw the silhouette of a man by the window before the curtain fell. Seconds later the Porsche pulled into the garage.

Unamused with the situation, Stephanie unbuckled and left the car before Ranger could come around to get her door for her. She strode across the garage to the elevator to await its arrival.

Once the elevator doors opened, Stephanie stepped inside and quickly chose to put her back to the wall. She watched Ranger warily as he stepped in as well and started the elevator’s ascent to the seventh floor.

The closer they came to their destination, the more uncomfortable she became.

Ranger’s hand settled on her shoulder causing her to jump slightly. “It’s alright, Babe,” he assured. “I’m going to introduce you to a friend of mine and then we’ll explain everything.”

Looking into his eyes, Steph easily identified the truth of his words as well as his compassion and something she couldn’t quite identify – sorrow, worry, maybe a combination of both…

Before she could figure it out, the elevator doors opened and she stepped out into the familiar hall.

Following Ranger, she waited for him to open the door before trailing in behind him.

She came to a stop as she entered the living room. It would have been hard to miss the tall, well-muscled man standing by the couch.

“Mac,” Ranger began the introductions, “this is Stephanie Plum. Babe, this is Duncan MacLeod.”

Steph took in the alert stance and the warm smile Mac sent in her direction, but couldn’t help the wariness that seemed to have invaded her since her experience in the cupboard. “Nice to meet you,” she said politely.

Ranger’s hand on her back ushered her into the living room. She avoided the couch and settled in a chair. MacLeod settled back on the couch and Ranger settled on the couch between his two friends.

“So, explain,” Steph commanded, uncomfortable, but able to appreciate the attractive males sitting on the couch across from her. Right now her curiosity was overwhelming her hormones, thankfully. Not that that situation couldn’t change at any moment, but for now, she needed answers.

“Simply put, we’re immortal,” Ranger said, his face perfectly blank.

Stephanie stared at him for a few minutes blinking as she tried to process the information. She needed to know more. “Huh?” she finally managed, embarrassed by her own lack of coherence.

“That’s about how I felt,” Duncan chimed in, smiling at her.

Steph looked over Ranger’s friend again. He had an odd accent, faint, but there. Wherever he was from, it wasn’t from Jersey.

“Babe,” Ranger said, drawing the blue eyes back to him. “We can die, but it’s not a permanent condition. Not unless someone takes our head.”

“Takes our head?” Stephanie repeated, her hand automatically reaching up to touch her neck.

Ranger and Duncan exchanged a look. Leaning forward, MacLeod took up the explanation.

“As far as we know, our kind have been around for thousands of years. We age normally and are injured normally until our first deaths. After that, once we revive from the first death, we heal a faster, cease to age and can still die normally, but we revive. The only way we can truly die is to have someone cut our heads off. This can happen accidentally, though that would be very unusual. The most likely way to lose your head would be for another immortal to take it.”

“Wait,” Stephanie said, holding up her hand. “You’re telling me that ‘our kind’ goes around killing each other?” When both men nodded, she asked, “Why? What kind of people are you?”

“We call it the game,” Ranger said, ignoring the rising hysterical notes in Stephanie’s voice.

“A game!” Steph exclaimed, feeling her temper flare. Rising out of her seat, she stared in disbelief at the two men. “Running around chopping heads off and killing each other is not a game! And I refuse to play. You people are sick!”

“I agree,” Duncan said calmly, but with some force behind his words.

The tone of voice soothed Stephanie enough so she sat down and started listening again.

“That is what it is called, and what it has been called for millennia,” Ranger informed. “And not all of us play. But just because you choose not to play, that doesn’t stop others from challenging you. They will still take your head even if you tell them you’re out.”

“Why?” Stephanie asked. “Why would anyone do this?”

“There can be only one,” Duncan murmured.

Stephanie glared at Duncan.

“Sit and I’ll explain some more,” Mac instructed.

Reluctantly, Stephanie retook her seat.

“The Game consists of challenges issued from one immortal to another. There is a one-on-one combat and no one else is allowed to interfere. Combat continues until one of the participants takes the other’s head. After that, the loser’s quickening is transferred to the winner,” Duncan concluded.

“Quckening?” Steph asked.

“Life force,” Ranger translated.

“So, I have a quickening?” she asked, skeptically.

“Yes,” Ranger said.

“Is that why I could feel the two of you coming?”

“Yes,” Duncan confirmed.

Ranger’s face turned thoughtful. “Babe,” he began, “When did you feel me coming to get you tonight?”

“Which time?”

“Tonight when I picked you up at Morelli’s?” he clarified.

“Just after the Porsche turned onto the block,” Steph responded, wondering why that was important. Turning to MacLeod, she added, “You must have been the one on the other end of the block in the shadows.”

The two men exchanged a quick glance. Duncan gave the smallest shake of his head.

“What?” Steph asked, shifting uncomfortably.

It took Ranger a moment before he decided how to proceed. “Babe, first of all, you’ve got incredible range in sensing other immortals,” he complimented.

Steph nodded and waited. She knew there was something more to this.

“But I wasn’t the one on your street tonight,” Duncan informed.

“Then who was it?” she asked, suddenly nervous.

“That’s what we’ll need to find out,” Ranger replied, his voice grim and his eyes dangerous as they met MacLeod’s.

Standing, Stephanie began pacing the room. “So let me get this straight,” she said, trying to sort through everything in her mind. “I did actually die today – yesterday – whenever.” She received nods of agreement. “I’m never going to look any older.” Again she received nods. “I now heal quickly and can die, but I’ll continue to come back to life until my head gets cut off.”

“Right,” Duncan confirmed.

“There is also some unknown immortal out there right now who knows that I’m immortal now and is probably after my head because of some stupid macho game,” she finished. Receiving nods of agreement, she plopped down into her chair and allowed her face to fall into her hands. “Why me?” she asked no one in particular.

A shift in the air around her and a different type of tingling alerted her to the fact Ranger was now kneeling in front of her. His normally comforting presence wasn’t quite as soothing as normal, but right now she needed to lean on someone.

“Babe,” Ranger said, his voice soft. He lifted her from her seat, sat down himself and then resettled he in his lap, his arms wrapped around her. “You’re going to be fine,” he assured, one hand beginning to rub small circles on her back. “I asked Duncan to come here tonight so we could talk about the training you’re going to need.”

“Training?” she asked, warily.

Ranger smiled at her. “Training,” he confirmed. “The combats we mentioned are all done by sword. You’re going to need to be trained and Duncan has agreed to train you, at least for a few months.”

“But what about my family? My friends? My job?” she babbled.

Ranger sighed and rested his forehead against hers. “Steph,” he said, his voice tired and cautious. “We don’t age. In a few years people are going to notice,” he informed softly. “You can’t stay here forever.”

“It’s one of the down sides of living such long lives,” Duncan added. “Having to pull up roots every decade or so and relocate, frequently with a new identity. Sooner if you die and someone finds out,” he informed.

Closing her eyes, she allowed this new information and all of its consequences to sink in. “So, in a few years I’ll either have to publicly die or go away and never come back,” she stated, looking at Ranger for confirmation. Ranger nodded his agreement. “But what about…” she couldn’t finish as she realized all of her friends and family would grow old and die while she would be stuck at the age of thirty-two forever. One day she would live in a world without her mother, father, sister, nieces… without Joe.

As if he sensed her mood and thoughts, Ranger continued, “We’ll show you how to create new identities and how to get on in our world.”

Stephanie just nodded. It was a lot to take in and she wasn’t sure she was ready for it, especially if it meant she couldn’t trust other immortals. Would all immortals be out to try and kill her? Would Ranger? No. She knew he wouldn’t try for her head. Ranger was trying to help her, prepare her and he loved her, just as she loved him. That would be something else she’d have to figure out, but it needed to wait. Glancing at the clock, she noticed the time. “I need to go back. Joe will be needing his medication soon,” she said, trying to focus on something else.

Duncan looked like he was going to say something, but Ranger cut him off. “Alright, Babe,” he said quietly, “I’ll bring you back.” As he set her on her feet and stood, he rested his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. “I know it’s a lot to take in. I know you’re going to have a million questions, but you can’t talk about this to someone who’s not an immortal. Right now that means me and Duncan. Would you be able to stop by later today so we can answer some more of your questions and discuss how we’re going to set up your training?” he asked.

Stephanie just nodded. There was a lot she would need to know.

Having achieved her agreement, Ranger stepped away and headed toward the door.

As Stephanie made to follow him, Duncan stopped her with a gentle hand on her arm. “It really will be OK,” he offered with a small smile. “We’ll help you through it.”

Stephanie nodded, holding back tears. She offered a shaky smile and followed Ranger out of the apartment and down to the garage.

She was silent during the entire ride back to Joe’s house. Without a word to Ranger, she slipped out of the car and into the house. She walked quietly up the stairs and into Joe’s bedroom. Slipping off her shoes, jeans and bra, she settled into the bed, lifting his arm and placing it around her waist as she snuggled closer. Leaning in, she inhaled his unique scent and allowed a few tears to fall. Nothing would ever be the same and someday soon, she would be saying goodbye to Joe forever.

Allowing her own arm to circle his side, Stephanie drifted off into sleep.

<><><><><><><>

Part 2

Stephanie sat in the kitchen, her cup of coffee clutched in her hands, her mind carefully blank as she watched Joe hobble over to the table with a coffee cup in hand.

“You OK today, cupcake?” he asked, dropping into his chair and propping his leg up on the seat of another.

A smile grew on Steph’s face. “I will be,” she assured.

“I was thinking I might catch a ride with Carl into the station today, see about catching up on some of the paperwork that I never get to,” he informed, watching her reaction carefully.

Tension filled Stephanie as she heard the words. Having Joe out of the house would make it easier for her to go to Rangeman and talk about… She shoved the thoughts away again and offered a smile instead. “I’m sure that will make the captain happy,” she teased. “You sure you’re up to it?” she asked, concerned.

Joe smiled, his eyes warm with his love for her. “Yeah, I’ll be fine,” he replied.

With a nod, Steph stood up and moved to refill her coffee mug. “Call me if you need me to pick you up,” she said. Knowing what Joe was going to ask next, she shrugged, “Ranger said I could borrow a company car until Big Blue is fixed.”

A brief flash of distaste crossed Joe’s face, but was quickly gone. “Just make sure you stay safe,” he instructed.

Smiling, Stephanie leaned down to brush a kiss on his lips, idly wondering how much longer she would be able to do so before she had to leave her life in Trenton.

Before either of them could take the interlude any further, a car horn sounded in the driveway.

“That’s my ride, Cupcake.”

Steph smiled. “Take care of yourself and don’t overdo. Call me on my cell.”

“Yes, Mother,” Joe smarted back.

With a glare, Stephanie reached out and smacked him on the back of the head. “Watch it, Buster,” she threatened.”

Joe just laughed and headed for the door. The sound of Stephanie’s laughter followed behind him.

As the door closed, the smile left Steph’s face. She had been avoiding thinking about what had happened, what she had been told the night before, but it was eating away at her. She couldn’t remember being so nervous, so scared and so sad all at the same time.

Sinking down into the kitchen chair recently vacated by Joe, she rested her head on her arms. There were so many changes that would be taking place in her life and a lot of them would need to happen soon. She was going to need to begin to plan for her future demise and a new life. The problem was, she had never really been a planner; she was definitely more a “fly by the seat of your pants” girl.

Before she could sink any deeper into her thoughts, though, she felt what she now knew to be another quickening. Standing, she walked to the front window and looked out, expecting to see Ranger. Instead, she saw no one. Turning her head to the right she scanned the street, looking for some sign of the presence that was disturbing her. She could find no one.

Staying away from the windows, she made her way upstairs to get a better view of the street.

There, by the same tree as the night before, stood a man. Squinting her eyes, she cursed the fact that super-sight didn’t come along with the immortality, and tried to make out the person as best she could. The man was wearing a trench coat, had shoulder-length stringy brown hair. She couldn’t see his features too clearly, other than the rather large, nose.

Though she shivered once again at the sight of the man, she felt safe enough. It was daylight and, though the street was currently quiet,

The sound of a high-powered engine reached her ears seconds before she felt Ranger’s presence. As the Porsche turned onto the block, the other immortal once again slipped away from the tree.

Racing down the stairs, Stephanie charged out of the house and reached for the door of Ranger’s car before it came to a complete stop. “We need to go after him,” she gasped out as she quickly opened the door and settled on the passenger’s seat. “He’s just down the block.”

Without asking a question, Ranger removed his foot from the brake and the car took off down the road.

Stephanie kept her eyes focused on the end of the street, scanning for the figure which was fast becoming familiar. By the time they reached the end of the road, Steph was becoming frustrated. There was no sign of the unknown immortal.

When Ranger pulled the car to a stop, Stephanie scanned the area for the man, but couldn’t find any trace of him. Opening the door and jumping out of the car, she stepped toward the tree where he had been hiding and closed her eyes, trying to feel the other immortal. Unfortunately, there was no trace of him.

“Anything?” Ranger asked, walking up to stand beside her.

“No,” she said, disappointed. “He’s gone.”

“Was this where you saw him?”

Stephanie nodded and tipped her head toward the tree in question. “He was standing behind that tree,” she informed. “Judging from what I saw and with you standing beside the tree, he was maybe a little shorter than you, but taller than me. He was wearing a trench coat and he had brown stringy hair that came down to his shoulders.”

“You could tell he had stringy hair from that distance?” Ranger asked doubtfully.

“Please,” Steph replied, waving her hand. “This was bad hair we’re talking about. Oh! He also had a really big nose.” She stopped, trying to think of anything else. “He also felt different than you and Duncan,” she admitted.

“Explain,” Ranger commanded, his face blank.

Steph sighed and looked at the sky, trying to find the words to describe it. “When I feel you and Duncan, I’m aware of you, but not afraid. When this guy is around, I get major creepy vibes along with the immortal thing.”

“Long distance spidy-sense?” Ranger teased, smiling slightly.

Being the mature woman she was, Steph stuck her tongue out at her friend. “Very funny, Batman,” she replied. “Let’s go,” she commanded, heading toward the car. “Standing around here is only going to fuel the gossip vine more than we already have.”

Ranger said nothing as he got into the car and the two headed off toward the Rangeman offices.

<><><><><><><>

Part 3

As the car stopped in one of Ranger’s parking spots, Stephanie couldn’t hel pthe tension that invaded her. She had felt Duncan as they pulled onto Haywood, but his presence just served to remind her of what she didn’t want to think of too closely.

Today they would talk about her training, creating new identities, how to blend into new eras and other fun and exciting things she would need to know in order to survive in her new world.

When the door beside her opened, she jumped slightly. Looking to her right, she saw Ranger standing there with his hand outstretched. His eyes were warm and understanding. He offered a small smile and said, “Trust me.”

Stephanie took a deep breath and released it. Reaching out, she took his hand, returned his smile with a bright one of her own and replied, “Always.” Her nervousness left her as she read the support and friendship in Ranger’s dark eyes. There was another emotion there she wasn’t ready to address yet, but knew she would need to before long.

Ranger lifted her hand to his mouth and brushed a kiss across the back of it, his eyes never leaving hers.

Eyes dropping to the ground, Stephanie could feel a slight flush color her cheeks as her smile became soft and pleased.

“Come on, Babe,” Ranger encouraged softly, drawing her away from the car so he could close the door behind her. Tucking her hand into his arm, he led her to the elevator and waited for the doors to open.

As they settled comfortably side by side for the ride to the seventh floor, Steph asked, “Is Duncan up there waiting?”

“He’s finishing his workout,” Ranger explained. “Living on the West coast, he hasn’t fully adapted to our time zone and is running a little later than usual for him.”

Stephanie’s nose wrinkled in disgust as she asked, “I’m not going to suddenly start getting up at 5am everyday am I? I mean, that’s nifty and all, but a girl needs he sleep.” When Ranger started chuckling, she crossed her arms and glared at him. “What? It’s not funny! I don’t want to be a morning person.”

“Babe,” was all he said as the elevator doors opened on the seventh floor.

A huff escaped Stephanie at his response. She stepped out of the elevator behind him grumbling about his lack of appreciation for the finer things in life, like sleep.

Ranger continued to chuckle in amusement as he entered his apartment. “You want anything to drink?” he asked, heading for the little kitchen.

“Water’s fine,” Steph replied, sinking down onto the sofa. She moved around a bit, remembering how comfortable it was. Slipping off her shoes, she stretched out, her head resting on the arm and let a small sigh of satisfaction escape.

She jumped a few minutes later when she heard Ranger chuckling. “What?” she asked, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. She really hadn’t meant to fall asleep, but obviously her body had other ideas.

“Here’s your water,” Ranger said, setting her bottle and a cup of tea on the table. Then, leaning down, he lifted her up, sat on the sofa and then settled her in his lap. “Other than tired, how are you doing today?” he asked softly.

A long sigh escaped Stephanie. “I’m not really sure,” she admitted. “It’s a lot to take in.”

“And a lot to give up,” Ranger added softly.

Stephanie just nodded, tears filling her eyes as Ranger said her thoughts out loud.

“You’ll be alright, Babe,” he promised.

“Thank you,” she said.

A few minutes passed in silence. Her mind was swirling with questions, but most of them she didn’t want to address. The longer she was silent, though, the more one question kept coming to mind.

Tipping her head back, she looked into Ranger’s eyes and asked, “When did you have your first death?”

Ranger sighed, his eyes becoming distant as he thought of his past. “Remember when we met in the coffee shop?” he asked. Seeing her nod, he continued, “There’s a reason the reference to George shafting the Hessians came so easily to me.”

Stephanie sat there for a moment thinking. As she put the pieces together, her eyes grew wide in astonishment. “You were there?” she asked, awe evident in her voice.

A smile graced Ranger’s face. “My family owed a debt of honor and I was chosen to pay it,” he explained softly. “I died during that battle.”

“Wow,” was all Stephanie could say as she absorbed the information. “Have you been back to Trenton often, then?”

Ranger smiled and ran a finger down her face. “Often enough,” he replied.

“Wasn’t it weird coming back to the place you… well, you know.”

Tipping his head back, Ranger let out a full laugh. “Not really,” he admitted. “I like the area and it’s very different now than it was the last few times I came.”

“So, why make this your headquarters?” she asked.

“Because he has one office in each of the cities he’s died in except for Havanah,” Duncan answered from behind them.

Stephanie startled and looked over Ranger’s shoulder.

“You need to be…”

“More aware of my surroundings,” Steph finished for Ranger. “I know. I know,” she grumbled.

Duncan moved into the living room and settled in a chair. Stephanie moved off of Ranger’s lap and grabbed her bottle of water.

“So, you’ve been killed in Boston, Atlanta, Miami, Trenton and Havanah?” she asked. She received a nod in response. Her nose wrinkled as she asked her next question, “Kind of morbid isn’t it?”

Duncan laughed at the observation. Ranger just smiled and shook his head. “Babe,” was his only response.

Stephanie shrugged and took a drink of water. She hadn’t really expected an answer from the man of mystery, but it never hurt to ask. Taking a sip of her water, her eyes darted between the two men. Resting the bottle on her thigh, she sighed and closed her eyes. “I’m not ready for this,” she admitted softly.

“No one ever is,” Duncan soothed.

Ranger reached out and took her hand in his. “You’ll do fine, Babe,” he assured. “You’re going to fly.”

Stephanie opened her eyes and met Ranger’s. Seeing the faith in the, she couldn’t help the small smile that crept onto her face. “Yeah,” she agreed softly. Sitting up a little straighter she asked, “So what’s step one?”

“Well,” MacLeod began. “There are a number of things we could start with. But in our discussions last night, Carlos and I agreed that you should come back to Washington with me for training.”

“We’ll use your job here at Rangeman as the cover for why you’re going. After the Stiva incident, you asked to be more involved in the field. The training is just to make sure you’re physically up to it,” Ranger injected.

Stephanie nodded. It was a good cover. She certainly couldn’t have come up with a better one. “So, I’ll fly out to Washington for…”

“Three months at least,” Duncan supplied. “We would like longer, but that’s about all the time we felt we could manage with the cover.”

“Three months,” Stephanie repeated. Taking a deep breath, she released it. “And when would we be leaving?”

“Originally, we were thinking today,” Ranger answered. “But with the other immortal in the area, we want to delay it until we can get a handle on that situation.”

“Hopefully we’ll be able to find him in the next few days,” Duncan explained. “Then we’ll see what his intentions are and take care of any threat for you.”

Stephanie froze with the water bottle halfway to her lips. A shudder passed through her. She had spent enough time around Ranger to know that there were many ways he could ‘take care’ of people, but the particular note she heard in Duncan’s voice combined with the dark fire she saw in Carlos’ eyes caused her to shudder. This was the same type of “taking care” Ranger had done with Abruzzi; the kind where the threat was eliminated permanently. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it,” she admitted softly.

“Good,” Duncan stated.

Stephanie’s eyes opened in surprise.

“Don’t get used to it. Don’t buy into it,” Ranger clarified. “The Game says that there can only be one, but that doesn’t mean we all have to work toward that end.”

“There are a growing number of immortals who are tired of the game, tired of fighting to save their heads. Yes, there can be just one, and some day there might be, but we don’t have to work toward that end,” Duncan said, his voice filled with purpose and belief.

“What we’ve been given is a long life,” Ranger informed, catching Stephanie’s attention. Reaching over, he brushed a hair off her face. “Sometimes, though, we forget how to live and what’s important in life,” he finished softly.

Stephanie held Ranger’s eyes, taking in the meaning of his words, that he had forgotten what it was to live. She tried very hard to ignore the implied message that she had taught him how to live again. Breaking the gaze, she shook her head and cleared her throat, trying to get back on track. “So, what happens if this guy challenges me?” she asked. “I don’t even know how to hold a sword let alone fight.” What she left unsaid, but what her face revealed to the older immortals, was that she couldn’t come to terms with the idea of deliberately killing someone.

“Hopefully it won’t come to that,” Ranger soothed.

“I’ve got some friends checking into who is in town. Hopefully we’ll be able to identify this immortal before he ever gets close enough to issue a challenge,” Mac added.

Stephanie nodded. She really didn’t want to think about that part of her new life right now. “So, I’ll get to fight like Zorro,” she threw out with a grin.

The two men laughed at the comparison.

“Not quite,” Duncan cautioned.

“First things, first, Babe,” Ranger said. “Swordplay takes a lot of physical endurance.”

Stephanie groaned. She could tell from the almost-smile on Ranger’s face where this conversation was headed. “You’re going to make me run, aren’t you?” she accused.

Mac laughed at the protest and Ranger’s smile grew to a grin. “You have clothes and shoes in the closet,” he informed. “Change now and we’ll get started.”

Part 4

Stephanie leaned against the wall of the shower doing her best to remain standing. Every muscle in her body hurt. Her biggest regret, though, was that she didn’t have the energy to plot revenge against Mac and Ranger.

A knock at the bathroom door stirred her enough to open an eye and glare at it. “What?” she demanded, her voice sounding as tired as she felt.

“You OK in there, Babe?” Ranger asked, cracking the door open a little. “Need me to wash your back?”

Her first seven responses were far less than ladylike and took every bit of willpower and, perhaps, a little divine intervention, to avoid uttering them. “I’m fine,” she finally ground out. “I’ll get my own back.”

“Ella sent up some food for us,” Ranger continued, chuckling softly.

Though her eyes narrowed in anger at the chuckling she heard from the door, she did manage to push herself upright and reach for the Bulgari. “Go away,” she repeated, finally starting the cleaning process. She heard the door click shut and sighed.

It was only now about one PM, but the workout Ranger and Mac had developed had been more demanding and exhausting than anything she’d done in the past. They hadn’t let up on her either, pushing her when she thought she would collapse, telling her she need to work harder, be faster. More than once she had been on the verge of tears, but managed to fight them back and refocus on the task at hand.

If it was possible for her to hate Ranger, there were definitely times this morning that she did so.

What was worse, though, was that she was pretty sure she overheard them talking about continuing in the afternoon with more weight and speed training.

Finally finished with cleaning and rinsing, she turned off the water and exited the shower stall.

Wrapping herself in one of the luxurious towels, she took another and began to dry her hair.

Though she was moving at about half speed, she managed to get herself dried and dressed. She was working some detangler through her hair when Ranger pushed the partially open bathroom door all the way open and leaned against the doorframe.

“You about done in here?” he asked.

Stephanie just shot him a glare and finished working the liquid through the last hank of hair. Letting out a sigh as she took in her reflection, she turned to face Ranger and frowned. “There better be desert,” she informed. “And I’m eating it first.” She could see Ranger fighting a smile at her statement.

Finally he lost the battle and a genuine smile appeared on his face. “Babe,” was all he said, as he shook his head gently.

Stephanie let out a little huff of frustration and walked past him.

Entering the main area of the apartment, she glanced toward the kitchen and saw the food on the counter.

Quickly she made her way across the room, ignoring Mac, and grabbed the large piece of chocolate cake that was resting on the counter.

With, perhaps, the quickest move she’d shown all morning, she grabbed a fork and quickly had a bite of the luscious desert in her mouth. As the chocolate washed over her tastebuds, Stephanie’s eyes fluttered shut and she was unable to suppress the moan of delight at the taste of the sweet confection. She lost herself in the flavor as the sugar was quickly absorbed into her system.

It was the sound of Mac’s “Good God”, combined with Ranger’s slightly pained, “Babe” that startled her out of chocolate-induced haze.

Her eyes opened and she looked at both men. Licking the back of her fork tines, she placed the implement on her plate. Staring at both men she simply asked, “What?” When neither said anything further, she picked up a plate with a chicken and rice roll-up on it and moved off toward the table where three bottles of water rested.

Deliberately ignoring the men, who she was still miffed at for the workout they had put her through that morning, she dug into her meal, saving the rest of the cake for later. Though it was tasty and she found herself far hungrier than she would have thought, she didn’t moan again.

Eventually Duncan and Ranger joined her at the table.

The three ate in silence for several minutes before Stephanie finished off her chicken roll and drew her cake toward herself once more.

As she moved to take another bite of the decadent desert, she caught sight of both men staring at her fork as it was poised over the cake. Rolling her eyes she commanded, “Get over it,” and cut off another bite with the side of the fork. This time, as the chocolate flavor exploded in her mouth, she didn’t moan, but her eyes once more fluttered shut, a smile curved her lips and a satisfied hum escaped. “I love Ella,” she sighed.

She was almost done with her cake when she glanced up and noticed that Mac and Ranger were still staring at her, watching her intently. Glaring at the men, they finally seemed to get the message and turned their attention to finishing their meals.

When Stephanie pushed her cake plate away and sat back with a satisfied sigh, she found both men had finished as well.

“Do you always enjoy your desert so… vocally?” Duncan asked.

Stephanie shrugged. “It’s chocolate. It’s Ella,” she replied as if that explained everything.

Ranger chuckled softly, well aware of Stephanie’s love of Ella’s cooking. “About this afternoon’s training...”

A loud groan escaped Stephanie as she allowed her head to fall forward and rest against the table. “I think you’ve tortured me enough for one day,” she replied.

“Babe,” Ranger said, his voice protesting the accusation.

Before he could continue, Stephanie’s cell phone rang. “Saved by the ring tone,” she muttered as she rose from her chair and moved to get her phone as quickly as her tired body would move. A quick glance at the number showed that it was Joe calling. “Hey,” she greeted. “Need a lift?”

“If you don’t mind, Cupcake,” Joe replied, his exhaustion evident in his voice.

“Not at all,” Stephanie assured, relieved to be getting out of the afternoon’s training. “I can be there in about twenty minutes,” she assured.

“Thanks, Cupcake. See you then,” Joe replied before disconnecting.

Turning back to the others, she informed, “Joe needs a ride home from the precinct. I guess more tort… er… training will have to wait.”

“Why don’t you come back after bringing Joe home,” Ranger countered. “You should be able to do that and be back by two thirty.”

“Oh, I…”

“It would be best if we continue,” Duncan inserted, his voice brooking no argument.

Stephanie sighed and reminded herself that they were just trying to help her, trying to keep her alive. “Fine,” she agreed, sounding defeated. She picked up her bag and heading toward the door.

She slipped out into the hallway before they could say anything more.

<><><><><><><>

As she settled Joe into the passenger’s seat of the Explorer, she tried to balance his crutches against the side of the car. They slipped to the ground, however, and a sigh of resignation escaped as Stephanie looked down at them.

“You seem tired today, Cupcake,” Joe observed, concern evident in his voice. “Are you OK? Do you need more time off after what happened yesterday?”

Suppressing a groan as she stood and her muscles protested, she offered a small smile to Joe. “I’m OK,” she assured. “I could use more sleep, but that’s not likely to happen for a few more nights yet.”

Joe smiled in understanding. “You know you’re welcome to stick around as long as you want. Permanently is always an option,” he offered with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows.

Stephanie smiled, at the teasing. For all the pressure he might apply during their relationship, she knew he wouldn’t seriously push right now. There were times he seemed to understand her almost better than she understood herself. Of course, with that creepy immortal out there stalking her, she would need to get away from him. He was much better and his leg was healing, but he was in no shape to protect her from something like this. In fact, she wasn’t ready to protect herself from something like this. “As tempting as that is,” she replied, “I think maybe another night and I’ll have to head back to my place.”

Joe looked disappointed, but they were in a good place right now, so he didn’t complain.

As she closed the passenger door, she opened the back door and tucked the crutches into the back seat. That task done, she walked around the car and stiffened as the almost-familiar buzz alerted her to the presence of another immortal. The chill that ran down her spine alerted her that it wasn’t either Duncan or Ranger in the vicinity. Closing her eyes, she tried to focus – one of the things they guys had been working on this morning – and turned her head slightly until she felt she knew from which direction the feeling was emanating. It didn’t take her long to locate the source. Opening her eyes, she turned in the direction she thought she sensed the presence.

Nothing in the area immediately jumped to her attention as signaling the stringy-haired man. After a few minutes, a glint drew her attention to one of the cars in her line of sight. Squinting at it, she tried to make out the occupant, but couldn’t.

Before she could do anything else in response, she heard the passenger door open.

“Everything OK, Cupcake?” Joe called.

Shaking off the feeling, knowing there was nothing she could do about it, Stephanie called back, “Everything’s fine. Just thought I saw someone,” she said before flashing him a smile and walking around the car.

In a few minutes they were on their way back to Joe’s house.

“Are you sure you’re fine?” Joe asked again, studying her face.

Stephanie smiled, though it didn’t reach her eyes. “Yeah,” she assured again. “It’s just been a wild few days.”

“That it has,” Joe agreed as they pulled up to his house.

Once Joe was settled inside, Stephanie turned to leave.

“Where are you going?” Joe asked.

“I have to go back to work,” Stephanie explained, not wanting to go, but not wanting to explain either.

“Can’t Manoso give you the rest of the day off? I mean after everything you went through yesterday…”

“I wish he could, Joe. But he has me in training and even brought someone in from outside the company to help with it. It’s all been arranged and I get the impression that this guy’s time is pretty valuable.”

“You sit behind a desk. What’s he training you on? New computer programs and stuff,” Joe asked.

“Yeah,” Stephanie agreed. She thought she remembered Duncan and Ranger saying something about more work on computers. Right now they were focusing on the ‘and stuff’. When it came time for her to leave the area for a few months, she wasn’t sure how Joe would take that. But that was something to worry about later.

A sigh of disappointment escaped Joe, but he understood. He wasn’t thrilled that she was working with Manoso and his crew, but at least she was off the streets and in a secure building. “Will you be home for dinner tonight?” he asked.

“I’m not sure. Do you want me to get something out of the freezer?”

“Sure,” Joe replied. “Do we have any more of Mrs. Ames’ meatloaf?”

“Not sure I’ll check.”

It only took a few minutes to set out everything for Joe’s dinner. She arranged the food on a plate and all he would have to do is heat it up in the microwave.

Satisfied she'd done what she could, Stephanie dropped a quick kiss on his lips, grabbed her purse and keys and left.

<><><><><><><>

Stephanie was in the gym at Rangeman doing her best to focus on the blocks Duncan was trying to teach her.

Though her primary weapon would be a sword, the exercises they were doing would help her with hand speed and hand-eye coordination. Currently, Ranger was throwing light, quick punches at her and she was knocking his hand away. So far, she had been successfully blocking each thrust and the frequency of the jabs had increased from slow to moderate and now they were going fairly quickly.

The quicker Ranger's hands flew at her, the more focused she became and the more powerful the punches became. The added force of behind each jab meant Stephanie had to be quicker, more definitive and exacting in her defense.

They were well into it and both Ranger and Stephanie were beginning to build up a sweat when a buzzing touched the edge of her awareness and a chill coursed down her spine. Startled her eyes flew to the windows, her head turned slightly and she missed the punch that had already been heading her way.

Not catching Stephanie's inattention soon enough to stop, Ranger's fist connected with the side of Stephanie's face.

She fell to the mat like a ton of bricks and lay stunned for a moment or two, not quite aware of what was going on as she tried to blink away the black spots.

At no time did the new presence disappear. In fact, it was growing stronger.

Ignoring Ranger and Mac who were telling her to stay down while they tried to make sure she was OK, she forced her way to her feet and, after a few staggering steps, made her way to the windows overlooking the street.

She knew she was safe since it was only one-way glass on the outside of the building and that the other immortal wouldn't see her, but she worried that if she could sense him, he could sense her.

Closing her eyes for a moment to try and focus, she quickly decided that was a bad idea as the world started to spin in all the wrong directions. As her eyelids fluttered open, she felt a steadying hand on the small of her back. Ranger was beside her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him open his mouth. She frowned and shook her head, turning her attention to the street once more.

It only took her a few seconds to locate the source of the disturbing buzz. Down at the corner of the street on the opposite side was a new, small coffee shop. The windows looked out onto the street and, Stephanie knew from past experience, that certain seats would give you a good view of the comings and goings at the Rangeman building.

“He's in the coffee shop,” she said, wincing slightly at the pain in her jaw. She reached up and lightly touched the sore spot, wincing as the tenderness and swelling she encountered.

“How do you know?” Duncan asked.

Stephanie just shot him a glare. “I can feel him,” she stated. “He creeps me out,” she added softly, almost to herself.

“We need to get a look at him to figure out who he is,” Ranger said.

“We can't get close to him,” Duncan reminded.

“No, we can't,” Ranger agree. “But I have a whole building full of people who can.”

A smile crept across McLeod's face. “That you do, my friend,” he stated with a low laugh.

“Why don't you go up to the apartment, Babe?” Ranger offered. “You should be fine by the time you leave, but putting some ice on that will help with the pain.”

Stephanie just shrugged and replied, “Sure.”

Turning, she left Mac and Ranger to do their thing and decided that a long, hot shower wouldn't go amiss, even if it would be bad for her jaw.

As she grabbed her towel, water bottle and the key fob that would let her into the seventh floor, she glanced over her shoulder and found Mac staring out the window while Ranger was on his cell talking to someone.

Whoever the other immortal was, they would get to the bottom of it.

With a sigh of relief that the afternoon's activities were over, Stephanie stepped into the elevator and headed toward the shower.

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