Disclaimer: The characters of the Stephanie Plum Series belogn to Janet Evanovich and are used here without permission. No copyright infringement is intended.
Challenge: 100_Prompts challenge - table 100B - prompts
Notes/Warning: Babe story
Rating: Suitable for people over 13
Feedback: Email TT

Realigning Destiny
By TT

Part 1. - Lonely Road

"Damn rain," she grumbled, reaching up to move her dripping hair from her face

Hunching further into her coat, she knelt down again to the task at hand.

Four years ago, if somone had told her she would be living in Montana, working as a sherriff's deputy, she would have laughed so hard she would cry.

If they had further told her she would be the mother of an eight-year-old boy and a three-year-old tabby cat, she probably would have called the men in the little white coats with the rubber truck herself.

Yet here she was, on the side of the road in a rainstorm, trying to change a tire and every word was true.

Swearing again as the lug wrench slipped for the forth time, she threw it onto the ground and rose to her feet.

A heavy sigh escaped as she ran both hands through her sopping wet hair.

They really needed to get home. Recently she had purchased an old house that had served as an inn. The people from whom she had purchased the old place had split the house in half vertically, creating two two-story areas. The bottom floor contained an old fashioned parlor and a dining room on opposite sides of the entryway. At the back of the stairs was a heavy door that lead to the back part of the house where she, Charlie and Tigger The Cat lived. The second floor of the house had originally had six bedrooms and one bath that could be rented out. When it had been remodeled, the three back bedrooms had been added as the second floor to the inkeeper's area and the middle bedroom in the front had been split in half to create two en-suite rooms. The original bathroom had been turned into a large linen closet.

So far she had been reluctant to rent out the front rooms, but her neighbor, Bob Richards, had pleaded with her to let an old friend of his rent one of the rooms for a few weeks.

Bob had done so much for Stephanie and for Charlie over the past four years, it was impossible for her to say no.

She could still remember the conversation. She and Charlie had been out in the yard tending the garden the eight-year-old insisted they grow.

“Hey, Bob,” she greeted with a smile.

“Steph,” the older man returned, smiling just as broadly. “How are you and the young rascal today?”

“Hey!” Charlie protested, frowning as he stepped up to the adults.

Bob just laughed, reached out and ruffled the dark brown hair. “When I was young my mom used to call me a rascal and my grandmother called me a rapscallion,” he informed.

Stephanie watched as Charlie straightened his shoulders and stood a little taller. He idolized their neighbor and she encouraged it. Bob was a good man and in some ways reminded her of Ranger. It gave her a safe feeling. “Why don’t you two go sit at the table and I’ll get some lemonade and cookies,” she suggested.

“Yeah!” Charlie quickly agreed, excited at the prospect of such a special treat.

Bob laughed out loud as he watched the boy scamper to the table set up on the patio. “He’s quite a handful, isn’t he?”

Unable to stop the huge, pride-filled smile on her face, Stephanie agreed, “That he is.”

“Just like his mother,” Bob added, laughing again at Stephanie’s cry of indignation. “Go get the drinks,” he prompted before she could protest.

Stephanie laughed and headed inside, shaking her head. A few years ago she would have been horrified at the thought of having children, but Charlie and she had clicked in so many ways. It had only taken a few months before the timid five-year-old had come out of his shell and the two of them had bonded as tightly as any natural mother and son. Now, Charlie was truly her son and she was his mother. She wouldn’t have it any other way.

Making her way outside with the lemonade and cookies, she settled them on the table and poured out the drinks. “So, what can we help you with?” she asked, taking one of the slice-and-bake cookies she and Charlie had made the night before.

Bob nibbled on his cookie and shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “I have a friend coming out. He’ll be here for a few weeks and will need someplace to stay.”

“Bob,” Stephanie began to protest, having gone through this before. She wasn’t comfortable with the ideas of strangers staying with her. The fact that Bob was constantly trying to fix her up, believing she needed a man in her life, only added to her reluctance.

Holding a hand up to stop her protest, he interrupted, “Let me finish. He’s coming out to help me. You know I’m still re-doing the guest room in my house and it won’t be ready by the time he gets out here. He’s very quiet, very responsible and won’t cause you any trouble. He can even eat all his meals with me.”

Stephanie was still reluctant. “I don’t know...”

“I promise, he’s not going to cause you any trouble and I’m not trying to fix you up. I just need someplace for him to stay and you’ve got those two spare rooms up front.”

Though she was uncomfortable with the idea of having a strange man in her home, she really couldn’t say no to her friend. Bob really had been a lifesaver not only for her, but for Charlie too. She never would have made it this far without him. Glancing at her son, she saw he was sitting on the edge of his seat looking at her with wide, brown eyes. He had always wanted to have guests at their house, fascinated with the idea of running an old fashioned inn. A sigh escaped her as she asked, “When will he be arriving and what’s his name?”

“Thank you,” Bob said, smiling. “He’ll be here in three weeks. You won’t even hear a peep from him if you don’t want to,” he assured.

Stephanie was aware that he had neglected to share her guest’s name, but let it go. She would have a few things to work out before he arrived.

Now, she might not be there when the visitor arrived. She knew Bob was more than able to show the man to his room and that the doors that connected both parts of the house were bolted closed, but, it was her house and she would feel more comfortable being there to greet her visitor herself.

Checking her watch, she blew out a breath of frustration. Her guest was due to arrive in less than an hour and she couldn't get the lug nuts off in order to change the tire.

A quick glance into the SUV assured her that Charlie was still sleeping. At least something was going her way, but then, Charlie usually was the best thing in her life.

Just as she decided to suck up her pride and radio in for help, she spotted headlights coming her way. That was an unusual enough event on this road to cause unease, but, as she watched the truck approach, her warning senses started going haywire. Worry, caution and fear for her son, curled deep in her belly along with something familiar that she couldn't quite identify.

Seeing that the truck had spotted her and was slowing, she reached to the small of her back and fingered the gun she kept there. It took her only a moment to decide to move the gun to her coat pocket. It would look less suspicious if she were to stick her hand into her pocket rather than reaching to the small of her back. In seconds the move was completed and she waited for the truck to come to a stop.

As it drew closer, her heart rate began to increase. The truck looked just like the one Ranger used to drive. She was startled by the thought. It was true that her life in New Jersey was never far from her mind, but now was not the time to dwell on the past.

Shifting her stance so her feet were firmly planted, she waited as the truck stopped and shifted into park. With the headlights on, she couldn't make out who was in the interior.

A tingle climbed her spine causing the hairs on the back of her neck to rise up. There were only two situations that caused that. One was when trouble was coming her way, the other was when Ranger was nearby.

"Oh, God," she whispered as she was finally able to identify the mysterious feeling she'd had earlier. How in the world could she have known he was in the truck especially from so far away. But somehow she did know. Somehow, Ranger had found her.

Part 2. - Rain

"Damn rain," Ranger muttered as he turned off the highway on to a sideroad. He had travelled all over the world and, especially in the last four years, all over the United States and he always hated having to find his way in the rain. He especially hated it when he was on dark, narrow back country roads.

As he carefully followed along his lane, he spotted a car pulled over to the side of the road. Given the odd angle of the taillights, and the slight white glow at the side of the vehicle, he assumed the motorist had a flat.

Had he been in Trenton, Miami or any number of other places, he never would have thought of stopping to help, but out here, the chances of it being someone who knew him were vastly reduced.

Drawing closer to the vehicle, he felt a warm tension low in his gut. It was a feeling he hand't had in a long time - about four years.

When a slender figure rose to stand next to the SUV, his breath caught. Though he was too far away to see her face, there was no doubt in his mind that the search that had led him across the country for the past four years was at an end. He had found Stephanie Plum.

A small corner of his mind smirked at the appropriateness of finding her on the side of the road in the rain.

Four years ago

The rain beat down on the roof of his truck in a deafening cacophany of sound. It would be impossible to hear a radio right now, so he didn't even bother to try and listen.

Despite the deluge that began before dawn, it had been a productive day for him. All the high-bond skips had been captured and returned to police custody, He had even managed to squeeze in a quick lunch with Stephanie.

Two months ago she and Joe Morelli had ended their three year on-again/off-again relationship with a surprisingly civil conversation in the middle of the police station. He and Stephanie had begun spending more time together. His life still didn't lend itself to relationships, but the elusive "Someday" he had promised Stephanie was getting closer.

A few hours ago a customer outside Trenton had called with a problem and requested that Ranger personaly handle it. Knowing the value of a happy customer, he met with the man, dealt with the issue and ended up with a request for a five thousand dollar upgrade from the customer's current security. All in all, not a bad way to end the day.

He had just crossed the Trenton City limits when he saw a large light source up ahead. From the flashes of blue and red in the yellow-white glow, he could tell there were a large number of emergency personnel on the scene.

As he drew closer to the site, he began to feel more and more uneasy.

A cruiser was off to the side of the road about a quarter mile before the actual site. He recognized the officer halting traffic despite the amorphous rain gear.

Coming to a complete stop, he rolled down his window and waved the officer over.

As the man approached the truck, his face had gone deathly white. "You should go up there," the officer stammered out. "Pull off to the side and find Juniak. He'll let you know what's going on."

A curt nod was all the answer Ranger offered as he pulled forward and parked. Grabbing a waterproof windbreaker, he slipped into it, too worried to acknowledge the uselessness of the gesture.

As he approached the tight knot of people around Joe Juniak, the slight tendril of dread he'd felt earlier grew into horror. By the time he reached the man in question, he was having trouble putting one foot in front of the other. Whatever was going on, he didn't want to know it.

"Joe," he said with a nod, canning the scene around him.

Rescue personnel were everywhere. The guardrail over the bridge had a gaping hole in it. It didn't take much to figure out that a car had broken through. There were safety lines just visible at the edge of the bridge, so Ranger assumed people were over the side looking for the victim or victims.

What stopped him cold was the figure standing perfectly still, face pale as marble, eyes radiating loss, fear and worry. The frozen visage only seemed to emphasize the soul bleeding out of Joe Morelli.

In that instant, Ranger knew. "Stephanie," he said, his voice whisper soft. He wanted, needed, to get to the edge, to make sure it wasn't her car, to make sure she was found perfectly safe, but his feet wouldn't move. The world and light seemed to fade away as he felt something inside tear. It hurt more than any physical injury he had ever experienced. "No," he whispered, denying even the possibility.

"Ranger!" Joe Juniak shouted, shaking the stunned Ranger.

Snapping out of his stupor, Ranger looked up and met the eyes of the Mayor. "All we know is that Steph's car went over through there. Her bag was found in the vehicle, but there's no sign of her so far."

Ranger nodded at the information, struggling to push aside his emotions and focus on his training. "She wasn't in the car?" he asked.

"No," Juniak confirmed. "There's no sign of her."

"Was the seatbelt cut? Was there any sign of blood?" he asked next.

The Mayor looked at him strangely. "No, the seatbelt is perfectly intact. We won't know if there was any blood or not until we can get the car out of the river and to forensics. The whole river has flooded through it."

Ranger looked over at the hole in the guardrail. "Stephanie always wears her seatbelt," he stated.

“She probably took it off in order to get out,” the Mayor stated, his voice laced with sympathy.

“Was the driver’s door or the passenger door open?” Ranger demaded.

“Neither,” Juniak informed. “Both windows were rolled down.”

Ranger could feel his eyebrow rise at this information and a small tendril of hope take root. “What about her purse?”

“It was sitting on the dashboard,” the Mayor replied.

“I need to see it.” The answers that he had been given up until that point had seemed a little odd for Stephanie, but in character for the type of situation they were dealing with.

It was possible the doors were jammed shut after crashing through the side of the bridge, so, Stephanie undoing her seatbelt and rolling down the window to get out made sense.

That both windows were rolled down, didn’t. He also knew that Stephanie would never take the time to pick up her purse from the floor of the car and leave it out of harm’s way on the dashboard. She was a survivor and would have gotten out fast, or at least taken the bag with her.

After being told where the purse was, he stepped away from the other man and made his way to the purse in question, his mind already beginning to run through scenarios.

Going through the bag, he noted what was there and what wasn’t. Her stun gun, defense spray, a few odds and ends and her wallet were all in the bag. Flipping open the wallet, he quickly noted that, while her credit cards and drivers license were there, the pictures she had shown him at lunch and the cash he had caught sight of were missing.

With that revelation he knew with absolute certainty that Stephanie Plum had not been in the car when it went over the bridge.

Present

Pulling over behind the SUV, he shifted his truck into park and sat frozen in his seat for a moment looking at the bedraggled form before him. It was her.

His mind flashed quickly through the last four years.

Tank and the others had been on him to take a break, to take a vacation, to just take some time off. They were all afraid he would burn himself out. For the first six months Stephanie had been missing, he had pushed himself to the limits of his endurance and everyone else’s patience looking for her. Then he had been called away on business.

When he returned, Rangeman had claimed his attention, despite his burning need to continue his search for Stephanie. In the year he had neglected his company, it had begun to struggle.

With a lot of effort and hard work, he was able to not only return Rangeman to its previously healthy status, he had improved it and made changes to the internal structure that would allow him the freedom he needed to continue his search.

Though frustrated that no one had found anything the entire time he’d been gone, he had continued to allocate resources to finding his Babe. Any lead that came up from anywhere in the country he would personally track down himself. Every single one had proven to be false.

Most of Trenton and Stephanie’s family had accepted that their daughter was dead. The long-term members of Rangeman, Grandma Mazur, Mary-Alice, Lula and Connie all kept the faith and in-between running the business and other obligations, he continued his search.

Finally, after nearly collapsing three weeks ago, he had finally listened to everyone who encouraged him to take a break. The fact that his old friend, Bob Richards had called asking for his help with a situation, was pure kismet. He knew that whatever Bob needed would keep him distracted from his constant worry as well as provide the break he needed from burning the candle at both ends.

Now, two-thirds of the way across the country, he had found her again.

Slowly, as if fearful of shattering the vision before him, he undid his seatbelt and exited the truck. With an even, measured step, he made his way to the wraith he saw before him, praying she wasn’t a dream, praying she was real, hoping with every fiber of his heart that his search was over, yet terrified it was just a dream.

Stopping when he was within two feet of her, Ranger lifted a hand and gently placed it against the pale cheek of his love. “Babe,” he said softly, not hearing the slight quivering in his voice as their eyes locked and the rend in his soul began to heal at contact.

“Ranger,” she whispered back, her eyes filling with tears as she stepped forward and embraced him.

Without the slightest hesitation, he wrapped his arms around Stephanie and buried his face in her hair, inhaling deeply and rejoicing at the simple fact he could hold her again. Emotion overwhelmed him and he felt tears prick his eyes, even as a joyful laugh bubbled up from deep within and escaped.

“Ranger,” Stephanie repeated, her voice thick with tears, relief and love.

Hearing the love in her voice, he pulled back and moved his hands to cup her face in his hands. He leaned forward and kissed her with infinite tenderness, letting her know she was loved, missed and cherished. It was a kiss which promised forever. “I missed you,” he whispered when he broke the kiss, wrapping Stephanie in his arms again. “I love you,” he added, his mouth right next to her ear so there could be no doubt she heard him.

“I love you,” she responded so softly, he almost didn’t hear over the rain. “And I missed you so very much.”

They stood together in the pouring rain for several minutes before a distant roll of thunder drew their attention away.

“Why don’t you lock the car up and we’ll come back for it in the morning,” he suggested.

Reluctantly, Stephanie pulled away and shook her head. “I can’t,” she denied, looking up into his puzzled face. Releasing a sigh, she took his hand and pulled him to the side of the SUV, indicating for him to look inside. She felt him still and stiffen slightly at the sight of boy sleeping peacefully in the back seat.

“Yours?” Ranger finally asked, his voice flat.

“Mine,” Stephanie confirmed. “The adoption was finalized two and a half years ago.” She felt some of the tension leave Ranger’s body. “Help me change the tire and follow me home,” she suggested, not relinquishing his hand. “I’ll tell you all about it.”

Turning to face her, he looked down into her eyes once more, reading the joy at seeing him again, the love she had confessed earlier and a maternal pride as she once more glanced at her son. “I’m supposed to be meeting a friend,” he admitted. “He’s going to introduce me to my landlord for the next few weeks.”

Stephanie blinked for a minute before a sly smile broke out on her face. “Your friend wouldn’t happen to be Bob Richards, would it?” she asked, her smile growing.

Puzzled, he simply nodded.

A soft laugh escaped the blue-eyed lady as she informed, “Then you’ve already met your landlord.” Reading the question in his eyes, she continued, “You’ll be staying at my place.”

The smile on Ranger’s face started small and grew until it hit full wattage and continued to grow until he tipped his head back and laughed. Turning his attention back to Stephanie, he said, “Then let’s get this tire changed and get home.”

Part 3 – Groceries

Stephanie closed the driver’s door, took a deep breath and slowly released it.

The rush of emotion that had flooded her when she saw Ranger again was now beginning to wear off as the reasons why she left Trenton in the first place began to reassert themselves into her conscious mind.

Clicking her seatbelt into place, she reached for the steering wheel and noticed her hands were shaking. A few deep breaths steadied her enough that she was able to turn on the car and begin the drive to her home.

As she drove, she tried to reconcile her conflicting thoughts and emotions while developing a plan of action. One thing being a mother had taught her was that she needed to have at least the outline of a plan in mind before heading into a situation, even if it didn’t actually survive long.

“Think, Steph,” she commanded herself. “What do you need to accomplish?”

It took a minute to settle her thoughts into working order. Once she had accomplished that, though, she wasn’t sure she liked the answer she found. She needed to make sure Ranger went back to Trenton and didn’t share with anyone that he had seen her. It was too dangerous for everyone to admit to seeing her. If someone else found out…

A shiver raced down her spine that had nothing to do with the rain’s chill.

Determination rose within her. She would convince Ranger to go back to Trenton and forget her. If he refused, she and Charlie would just have to disappear. She’d done it once; she could do it again.

A quick glance in the rear view mirror confirmed to her that Ranger was still following her. How was she going to keep the truth from him?

Tonight shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Bob would be at the house when they arrived to speak to Ranger. She had Charlie to get into the house as well as the groceries they had bought. The fact she was pulling a long shift tomorrow would keep her occupied for most of the day. She'd have to let Bob know to feed Ranger dinner. By the time she got home after her shift and fed Charlie and herself, she would be too tired to talk.

Hopefully, with any luck, whatever Bob needed help with would keep Ranger tied up so they wouldn't be seeing much of each other.

Of course, she would have to tell him something. There was no way he would keep quiet about her presence if she didn't give him some reasonable explanation. The truth...

Her throat worked convulsively as she remembered the pictures they had showed her, the words they had spoken.

"We're business men, Ms. Plum. We plan on buying your silence with one of their lives," the harsh, hate-filled voice explained.

At first she'd thought it was an idle threat, but the pictures...

A flash of a white tail at the side of the road caught her attention and drew her back to the present. The last thing she needed tonight was to hit a deer.

Refocusing her attention, she pulled into the h-shaped driveway of her house a few minutes later. A smile slipped onto her face as she saw the downstairs lights on and Bob standing on the top step of the front porch, umbrella in hand.

She pulled just past the front door and slipped her car into park, leaving it running. After passing Ranger off to Bob, she would pull around the side of the house to the door that led into the mudroom and then the kitchen. It was where she always off-loaded groceries and anything else she was delivering to the house - like her sleeping son.

Shifting the car into park and putting on the emergency brake, she glanced into the back seat and smiled at the fact Charlie was still sleeping.

Quietly, she undid her seatbelt and slipped out of the vehicle. She wasn't surprised that Bob was standing right next to the door, umbrella open and ready. "Hey," she greeted quietly. "Charlie's sleeping."

"I'll be as quiet as a mouse," Bob assured as he peeked into the back seat. A soft smile appeared on his face at the sight. "I swear the boy only has two speeds."

"Stop and go," Stephanie agreed with a soft laugh.

Closing the driver's door as quietly as she could, she walked with Bob to the other SUV.

She waited as Ranger rolled down his window. Her breath caught as she saw the swirling emotions in his eyes. "You can park here," she advised. "Basically the entire front of the house is yours. Bob can show you in while I park around the side."

The only response she received was a nod.

"I'll give the keys to Bob and he can show you around and get you settled in tonight," she continued, fixing her gaze on his eyebrows rather than his eyes. She knew if she looked into those brown pools too long she would forget herself and tell him everything. As she turned to walk back to her car, she stopped in her tracks when Ranger reached out and rested a hand on her arm.

"Babe," he whispered, his voice filled with confusion, pain and longing.

Stephanie caught sight of Bob's face and cursed, somehow knowing that no matter what happened, the whole truth would be coming out tonight. She'd put Bob off for four years. She owed him so much and knew she wouldn't be able to resist both of them.

Fighting down the panic and fear that began brewing at the base of her heart, she swallowed hard and closed her eyes.

"When I'm done putting away the groceries, I'll meet you in the parlor," she said before stepping away from Ranger's hand and walking back to he SUV.

Slipping into the driver's seat, she didn't look back as she put it into drive and pulled around the house.

How could things go so wrong so quickly? How was she going to keep Charlie and herself safe if the others knew?

Parking the car and turning off the engine, she allowed her head to rest against the steering wheel for a moment.

How had her life gotten so out of control so quickly? And all of this was happening because of a favor to a friend and a flat tire.

Part 4 – Wine

With a final look over her shoulder, Stephanie closed the door behind herself, a smile still on her face.

When she had reached into the back seat to bring Charlie inside, he had woken slightly. In voice that betrayed the fact he was only barely conscious, he protested that he was awake and wanted to meet their guest.

Her sleepy son continued to protest that he was awake as she slid off his shoes, changed him into pajamas and tucked him into his bed. He was completely asleep again by the time she kissed his forehead.

Now, though she needed to prepare herself for the confrontation she knew was coming.

Though she had gotten better about living in the land of denial over the years, this was one encounter that could easily reintroduce her to all of her defense mechanisms – delay, denial, distraction.

First, she needed to get the groceries inside. Hopefully all the frozen foods were still frozen.

Bouncing down the stairs, she made her way to the kitchen and outside in no time.

She had just opened the door to the outside when she froze. Ranger and Bob were leaning against the back of the SUV waiting for her.

A portion of her mind registered the fact that the rain had become a gentle mist. Given the fact that the sky was still overcast, she expected it was more of a temporary respite than an end to the steady rain.

Most of her mind was racing, trying to figure out how she was going to get out of her current situation. It was stressful enough when she knew the two men were waiting for her in the parlor. Facing them now was not something she wanted to do.

Lifting a hand, she waved hello and offered a tremulous smile. Taking a deep breath, she decided to try for humor. “My own personal bag boys?” she asked.

Two tight smiles were her only response.

Swallowing and wishing she was back up in Charlie's room, she continued outside.

It was too dark for her to read their eyes, but she could see the tension in their bodies.

Walking around to the back of the vehicle without meeting either of their gazes, she opened the tailgate and extracted two bags before handing them off to Ranger. “Here, help me with the groceries,” she prompted. Bob received the same treatment. She grabbed the last bag and closed up the SUV.

Leading the way inside, she led them to the kitchen and they quickly unpacked the bags, getting all the groceries in their appropriate storage location.

A few times during the unpacking and putting away, Stephanie noticed the hint of a smirk on Ranger's face as he pulled out a particularly healthy item of food. She wasn't surprised by the amusement, though. She would still probably be eating everything unhealthy if it weren't for Charlie. She felt she needed to set a good example for him.

Clearing the last of bag away, Stephanie finally turned to look at the two men in her kitchen. Bob was wearing his “father” face – the one that every dad used when he said the words “we need to sit down and talk, young lady” - and Ranger was sporting his blank face.

Taking a deep breath and slowly releasing it, Stephanie turned and opened one of the upper cupboards. Moving a number of bottles and jars out of the way, she pulled out a bottle of wine.

Quickly retrieving a corkscrew and three glasses, she silently led the way to the front of the house where she settled in the parlor.

Without saying a word, she uncorked the wine and poured three glasses, one a bit more full than the others.

Grabbing the glass with the most wine in it, she settled into one of the fireside chairs, thankful that Bob had started a fire. She was still fairly well soaked.

A shiver ran through her. It didn't go unnoticed by the men.

“We can wait until you shower and change,” Ranger said quietly. “I don't want you to catch pneumonia.”

Taking a swallow of the wine, Stephanie closed her eyes in appreciation, not only of the taste of the beverage, but also of the warmth it started inside of her. She took another long draught of her drink before responding. “Thanks. I have some sweats in the laundry room, though. I'll just change and be right back.”

With one last sip of the wine, she set her nearly empty glass down on the floor next to the chair and left the parlor.

As she made her way to the mudroom, which also served as the laundry, she tried to gather her thoughts.

It probably hadn't been her wisest move to drink the wine that quickly, but she needed something to assuage the coldness seeping into her soul at the distance Bob and Ranger were putting between her and them.

Finished changing, Stephanie took a moment to gather her thoughts.

She knew wine tended to loosen her tongue and she really couldn't afford to tell everything. Without a doubt, she would need to explain the details of why she left, but whatever else happened tonight or the rest of the time Ranger was visiting, she couldn't tell him the names.

Letting slip who had threatened those closest to her was the surest way of losing one if not all of them.

Finally, feeling comfortable with what she had to do and what she was going to reveal, Stephanie made her way back to the parlor where she found Bob sitting in the chair opposite hers and Ranger leaning against the fireplace mantle, next to her chair.

Both sets of eyes focused on her as she crossed the room and settled in her chosen chair.

Needing something to do with her hands, she picked up her wine glass and rolled the stem between her fingers. After a few seconds of silence, she sighed and asked, “Where do you want me to start?”

Surprisingly, it was Bob who spoke first, not Ranger.

“Why don't you start with your real name? I have the distinct impression that when Carlos knew you, it wasn't Stephanie Mazur.”

Glancing at Ranger, she could see the surprise in his eyes at the revelation of her alias. She was sure he and the others had checked for Stephanie Mazur's as well as any number of other combinations of her family names. After all, she used to do that when she worked for Rangeman and she still did it with her new job.

“No,” she agreed with her friend. “Mazur is my mother's maiden name. The name on my birth certificate is Stephanie Plum. That's who I was before I left Trenton. That's who Ranger knows me as.”

The betrayal that flashed in Bob's eyes at the revelation of her deceit pierced Stephanie's heart. He was her best friend here in Montana. She wouldn't be where she was today, nor would she have Charlie if it weren't for him.

To find out she'd been lying about her name had to hurt, but Stephanie also had to let him know she had been honest about everything else. “That's the only thing I lied about, Bob,” she assured.

He met her eyes and she could see they were clouded with questions and doubts. He was obviously debating something within himself. Eventually, he reached a conclusion and his eyes cleared. “I believe you,” he responded. “You never lied to me about your past, you just never answered my questions.”

“Thank you,” Steph said softly, closing her eyes in relief. She still wasn't looking forward to relating her tale, but at least she knew she wouldn't lose Bob.

“Now,” Bob continued, settling back in his chair, “why don't you tell us what happened to make you change your name and leave your family and friends.”

Blowing out a big breath, Stephanie looked down into her glass. “I'm going to need a little more wine for the telling of this tale,” she admitted.

In a few moments, Ranger had crossed to the bottle and poured Stephanie a half-glass more of the wine, taking a moment to refill his own and Bob's glasses before returning the bottle to the table.

Settling on the chair next to hers, Ranger waited for Stephanie to meet his eyes. When she did, she gasped at the pain and confusion she saw there before Ranger snapped his blank face back into place.

“Tell me why you left me, Steph,” he commanded. The pain he had forced from his eyes permeated his voice. “Why?” he repeated, his voice little more than a pleading whisper.

Looking down at her glass, Stephanie ran her finger around the rim before admitting, “I had no choice.”

**********WARNGING!!!! THERE IS A BIT OF FAIRLY GRAPHIC VIOLENCE IN THE FLASHBACK! I’VE SET IT OFF WITH ~SP~SP~SP… , SO YOU CAN SKIP OVER THE DESCRIPTION WITHOUT MISSING MUCH OF THE PLOT******************

Part 5 – 049. Fireplace

Stephanie was startled out of her reverie when Ranger softly called her name.

Looking up, she only briefly met his eyes before hers moved on to look at Bob. Unable to find her voice, even while looking at her friend, she turned her eyes to the fireplace.

She'd seen it hundreds of times over the past few years. In fact, she had been the one who took the layers of paint and soot off of it. She could remember sealing the wood, making sure it was all protected.

Her eyes drifted from the carved woodwork around the fireplace, to the stones within it. She and Charlie had spent several fun afternoons cleaning those as well.

The dancing flames called her attention away from the gray stones to the warm colors of the wood fire. A heated orange glow momentarily radiated off the coals as they dropped from the logs. The crackling of the tortured wood struck a chord within her. With her eyes focusing, not on the fire, but on her past, Stephanie began her story.

“It really started the day before I disappeared,” she informed. “I picked up the file, but Connie seemed reluctant to give it to me. She said something weird was going on with the skip, but she couldn't find out what. She wanted me to pass it on to Rangeman. The bond was too low and he was a first-time offender, so I took it anyway.”

Taking a deep breath, she admitted, “I should have listened. The next afternoon, after lunch, I went to pick him up...”

Four Years Ago

Sitting in her car, she scanned the area. It looked like any other neighborhood. There were the houses where kids obviously lived - the toys in the yards betraying them - the ones with teens- the extra car being the give-away there – and then there were the other houses. All in all, it was an unremarkable place.

Stephanie caught herself humming and had to smile. Lunch with Ranger was always a good thing and this time was no different. Reaching over, she flipped open the file on her skip one more time. Nothing had changed. It still promised to be a relatively easy five-hundred dollars.

One last scan of the target house revealed nothing unusual, so, making sure she had her stun gun, cuffs, defense spray, cell phone and car keys, she left the car and approached the domicile.

From experience, she knew not to stand directly in front of the door. Positioning herself just to the right, she rang the bell and listened for the chime inside. When she didn't hear any chiming, she opened the screen door and lifted the knocker on the door.

As she rapped the knocker against the striker, the inner door swung open.

Stephanie froze.

Open doors never led to anything good. Her spidey sense started going haywire and her first instinct was to call Ranger.

Something in the house, however, caught her attention and her curiosity quickly overcame her caution.

Pushing the door further open, she extracted her stun gun and stepped inside.

Cautiously, she looked around the interior of the house. The front door opened directly into the living room.

It was a nice room, comfortable. There was nothing particularly remarkable about it.

Before she moved further into the house, she called out to her skip to announce her presence.

There was no response.

Moving further into the house, she came to a place where she would need to decide if she was going up the stairs or continuing back to the kitchen.

A sound in the kitchen decided her.

Though she couldn't quite identify what she was hearing, she knew it was a sound of distress.

Slowly, she moved toward the back of the house.

Reaching the entry to the kitchen, she scanned what she could see of the room.

She spotted her skip in a chair at the kitchen table. The ropes binding him to the chair were just visible over the top of the table. The gag in his mouth was the obvious reason he hadn't answered her.

Before she could decide what to do, a cold circle of steel was pressed to her temple.

“Miss Plum,” a deep, masculine voice said. “I do believe we have much to talk about.”

Frozen in place, Stephanie made no response.

A second man stepped out of a nearby door. Most likely it led to the basement. The second man took her stun gun and other weapons. Then, taking her handcuffs, he drew her hands behind her back and secured them there.

Once secured, the gun was pulled away from her head. She was guided to the table and pushed down into a chair.

From her position at the table, she could see the faces of the men. She knew the second man only by reputation and felt her soul freeze at the emptiness in his eyes. Swallowing back her fear, she slid her eyes to the other man. This man she didn’t know, but the aura of evil and menace that radiated from him was enough to cause her to shiver. She’d had stalkers and met her share of psychos, but these two men were a level of evil with which she was completely unready to deal.

Licking her dry lips, she swallowed again and tried to find some Jersey attitude. When she felt confident enough to speak, she asked, “What do you want?”

The first man smiled. It wasn’t a comforting sight. “We want your silence, Ms. Plum,” he informed.

Scared as she was, Stephanie couldn’t help but be puzzled. “My silence about what?” she wanted to know.

“About our presence here,” the first man said, his voice cold. He motioned at the other man. The second one went and got a briefcase from beside her skip. Opening the briefcase, the first man pulled out a folder and opened it. Slowly, he began pulling pictures out of the folder and laying them down in front of Stephanie. All of the pictures were dated from yesterday and today. There were ten pictures in total.

“How did you get these?” she wondered, her voice barely a whisper.

Displayed before her on the table were pictures of five of the most important people in her life. Two pictures each, one from yesterday and one from today. There was a picture of Mary Alice galloping around in the back yard of her house from yesterday and one of her getting on the school bus this morning. There were two pictures of Grandma Mazur. In one she was obviously at Clara’s getting her hair done. The second showed her asleep in her bed. The third set of pictures was of Lula. One was from the day before and showed Lula bending over to do some filing. The one from today showed her eating breakfast in her apartment. The forth set was of Joe. The picture from yesterday showed him in his office at the Police Department. The one from this morning showed him shaving in his bathroom.

It was the fifth set of pictures that shook he the most, though. They were of Ranger. The picture from yesterday showed him sound asleep in his bed on the seventh floor of the Rangeman building. The one from today was from the restaurant where they had eaten lunch just a little while ago.

Stephanie decided it was a good thing her hands were cuffed behind her back. She could feel her hands trembling. Her mind was racing how could they have these pictures. Yes, some of them made sense, they were out in public, but these people had gotten into Ranger’s apartment while he slept. Who in the world were they?

"We're business men, Ms. Plum,” the first man said, reading the question in her eyes, his voice no longer smooth and cold. “ We plan on buying your silence with one of their lives," the harsh, hate-filled voice explained.

“But, I don’t even know who you are!” she exclaimed.

“And that’s the way it will stay,” the second man commanded.

“However,” the first man continued, having once more reigned in his hatred, leaving his voice cold as the grave. “We would feel much better if you never saw us. We do regret that it’s come to this, but we’re not entirely unreasonable men.”

Stephanie swallowed, her eyes wide with her fear and terror. These men were every idea she’d ever had about Satan made flesh. She didn’t trust them, didn’t want to trust them. But when her eyes fell on the picture of Ranger sleeping in his bed, she knew she would do whatever was needed to keep him, to keep all of them safe. “What do you want,” she demanded.

“It’s very simple, really. We have someone watching one of these people right now. They will be watching them on and off for quite a while longer. If you agree to disappear, permanently, and never speak of seeing us, we will let that person live. If you choose not to disappear, if you choose to try us, one of these people will die and another will take their place in the group of five – your mother, perhaps, or your father? You have two other nieces and a sister as well, don’t you? If you don’t leave at that point, another will die within twelve hours and another loved one will move into the pool”

She just stared at them, her eyes wide. “But…”

“No buts, Ms. Plum. If you feel you can’t disappear on your own, Mr… Smith here will help you disappear tonight,” the first man informed. “And as further motivation,” he continued, pulling a rubber glove on his hand, he pulled out a .38, aimed at the skip and pulled the trigger.

Her own tears mixing with the rain pouring down from the heavens, she made her way back to her car and set off to her apartment for the last time.

Present

“So I left,” she finished, downing the last of her wine as her eyes once more focused on the glow of the fireplace.

“That doesn’t make sense,” Bob said. “Why would they go to such extremes just so you would never admit to seeing them?”

Stephanie shrugged and met his eyes “I don’t know. I didn’t ask. I wasn’t willing to risk…” her voice trailed off as the horror of the day caught up with her. A shudder ran through her body. Taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly, she regained enough control to finish quietly, “ to risk any of them.” Her eyes betrayed her, though as they drifted to Ranger.

He was sitting perfectly still in his chair. His face was blank, but his eyes were a storm of emotion.

Before she could say anything to him, ask anything, Ranger suddenly stood up. His chair clattered to the floor and he turned toward the front door.

Ripping the door open, he stepped out onto the porch, leaving strained, painful silence in his wake.

Part 6 – Shadow

As the outer door gently clicked closed behind Ranger, Stephanie and Bob sat frozen, staring at the door.

Eventually, Bob was the first one to move. He rose from his chair and walked to the wine bottle. Pouring the last dregs of the wine into his glass, he downed it in one gulp. “Who were they?” he asked, his voice rough.

Stephanie met his eyes and shook her head. “I can’t,” she denied.

Bob just grunted and set his glass down a little too firmly on the table. “You’ll have to soon,” he said. “That man,” he began, pointing at the porch, his eyes turning to look the darkness outside. “That man is the one of finest, best men I have ever known. I have never known him to hurt like he hurt when you disappeared out of his life. He’s nearly worked himself into the hospital several times as he searched for you. He’s called in favors from all over the place to find you. Right now he doesn’t know which way is up. He’s found his holy grail only to find out it’s tied to he own personal hell.”

Turning back to face Stephanie, he flinched when he saw the tears streaming down her face. Softening his voice, he continued. “I understand why you did it. I saw some of what it did to you. I’ve read the pain, the isolation and the fear in your eyes every day I’ve known you. I want the names of those men who hurt both of you so badly. I want to make them pay. But right now, he needs you. He’s been bombarded by so much information, so many emotions…” Straightening, Bob walked to the wall and grabbed his raincoat off the peg where he’d hung it. He opened his mouth as if he was about to say something and then closed it again. Shaking his head, he slipped into his raincoat, fished his rain hat out of his pocket and left the house, hurting for both of his friends.

Stephanie glanced down at her hands and saw they were trembling. Fisting them and then pressing them against her thighs, she felt the shaking that was visible in her hands penetrate to her soul.

Taking several deep breaths, she closed her eyes and tried to visualize something peaceful. The first thing she saw when she closed her eyes were the aftereffects of her skip being shot, but she pushed those thoughts aside and tried to think of something else. Eventually the image of the day she arrived in Montana entered her mind. She had been driving all night, meandering aimlessly from state to state, wondering if it was safe to settle somewhere. She pulled off into a rest area to take a bio break.

Stephanie’s First Day In Montana

Stepping out of her car, she inhaled deeply, enjoying the crisp, clean air. It was Spring and the wildflowers carpeted the meadow as far as her eyes could see.

On a hill a little way distant, Stephanie could make out the shape of a few horses grazing on a hillside.

She immediately thought of Mary Alice. Though hardly someone to hang out with children, there had been times when Mary Alice had poignantly reminded Stephanie of herself as a child. It wasn’t unusual for the girl to appear in her thoughts whenever she saw a horse.

“Is this a sign to settle here?” she asked the gentle breeze since no one else was around to hear her.

As she was about to turn and leave, a bluebird landed on a nearby post and began singing its song

She could remember as a child Grandpa Mazur telling her to keep her eyes out for bluebirds. He then would tell her all about the bluebird of happiness.

Stephanie’s smile broadened. “Guess that’s a yes,” she whispered, heading back to her car. Now she just needed to find a town and a job.

Present

With the fear that had been overwhelming her pushed aside for the moment, Stephanie took a deep breath and rose from her seat. As she released the breath slowly through her nose, she crossed the room.

She only hesitated a moment before opening the door to the porch.

The storm that had tapered off earlier had returned with force sometime during her story. This time, it brought with it lightening and thunder.

It was a perfect match to the storm in her heart.

A flash of lightening revealed a very tense Ranger standing at the far end of the porch where the light pouring out of the windows of the parlor couldn’t reach. His legs were about shoulder width apart and his hands were gripping the railing hard enough that the muscles in his arms were beginning to bulge. His back was perfectly straight and rigid.

She hadn’t seen his face, but she knew what she would find there. It would be perfectly blank. The muscles would be tense and his jaw clenched.

Moving along the porch, she stopped beside him in the deep shadow and turned to look out at the land around them.

The darkness at first seemed overwhelming. Event the familiar objects she knew were out there seemed to blend into the night.

Slowly, though, her eyes adjusted and she could make out the forms of near objects. It took a while standing there beside him, but eventually the words came.

Turning to face Ranger, she was about to speak when lightning flashed, allowing her to clearly see his face. She couldn’t suppress her gasp at what she saw. The mix of strong emotions she read in his eyes were nearly overwhelming. It truly did rival the ferocity of the storm around them. She could easily identify anger, hurt, loss, fear, love and anguish. In that moment, in that brief flash, she understood the shadow her disappearance had cast on his life. He had told her once that she was the light in his dark world. By disappearing, she had taken away his light and condemned him to a life of darkness.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, her throat closing with emotion as she fought tears. She wasn’t a crier. She just didn’t cry and she certainly didn’t deal with this sort of emotional crap, but Ranger was… He was everything. Even now, he was her everything.

Without saying a word, Ranger released his death-grip on the railing and drew Stephanie into his harms, hugging her tightly to his chest.

He buried his face in her hair as she wrapped her arms around him just as tightly.

They stood that way until the lightening was too distance to pierce the night and the thunder was too far away to hear. They stayed that way until the driving rain tapered to a steady downpour and then reduced further to a soaking drizzle.

They stayed that way until the storm of emotion within each of them retreated enough to allow them to move forward instead of being lost in the past, lost in ‘what-ifs’.

They stayed embracing each other in the shadows on the porch until Ranger whispered, “I’m so sorry, Babe. So sorry I didn’t save you.”

Stephanie smiled and pulled back a little. She placed a finger over his lips and smiled. “Shh,” she coached. “No more worries about the past. We can’t do anything about it now.”

Ranger reached up and cupped her face in one of his hands. “But we can look to the future,” he replied.

The darkness around them hid the denial that flashed in Stephanie’s eyes. She made no reply to Ranger’s statement. Her reality hadn’t changed. She still couldn’t go back to Trenton, couldn’t let anyone know she was still alive.

Stepping away, she let her arm loop around Ranger’s waist. “Let’s go in and get some sleep. I work a long shift tomorrow,” she prompted. “I need to take that shower you mentioned earlier. Besides, I’ve got to be up to make you breakfast.”

“You cook, Babe?” Ranger asked.

He didn’t sound surprised, just curious, so Stephanie let the question go and answered, “Even I can make cold cereal and coffee, Ranger.”

Ranger chuckled softly to himself as he ushered her into the house. He waited while she locked up and then helped put the fire out. With that set they headed to the hall.

Stephanie stiffened as they reached the hallway. A part of her desperately wanted to have Ranger hold her all night long, but she knew she wasn’t ready for that, especially when Charlie wouldn’t know who he was.

As always, Ranger stepped in and said just the right thing. “It’s hard for me to believe you’re real,” he whispered, reaching out to run a finger down her cheek. Leaning forward, he kissed her gently, but firmly. “I’m looking forward to breakfast.” A smile twitched at the corner of his lips. “And meeting the other man in your life,” he added.

Stephanie laughed softly. “Charlie’s going to love you,” she assured.

Silence fell upon them once more as her laughter died out. Before it could become uncomfortable, she indicated the door to the back part of the house and said, “I should go get that shower.”

Ranger stepped away and then offered a wolf grin. “I’m good in the shower,” he teased.

Stephanie laughed again. “I think I can handle this one on my own, Romeo,” she teased back.

“Then I’ll see you in the morning,” Ranger replied, his eyes not leaving Stephanie’s as he moved to the stairs and began to climb.

When he was out of view, Stephanie shook herself and headed back to her side of the house.

It wasn’t going to be easy to keep her heart from overruling her head in this, but she knew she had no choice but to do it. She couldn’t risk Ranger’s life or any of the others.

She was going to have to be strong.

Part 7 – Front

"Mom," a voice called.

Stephanie shifted in her sleep.

"Mom!" the voice called again.

The word registered and Stephanie opened her eyes. Identifying the source of the disruption as her son, she let out a sigh of relief and stretched. "Hey, kiddo," she greeted. Her eyes drifted to the clock. It read six-thirty.

Stifling a groan, she eyed her son. "What are you doing up so bright and early?"

"Mo-om!" Charlie moaned as only a child can. "The guest is here! I heard him moving around and heard the door open. Is he going to be around for breakfast? Can you make a frittata?"

Stephanie laughed. A few more hours of sleep certainly wouldn't hurt, but with Charlie's reminder that Ranger was actually there, she suddenly needed to see him again. "All right," she agreed, but only because you asked so nicely."

"Thanks, Mom. You're the best!" the boy exclaimed, rewarding his mother with a quick kiss and hug before scampering off to his room.

Stephanie looked after him fondly. Never would she have thought she would be a mother. She certainly had fought long and hard against becoming one.

A promise had changed everything.

She certainly wasn't the same type of mother her mother had been or anyone else she knew for that matter. Still, it worked for them.

Tossing aside her covers, she got up out of bed and headed to the shower.

This was something else that had changed. She had learned that doing full Jersey Girl makeup and hair was not necessary. In fact, people out here tended to trust her more with only minimal makeup.

That one change had cut quite a bit of time from her morning routine.

She had also learned that the best way to wear her hair when working was in a low bun. That way her hat fit and, on the off-chance she had to chase someone or help break up a fight, it gave the other person one less thing to grip.

Of course, they hadn't had trouble like that in a long time. For the most part, her job as deputy was the calmest she'd had. Even her job at E. E. Martin had kept her hopping more than this one.

That wasn't to say that nothing happened. There was usually at least one, if not more than one, incident on even her shortest shift.

For all the calls she'd gone on during the last few years, though, she had never fired her service weapon in the line of duty.

Back in her bounty hunting days, despite her hatred of her gun, she had fired it more frequently in defense. Now she fired her service revolver frequently, but only on the gun range.

Finished with her shower, she got dressed in her uniform and packed an extra set of clothes in a duffle. She had two extra uniforms at work in her locker.

Although she didn't chase skips anymore, it wasn't uncommon for her to attract something messy during her shift. Most of the time, now, she could say it was, at least, substances that were easier to remove than garbage.

Other than the one incident a few months ago, the worst she had to try and remove was the incident at Potter's ranch. But, then, she always knew there was a reason she didn't like cows, despite their role in creating ice cream.

Finished with her morning routine, she checked the clock. It read 7:05.

If Ranger kept to his old habits, he should be back soon. A few minutes to shower and dress and he would be ready to start the day.

As she entered the kitchen, she couldn't help but smile. Charlie had the coffee going and all the ingredients out for the frittata. "Been busy?" she asked, smiling at her son's guilty look.

She knew he was excited about having a guest and just enjoyed his enthusiasm.In some ways, she wished she could feel the same excitement. And, in some ways, she did. But, there were so many other emotions involved with Ranger's being here that she couldn't feel the joy the way she would like to.

"Why don't you bring the juice out front to the dining room and then help me get everything else ready."

"O. K.!" Charlie replied, moving to the refrigerator. "Plates and silverware are already out," he informed as he opened the door to get the juice.

Stephanie grinned at the boy before turning her attention to cooking.

Things hadn't always been easy with Charlie. At first, Stephanie had no idea about what to do with him and he had been hurting so much at the loss of his mother that she almost gave him up.

Somehow, though, they had worked through it all and ended up close - closer than she had ever felt with her own parents anyway. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that she was probably breaking all sorts of rules of parenting, but she could never find it within her to care. The way they worked together worked for them.

"All set," Charlie announced, returning from the dining room. "Do you want me to set the table and the other stuff, or just leave it on the sideboard?"

Stephanie laughed. "Sure, go ahead and set the table," she agreed. Her son was something else. She only hoped he liked Ranger. She was pretty sure Ranger would love Charlie.

A short while later, she was just transferring the frittata to a serving plate when Charlie came rushing back into the kitchen. "Hurry, Mom! He's coming! Get everything out front!" the excited boy encouraged.

A soft, amused, laugh escaped Stephanie. "Calm down, kiddo," she advised. "Take a deep breath and we'll go."

Seeing Charlie take her advise, Stephanie took a deep breath herself. She was nervous. As she picked up the platter, she nodded for Charlie to open the door leading from the safe haven of their home to the dining room up front.

"Here goes nothing," she murmured, stepping through the doorway.

Her steps faltered for just a moment as she spotted Ranger standing in the other doorway to the room. As impossible as it seemed, she had forgotten the impact he had on people.

Currently, his hair was long and pulled back into a ponytail. The tiredness she'd noted the night before was reduced. He was still in excellent shape, but she noted, he no longer seemed to wear all black.

He was wearing black boots, black cargos and a black, long-sleeved, button-down shirt, but the top few buttons were undone at the neck to reveal a blue t-shirt underneath.

It was a shade of blue with which she was very familiar. It was the same color as her eyes.

"Morning," he greeted.

"Good morning," she returned, stepping forward and placing breakfast on the table. "Did you sleep well?"

Ranger moved forward and stopped a step away. Capturing Stephanie's eyes with his own, he replied, "Better than I have in a very long time."

Silence fell in the room and lasted for several seconds before a discreet cough sounded and both adults turned to see Charlie looking at them, waiting to be noticed.

Stephanie felt a flush on her cheeks as she realized she'd forgotten that Charlie was in the room. She caught sight of Ranger lifting an eyebrow in question. What surprised her, however, was the look in her son's eyes when staring at Ranger. She also noted that her son had shifted closer to her and was standing somewhat protectively by her side.

"Charlie," she began, "I would like to meet someone important to me from before I moved to Montana. This is Ricardo Carlos Manoso, but he goes by Ranger. He's also Bob's friend." Stephanie could see the curiosity in Charlie's eyes when she mentioned her life before Montana.

Turning to face Ranger, she continued the introductions. "Ranger, I would like you to meet my son, Charlie."

Ranger's eyes never left Charlie as he held out his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you," Ranger assured in his best boardroom voice.

Charlie took the hand and nodded, a little uncertain about what to do after that. But with the greeting, he relaxed his stance a bit.

"Why don't we sit and eat before everything gets cold?" Stephanie suggested.

"Isn't cold cereal supposed to be cold?" Ranger teased, his eyes straying to the delicious-smelling frittata.

Stephanie just smiled and shrugged. "If you really want cereal, that's more for us," she stated, grinning at Charlie who grinned back.

Ranger chuckled. "And miss out on something you cooked yourself without burning down the kitchen?" he teased with a half-smile. "Never."

"Hey!" Stephanie protested, laughing.

"Mom's a great cook!" Charlie defended.

"I couldn't cook at all when Ranger used to know me," Stephanie soothed right away. "He was just teasing me."

A nod of agreement came from Ranger. "I didn't mean any offense," he promised.

Charlie thought about that for a few minutes before nodding his acceptance of it. "O. K." he agreed, accepting the serving plate as it was passed to him.

Taking his food, he looked thoughtfully at Ranger. "Do you know any stories you could tell me about Mom?" he asked.

"Oh, no you don't!" Stephanie protested as Ranger opened his mouth.

Her protest only piqued Charlie's interest. He sat straighter in his chair and looked at Ranger expectantly.

"Later," Ranger mouthed to the boy.

Charlie smiled and nodded his acceptance of the promise.

Part 8 – Cheating

“And I'm telling you he darn well deserved it after what he did!” Misty-Rose shouted, finger pointing accusingly at her husband.

“Mrs. Hilbert,” Stephanie said calmly and firmly. When it appeared she was being ignored, she repeated more loudly, “Mrs. Hilbert!”

“What?” Misty-Rose Hilbert demanded before noticing to whom she was speaking. “Oh. Sorry, deputy,” she said, looking truly abashed.

“That's OK,” Stephanie assured. “Why don't we step over there and you can tell me exactly what happened.”

“Alright,” Mrs. Hilbert agreed.

Three hours later, Stephanie was just finishing the last of her report on the incident out at the old Hilbert place when the bell over the door jingled.

Looking up from her desk, she smiled as Bucky Miller came into the station.

“Hey, Bucky,” she greeted. “What can I help you with?” she asked, moving to stand by the counter.

“Just wanted to stop by and let the chief know the cruiser's all set. Oil's changed, tired rotated, the whole nine yards.”

“Thanks,” Stephanie replied, holding her hand out for the keys.

Bucky hesitated just as he was about to drop the keys in her hand. “I don't know,” he said, his voice light and teasing. “Last time I gave you the keys, the cruiser got hit by a meteorite before I left the building.”

Stephanie rolled her eyes. “Acts of God are hardly my fault,” she protested. “It's not like I could do anything to cause or prevent that.”

“Uh-huh,” Bucky replied, his tone filled with disbelief. “And the tree branch that fell on it?”

“It was deadwood!”

“And then there was the horse that tried to jump it – supposedly.”

“He did try to jump it!”

“And the crash caused by droppings in the road, the electrical wire which fried the electronics, the elk that caused you to run into a ditch...”

“All right! Enough!” Stephanie protested, laughing and holding her hands up. “I surrender! I won't touch the keys.”

Bucky let out a loud belly laugh. “That's OK,” he assured her after regaining control. “I was just teasing you,” he admitted, handing the keys to Stephanie who immediately walked them back to the board where the keys for the car hung. “Say, did Misty-Rose say why she shot ol' Henry with rock salt?” he asked.

Stephanie turned and pursed her lips, trying to keep from laughing. “You know I can't divulge that information,” she informed.

“Sure you can,” Bucky denied. “If you don't, you know Jed will tonight.”

Jedidiah Williams was the sheriff and Stephanie's boss. He had been a detective in Chicago for a number of years before retiring to Montana. When the town was looking for a new sheriff, they had gone straight to Jed to ask him to take the position. It had taken some doing, but now, ten years later, no one would have it any other way.

Stephanie knew it was true. Among his many fine qualities, Jed had a few problems as well, one of which was keeping secrets on certain things. An incident like this one with the Hilberts would be something he'd never keep quiet.

Of course, given that Misty-Rose was the biggest gossip in the area and that she had already most likely shared the story, Stephanie was able to justify sharing the information.

With a sigh, she moved back to the counter to stand in front of Bucky. “Henry was cheating,” she informed the mechanic.

Bucky's jaw dropped open in shock, his eyes wide. “Cheating?” he demanded. “Henry doesn't have an unfaithful bone in his body!” he defended.

“He didn't cheat on Misty-Rose,” Stephanie continued. “She caught him cheating on the diet the doctor had him on for his blood pressure.”

Bucky's shock turned to amusement as he waited for more information.

“She caught him sprinkling salt on his food when she was away from the table. You remember how upset she was when he had his problems? Well, she was furious when she found out. She screamed at him that if he wanted salt so badly, she'd give it to him. Then she put one of the shells they'd filled with rock salt into the shot gun and fired at him.”

Both Stephanie and Bucky were laughing at the thought. “Guess rock salt doesn't just scare away unwanted critters,” he finally said, wiping tears of mirth from his eyes.

“Nope,” Stephanie agreed.

“She sure does love him, though,” Bucky observed of Misty-Rose and Henry. “Of course, my Sarah would do the same . Hope that someday you can find someone who loves you like that, deputy.”

“Thanks,” Stephanie replied. As Bucky turned to leave, flashes of her time with Ranger ran through her mind, ending with the look in his eyes that morning when she told him she was a deputy. “I already have,” she whispered, not noticing that she was once more alone in the station.

Part 9 – Fireflies

It was dark as Stephanie pulled up to their house. Charlie was still chattering away about everything he had done that day.

Normally, Stephanie paid complete attention to him. She loved to hear about his adventures. It frequently made up for everything that had gone wrong for her.

Ever since her talk with Bucky, though, her mind would constantly stray to thoughts of Ranger, thoughts of what they had shared, of how they had been together, and of their love.

Taking in the house, she could see the light in Ranger's room was on, as was the parlor light.

A slight movement on the porch, however, drew her attention. She didn't have to see the form clearly to know that it was Ranger.

Pulling up beside the house, she parked the SUV.

She struggled a bit to keep things normal as they gathered their bags together.

As they entered the house, Stephanie caught Charlie stifling another yawn. “Time for you to head to be, mister,” she commanded.

“But, Mom...”

“No buts. That's three yawns between the car and the house. Bed. Now.”

Charlie was about to protest when another yawn overtook him. With a sigh of defeat he went upstairs to change and get in bed.

Stephanie brought their bags to the laundry room and started unpacking them. Her uniform was still clean, so she was able to put it in the washer without pre-treating.

It was as she was closing the washer lid that she noticed her hands were shaking.

Fisting her hands, she recited the mantra she'd been repeating to herself all night, “Nothing bad will happen.” It was just too bad she didn't seem to be able to believe it.

Shaking herself to try and get rid of her apprehension, Stephanie headed upstairs to say good night to Charlie.

Ten minutes later, she found herself standing before the door to the front hallway. She desperately wanted to go find Ranger, but she was also desperately afraid to find him. A momentous change was about to happen in her life and she had no idea what it would be.

Whatever fate held for her, though, she would need to face it head on as she always had.

Her decision made, Stephanie pushed the door open and headed down the hall.

As she suspected, the parlor and dining room were both empty.

Making her way to the front door, she opened it and stepped outside. It took a few moments for her eyes to adjust, but she hadn't really needed them to know Ranger was nearby. Not only had she spotted him moving earlier, but she could smell the faint scent of his shower gel.

Moving to the bench where he was currently reclining, she sat next to him. They sat side by side in darkness, neither making a move to touch the other, neither, apparently, willing to break the silence.

Eventually, though, Stephanie gave in and broke the silence. “So, did you come out here to catch fireflies?” she asked, saying the first thing that came to mind.

“Babe,” Ranger replied, his voice a mixture of amusement and horror.

Hearing her nickname spoken in that tone for the first time in four years caused her breath to catch and her heart to still for a moment. She felt something inside her loosen, while something else mended and the worry and fear she'd been fighting fade away. “Ranger,” she whispered back, shocked by the tear-choked sound of her voice.

As if no time had passed at all, Stephanie found herself wrapped tightly in a pair of strong arms, she rested her head on his shoulder.

The previous night, meeting Ranger on the road had brought back a myriad of feelings, but let her in turmoil. Tonight, hearing that nickname calmed the storm within her. She knew they would overcome the obstacles in their way and she was finally ready to face them.

“Babe,” Ranger repeated, pulling away so he could see her face. “Can I kiss you?”

Stephanie's eyes widened in surprise and joy. “Yes,” she whispered back.

The kiss started out much as the previous one had – filled with love and longing. The tenor of the kiss changed and deepened. It became less a sharing of emotion and more a communion of their souls. In the time their lips were pressed together, answers were sought, answers were given and the conclusion that they fit, that they completed something in the other, was confirmed.

When they finally broke apart, gasping for air, they both knew that a conversation in words would have to happen at some point, but, for now, they were OK.

Moving so she was snuggled against Ranger's side, Stephanie rested her head on his shoulder and asked, “So, if you weren't catching fireflies, what were you doing out here in the dark?”

The arm that Ranger had placed around Stephanie's shoulders tightened for a moment before he replied, “Thinking.”

Knowing she probably wouldn't get a longer answer, she prodded, “About what?”

Ranger was silent for several minutes before he responded, “About you, about why you left, about what I want, about the new life you have here, about what I want to do , about everyone back in Trenton, about my business, about why Bob called me out here and what I have to do to resolve the issue.” He stopped his recitation and was silent for several seconds before adding, “That's about it.”

Uncertain if she was more shocked by his sharing or by the fact she seemed to occupy so many of his thoughts, it took Stephanie several minutes to reply. Finally, though, she did. “That's a lot to have on your mind,” she observed. “I wish we could resolve all the questions you have about me, but now isn't really the time to do that.” She hurried on, afraid Ranger would interrupt with an objection. “We do need to deal with all of it, but first, you need to deal with Bob's situation. I'll still be here when it's resolved,” she assured.

Silence stretched through several long minutes before Stephanie interpreted its meaning. When she did, she couldn't help her protest. “No!” she denied. “It's not that dangerous. It can't be. You just found me.” She cut herself off as she realized she was headed toward a panicked ramble.

Ranger sighed and was silent as he gathered his thoughts. “Bob... I knew him when I was in the Rangers. He was and still is one of the best and most competent men I know.” Although the bench they were sitting on was dimly lit, Ranger shifted until he was facing Stephanie, looking into her eyes. “Babe. Stephanie, a man like Bob doesn't need help unless it's very, very bad.”

“So, this isn't just helping around his house or something?” she asked her voice small.

“No, Babe. If he's right, it's very, very bad.”

Stephanie swallowed her fear. “Then I want to help, however, I can,” she stated.

Ranger smiled and let out a low chuckle. “Never change, Steph.” He took a deep breath and looked away, into the darkness. “There's a reason Bob hasn't brought this to you. It's not just because some of what we need to do would be a conflict of interest with your job as deputy. It's not that this is probably too big for us to handle. Mostly, it's Charlie. If something happened to you... He's lost one mother already. He doesn't to lose a second one before his ninth birthday.”

Stunned, Stephanie sat perfectly still as the seriousness and magnitude of what Ranger was saying sank in. She did have to worry about Charlie first, last and always, but she also knew she couldn't let Ranger and Bob go into this without helping them as much as possible. Even if it was just background and research.

Squaring her shoulders, Stephanie turned Ranger's head so he was looking at her again. “I'm helping,” she stated. There was no doubt in her voice, no room for argument. “Whatever I can do, I will. Jed won't complain about me running searches or anything like that. I have access to a lot of information,” she offered.

A smile crept across her face. “Besides,” she added, “No psycho stands a chance with me after them and you along with me. Even gangs falter before the Bombshell Bounty Hunter.”

Ranger let out a bark of laughter. “True for normal psychos, Babe, but these people take evil to a whole new level for you,” he explained.

The smile left Stephanie's face and she grew very serious. “I've faced a higher level of evil, Ranger. That's why I'm here and not in Trenton. I faced it and I ran. This time, I'm going to fight back.”

Part 10 – Thrilled

The next morning started much as the previous one for Stephanie.

“Mom,” a voice called. “Mom!” it insisted.

Opening her eyes and resisting the urge to groan, she stretched and smiled at her son. “Morning Charlie,” she greeted as she eyed the clock. It read six twenty-five. Five minutes earlier than the day before. “What are you doing up so bright and early on a day off?”

“Mo-om! Mr. Ranger is still here! We've got to get up and make him breakfast.”

Stephanie smiled at her enthusiastic son. Sitting up on her bed, she felt a flutter of excitement in her own chest at the thought of seeing Ranger. “You're really that thrilled about setting the table again?” she teased.

“No,” Charlie answered, moving to the door of the room. Turning around, he blessed his mother with a wicked grin and answered, “Today he's going to tell me stories about you.”

Stephanie groaned as Charlie scurried away, giggling. There went any hope she had of retaining any shred of dignity, not that she had too many left after her car problem, but there had been a few more adventures back then.

The image of a garbage truck flipping over on top of a Porsche popped into her mind. “Oh, Lord,” she exclaimed as she got out of bed. She quickly went through her morning routine and bounced down to the kitchen.

When she arrived, she saw no sign of Charlie in the kitchen, but soon heard his laughter coming from the dining room.

Pushing open the door, she found Charlie nearly falling out of his chair, he was laughing so hard.

Ranger was sitting in his chair looking amused. He looked up and met Stephanie's eyes. “Morning,” he greeted.

Stephanie couldn't have stopped the smile on her face if she tried. Ranger had always made things better and it appeared that hadn't changed. “Morning,” she greeted, stepping into the room. She continued further in as Ranger held out a hand toward her.

When she reached him, Ranger closed his hand over hers and drew her closer. Wrapping his arms around her, he rose up and kissed her good morning.

Stephanie felt a shiver run down her spine at the rightness of the kiss.

A sound behind her drew her attention to the third person in the room. Charlie wasn't looking quite as happy as he had before.

This was one situation she hadn't thought of how to deal with yet. Leaving Ranger's embrace, she chose to sit in the chair between the two. Looking from Ranger to Charlie, she leaned forward to begin her explanation.

“Charlie, you know that Ranger knew me before I moved to Montana. I'm sure you've also figured out that we were good friends. What you may not know is that we were dating when I left Trenton,” Stephanie explained.

“Why didn't you stay with him or call him after you moved?” Charlie asked.

“I had to leave Trenton all of a sudden,” she explained. “I didn't even get to tell my Mom and Dad where I was going or even that I had to leave.”

“So, your Mom and Dad don't know where you are?” the boy asked.

“No one from Trenton does,” Stephanie confirmed. “It was too dangerous for me to tell anyone where I was going or where I lived. We're safe here,” she assured. “But I can't go back to Trenton and can't tell anyone I used to know where I am now.”

“What about Ranger?” Charlie asked.

Stephanie's eyes drifted to the man in question. “He only found me on accident,” Stephanie explained.

“Are you two going to get married?” Charlie demanded.

Stephanie nearly choked at that question. Her first, and only, experience with marriage had not gone well. “No,” she answered.

“Not yet,” Ranger inserted softly.

Stephanie looked at Ranger in shock. Ranger hadn't seemed any more anxious for marriage than she had when they'd known each other Trenton. In fact, he had told her he wouldn't do anything stupid like marriage or children.

Sending a look at Ranger's raised eyebrow, Stephanie turned to Charlie. “We haven't seen each other in four years, kiddo. There have been a lot of changes in both of our lives over the years. The most important one for me, is you. We'll need time to talk about those changes before we decide what to do next.”

Charlie looked at his mother intently for several seconds before he relaxed in his seat. “Do you love him?” he asked.

“Yes,” Stephanie replied without hesitation. She then turned to look at Ranger and saw a look of joy on his face. Her breath caught for another reason entirely.

Charlie must have caught the look as well. Turning his attention to Ranger, he asked, “Do you love my mom?”

“With all my heart,” Ranger replied, his eyes holding Stephanie's.

Accepting the answer, Charlie stood and picked up his juice. “Good,” he announced. “Let's go eat in the kitchen and you can tell me more stories about Mom while she makes breakfast.”

Stephanie shook her head at the turn around in Charlie. She watched her son lead the way into the kitchen and was startled when Ranger rested a hand on her shoulder.

“We will have that talk, Babe,” he informed as he moved to help her from her chair.

“I know,” she agreed, looking forward to it – an unusual phenomena in her world. She accepted his help up and paused by the door to the kitchen. Looking up into his eyes, she greeted, “Welcome to my home.”

Part 11 – Sheltered

Breakfast finished fairly quickly. If Stephanie had ever imagined having a meal with Ranger and Charlie, it couldn't have gone better than this morning. There was still a long way to go as far as reaching conclusions about the future, defining roles and such, but the two men in her life seemed to be getting on well enough.

Today she knew she and Ranger would need to talk to Bob about letting her help, but, in order to do that, she would need to find somewhere safe for Charlie to be.

She was still struggling with how much to tell Charlie. His life up until now hadn't been as sheltered as her at the same age, but there were still a lot of things to which she didn't want to expose him.

Right now she wasn't even sure what the threat was that Ranger and Bob were looking at, but she did know she needed to keep her son as far away from it as possible.

“Charlie,” she began, “I”m going to be helping Ranger and Bob today. Do you want me to call Foxx's mom and see if you can come over to play?”

The eight-year old eyed his mother suspiciously. “You're doing something dangerous, aren't you?” he demanded.

Before Stephanie could answer, Ranger interrupted. “It could be very dangerous, Charlie,” he admitted. “But Bob and I are going to do everything we can to make sure she stays as safe as possible.”

Charlie's attention had been riveted on Ranger he began speaking. “You promise,” the eight-year-old insisted.

“I promise,” Ranger replied.

“Cross your heart, hope to die, stick a needle in your eye,” Charlie continued, his face serious as he claimed the most sacred swear of any child.

Ranger shot Stephanie an odd look, obviously not understanding what was being asked of him.

“You have to promise and repeat it,” Charlie commanded when Ranger didn't respond quickly enough.

Stephanie was torn between being amused at Ranger's discomfiture and touched by Charlie's obvious love. “You'll have to walk him through it. I don't think he knows that promise,” she informed her son as she fought off a smile.

“OK,” Charlie said, nodding. “Repeat after me. I promise to keep my mom safe.”

Ranger repeated, “I promise to keep Stephanie safe.”

Then, putting action to the words, Charlie continued, “Cross my heart.”

“Cross my heart,” Ranger echoed.

“Hope to die.”

“Hope to die.”

“Stick a needle in my eye,” Charlie finished.

“Stick a needle in my eye,” Ranger repeated, his face ans voice serious and solemn.

“OK,” Charlie agreed. “She can help you, but you better make sure she doesn't get hurt.” He then stood and walked to the stairs. “Foxx's is fine,” he assured his mother. After climbing three steps, he stopped and turned back. “Oh, Ranger. If something happens to the car, I know it wasn't your fault. That's all Mom.”

“Hey!” Stephanie protested as Charlie took off giggling and Ranger chuckled. Unable to deny the truth of the statement, she smiled as well. “I guess I better call Mandy,” she said, standing.

Ranger rose with her and drew her close, kissing her. “I will keep you safe,” he assured.

“I know you will,” Stephanie agreed, resting her head on his shoulder and enjoying the feeling of being held. She felt his chest vibrate as he chuckled. “What?”

“I think my swearing in as a Ranger was less solemn,” he admitted. “I know my wedding vows never meant as much, though.”

Stephanie's smile softened and her heart warmed at the admission. Rising up, she placed a soft kiss on Ranger's lips. “Thank you,” she said before pulling away. “Why don't you head over to Bob's and give me the bad news that I'll be helping out,” she instructed. “I have a phone call to make and a child to drop off.”

“Yes, ma'am,” Ranger replied, offering a salute before walking past her an through the door to the front of the house.

Stephanie just shook her head and made her way to the phone. She dialed a familiar number and waited for an answer. “Hey, Mandy. It's Stephanie...”

Part 12 – Watching

Ranger stood, leaning against a post on Bob's front porch. As expected, his friend hadn't reacted well to the news Stephanie would be helping them, even if it was mostly in a research role.

Bob had finally accepted the fact that the one person he had fought against asking to help was the one person they needed. He hadn't been happy about it, though, and was currently out back chopping wood.

Though he, too, had been against Stephanie's involvement, Ranger knew the quality of her searches and knew they wouldn't find anyone to help them who could do better. It was the right choice to make. They would just have to do everything they could to ensure her safety.

Though there was much they needed to go over and plan once Stephanie arrived, the real reason he was watching for her arrival had less to do with the tasks before them and more to do with his need to see her, to feel her, to touch her.

After four years of searching, wanting, needing and dreaming, the few brief encounters they had shared were nowhere near enough for him.

In truth, he was having a difficult time not just sweeping her into his arms and taking her away from everyone and everything to a place they could be alone. He was having a hard time resisting the urge to handcuff her to him so that she would never again leave his side.

But he knew she wasn't ready for that. It was true they still fit as well as ever and their hearts still belonged to each other, but Stephanie had been right, a lot had changed in four yeas. The biggest change for her was Charlie. The biggest change for him was how safe his life had become – relatively speaking.

The change had begun before Stephanie had disappeared, shortly after the Scrog incident and had continued to evolve. It was what had made having a relationship a possibility for him.

Now, all these years later, he had spent so much time away from those things that had added danger to his life as he searched for Stephanie, he couldn't remember a time as an adult when he had been safer.

Of course, for him, safety was a relative thing. Compared to a normal man, he still lived a dangerous life. He still had enemies out there who wouldn't hesitate to kill him and everyone close to him.

Bringing Stephanie into his life hadn't been such a big deal. She was a bounty hunter and had enemies of her own. Even now, he had every confidence she could handle things.

No, the problem now was Charlie. At one point in time, he had told Stephanie he wouldn't do anything stupid like marriage or children. Getting married was just setting up his wife to be used as a hostage or a tool to control him. Bringing a child into his life wasn't an option either.

Over the last four years, though, he had promised himself time and again that if he ever found Stephanie, he would never let her go. He would keep her with him no matter what. He'd waited while she figured things out with Morelli and had fought his own desire to move swiftly in order to build a relationship with Stephanie he knew would last, one where she understood exactly what she was getting into by having a relationship with him, one where they were clear on what each expected of the other.

Then she'd disappeared.

Now, he would have to find a way to make his life work for the three of them – Stephanie, Charlie and himself.

Somehow Stephanie had found a way to hide from everybody and still fit Charlie into her life. He had to admit he was amazed by her and what she had accomplished. He'd been able to see some of it for himself and Bob had filled in a lot of blanks.

Movement in the distance caught his eye. It appeared his watching for Stephanie was as done as his searching was. He would call Bob in a minute when she was closer.

For now, he put away all thoughts of what might be. There was work to do.

Part 13 – Junction

Stephanie settled at Bob's familiar, worn kitchen table. She sat her cup of coffee down and looked at the papers scattered about. “OK. So, what's the story?” she demanded.

Bob eyed her for a few minutes. “The story, at the moment, is that I'm not happy you're involved.”

“I didn't think you would be,” Stephanie assured. “But there's more going on than you've admitted and I have too much riding on this venture of yours not to claim a role in it,” she finished, carefully avoiding looking at Ranger. She wasn't sure how much Ranger had told him about their relationship. She was well aware that she hadn't said anything specifically about it. There had been one time in the first year that she'd been there there that she admitted to having left someone behind she loved deeply, but that was it.

Silence filled the room for several seconds before Bob finally broke it. “Fine,” he agreed reluctantly, “but you're only playing a passive role in all this. Research only, nothing active.”

“Agreed,” said Stephanie. When she saw Bob relax, she added, “For now.”

Bob immediately straightened again. “No. Passive only,” he insisted.

Stephanie tamped down her desire to snap back and replied, “If this situation is as dangerous as it appears, it could change swiftly and we could be left with no choice but to include me in the action.”

She could see Bob struggling to deny the logic of her words, but he couldn't. She was right and they all knew it.

Knowing she hadn't won a victory, simply pointed out the obvious, Stephanie tried to focus everyone's attention back on the issue at hand. “So, what are we looking at and what do I need to find out?”

Bob leaned forward and pulled out a topographic map of the area. Laying it on top of everything else on the table, he began his explanation. “This is my ranch,” he began, pointing to a spot on the map. “Over the years I've acquired land around here as it's gone up for sale. It now reaches from my ranch back here to the ridge.

“Each Spring and Summer, I ride out to check my property and make sure there's nothing there that shouldn't be.

“This year I'd just gotten to the junction of this stream and this river when I heard an explosion.

“As you can see, I wasn't that far from the ridge, so I rode up it and spotted the smoke almost immediately.

“It wasn't particularly dry, but fire's always a threat, so I headed off to make sure there was no problem. I just wasn't expecting what I found.”

Shifting his finger on the map, he indicated an area that seemed fairly remote and inaccessible. “What I found was a compound complete with fencing, guards, the whole nine yards. There was no fire. They had set off some explosives in an area they had cleared out.

“At first, I thought it might just be a new militia, but the more I watched, the less I believed it an the more I realized we had something else entirely on our hands.”

After a few minutes of silence, Stephanie asked, “What do we have?”

“Terrorists,” Bob informed. “Well educated, well connected, well funded terrorists.”

Stephanie was stunned. This was worse than she could have imagined and from the looks on Ranger's and Bob's faces it wasn't going to get any better. “How do you know?” she asked, not because she didn't believe him, but because she wanted all the information he had.

“I have some... tools that I use every now and then. One of them is similar to what you probably know as a directional microphone. When I aim it in a certain direction, it picks up and amplifies the sounds that are coming from that way.

“I couldn't get close enough to catch full conversations, but I did hear bits and pieces.

“Among what I did hear were discussions of targets, bomb designs, plans and schematics. I don't know what type of explosion or what type of bomb they're planning, specifically, but their target is Denver.”

“Denver is a long way from here,” Stephanie observed. “How were they planning on transporting whatever it is?”

“That's one of the things we need to find out,” Ranger said, joining the conversation. “Yesterday I went out with Bob and scanned their compound. We think we have a way in, or at least a way to get close enough to get better intel.”

Bob took over at this point. “While we're working on that plan, I need you to find out everything you can about the people in these pictures,” he instructed, handing over a stack of pictures. Gathering together the papers that had been scattered over the table, he continued, “This is everything we have so far: names, dates, conversations, backgrounds. It's not much, but hopefully it will be enough to get started.”

Stephanie flipped through the first few pictures. Some of the images needed enhancement and enlargement. That was something she could do at the office. The names and other information she could begin researching on Bob's computers. There were a few searches she used at the station that she had used at Rangeman. They would be easy enough to install. She'd need to organize everything first, though.

“Stephanie?” Bob asked.

Looking up, she realized she'd been quiet for a long time. She offered a smile and assured, “I'm on it guys. You go do the James Bond stuff.”

Part 14. - Paper

Stephanie took her piles of pictures and papers and headed over to Bob's computer. Setting her information on the chair , she quickly stacked and cleared the papers on the desk, setting them in a neat pile on the floor. She picked up her information from the chair and began sorting it into piles.

The pictures she set on the end of the desk in one pile. The hand-written transcripts she placed in another. The third pile held information on the people and places involved.

Picking up the searches first, she scanned through them quickly. Bob had done a good job with them, but she could probably find a bit more. There were some searches she could run today from here, but others would have to wait until the office tomorrow.

Settling those pages on the desk, she picked up the first one and started the computer. A few years ago, Bob had set both her and Charlie up on his home P. C. She rarely used her account, but was glad she had it.

As the main screen came up, she noticed a forth login had been added. It simply said, “Carlos”.

She smiled and quickly ran her fingers over the name. Before she came to Montana, she had thought about settling in Arizona. She'd found a nice town that seemed to fit.

A Small Town In Arizona

She had just picked up the local paper when she heard a woman call, “Carlos!”

Although she knew it couldn't possibly be Ranger, it had been impossible not to look up.

Her heart clenched at the sight of a small child with longish black hair and mocha-latte skin. The boy ran to his mother and when Stephanie caught sight of him, she knew that the boy was no relation to her Carlos. But for a split second she had wanted to believe.

Setting the paperback down, she headed toward the motel to get her things and find a new place to stay.

Viciously shoving her clothes into her suitcase, she chided aloud, “He's not your Carlos any more and never will be again.”

Shutting the top of her suitcase, she desperately tried to ignore that portion of her heart that insisted Ranger would always be hers.

Present

Logging into the computer, Stephanie began her searches.

Reaching for a pencil, she accidentally knocked some papers on the floor.

When she bent to gather them, she knocked over the stack of papers she had moved to the floor.

Uttering a soft curse, she got out of the chair, and began collecting those papers as well. Fortunately each set had fallen in a different area.

As she moved to place a handful of papers on the stack on the floor, one paper in particular caught her attention.

At the top of the paper in bold type was her name: Stephanie Plum.

Her body stilled. After a moment, she slowly reached out and picked it up from the top of the stack.

Settling more comfortably on the floor, Stephanie dropped the sheets she had gathered and settled in to read the one she had found.

Scanning the information on the paper, she could see it contained the basic information that could be found out on-line – vital statistics, news articles, etc.

The first thing to catch her eye was the date of death.

She was unable to stop the gasp at the sight. Tears welled in her eyes as she realized her family had had her declared legally dead when her body hadn't been found. She couldn't imagine the pain that had caused, the heartache she had inflicted on her loved ones.

It wasn't until a tear splashed on the page that she realized she was crying.

Blinking rapidly to try and clear her vision so she could read the rest, she found she could only really make out two words written in Bob's scrawling hand, “Why lie?”

Another sob escaped as she not only mourned for the life she had abandoned, but ached for the pain and doubt she had inflicted upon her friends here in Montana.

Maybe it had been sharing the truth with Bob and Ranger that had loosened her emotions on the issue of her disappearance, but whatever it was, years of fear, loneliness and heartache chose that moment to come out.

Thought the purging of her emotions was intense, it didn't last long. Still, by the time she got herself under control, the paper that had caused her breakdown was wet and wrinkled.

Taking several deep breaths to calm herself, Stephanie gathered her papers and stood.

Placing everything on the desk, she snagged a few tissues from the box on the desk and blew her nose. She took another to wipe the tears from her face, making sure to wipe under her eyes to make sure to remove any mascara that had run.

As she tossed the used tissues in the garbage can, she glanced at the door, wondering why neither Bob nor Ranger had come to check on her. Not that she expected either of them to be anxious to be near a crying woman, but, still, they cared for her. Wouldn't they check on her?

Crossing the room, she found the kitchen empty and the door to the basement open. That would explain why neither man came, they didn't hear her. In all honesty, she was more relieved that they hadn't shown up to comfort her than disappointed. She hated crying in front of people and right now she needed to prove to both men and herself that she was strong enough to handle this situation.

Her mind made up, she turned back into the room and settled at the computer. Her first searches were almost done, checking to make sure the printer had paper, she focused her attention on the information the programs had found.

Part 15: Coffee Break

Ranger stood in the doorway to the home office watching Stephanie. She had disappeared in there shortly after they told her what was going on and he and Bob had lost themselves in the planning for their “James Bond stuff” as Stephanie had called it.

He smiled at the memory. It had been such a classic Stephanie thing to say. He had really missed the little things like that, missed the way she saw the world, the way she smiled and laughed, the way just speaking to her on the phone could brighten his whole day.

Right now, he was picturing her, not in Bob's home office, but in her cubicle at Rangeman. True, she hadn't been there long and others had spent more time in it over the years, but, to him, it would always be Stephanie's cubicle.

There was such an intensity about Stephanie, such a spark of life that, he was sure, no one who met her could resist. Everything she did she gave her whole self to. He should know, he had been blessed once by the gift of her whole self and now, four years later, fate or destiny or whatever it was had seen fit to bless him with her again. This time, he would be sure to return the favor and hold nothing back from his Babe.

Noting the rather impressive stack of papers in front of her, the interest with which she was reading and the steady hum of the printer, it was safe to say she was thoroughly engrossed in the information she had found.

The fact that she hadn't noticed him standing there for the past few minutes eloquently spoke to her single-minded purpose.

He felt Bob come up behind him and peer over his shoulder.

“She always like that?” he asked.

Ranger smiled. “Only when she's onto something,” he replied. “Is the coffee ready?”

“Yeah. I made some sandwiches too,” Bob informed.

“OK. I'll bring her in,” Ranger replied.

Bob nodded and left.

Walking into the room, Ranger stopped behind and slightly to the side of Stephanie. Resting a hand on the back of her neck, he felt her jump slightly before her eyes turned to meet his.

He smiled down at her and felt his heart trip in delight when she returned it. “Coffee break, Babe,” he explained. He easily read the question in her eyes and was thankful she was still as open and easy to read as she always had been. “You've been at it for about four hours. It's time for a break.”

Before she could reply, her stomach growled loudly and Ranger couldn't help the gentle chuckle that escaped as he watched her turn a delicate pink. Spinning the chair so she faced him, he pulled her up and then wrapped an arm around her waist drawing her close. Before setting off for the kitchen, he placed a kiss on her temple.

He had missed this and realized it wasn't just the contact, it had been as if he had been missing a piece of himself and finding her again had put that missing piece back.

As they stepped into the kitchen, Bob was just putting a platter of sandwiches on the table.

Ranger felt Stephanie begin to pull away as she made a beeline for the sandwiches. He couldn't help but smile, glad that some things never changed.

One night while walking along the Jersey shore in the moonlight, Stephanie had confided that Ranger was her rock, one constant in her life she could count on being there.

At the time, he had been uncomfortable with the revelation, partially because he knew his life was anything but stable, after all, he still got called away on business frequently and couldn't always be there for her. It was only after Stephanie had disappeared, though, that he could admit the thing that had terrified him – Stephanie was his rock too.

He had no idea when it had happened, but she was the one he would lean on, seek out and think of when he was feeling tired, overwhelmed or just lonely. She understood him, at times, better than he understood himself. She had been his point of reference, the center of his world and he had never told her that. He had never let himself know that.

Now, after losing her for four years, he found her again. The only question let for for how long?

The more Bob told him of the situation, the more they reviewed and prepared, the more uneasy he became.

It would be far too easy for something to go wrong.

“I have some of the preliminaries done,” Stephanie was saying to Bob. “But I know we're missing things on all of these people. I can feel it out there.”

“What do you mean?” the older man inquired.

Ranger watched Stephanie's cheeks puff out as she blew out a breath.

“You were right,” she began. “The people I've researched are well educated – very well educated, but, so far, that's all they seem to have in common.”

“So, on the surface, there's no reason for them to know each other, let alone work together,” Bob interpreted.

“Exactly,” Stephanie agreed. “And that means we're missing something or our searches are.”

“What do you need to find out, Babe,” Ranger asked, settling in the chair next to her. He watched and waited as she chewed thoughtfully on a sandwich.

“My search programs at the office should help me find what I needed,” she admitted.

Though he knew she was trying to hide it, he knew something else was bothering her. “What is it?” he asked.

Stephanie stared at her coffee and took a sip. Setting the cup down, she fiddled with the handle a little.

Ranger knew they just needed to be quiet for a few minutes longer and Stephanie would spit it out. He caught Bob's eye and indicated they should stay quiet.

Before long, Ranger's plan worked.

“Fine,” Stephanie said, pushing her coffee away and standing to pace the floor.

Ranger just watched her and waited for her to continue. He knew Bob would follow his lead in this.

Stopping half-way through her circuit, Stephanie turned to face the two men. “I don't think you should move forward with your plan until we know who we're dealing with, or at least why these people are together.”

“We need to go forward with the plan so we can find out who they are,” Bob countered.

Ranger was silent. He had decided to stay out of this discussion. He heart was telling him to listen to Stephanie; his head was telling him to trust Bob. He was more likely to push forward with the plan, but he'd seen Stephanie be right too many times in the past not to trust her instincts.

While he had been having his internal debate, Stephanie and Bob had continued their discussion. Seeing it was about to escalate, he interrupted. “Will twenty-four hours be enough time to get what you need?”

Both Bob and Stephanie turned to look at him.

“I...” Stephanie stuttered, taken by surprise.

Ranger saw Bob about to protest. “If you can't find what you need in the next twenty-four hours, Bob and I will proceed with our plan,” Ranger stated, leaving no room for argument.

“It will have to be enough time, then,” Stephanie replied, squaring her shoulders and meeting both Bob and Ranger's eyes.

Ranger smiled at his Babe. She never disappointed him. He watched as Stephanie stood and grabbed another sandwich.

“If that's all the time I have, I better get a move on,” she said, picking up her coffee and heading back to Bob's home office. “Come get me at five-thirty so I can go get Charlie,” she instructed.

Ranger stood and walked over to her. Tucking a curl behind her ear, he gave her a brief kiss and said, “Anything, Babe,.” He grinned as she blushed and walked away.

Part 16 – Moonlight

Stephanie stood at the window in her bedroom staring out as she absently petted Tigger who had deigned to acknowledge her existence finally, after a two-day absence.

A heavy sigh escaped her as took comfort from the soft fur of the cat in her arms.

She didn’t have to look at the clock to know it was well past midnight. Given the exhaustion she felt in her body, it was probably past two by now, but her mind wouldn’t allow her body to sleep.

“What are we going to do, Tig?” she asked.

Her response was a slightly louder purr.

Today had been a huge day. It was hard for her to believe that only two full days had passed since she had met Ranger on the road. It seemed almost a lifetime ago. In many ways it was.

Her exhaustion, though, was preventing her mind from focusing on only one problem. It was constantly hopping from Ranger to Charlie to the information she had found to the danger they were in to what still needed to be done. Underlying all of those thoughts, however, was the ache in her heart at the thought her family believed her to be dead.

Another sigh escaped and Stephanie decided she needed some physical activity to calm her mind. “I’m going for a walk,” she informed the cat, allowing him to jump down from her arms.

It only took her a few minutes to get dressed and find her hiking boots. She also paused to get her service weapon. Though she’d never had to use it, it was good to have at hand just in case she needed to discourage a creature from attacking. Better safe than sorry.

Carrying the boots downstairs, she slipped out the side door and sat on the step and slipped into her boots. After making sure they were tied tightly, she stood and glanced around at the moonlight-gilded landscape.

It didn’t matter how long she stayed here or how many times she saw it, the land here was a different place in the moonlight. The stark contrasts between the silvered surfaces and the black shadows stripped away the softness of the day, leaving the land looking like something from a fairy tale – or a nightmare.

Most nights she enjoyed her walks in the moonlight, taking comfort from the fact this same light was falling on her family and friends in Trenton. Here in the shadows of a slumbering land, she could commune with a world unseen, unknown, one that had become little more than a shadow to her mind and heart.

At night, away from civilization, had become the only time she allowed herself to think or acknowledge her past. It wasn’t until this afternoon she realized how much she hid from herself, even in the safe cover of darkness.

She continued on the familiar path she walked on these solitary journeys, enjoying the rustling of the grasses and leaves, the occasional call of a bird and even the rustle of small creatures.

City lights, nightclubs, and dense population had colored the night world in Trenton. Things best not acknowledged meant it was never safe to be out on her own.

The night world in Montana was colored by moonlight, leaving the world looking as if fairies had come and frosted the rocks and plants, sprinkling magic and wonder on the surface. There was danger here in the night as well, but not like in Trenton. The trouble she could run into here was something she could handle.

She came to the small stream that ran along through the side of her property and stood still watching the glittering water tumble and churn over the rocks.

Settling on the ground next to the stream, she stared out at the landscape and allowed the gentle burbling to sooth and quiet her turbulent mind.

It didn’t take long until her mind was blank and the tension began to seep out of her.

Part 17 – White Noise

He wasn’t sure what had woken him up, but he never slept lightly on a mission, even when it hadn’t fully started yet.

Remaining perfectly still, he listened closely for sounds. The window to his room was cracked open. Whenever he was someplace new, if at all possible, he kept a window open to help him acclimatize to his new local. It would also help him understand what normal sounds to expect from the environment. That would help him later on in determining what sounds were unusual and didn’t belong.

Whatever the sound had been that had woken him was, it was not repeated, but, for just a few seconds, he was certain he had heard the faint scuff of boots on concrete stairs.

It didn’t take him long to decide to check it out. It was probably nothing, but he wouldn’t sleep until he knew for sure, especially with Stephanie so close. He needed to be sure she was safe. He wasn’t about to lose her now.

In moments, he was up and dressed. Slipping a gun into the holster at the small of his back, he silently descended the stairs and moved to the doorway leading to the back of the house. He listened for a moment before deciding there was nothing out of place back there.

Moving to the front door, he quietly opened it and slipped outside.

He was almost to the end of the porch when he spotted her. He wasn’t the sort of man to gasp aloud, but his eyes widened at the sight before him.

It was Stephanie. She wasn’t in anything special, jeans, a shirt and hiking boots if he was correct, but the moonlight bestowed an ethereal quality to her. The silver gilding of her hair and face had him swallowing and fighting the urge to pray.

Though he had never fully lost faith that Stephanie was alive and he would one day find her, it was hard to keep that positive frame of mind when lead after lead turned to dust and the hope of finding Stephanie seemed further away than ever.

It was at those times that the dreams would come; the ones where he was standing on the beach in the moonlight, staring over the water as he tried to lose his thoughts in the endless, relentless rolling of waves. Always it was a night like tonight where the sky was clear and the moon shown brilliantly, trailing a path across the wave crests from the horizon to the shore. She always came, an ethereal wraith, walking down the burnished path, stopping before she reached the land, and smiling at him, with her arms outstretched. He would reach for her and she would simply fade away, forever out of his reach.

The image she presented now was too similar to those dreams for him to ignore. Not wanting to disturb her, he kept an eye on her until she disappeared from sight and then headed out after her, doing his best to remain completely silent so he wouldn’t spook her.

As he followed, he watched the tension in her face and shoulders slowly ease. Eventually, she stopped by a small brook and settled on the ground.

He watched for several seconds as she simply sat and stared.

As he watched, the memory of the dreams continually taunted and tormented him until he felt the need to assure himself that this was really Stephanie and not just his unconscious mind.

Being close to the stream, he knew the natural white noise it produced would cover his footsteps, so he would have to find another way to let her know he was there without startling her too badly.

As he approached, he coughed softly and saw Stephanie shift before glancing over her shoulder. He was fairly certain that she offered a smile of acknowledgement, but the dancing shadows hid enough of her face to leave some uncertainty. He decided then that if she didn’t want him there, he would simply watch from a distance.

When Stephanie patted the ground beside her, Ranger smiled back, relieved to be welcomed.

“Late for a walk, Babe,” he observed as he settled on the ground, wrapping an arm around her and drawing her close. A pleased smile appeared on his face as she rested her head on his shoulder.

“Couldn’t turn my brain off,” she admitted.

He waited for her to continue, knowing she eventually would. When she next spoke, what she said took him by surprise.

“I thought you had to wait seven years to declare someone dead,” she stated.

Ranger stiffened in surprise. “There are all sorts of circumstances that can alter that,” he informed. He was by no means familiar with the legality of such an action, but he remembered asking some questions about it when Stephanie had been declared legally dead. “What brought this on?” he asked.

He felt the sigh escape from Stephanie, though he couldn’t hear it.

“I found a paper in Bob’s office. It was all about me, about my life in Trenton and I saw that I had been declared legally dead.”

She turned her head away from him and Ranger gently squeezed her. He knew she was crying, or fighting crying. She thought it made her weak. It didn’t.

Needing her closer, he shifted the way he was sitting and drew her into his lap so he could wrap both arms around her.

“Not everybody gave up hope,” he assured. “But your mother was having a very difficult time with your disappearance. She had gotten to the point where she was almost non-functional. I found out later that your father consulted with a psychiatrist and the doctor had recommended that your mother needed closure. Somehow you father and Albert managed to work it so you were declared legally dead.”

“Did you believe it?” she asked in a small voice.

“Never,” he denied vehemently. Turning her so he could look into her eyes, he made sure she understood what he was about to say. “I knew you were alive somewhere, I never doubted that I would somehow, someday find you. You complete me.” He held her eyes and was silent for several seconds, watching her as she processed his confession.

She placed a hand on his cheek and he leaned into it, closing his eyes for a moment to savor her touch. “You complete me, too,” she admitted softly.

Opening his eyes at her confession, he met the blue pools before him. A crack in his heart had healed at her confession; another missing piece had slipped into place.

“How did you know?” she asked.

He understood what she was asking. She wanted to know how he was so certain she hadn’t died. “Your purse was on the dashboard and the pictures were missing,” he replied.

She smiled at him and then rested her forehead against his again. “They’re hidden in my closet right now,” she admitted. “I couldn’t bring anything with me, but I couldn’t leave all of you behind either.”

Lifting his hand, he caressed her moonlight-kissed cheek. “Never again,” he whispered. “You’ll never have to leave us behind again.” He saw her open her mouth to protest and pressed a finger against her lips. “Later,” he assured.

They sat in silence for several minutes, enjoying the quiet night.

“Were you the only one?” she asked softly, her voice carrying only faintly above the babbling stream.

“No,” Ranger admitted. “Grandma Mazur, Mary Alice, my men and a few others refused to believe it.” He tightened his grip on her as she nuzzled into his shoulder.

“I’m sorry I hurt you all,” she whispered.

For a moment he wasn’t sure he had heard her. He kissed the top of her head. “It doesn’t matter,” he assured. “You’re here with me now.” He felt her relax and her breathing even out. “Everything will be fine,” he whispered, knowing she couldn’t hear him and hoping with all his heart and soul that he could keep that promise. “Everything will be fine.”

Part 18: Searching

Slowly, the delicious dreams Stephanie had been having began to fade as consciousness returned. Stretching slightly, she pressed herself more firmly into the warm body lying next to her.

As soon as her brain registered she wasn't alone in bed, it quickly added the information that whoever was with her was too big to be Charlie. With that realization, her eyes flew open and she tried to sit up, only to find herself restrained by an arm around her waist.

The adrenaline dump into her system woke her up faster than any cup of coffee ever could.

Surveying the room, she took in everyone's positions and knew she was going to have to diffuse the situation quickly.

She was in bed, under the covers, wearing her shirt from last night and her panties. She was currently lying next to Ranger who was reclined, fully dressed, on top of the covers.

Charlie was standing at the side of the bed closest to Ranger, his small body was tense, his fists tight at his sides. He was glaring at the man on the bed and fuming silently.

Glancing at Ranger's face, she noticed it was carefully blank and non-threatening.

“Morning, Charlie,” she greeted. “Morning, Ranger.”

Charlie shifted his gaze from Ranger to his mother.

Stephanie could see the anger in his eyes change to worry. “Are you OK, Mom?” he asked.

Struggling into a sitting position, Stephanie waved Charlie around the bed, indicating that he should crawl onto the mattress with them.

Ranger also moved into a sitting position and shifted slightly to give Stephanie and Charlie more room.

Draping an arm around her son's shoulders, Stephanie hugged him. “I'm fine, kiddo,” she assured. “I couldn't sleep last night, so I went for a walk. Ranger found me and we talked for a while before I fell asleep on him. You know how hard I can be to wake up, right?”

Charlie snorted and nodded. He knew.

Stephanie smiled at the response. “Well, since I was already asleep on him, he carried me into the house and put me to bed.”

“But, why is he here now?” Charlie demanded, narrowing his eyes at Ranger.

Glancing at Ranger, Stephanie tilted her head in question. “If I had to guess, I'd say when he tucked me in, I grabbed hold and wouldn't let go,” she explained.

Ranger offered a smile and small nod. “Thought it was more important she sleep than that I leave,” Ranger added.

Charlie stared at him, considering his words. His body wasn't nearly as tense as before.

“Charlie,” Stephanie said softly, drawing the boy's attention back to her. “I told you before that Ranger and I used to date.”

“But that was before,” Charlie protested. “A long time ago.”

Stephanie nodded. “It was a long time ago,” she agreed. “But I still love him very much,” she admitted, feeling her cheeks color slightly as Ranger's stunned and joy-filled gaze fell on her almost as if it had a physical weight. It was the first time she had admitted that to someone other than Ranger.

“Charlie,” Ranger said, drawing the boy's attention away from his blushing mother. “I love your Mom with all my heart. I would never do anything that she didn't want.”

“You promise not to hurt her?” he demanded.

“I will never purposely hurt her,” he assured. “Sometimes I may say or do something by accident that will hurt her feelings, but I'll never do that on purpose.”

Charlie stared at the man, evaluating the truth and sincerity of his words. He remembered how Ranger had sworn to keep Stephanie safe. So maybe he could trust that Ranger would keep his promise.

Before he came to a decision about Ranger, though, Stephanie added, “Just like us, kiddo. Sometimes we say something that hurts by accident, but never on purpose.”

Looking at his mom, Charlie thought over her words before smiling and nodding his acceptance. He scrambled out of the bed and looked back at them from the doorway. Staring at the adults, he offered a look almost identical to Stephanie when she was scolding him. “Just don't let this happen again,” he commanded before disappearing down the hall.

“Babe, he's definitely your son,” Ranger observed, amused.

Stephanie felt a soft smile appear on her face and her heart melt at the words. “Yeah, he is,” she agreed, her voice filled with maternal pride and love. Then, glancing at the clock, she threw the covers aside and stood, stretching.

“Babe,” Ranger said, his voice deep and a little rough.

Glancing at him, Stephanie stopped cold mid-stretch. Her eyes widened. Ranger was scanning her from the tips of her toes to the tip of her nose with a few stops along the way at some of his favorite places. His eyes were almost black with love, lust and desire.

Quickly clearing her throat, Stephanie began backing toward her closet. “You should get ready,” she advised, her voice a little higher than normal. “We'll have breakfast soon and then I need to get to the office. I have a lot of searching to do.”

The reference to the problem they were working on sobered both Stephanie and Ranger.

Rising from the bed, Ranger grabbed his shoes from where they had fallen the previous night. He walked over to where Stephanie was standing and kissed her lightly on the lips. “Should I come here for breakfast or will we have it in the dining room.”

“I'll meet you in the kitchen,” she said, smiling up at him.

“See you in a few,” he assured and left. “Bob and I have some preparation we'll be doing today while you're searching. Call if you need us to help go through the data or for any other reason,” he added with a wolf grin.

Stephanie laughed and shooed him out of the room. “Go,” she insisted, still chuckling as he disappeared out the door.

WARNING: THIS SECTION MENTIONS CHILD ABUSE – PSYCHOLOGICAL, NOT PHYSICAL – AND SPOUSAL ABUSE INCLUDING RAPE. IT ALSO CONTAINS SOME DETAILS OF THE AFTERMATH OF A VIOLENT AND LETHAL CONFRONTATION. I’VE TRIED TO SET THIS OFF BETWEEN THE~SP~SP~ FLAGS, SO IF YOU SEARCH FOR THAT, YOU SHOULDN’T MISS MUCH PLOT, JUST CHARLIE’S HISTORY.

Part 19 – Online

Stephanie stretched in her chair, glancing at the clock on the computer. “Three hours, fifty-two minutes,” she muttered, rising from her chair to look out the window.

It was a beautiful day outside, one of which she would like to partake, but she didn't have long to look for the answers she needed. Ranger had given her twenty-four hours and they were getting closer to expiring. She knew she was close to an answer, she could feel it.

Walking across the office, she picked up the mail that had been delivered a short time before. Flipping through the envelopes, fliers and magazines, she couldn't help but be amazed at the amount of junk mail the station got.

As she was flipping through the magazines, her eye was caught by the image on the front of one. It showed a father and his young son laughing together on a boat while fishing.

In her imagination, she replaced the faces in the picture with Ranger and Charlie. She imagined hearing their laughter as they joked with and teased each other.

Her smile faded, however, as she remembered the scene she had woken up to this morning.

Blowing out a breath, she realized she would need to call the psychologist again.

When Stephanie had first discovered she had been named Charlie's legal guardian, she had sought advice on what to do from Mandy. Her friend had recommended a child psychologist, Miss Merry, an old friend of Mandy' from college.

Not knowing what else to do, Stephanie had called. She could still remember the fear she'd felt at the start of their conversation.

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A Little Over Three Years Ago

Stephanie fiddled with the cord of the phone while she waited for the call to be picked up on the other end. She closed her eyes to try and calm herself, but all that did was bring to mind the image of Charlie tossing and turning in bed, screaming for it to stop.

It had taken her ten minutes to wake him up and calm him.

It had taken another hour to soothe him back to sleep.

Even then, the boy had clung to her, his tiny fist maintaining a near death-grip on her shirt.

“Drs. Mitchell and Mitchell's office, Peggy speaking,” an efficient sounding receptionist had finally answered.

“Yes. My name is Stephanie Mazur. I recently was given custody of a four-year-old boy. Is there any chance I could talk to Dr. Merry Mitchell? Amanda Pierson recommended her,” Stephanie had babbled.

“The doctor is between patients right now, Mrs. Mazur,” the receptionist said.

“Ms. Mazur,” Stephanie absently corrected.

“Ms. Mazur,” the receptionist repeated. “May I give her some idea of the nature of the issue.”

Stephanie took a deep breath. She really didn't want to share the information with anyone but the doctor, but if it would get Charlie help faster, she would do it. “He came from a home where his mother was abused. He's having very... severe nightmares.”

“One moment, Ms. Mazur,” the polite and, now, worried-sounding Peggy assured.

A moment later a warm, comforting voice spoke. “This is Dr. Merry Mitchell, Ms. Mazur,” she introduced. “How are you today?'

Stephanie blew out a breath. “Worried, scared, clueless,” she rattled off. “I don't know what to do. Mandy Pierson said you'd be able to help.”

“I will do everything I can, Mrs. Mazur,” Merry assured. “Why don't you tell me just a bit about what's going on.”

“All right,” Stephanie agreed, taking another deep breath. “Two months ago I took a job here as deputy. My first call-out was a domestic abuse call.

“When I showed up, the door was wide open, the place was trashed and I found the wife lying on the bed. Charlie was beside her holding her hand and looking terrified. It was obvious she had been beaten.”

“Was Charlie hurt,” Merry asked, concern evident in her voice.

“No,” Stephanie informed. “He was untouched, but in talking to his mother, it became apparent he had seen what had been done..”

“Was this when you were given custody?” the doctor asked.

“No. She refused to press charges, but did eventually let me call the ambulance to take her to the hospital. I figured that would get her away for a little while and the paramedics assured me that Charlie could stay with her.”

“What happened next?” Merry asked, when the silence stretched for several seconds.

“Three days ago we got a call from Charlie. His parents were fighting. We kept him on the phone and patched in while we drove to the house. Just before we got there, we heard a gunshot over the line and then a scream and a loud crash.

“When we got there...” Stephanie fell silent as the scene replayed in her head. “His mom had shot his dad in the gut. From the color of the blood it looked like the bullet had hit the liver. There wasn't much we could do for him; he'd already been bleeding for the ten minutes it took us to get there. The ambulance wouldn't show up for another twenty.

“Charlie was sitting next to his mom, holding her hand. She had fallen or been pushed. Her head hit their raised hearth. The fall had broken her neck. There was nothing to do for her either.

“I called Mandy to come over to help with Charlie. We were still working the scene when Jed found the papers.

“Charlie's mom had, apparently, seen a lawyer the day after I went out the first time. She had me named Charlie's legal guardian in the event of her and her husband's deaths.

“It was all legal...” she finished, her voice trailing off.

There were several seconds of silence before Dr. Mitchell said, “Ms. Mazur, I can see Charlie tomorrow at ten-thirty.”

“Thank you,” Stephanie sighed.

“I'd also like you to meet with my husband, Aaron. We normally deal with family therapy together, and I'm sure we'll get to that point, but each of you has very different needs right now,” Merry stated.

Squaring her shoulders and raising her chin, Stephanie had assured, “Whatever it takes.” .

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Present

It hadn't been an easy road. The torture Charlie had witnessed his mother suffering had broken Stephanie’s heart to hear. Charlie had been forced to watch the beatings and rape so he could “learn how to put a woman in her place”, according to his father.

It had taken four months before Charlie would even agree to a session with Aaron Mitchell in the room. The boy just couldn't trust a man.

About then, she had met Bob who, eventually, led her to her house. Between Bob and Dr. Mitchell, Charlie had learned that not all men were like his father.

Over the years, as he grew, Charlie had become very protective of her. She knew the fierce protectiveness was, in part, a reaction to his inability to protect his own mother, but it was under control.

The introduction of Ranger in a romantic role was a first for them. Between work and taking care of Charlie, Stephanie had had neither the time nor the desire to date.

Given his past, she could understand why Charlie was so angry this morning.

Still, it wouldn't hurt to get some professional advice on what to do with Charlie and what to tell Ranger.

Picking up the phone, she called the familiar number. Peggy answered, but both Merry and Aaron were busy. Stephanie left a message asking one of them to call her back.

Feeling better about the Charlie situation, she returned to her desk and checked her latest searches. They seemed to be humming along, so she decided to check the latest news on-line.

Clicking on one of the news sites she had linked, Stephanie picked up her coffee mug and leaned back in her chair.

When the page was fully loaded, she scanned the first headline, her eyes widening in horror as realization hit.

She skimmed the first few lines of the article and felt her horror grow.

Her hand went lax and her coffee mug crashed onto the floor, shattering.

“Oh, my God,” she whispered, taking in what details she could.

She may not know the why yet, but she now knew exactly what the terrorist group was going to do and how they were going to do it.

Part 20 - News

After the initial shock of realization wore off, Stephanie grabbed her cell. She needed to talk to Ranger.

As she started to dial, her hand froze. She didn’t have his number.

It took only a second for her mind to re-engage and she selected Bob’s number, rising from her seat to pace while she waited for him to answer.

Eventually she got his answering machine. “It’s Steph. I need to talk to you about that research I was doing. I’ll try your cell.”

Disconnecting the call, she glanced at her phone to select Bob’s cell number.

As she walked closer to her desk to check out the latest news, she heard a crunch under her foot and looked down, noticing the broken coffee mug. A curse left her lips just as Bob answered his phone.

“Steph?” he asked, his voice concerned and amused.

“Sorry, Bob,” she said absently, making her way to the tiny break room where she retrieved some paper towels to wipe up the mess. “Dropped my coffee cup and just stepped in the mess.”

“I’m going to put you on speaker before Carlos hurts himself trying to hear what we’re saying.

The sound of a button being pushed sounded in her ear before the empty echo of speakerphone assaulted her. She caught the sound of a truck engine. “Are you in the truck?” she asked.

”We had some errands to run,” Bob explained.

Stephanie just nodded, not really paying attention to the fact they couldn’t see her. “I think I know what they’re planning,” she rushed out.

The sound of tires squealing as Bob’s truck was brought to a sudden stop carried through the phone.

“You what?” Bob demanded.

Stephanie ignored the question. “Ranger, if you can access any news sites on your phone, check for the late breaking news on any of the national networks.”

“Sure, Babe,” he replied, an underlying tension barely evident in his voice.

Stephanie silently mopped up the spilled coffee while she waited for him to find the news. She knew the second he found it and realized the implications.

“That can’t be,” he stated, disbelief clear in his voice.

“What?” Bob demanded.

A few seconds later, he let out a string of curses. Obviously Ranger had showed him the news. That’s what they’re brining into the city. I still don’t know why and we’re missing some key people, but we now know what to go with our where,” she said, her voice grim.

“We’re turning around and heading for the station,” Ranger informed.

“I still have half my shift to finish,” Stephanie cautioned, allowing her mind to drift away from the information she had found.

“Stephanie Mazur,” Bob said sternly. “You just revealed to us that the group in question has stolen depleted uranium (2) – something that, given the government controls and security measures put in place should be completely impossible – and you expect us to let you continue working without watching over you?”

“Nothing’s different, Bob,” she denied, prickling at the command. “I will not have you overreacting now. Charlie is still over at Kevin’s house and I still have half a shift to finish. We’re both fine and both safe.”

There were a few seconds of silence before Bob spoke again. This time his voice was much more calm. “Stephanie, you do understand the implications of the information you just gave us.”

Stephanie gritted her teeth. This was a situation that was way over her head, but she was certain what it meant. “It’s radioactive material. It means they’re looking to set off a dirty-bomb (1) in Denver,” she replied. “It means that I need to focus on my job here and on getting as much information as I can as soon as I can so we can figure out how they did this and who’s involved.”

There was silence for a few moments before Ranger spoke. “Babe,” he said, his voice even. “If it was a dirty bomb, we wouldn’t be so worried. Depleted uranium (2) is used by the armed services in weapons. There might be some chaos for a while, but the explosives would cause more damage than the uranium.”

Stephanie tossed the last of the coffee and glass-filled towels into the trash and stood. “Then why is it so important? Why are you two so freaked out by it?”

“Because it’s also used as shielding around fission fuel in a thermonuclear bomb (3),” Ranger informed.

“Oh, come on,” Stephanie said, immediately trying to deny what he was saying. Plopping into her chair she said, “You aren’t seriously going to try and convince me they’re building and atomic bomb.”

Her statement was met with silence and she swallowed, her stomach clenching. Her eyes moved to the stack of papers sitting on her desk and the information she had read from them started clicking together. “Oh, God,” she whispered, suddenly overwhelmed with the horror of what they could be doing.

“We’re almost there, Babe,” Ranger soothed.

That simple reassurance was what she needed to hear. She would be OK as soon as she could feel his arms around her. With her panic subsiding, she turned to her computer.

She noted that her most recent search on the people they had seen had turned up another chemist. That made seven chemists in the group so far. That seemed a little strange if they were making a nuclear weapon, but, then, she knew very little about the devices and still hadn’t found out why these people were together or what their goal was.

Pushing that information out of her mind, she quickly called up her search site. She wanted to find out more about thermonuclear weapons. “It can’t be that easy,” she muttered to herself.

“It’s not easy,” Bob assured her. “And it takes a lot more than just the depleted uranium. There’s the fission fuel that would be needed, the casings, propulsion if they were going launch it…”

“And we aren’t even sure that’s what they want to do,” Stephanie said, desperately wishing she had kept up with her practice of denial. She could really use it now, especially as both men were silent after her statement. That’s when she realized they knew something else. Taking a deep breath, she pushed away her curiosity to know what it was.

Before she could say anything else, her phone signaled that there was another call waiting. “I’ve got another call, guys,” she said before clicking over. “Hello?”

“Stephanie?” the voice asked.

“Yes,” she replied.

“Hi. It’s Merry. I got your message. Do you have time to talk right now?” she asked.

Stephanie hesitated. She really wanted to stay in touch with Ranger and Bob, but this was more important than her own comfort at the moment. This was about Charlie. “Yes,” she replied, her voice sure. “Let me just say goodbye to the other call and I’ll be right back.”

“OK,” Merry agreed.

Clicking back to Bob and Ranger, she said, “I have another call to take. I’ll see you when you get here.”

“Who?” Bob demanded before she could hang up.

“Dr. Mitchell,” Stephanie supplied.

She could almost feel the tension in increase over the phone line.

“Is Charlie, OK?” Bob demanded, his love and concern for the boy evident in his tone.

“Yes,” Stephanie quickly assured. “But I had a few questions that I thought she could help me answer.”

“OK, we’ll see you in a few,” Bob assured.

“Bye, Babe,” Ranger added.

Stephanie pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it for a moment. Had Ranger just ended a phone conversation? Putting the phone back in place, she quickly said, “Bye, see you soon.”

She hit the call button and switched back to Dr. Mitchell. “Merry?” she asked.

“Still here,” Merry assured, a smile in her voice. “So, want to tell me what’s going on?”

Stephanie blew out a breath and leaned back in her chair before going into her explanation of why she had called. Thoughts of terrorists, missing uranium and thermonuclear bombs were pushed from her mind temporarily as she focused on what Charlie would need to accept Ranger and how to give that to him.

(1) For more information on “dirty-bombs”, check out this link: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/dirty-bombs.html
(2) For information on depleted uranium, use this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depleted_uranium
(3) For information on fusion bombs (thermonuclear or H- bombs), you can check here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_bomb

Part 21 – Under The Influence

Stephanie had just ended her call with Dr. Mitchell when the door opened. Hope and expectation flared within her as she turned to see who was coming into the building.

Her hope dissipated into disappointment before she was able to push aside the emotions.

Seeing Jed walk into the office behind a cuffed Dean Johnson, she couldn't help but raise her eyebrows in question.

“Driving while under the influence,” the sheriff explained, guiding Johnson through the office and back to the cells. “We'll take care of processing when he sobers up some.”

Stephanie had just opened her mouth to say something when the stench coming from Dean reached her, causing her to gag and cough. She managed to recover just as Jed was opening the door to the back. “Maybe we should call Myra and have her bring over some new clothes.”

“Maybe,” Jed called back as he entered the hallway to the cells.

The door from the back had just closed when the front door opened.

Turning to look, Stephanie couldn't stop the smile on her face when she spotted Ranger and Bob walking into the building. “Hey,” she greeted, moving toward the front.

Ranger smiled his 200-watt smile at her and tried to step in front of Bob.

Though older, Bob had expected the move and moved just a little more quickly to Stephanie. Reaching her half a step before Ranger, he swept her up in his arms and hugged her tight, lifting her from the ground.

“Bob!” Stephanie laughed out loud as the older man laughed with her. “Put me down, I'm on duty!” she protested.

“Yes, ma'am, Deputy Mazur,” Bob replied, putting action to words. He leaned in toward her ear and said in a loud stage whisper, “But I think Carlos had something a little more intimate and embarrassing in store for you.”

Stephanie could feel her face turning red as her eyes shot to Ranger's face and she read the truth of Bob's statement there. Though mostly embarrassed, she couldn't help but think of how good it would feel to have Ranger's lips against hers again.

Before she could get too lost in the fantasy of kissing Ranger, the door to the cells opened. She turned to see Jed coming out and locking up behind him. His step faltered only slightly when he noticed the trio looking at him.

Walking over to the group, he nodded at them in greeting, “Bob, good to see you,” he said, offering his hand. He faced Ranger and scanned him up and down, evaluating. “And you are?” he asked when no one seemed to want to make introductions.

“Carlos Manoso,” Ranger introduced, offering his hand. “I'm a friend of Bob and Steph.”

“Any friend of Bob's is always welcome,” Jed offered, not entirely hiding the curiosity in his eye at the mention of being a friend of Stephanie's. “How do you know Stephanie?”

“He's staying at my house in one of the front rooms,” she inserted before Ranger could answer.

Bob and Ranger looked a little startled at the response.

Jed had missed their reaction, having turned to look at his deputy. “I thought you didn't rent those rooms?”

“Normally I don't, but Bob's guest room is still under construction and I was assured Carlos is a quiet tenant,” she replied with a smile, not missing Ranger's raised eyebrow.

Turning back to the men, he smiled and informed, “It's been nice, but I have a patrol to finish.” As he walked to the front door, he called over his shoulder, “And some deputies have paperwork to finish and Dean Johnson to book.”

Stephanie let out a loud groan which caused Jed to laugh as he waved goodbye.

“Dean Johnson, again?” Bob asked as the door closed behind Jed.

“Yeah, DUI,” Stephanie informed. “He's sleeping it off out back right now. When he sobers up a bit, I'll need to book him.”

“Are you OK?” Ranger asked, moving closer to Stephanie and wrapping her in his arms.

Stephanie rested her head on his chest and let out a sigh as the sound of his heartbeat soothed her. “I feel like a one-armed juggler with too many balls in the air,” she murmured, nuzzling Ranger's chest slightly as he rubbed his hands up and down her back.

“Enough of that,” Bob interrupted, sounding uncomfortable at the display.

When she stood straight and moved away from Ranger, she glanced at Bob and saw more than just discomfort. He looked unhappy. The look he was giving Ranger wasn't the friendliest around. Glancing at Ranger, it was obvious he wasn't too thrilled about the interruption.

“Well, what did you need to talk about?” Stephanie asked, hoping to ease some of the tension and avoid a messy discussion. When both men looked at her, she knew that hope was in vain. Blowing out a breath, she said, “Fine. Let me see if I can get through some of this. Ranger, I don't know why I didn't want Jed to know about our past. But, for now, I think we should leave it alone. Bob, I saw the research you did on me. I know you know all about me now, but what you probably don't know is that Ranger and I had started a serious relationship before I left. I'd loved him for years before I admitted it to him or myself and I've loved him constantly ever since.”

Several minutes of silence filled the room before Bob seemed to relax, his angry glare easing. He was about to say something when the front door opened again.

Looking past the two men in front of her, Stephanie saw Myra Johnson walked in, a gym bag in her hand. With a few short steps she was by them “Hey, Steph,” the older woman greeted. “Jed called and said Dean might need these,” she continued indicating the bag in her hand.

“Thanks, Myra,” Stephanie replied, taking the bag from her, smiling as she noticed Myra's eyes drifting toward Ranger and glazing slightly. It had been a while since she'd seen that reaction, but it still amused her. “Myra, I'd like to introduce you to Carlos Manoso.”

With a slight shake, Myra seemed to gather herself together and offered her hand. “Mr. Manoso,” she greeted.

Ranger smiled and shook her hand. “A pleasure.”

Myra managed to tear her eyes away and look back at Steph. “What was it this time?” she asked, sounding somewhat resigned, her eyes drifting back to Ranger over and over.

“DUI,” Stephanie said, her voice serious and grave.

A curse escaped Myra as her face grew serious. “How bad?” she asked.

Stephanie blew out a breath, looked at Ranger and Bob, then back at Myra. Tipping her head toward the door leading to the back, she said, “He's in the back if you want to see. I'll join you there in a minute.”

Nodding her acknowledgment, Myra headed toward the back door, while Stephanie turned her attention to Ranger and Bob again. “Now's not a good time,” she stated, moving to her desk and gathering together the information she'd printed out. She handed it to Ranger and said, “This is what I've found so far, my comments are on the sheets. I should have more by the time I get home tonight.”

“Thanks, Babe,” Ranger said, leaning forward and placing a quick kiss on her lips.

“A-hem!” Bob interrupted, clearing his throat. “Thanks, Steph.”

“No problem,” Stephanie responded. “Why don't you use the dining room at my house. There's more room there to spread out.”

“Sounds like a plan,”Bob agreed. “Do you want us to pick up Charlie?”

“No, let him play,” she said. “We should be home around 6:30 or 7.”

“We'll meet you there,” Ranger said, smiling softly at his Babe.

“I'll cook dinner,” Bob added. “It should be ready by the time you get home. We can discuss the information Carlos and I have then.”

“It's a date. Thanks for dinner, Bob,” Stephanie replied with a smile before turning to head back to Myra.

Part 22 – Shortbread

Ranger sighed and set the papers aside. Stretching, he inhaled deeply, smiling when he identified the scent. “Homemade shortbread,” he whispered.

Rising from his chair, he made his way to the door leading to the kitchen.

As he stepped in the room, a smile twitched at his lips at the sight of his friend in an apron, peeking into oven. He wondered what the guys back home would say if they could see Bob now.

Settling in a chair, Ranger waited for Bob to turn and acknowledge him. While he waited, he saw the first batch of cookies cooling on a rack in front of him.

Ranger had just extended his hand to take one of the treats when Bob announced, “Touch those and I will take you down.” He then stood and turned to face his friend.

“It's just one,” Ranger protested.

“And those are for Charlie and Stephanie,” Bob declared. “Besides, aren't you the one who insists 'that stuff will kill you'?”

A small frown appeared on Ranger's face. “Yes, but a treat every now and then isn't going to hurt.”

Bob moved to stand right in front of Ranger. “They're still for Stephanie and Charlie,” he insisted. “You can wait until after dinner.”

Though he would deny it, Ranger knew he was pouting. He didn't see Bob all that often - though, they did speak frequently - but every now and then Bob would have his homemade shortbread. It was one treat Ranger couldn't resist.

Studying his friend as Bob moved around the kitchen, Ranger had a feeling they would have to have the talk he was hoping to avoid, especially since he and Stephanie hadn't talked it through yet. “Tell me why you're upset with Stephanie,” he commanded., needing a starting point.

Bob was silent as he prepared a marinade for the chicken he planned on making for dinner.

Ranger, however, was used to waiting silently. He had opened a door for conversation and knew Bob would eventually walk through it.

It was at least ten minutes later, after Bob had put the chicken in the refrigerator and taken the last batch of cookies out of the oven, when he finally answered. “I'm upset with this whole nightmare.” he declared, glaring at Ranger. “I find something bad going on up here and call you. You show up and not only bring all sorts of emotional junk with you.

“I find out a good friend, my nearest neighbor, someone I look on as family has been lying to me for the entire time I've known her. When she first showed up here, it was easy to tell she was hurting, she had nothing, but she never would tell me...” Bob ran his hands through his hair and shook his head. “Then, after you show up, I find out that her life and the lives of those she left behind are in danger, meaning, now, that Charlie, me and a whole host of others are in danger from an unknown threat. And don't think I didn't notice that she didn't supply names in her story. Of course, finding that out isn't quite enough, so in addition to all that, she's the Bombshell Bounty Hunter – which actually explains a few things. Throw into that mix that you and she are friends and then I find out she's in love with you, which brings up concerns, not only about her, but also about Charlie as well. All that together and we've got a huge cluster on our hands,” he ranted.

Running his hands through his hair again, Bob continued, “I know your history with women, Carlos. I know how you play them. I also know you've dedicated most of the last few years looking for Stephanie. What I don't know is which of you worries and pisses me off more.

“Stephanie has lied to me the whole time I've known her, but with good cause. She thinks she hides it, but I know how much she still hurts, how much she loves someone who is, apparently, you. I wonder if you're only hunting her because of the challenge she represents or because you love her enough to try something more with her. She comes with Charlie now. You never wanted to be a father. Are you going to reject her because of the boy?

“And you! You've never loved a woman enough to commit. Yes, you committed to Rachel out of obligation, but you've never committed out of love. Can you love enough to love Charlie? He's a part of her now. Will you survive if she chooses to stay here rather than go with you?

“But the one thing that worries me more than anything else,” Bob admitted. “Is whether or not you'll both be able to put aside all this crap and focus on the job. We have to be perfect on this one. There's no room for failure.”

Ranger stared at Bob for a long minute, taking in and considering everything his friend had said. There were a few answers he knew he couldn't give, not only because he and Stephanie hadn't discussed them, but because only time could reveal the answer. But he also knew he had to respond to Bob's concerns.

Taking a deep breath, Ranger replied, “This mission takes priority for both Stephanie and I. There are too many innocent lives at stake not to. We've agreed not to discuss our past, present or potential relationship until this is over. For me, that alone is enough motivation to get that group taken down as quickly and cleanly as possible while ensuring there is no backlash.

“As for Charlie, he and I have gotten on well enough. I know he's extremely protective of Stephanie, that there's a lot of story I'm missing with him, but it's not my place to push until Stephanie and I figure out what we're going to do.

“To answer another of your questions: no, I am not just hunting her because I can't have her because I don't have her or because she's a challenge. People can change, Bob,” he finished.

Silence reigned in the room for several seconds as the men stared at each other. Finally, Bob nodded his head. “Fine,” he responded. “But you need to remember, I may not be happy with her, but she and Charlie are the nearest thing to family. They're more dear to me than even you and the boys now,” Bob stated seriously, meeting and holding Ranger's eyes for several seconds. When he was satisfied he had gotten his point across, he suggested, “Let's see what else we can get through before they get home.”

Ranger nodded and stood. When he saw Bob turn to go into the dining room, he reached for one of the cookies.

“Don't even think about it, Manoso,” Bob warned.

Ranger shot a glare at his friend's back, but left the cookie and followed Bob into the dining room where the reports awaited them.

Chapter 23 – Dirty

“So,” Stephanie began, glancing in the rear-view mirror at her son. “Will you tell me, now, how, exactly, you got so dirty?” She smiled as she saw him roll his eyes.

“Mo-om! It wasn’t my fault!” he objected.

Stephanie couldn’t help it; she had to laugh. “I know, kiddo,” she assured. “Besides, you’re a boy, you’re allowed to get dirty. But I still want to know how, exactly, you managed to cover not only your clothes, but half your head with mud and dirt.”

“We were just exploring,” Charlie admitted. “You know the big dirt pile down the road from Foxx’s house? Well, that was the desert and we needed to cross it.”

“I see,” Stephanie said, smiling as she learned more about her son’s imagination. “Did you run into any snakes or spiders or hostile natives?”

“Yeah!” Charlie agreed, nearly bouncing in his seat. “We got a grant from Indiana Jones University to look for an ancient hidden treasure in the middle of the desert. We knew it would be a dangerous mission, but we were the only ones who could do it…”

Stephanie’s eyes twinkled and her shoulders shook with silent laughter as Charlie related the tales of danger, excitement and daring-do as he and Foxx had fought off the man-eating natives and their mind-controlled animals, eaten disgusting food, found the treasure and decided they really didn’t need to save the girl because “girls are gross.”

“You didn’t think Marnie Peterson was gross,” Stephanie teased.

Charlie looked shocked for a moment before answering, “Marnie’s not a girl!”

“Oh, then what is she?” Stephanie asked, glancing in the mirror again to catch sight of Charlie’s face.

“She’s my friend,” he finally stated.

Choking back a laugh, Stephanie simply replied, “Ah. I see.”

After a few minutes of silence, Charlie asked, “Is Mr. Ranger going to eat with us tonight?”

Stephanie’s eyes flew to the rear-view mirror, hoping to catch Charlie’s expression. She must have missed it. “Yes. Bob is too. In fact, Bob is cooking for everyone.”

“Yum!” Charlie responded. “He makes the best desserts.”

“That he does,” Stephanie agreed. He never made the sugar-laden treats her mom used to, but Bob’s desserts were always good. “Why did you need to know if Ranger was going to be there?” she asked.

“I want to ask him if was in the army or not. They have Rangers, you know,” Charlie informed wisely.

“And why would it matter if he was in the army or not?”

“Well, after we got the artifact and defeated all the bad guys, we started playing with some army men and I need to know what sort of stuff I can do with them.”

“Ah, I see,” Stephanie answered, shaking her head slightly in amusement.

“And I wanted to make sure he wasn’t going to get all kissy with you like Foxx’s dad did with his mom when he came home tonight. It was disgusting.”

Stephanie laughed out loud at the description, remembering a time in her own childhood when she felt the same way. “Oh, I don’t know. I don’t think I’d mind too much,” she replied.

“Mom!” Charlie called in horror. “That’s just gross!” he chided, looking thoroughly disgusted.

Stephanie laughed, relieved that Charlie seemed to accept Ranger. There were still some issues they needed to talk through, but she was certain they could work them out. And if what Merry said was true, there were bound to be a few bumps in the road with Charlie if she and Ranger decided to pursue their relationship after their current problem was all wrapped up.

Thoughts of the reason Ranger was there in the first place quickly chased away the warm, amused feelings her banter with Charlie had created.

It was probably that change in her thoughts that caused her to recognize the face of the person driving in the opposite direction.

She mouthed a curse, having learned early on not to curse aloud. “Charlie, I just saw someone I was researching for Ranger and Bob. Could you grab my cell phone and call Bob. I need to know if he wants me to follow this person or not. I'm going to be following him until Bob says otherwise, OK?”

“Sure, Mom,” Charlie said, a note of excitement in his voice at the thought of tailing someone and helping out his mom. Turning the phone on, he quickly dialed Bob's number.

“Yo,” Bob greeted.

“Uncle Bob,” Charlie said.

“What's up, Charlie?”

“Mom saw someone she was researching for you. We turned around and are following him right now. She wants to know if you want us to keep following or not,” Charlie informed.

“Can you put your mom on the phone?” Bob asked.

“No,” Charlie replied. “You know she won't talk on the cellphone while driving unless she has her blue tooth, and she doesn't have that in.”

“OK,” Bob replied. “Can you find out the name of the person?”

“Sure,” Charlie assured. “Hey, Mom? What's the name of the guy you saw?”

“Jasper Clinton,” Stephanie replied. “Tell Bob I'm not going to approach.”

“Jasper Clinton,” Charlie relayed. He pulled the phone away from his ear as he heard Bob curse. “You shouldn't talk like that,” he advised when his neighbor. “It's not polite and Mom says it's not for young ears.”

“Sorry,” Bob apologized. “Tell your mom to just let him go. We'll catch up to him later.”

“OK,” Charlie agreed. “Is that all?”

“Yeah, kid. That's it for now,” Bob assured. “Hurry home so we can have dinner. It's going to be grilled marinated chicken, salad, rolls and homemade shortbread for dessert.”

“Yes!” Charlie exclaimed. “See you soon,” he said as he ended the call.

“Well?” Stephanie asked.

“He said to go home. We're having his marinated chicken, rolls, salad and shortbread for dessert,” he informed.

“One Bob special dinner coming up,” Stephanie said, a smile evident in her voice. “Maybe he'll let us have some shortbread before dinner.”

“Yes! I sure hope so.”

Part 24 – Power

Stephanie pulled Charlie's door closed, smiling as she headed down the hall. He was quite a kid. Over dinner he had gotten not only Bob, but also Ranger, to discuss troop deployment and battle plans. The three of them had been so intent on their discussion, they had even started using the cookies as troops and moving them around the table.

They had been so into their plans, counter-plans and deployment schemes that they had completely forgotten about her. At least, they forgot about her until she reached onto the “battlefield” and swiped all the “troops”.

When they realized that she had taken all of their “troops”, they protested loudly.

She had just smiled at them and taken a bite of one of the cookies. That single act triggered all three of the males in the room to move after her.

A brief chase had ensued. It had only taken a minute or so for Charlie, Ranger and Bob to corner her. She managed to taunt them by eating two more cookies before Charlie managed to take the plate while Bob and Ranger kept her pinned in the corner with threats of tickling.

Charlie had taken the opportunity Bob and Ranger's distraction provided to escape with the cookies and eat them.

By the time Stephanie had managed to gasp out that Charlie had disappeared with the cookies, there was no sign of him. Of course, Stephanie had a pretty good idea where he was hiding, but Bob and Ranger didn't. They did some sort of silent communication thing and set off to look for him.

Stephanie gave it a few minutes before heading to Charlie's favorite hiding place. Sure enough, he was squirreled away in the cubbyhole under the stairs. Crawling in with him, she smiled and silently took a cookie from the plate he proffered.

She wasn't sure how long it had taken the men to find them, but she and Charlie had made quite a dent in the cookies before they were found.

Now she was headed back downstairs for a less pleasant reason.

Between yesterday and today, the three of them had taken in a lot of information. Now they needed to go over what they had learned.

As she entered the kitchen, a cold chill ran down her spine as she remembered what Ranger and Bob suspected the group was building.

Growing up during the end of the cold war, she had learned to fear nuclear weapons, as had any child. With the fall of the Soviet Union and the Berlin Wall, that nightmare was supposed to be gone. Having that fear resurrected did not sit well. The men and women involved in this group they were researching had to know that nuclear weapons were not an answer.

As she took her seat at the table, the question slipped out, “Why would they do this?” When she realized she had said that aloud, she looked up into Bob's eyes, searching for an answer.

“Power,” he responded.

Stephanie shook her head. “Fear isn't power,” she stated, sure of her observation. Many stalkers had taught her that. Fear was a currency that only gave you power if your victims were willing to let you affect them. Once you stopped letting the fear control you, the person inflicting that fear lost their power over you.

She knew without a doubt that true power was the strength you gained from friends and family, the knowledge that what you did was right, fighting the dark things in the world to bring light to those who need it, protecting those who couldn't protect themselves... As cheesy as it might sound and as silly as it might seem after all she'd been through, she still believed that light was more powerful than darkness, love was more powerful than hate and, in the end, good would triumph over evil. She needed to believe it. Her eyes drifted to Ranger. Without that belief, she could have no hope that they would, someday, find a way to be together and give “them” a try.

Her attention snapped back to the present when her friend spoke.

“For one person, no,” Bob agreed. “For one person, fear can be overcome. If they were only coming after me, then I wouldn't fear them. But there's no way I can ask millions of people not to fear, not to give in to whatever demands they are requiring.”

Stephanie's eyes slid closed as she worked to push away the feeling of helplessness Bob's statement engendered. Taking a deep breath, she slowly released it. “All right. Oh, before we start, Bob, the other guest room is all made up if this runs late and you don't want to drive home.”

Bob thought about it for a few minutes. “If I stay we can discuss this some more in the morning.”

“No,” Stephanie protested, her voice firm. “I won't have Charlie exposed to this.”

“And I wouldn't want expose him to it,” Bob assured. “But we're running out of time. You had your twenty-four hours and now we need to move.”

“I don't like it,” she protested.

“You don't have to like it,” Bob assured. “But we need to get it in place.”

“But there are so many unanswered questions,” Stephanie whined. She knew she was whining; she could hear it in her voice.

“There are,” Ranger said, leaning forward and resting his forearms on the table. “Planting the listening devices will help us get those answers.”

Stephanie sighed, knowing she wasn't going to win that argument and not wanting to get into it too much further just then. They had a lot of information to cover. “So, why do you believe that they're building a bomb?” she asked, not quite completely suppressing the shiver that thought provoked. “Was it just the report of the depleted uranium?”

“No,” Bob admitted. “Knowing you, you probably researched it as soon as we hung up. But what you won't find on-line is exactly how complex it really is to build something like that. There are a whole lot of aspects that are still classified.”

Ranger continued, “Several of the people we researched worked for companies that do government contracting work. The parts that those company made can be used in such bombs, but no one person would have all the knowledge to put it together themselves.”

“What we really need is to find out exactly what sort of projects the people in question worked on. Were they involved with the weapon components? Were they involved in experimentation? Development? A lot of their titles are pretty nebulous,” Bob observed.

“I can't really do that sort of research without contacting the companies directly,” Stephanie explained. “Do you want me to start making calls.”

The two men glanced at each other. “No,” Ranger said. “If we can't get what we need from the cameras and bugs, we'll rethink that, but right now it's best that knowledge of this doesn't go beyond the three of us.”

“You're really going to go through with that?” Stephanie demanded, her voice tight.

“We have to,” Bob replied. “You know we do. We're not getting the information we need and this is the best way to get what we need quickly.”

“Babe,” Ranger added, “right now we don't even have a time line for what they're planning. We need to know how long we have and what we need to expect. The listening devices and cameras are the fastest way to get that information.”

“I know,” Stephanie conceded. “But I worry. Especially because I can't figure out why they need twelve chemists if they're making a nuclear weapon,” she grumbled.

Ranger seemed to freeze.

Stephanie noticed the sudden stillness and looked between Ranger and Bob. They were staring at each other. “What?” she demanded. “Didn't you notice that? Didn't you think it weird? Or did I totally miss something?”

The silence dragged on and Stephanie was about to walk off in a huff when Bob asked, “Distraction?”

Ranger rubbed the back of his neck as he thought. “Be one mighty big distraction,” he observed.

“Depends on what their objective is,” Bob stated, nodding his head slightly.

“Bottom line, we need that information. If what we know isn't right or we've come to the wrong conclusion, that could change everything,” Ranger replied.

“I was looking at Denver to see potential targets and there are a lot of them,” Stephanie said, deciding to ignore the fact they were planning on putting themselves in danger tomorrow night.

“There are,” Ranger agreed nodding.

“If they're after money, there's the Denver Mint, though I'm sure that's beyond protected,” she commented.

“The sports arenas, government buildings, the stockyard,” Bob threw out. “There's a lot there and we need to know what they're planning, what they're after, what their goal is.”

“So, what else do we know about these people?” Stephanie asked, slouching slightly in her chair to get comfortable. It was going to be a long night.

It was several hours later when Stephanie's yawning became more frequent than her statements.

“We need to go over our plan of attack,” Bob stated, as he rubbed his eyes.

“Tomorrow,” Stephanie commanded, having seen her friend's exhaustion. “You both have to be at least as tired as I am and if you're tired your not going to be at your best. Go upstairs, sleep, rest and handle it tomorrow night or whenever.”

“Yes, ma'am!” Bob retorted, rising from his seat and snapping off a crisp salute.

“Oh, ha, ha,” Stephanie sneered back. “I'm going to bed,” she informed, standing.

“Night Steph,” Bob said, smiling at his friend as he went upstairs.

Ranger stood as well and approached her. Turning her slightly, he gave her a chaste kiss on the lips before wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly. “Night, Babe,” he added, giving her one more lingering kiss before he released her and headed for the stairs.

“See you for breakfast, though not before Charlie does,” Stephanie offered as she headed to the back of the house, a smile on her face despite what would happen tomorrow. She knew tonight she would dream of Ranger's kiss and the promise of what awaited them when this was all over.

Part 25 – Forget

Stephanie just sat there shaking her head.

“I’m really sorry, Deputy Mazur,” Jimmy Brown apologized for the forth time. “I thought I had it tied down really good and I wasn’t going all that fast.”

“It’s OK, Jimmy,” Stephanie assured, patting the teen on the shoulder. “This sort of stuff just happens sometimes.”

The two stood in silence for a few minutes staring at the patrol car. It looked just like any other patrol car, if you ignored the clothes dryer resting part-way through the front windshield.

About once a month, someone from the sheriff's office set up their car and radar gun in a fairly conspicuous place. This simple set up served as a reminder to the public to watch their speed. Since instituting it several years ago, speeding in the area had been greatly reduced.

Today, Stephanie had been given the task of setting up and checking people’s traveling speed.

Knowing she would have time, she’d snagged the photos she had yet to review and set them in the front seat of the patrol car.

With the morning “rush” over, Stephanie had been sitting in the car flipping through the pictures when she noticed a pick-up headed her way. Setting the pictures aside, she had grabbed the radar gun and stepped out of the car.

Checking the truck’s speed, she smiled as she saw it was going exactly the speed limit. As it drew a little closer, she recognized the plate as belonging to the Brown family and was able to make out seventeen-year-old Jimmy driving.

She lifted her hand to wave at him. He nodded and smiled in greeting.

The truck had just passed the patrol car when something happened. She had no idea what had happened – the truck hitting a bump, swerving or what have you – but Stephanie could feel her eyes widen as the clothes dryer that had been strapped down to the back of the pickup came loose and bounced out of the pickup bed, went through the air and landed right on the hood of the patrol car. The hood of the car looked to only have a few scratches and maybe a dent or two, but the top corner of the dryer had ended up through the front windshield.

Jimmy had pulled to a stop a short way in front of the patrol car and exited the vehicle.

After determining that she was OK, Jimmy had started apologizing.

“Let me give Bucky a call and let Jed know what’s going on,” Stephanie said, pulling her cell phone off her belt.

Hitting the appropriate speed-dial number, she waited as the phone rang. It was picked up on the third ring. “Hey, Bucky,” she greeted as he finished his greeting.

“Tell me it's not destroyed,” Bucky groaned.

“I did not destroy the car!” Stephanie exclaimed. “It wasn't my fault.”

“Do I need the flatbed or can it be driven?”

“Well... there's a dryer through the windshield,” Stephanie admitted. She was met with several seconds of silence.

“A dryer? Like a clothes dryer?” Bucky asked, disbelief clear in his voice.

“Yes, as in a clothes dryer,” Stephanie replied, her teeth gritted. Silence stretched for a few more minutes.

“Where are you?” Bucky finally asked, his voice struggling to be neutral.

Stephanie's eyes narrowed. She couldn't quite tell what emotion was behind the statement, but she was pretty sure there was amusement and maybe some resignation. “About a mile past Old Mill Road,” she stated.

“I'll be there in twenty,” Bucky replied.

Just before Stephanie's line went dead, she could have sworn she heard him muttering something about the car not even lasting a day. “Shows what he knows,” Stephanie muttered. “It's a different car.” A throat clearing brought her attention back to her present circumstance. “Why don't you wait for Bucky to get here?” she advised Jimmy. “He'll have more luck than I will in getting the dryer back in your truck and strapped down.

“O. K., Deputy Mazur,” Jimmy replied respectfully. “I really am sorry about this.”

Stephanie smiled reassuringly at him. “Don't worry about it. Things like this happen around me.”

Jimmy just nodded.

The two stood in silence for a few minutes. Stephanie could see that he was nervous standing around with her, so she tried to find a topic of conversation. “So, you planning on doing cross country again this year?” she asked. She watched a smile crossed Jimmy's face as excitement and enthusiasm danced in his eyes. How anyone could enjoy running that much was beyond her, but Jimmy held most of the records at the high school as he headed into his final year.

“Yeah,” Jimmy replied, sounding more excited than she could remember hearing him before. “Coach did a bunch of research at the end of school last year and we came up with a new work-out schedule. It's the same one a lot of the Olympian distant runners use including a new diet and everything. It's really working well and I've managed to shave several second off my time so far.”

“That's great,” Stephanie encouraged, unable to think of anything worse than having to be on a special diet.

“Yeah,” Jimmy agreed, missing the gleam of horror in Stephanie's eyes. “I've been saving up all summer too so I can afford these running shoes I saw. The company has you do all these tests and then takes a clay model of your foot. They then make the shoes specifically for you and how you run to help you do better.”

“Wow,” Stephanie said, impressed with the younger man's dedication. She could remember in high-school how she had always struggled not to spend the money she was saving on things she didn't need. “So, how's that going?” She almost winced as she saw the light fade slightly from his face before it was replaced by determination.

“I'm not there yet, but I'm getting close,” he assured. “It'll be tight, but I'm pretty sure I'll make it before the school year starts.”

They continued chatting about the upcoming cross country season, Jimmy's hopes for a scholarship to college and other neutral topics until Bucky arrived.

It took only a few minutes to get the dryer off the patrol car and tied back down in the back of Jimmy's truck. Stephanie waved to him as he left on his way and then went to her car to retrieve her files before Bucky loaded the car on the flatbed.

As she reached in, she noticed the photos had scattered all across the seat and onto the floor. As she gathered them together, her stomach dropped. The work this morning and the time with Jimmy had successfully distracted her from the problem that had brought Ranger back to her life. Now that she saw the photos again, she couldn't help but worry about the two men in her life who would be approaching the terrorists' compound tonight to plant bugs and cameras. There was a tremendous risk in what they were doing despite their years of experience and training. It was possible that one or both could be injured, capture or worse. She could only hope they would both show up tomorrow morning for breakfast. That would be the first she would know of the success or failure of their mission.

Reaching down to snag the last picture, she placed it on top and squared the pile.

She glanced down at the photo on top and gasped. Looking up at her from the still was a face she would never forget.

Part 26 – Invisible

Ranger lay perfectly still while his eyes roamed the landscape. Years of training and practice had taught him not only how to blend into the landscape, but also how to stay perfectly still for long periods of time. Both of those skills had saved his life on more than one occasion and, using them together, he was practically invisible once he settled into position.

This morning, as he and Bob had prepared for their excursion, he had very carefully forced every stray thought out of his mind until only the mission existed. From the recon Bob had already done as well as the research Stephanie had developed, they were dealing with a highly skilled set of people. That meant there would be no room for mistakes, no room for error, no time to sit and daydream about Stephanie and what might be.

The terrorists in the compound were well educated and obviously smart. But from what Bob had seen, they weren’t all academics. Bob believed that there were several people who had experience with the military and possibly security.

Bob’s pictures had revealed a lack of outside lighting, which would make approaching in the dark easier. That didn’t mean, however, that there weren’t other things to worry about. There were always infrared sensors, motion detectors and other newer technologies that could be used. Some classic, low-tech warnings and such could prove just as troublesome for them.

Though he hated going in without more detailed information, time was running short and they would need to act soon if they were going to stop whatever the group had planned. So, now, Ranger lay in the shallow depression where he had moved a few hours ago.

He couldn’t see Bob from his current position and wouldn’t be seeing him until after their mission was done.

They had agreed to approach the compound from opposite sides. Each of them had specific targets and goals to accomplish. If only one of them finished, it would be enough. With any luck, the compound would be just as open as they believe it to be allowing the two of them to slip in and out completely unnoticed.

Finishing his latest scan, Ranger’s eye settled on the shallow depression about 10 feet in front of him that would serve as his next place of shelter. He knew that to many, the caution he and Bob were displaying in their approach – taking almost all day to do so – seemed a bit excessive, but they would be wrong. It was better to take a day and be overly cautious than to take a few hours and risk missing something.

As it was, the people in the camp had patrols. Twice, so far, Ranger had found himself with in hearing distance of a two-man patrol. That was one aspect of security that either Bob had missed or that had been recently instituted. Given that the group might now have depleted uranium on-site, it only seemed to make sense that they would be looking to increase security.

Still, his years of training at making himself invisible by fading into his surroundings had kept him from being found out.

Seeing no threat, he moved forward, crawling slowly along the ground, doing his best to have his movements blend in with the grasses swaying in the wind.

Though it seemed an eternity before he completed the move to his new location, Ranger knew it had only been a few minutes. Anytime he moved, he made himself more vulnerable to detection. That added anxiety is what caused time to seem to stretch to a point where seconds became minutes and every breath sounded louder than an outdoor concert and each heartbeat boom like a tympani. In reality, he knew that the soft rustling sound he made blended with the whispering grass and was easily covered by the birds calling out to each other.

Though only a few feet closer, Ranger took the time to re-scan the compound. He saw the same thing he’d seen all along: people moving about in a casual manner from one building to another.

A portion of his mind drifted back to review what he had learned so far, while the majority of his attention was focused on his surroundings.

After he and Bob had left their horses at the rendezvous point, they had made their way to the top of a ridge about a mile from the camp. Lying on the ground, they had both looked through the powerful binoculars. Though it was mid-morning by the time they’d reached the summit of the ridge, it was easy to tell the barracks were to the east along with the mess. From the look of things, there were three buildings for housing – a men’s barrack, a women’s barrack and, they assumed, a married barrack.

The west side of camp seemed to be where most of the work was done. There were people moving in and out of those buildings, many of whom were wearing lab coats.

To the south of the camp was the river and to the north another set of smaller buildings.

Though they couldn’t be certain, they had watched several men go into one of the northern buildings and leave a few minutes later holding weapons. It was fairly easy to assume that was the armory.

A small, mud-colored building by the river was, most likely, the generator. It wasn’t making a lot of noise, at least none they could hear over the rushing of the river at this distance. Given its proximity to the river, it was possible that it was some sort of hydroelectric plant. There was a landing with a short pier nearby. Several camouflage kayaks and a dingy were resting on the shore nearby.

They would need to get a better idea of what each building was and how many people they housed before they could begin to plan any sort of attack.

His full focus coming back to the present, Ranger scanned the area, keeping his ears tuned for any noise that didn’t belong.

There was a tree about thirty feet ahead of him to the right that might prove a good location for another camera.

One of the things both he and Bob were doing as they made their observations and stealthy approach was planting cameras that would give them a view of the compound.

The pictures they would receive would be of poor quality and not terribly informative, but it would give them some idea of the comings and goings as well as the movement of people among the buildings.

He glanced at his watch as he noticed two of the guards return from patrol and two others head toward the armory.

It was four in the afternoon, still a number of hours from dark. He had at least five hours of light left to move to his position. He also calculated that it had taken five hours to approach his current location on the far side of the camp. Bob was approaching from the side nearest their horses and the rendezvous. He’d had an extra two hours before he had to begin his approach. Ranger knew, despite Bob’s superior camouflage skill and excellent health, the older man wasn’t physically up to the demands that approaching from the far side would need.

That was enough to get part of him mind wandering again.

If he were being completely honest with himself, Ranger would admit that this wasn’t nearly as easy as it had been when he was younger, but there were no other options. Of course, to the average person, he would look as sharp and fast as ever, but the level at which he operated was so high that even the smallest slow-down could spell disaster. Being a fraction of a second too slow could literally be the difference between life and death.

It wasn’t that different from an Olympic swimmer who noticed he was consistently a few hundredths of a second slower than he used to be. In that event, even such a small margin of change could spell the difference between gold and bronze. Like that swimmer, Ranger knew he was still world class, but he was also aware that there were younger men who were just that much faster, stronger and better than he was.

But now that he’d found Stephanie, perhaps, like Bob, it was finally time to give up that portion of his life. He’d spent years searching for her, longing for the life they could have together…

The sound of a twig snapping drew his complete attention back to the issue at hand.

Slipping the knife from the arm-sheath into his hand, he looked for the cause of the snapped twig.

A flash of movement caught his attention and his eyes zeroed in on that location.

It only took him a second to evaluate the target and determine the rabbit was no real threat to his position.

The brief scare, however, was enough to get his mind back on task and the control and concentration that had served him so well for so many years were back in action at full force in no time.

This was too important a mission to let anything slip now.

Chapter 27 – Crawl

He stood perfectly still, blending with the shadows, his senses on high alert. Now was not the time to be caught.

After spending the day moving toward the target and observing the camp, the sun had finally gone down and night engulfed the land.

Unlike a few nights ago when he had followed Stephanie out, there was no moon to gild the landscape. It would rise later and he would be long gone by the time it did.

Once the sun had fallen away and the last glow of the day had faded from the sky, Ranger had nearly let out a sigh. Not only would the darkness allow him to move around more silently, but he would no longer have to crawl from one spot to another.

He had, hours before, planned his approach, memorizing every dip and rise along the way. It would only take him a few minutes to find his way into the compound and to the locations they needed.

An hour after darkness' fall, he rose from his stomach to his feet. He didn't stand up, but remained crouched. This kept him just below the top of the giant sage and other bushes around him. There weren't many bushes between his current position and the camp, but there were enough that he shouldn't attract attention.

All that was provided, of course, that the terrorists didn't have thermal technology.

If they did, there was little he would be able to do to disguise himself. His heat signature was going to be higher than the ambient temperature around him. There had been no time to try and counter that.

Once the time was right, he slipped into the compound and made his way from the armory to the work buildings.

There were still people up and about in the compound and, now that he was closer, he could see an edge of light filtering around the black-out curtains covering the windows of the work buildings.

The sound of approaching footsteps kept him frozen in place in the shadows. His breathing was silent and, unlike many novices, his ears weren't filled with the sound of his own beating heart. Years of experience had taught him how, not only to be silent, but also to filter out his own body's noises – his breathing, his heartbeat, etc - in order to be more aware of what was going on around him.

The footsteps faded away and he took the two steps to the window that was his target.

Crouching down, he removed the small electronic device from a pocket on his belt. It was a tiny little thing and only had a limited range, but Bob had been responsible for setting up relays. The technology they would need in order to have it send directly back to Bob's house would have been too easily picked up by the technologically savvy group. Instead, the smaller devices they were using, though of a more limited range, left a much smaller electronic footprint that could easily be passed off as background noise on any scans.

Job done, he scrutinized the area.

Satisfied that he had not only avoided notice, but that there were no others in his area, he looked up and tried to locate any cameras. There hadn't been any when he scanned earlier, but, now that he was about to move across the brief opening between work buildings, he wanted to be sure. The last thing he needed was to be caught now.

Moving forward, into the darkness. He crouched low and darted across the opening between buildings.

Once he reached the relative safety of the shadows along the side of the new building, Ranger waited for several minutes to make sure there was no one around him.

Satisfied he was still unnoticed and that there was no one nearby, he continued on with his mission.

As he planted the last device, he headed back the way he had come.

His path, however, was blocked by the presence of guards. He crouched down to wait, but when the men lit cigarettes, he knew they would be there for a few minutes at least. Hiding behind a trash bin, Ranger settled in to wait the few minutes it would take for the men to finish their break and move off.

It was a solid plan until a light at the back of the building against which he was hiding illuminated the area.

Knowing he only had seconds to act, he dropped to his stomach and headed toward the river, the only direction open to him.

As he continued his crawl, another light came on, brightening the night.

Glaring at the implement above the rear door of the work area, he noted the hood over the bulb that directed all of the light downward. He had run into an instance when he was renovating a safe-house where the local building codes demanded all lights have a hood over them to cut down on light pollution. It did work and it also illuminated only a limited area.

That knowledge didn't really help him, though, as he was trapped in the light.

From his position on the ground, he scrambled to the edge of the light's pool.

Safely ensconced in the darkness once more, he realized he was much closer to the river than to the path he had originally planned to follow back.

There were distinct dangers in attempting to cross the river, or even to follow along the riverbank, but right now it seemed the safest option. The longer he remained in or near the compound, the danger of discovery grew.

Had this been a mission anywhere else, he might have contemplated holding his position for a while longer, waiting for another option. In this case, he knew Stephanie was waiting for him. It was already going to take them quite a while to get back and, while she wasn't expecting them until breakfast, Ranger knew he would feel better if he could see her for himself. He would feel even better if he could take her into his arms and hold her, maybe even claim her soft, supple lips.

Ranger shook his head sharply. Now was not the time to get lost in thoughts of Stephanie. Now was the time to focus on his surroundings and escape.

It was going to take him some time to get to the place where he had crossed earlier. Given the uncertainty of the bank, he wasn't anxious to travel the path before him, but he was less anxious to get caught.

With great care and admirable stealth, he crawled his way to the bank of the river, just past the edge of the camp and headed down-river toward the place he had forded earlier.

After crossing the river, it would still be a bit more than a mile to get to the agreed meeting place with Bob, who, he was sure, was on his way back to the rendezvous. Though he hadn't seen the other man in the camp, Ranger had no doubt his friend had been there.

From the rendezvous, there would be a few minutes spent checking the relays and making sure all the bugs were working before they returned to the horses and made their way back.

As he reached the bank of the river, he stopped, scanned the area once more, and then rose to a crouch and began moving into the sheltering darkness.

Part 28 – Sweat

Light from the late-rising moon poured through the window of the bedroom, adding an ethereal atmosphere to the nearly silent room.

Clothes lay on the chair beside the bed, carelessly discarded in the haste of life. Shoes were tumbled before the chair. A drawer was partially open revealing a shirt attempting to escape the confines of the dresser.

The only disturbance to the frozen scene were the soft whimpers coming from the form on the bed.

The figure under the covers twitched slightly, her limbs moving restlessly. On the pillow near the headboard, a curl-topped head thrashed back and forth, sweat glistened upon her brow as another whimper escaped as her face contorted in fear.

Her eyes moving rapidly under their lids, the woman's breathing became harsher, more labored.

It was only seconds later that the still quiet of the night was shattered by a high-pitched scream as Stephanie sat bolt-upright in her bed, gasping for air and shaking with the after-effect of the nightmare, her wide, blue eyes darted around the room.

A few second later, the rapid fall of a child's footsteps sounded in the hall.

Stephanie had no time to try and collect herself before Charlie appeared in her doorway. He paused only a moment before crossing the room and, climbing up onto the bed, wrapped his mother in his arms, hugging her tightly.

The sound of larger feet racing up the stairs startled the duo on the bed. Stephanie shifted her body in front of her son's in instinctive response to an unknown threat. Before she could do more than move, a large form appeared in the doorway, gun in hand.

“Babe?” the man asked, stepping into the room and crossing to the bed. “Are you alright?” Ranger asked as he scanned the room.

Finally, satisfied that there was no threat, he stored his gun to its holster and settled on the bed on the side of the bed opposite Charlie.

Looking from Ranger to Charlie, Stephanie took a deep breath, held it and slowly released it. “It was just a nightmare,” she said, her voice still shaking slightly. “I'm fine,” she assured with a smile, hugging Charlie to her before leaning back until she was resting lightly again Ranger and hoping neither of them would feel her shaking.

Charlie looked at his mother doubtfully. This wasn't the first nightmare she had had and, despite the fact she always claimed to be OK afterward, the dark circles he always saw under her eyes the morning after a bad dream like this betrayed her words. He knew better than to argue with her, though. If the dream had been something she could share with him, she would the next morning. But experience had taught him he wouldn't get any more from her now.

Glancing over at Mr. Ranger, Charlie blinked a few times. The man dirty and dressed in camouflage. He knew that Mr. Ranger had spent the day with Uncle Bob, but whatever they had been doing looked like fun. He also knew that his mother wouldn't be happy he was tracking dirt into the house and especially onto her bed.

As he was about to ask another question, a yawn overtook him.

Leaning down, Stephanie kissed Charlie on the forehead. “Go back to sleep, kiddo,” she instructed.

“You sure?” the boy asked.

“Yeah,” Stephanie assured. “We'll talk in the morning.”

“'K,” Charlie agreed, kissing her cheek before bouncing off the bed and heading back to his room. As he reached the door, he turned back and smiled at his mom before shooting a look at Ranger.

Ranger nodded at the boy, assuring the lad that his mother would be fine.

Charlie nodded back and went to his room, closing the door.

Settling back against the headboard, Ranger drew Stephanie back to him.

Stephanie squirmed in his loose embrace. “I need a shower,” she protested, trying to get away. “I'm covered in sweat.”

“So am I, Babe,” Ranger informed with a smile.

A sigh escaped Stephanie as she let her head rest on the strong shoulder next to her.

“Who was it?” Ranger asked.

Stephanie straightened up. She blinked several times in surprise as she tried to see his face in the dim glow of the moonlight. “How do you...”

Ranger smiled at her, causing her question to trail off. “I know you,” he reminded. “I've seen you through nightmares before. Real ones and dream ones.”

Tension left Stephanie's body as she acknowledged the truth of the situation. Relaxing into Ranger, she sighed and closed her eyes, only to have them fly open again as the final image of her nightmare appeared before her.

A quick check of the clock on her bedside revealed that it was a little after four in the morning. She knew there was no way she would get back to sleep and even if she did, she'd have to be up by six-thirty anyway.

Another sigh escaped her as she tipped her head to look at Ranger.

She noted that he looked tired and worried. She had expected the worry, but it was very rare that she was able to see that he was tired.

“You need sleep,” she observed.

“I need to make sure you're all right,” he countered.

A small smile curved Stephanie's lips. “Let me wash this nightmare off of me and get some clothes on. I'll meet you downstairs in the kitchen in twenty minutes.”

Ranger leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her temple. A wolf grin overspread his face as he stated, “I could use a shower too. Want me to scrub your back?”

Stephanie's grin widened as she chuckled softly. Shaking her head, she replied, “Tempting. But I don't think I'm quite ready for that yet.”

Nodding his understanding, Ranger brushed a light kiss across her lips before rising from the bed and heading toward the door. “I'll go get cleaned up and meet you in the kitchen,” he assured.

“I don't know,” Stephanie said thoughtfully, her mind flashing through images of a sweaty Ranger working out before moving quickly to images from their night together. “If I remember correctly, sweat is a good look on you,” she finished, sounding slightly breathless.

“Babe,” Ranger replied, his voice sounding slightly husky.

Stephanie squirmed slightly. She knew that tone and it was quickly obvious her body did too. “Go,” she commanded, surprised by the huskiness of her own voice.

Ranger stayed in the doorway another moment before finally turning and leaving.

Taking a deep breath, Stephanie held it for a count of five and then slowly released it. Despite what her hormones might say, she wasn't ready to play with the fire that was Ranger, not yet.

With another glance at the clock, she dragged herself from bed and headed toward the bathroom.

As she turned on the taps in the shower, she deliberately ignored the slight shaking in her hand. There was no way she was as calm as she had pretended to be and she knew it would only get worse. It wouldn't take more than a cursory glance in the light for Ranger to catch onto that. But, the truth was, she wasn't ready to tell him either the cause or the content of the dream. If she did either of those things, he would know why she left Trenton and she wasn't sure either of them was ready for that.

Stepping into the shower, Stephanie allowed the water to wash away the sweat and fear from her nightmare, choosing to deny, at least for a few minutes, how very real that nightmare could become.

Chapter 29 – Haunted

Stephanie peered into Charlie's room and was satisfied when she saw he was sleeping peacefully.

Pulling his door closed, she headed downstairs to the kitchen. She could tell Ranger was already there waiting for her by the smell of coffee permeating the house.

As she arrived on the lower floor, she found herself frozen in place at the kitchen doorway, her breath taken away by the sight of Ranger in her kitchen.

His back was to her as he stood before the coffee maker, waiting for it to finish brewing. He was wearing a pair of cargoes that hung loosely from his hips. His shirt was carelessly tossed on the counter, leaving a broad expanse of mocha-latte skin open to her sight. His still damp hair curled slightly at the ends adding a hint of boyishness to his very manly appearance.

Seeing Ranger in such a domestic setting, here in her kitchen with her son sleeping upstairs, caused her heart to clench long enough for yearning to pierce both her still heart and her soul. In her mind's eyes images of the future flashed rapidly, overlaying each other. They were all images of the family she had secretly dreamed of so many times – her, Charlie and Ranger, aging, growing older, growing together.

Stephanie had never been a domestic person, never thought of herself as a wife and mother type of person, but right then there was nothing she wanted more than to have the family her imagination had conjured.

“You just going to stare at me all morning, Babe?” Ranger asked, looking over his shoulder at her and grinning.

All thoughts of family left her mind as an entirely different sort of yearning filled her. There was absolutely no denying it. Even tired, Ricardo Carlos Manoso was one sexy man.

Unconsciously, Stephanie licked her lips. A shiver raced down her spine as she saw his eyes darken and a look of desire spread across Ranger's face. “Seems like a plan,” she replied, her voice slightly husky, her eyes locked with his.

The moment was interrupted when Tigger let out an unearthly yowl.

Jumping at the sudden noise, Ranger flashed a smile as Stephanie let out a nervous laugh. She bent down as Tigger brushed against her legs and lifted the cat up to her face. “You need to be quiet,” she admonished. “Charlie's still asleep.”

Tigger's response was an idle bat at her nose.

Sighing, she placed Tigger back on the floor and watched as the feline set off on a morning patrol of the house.

Once the cat was out of view, Stephanie knew she had no other option but to turn her attention to Ranger. As she looked over at him, she failed to immediately meet his gaze as her eyes were caught by the front view that was now facing her.

At some point, Ranger had turned around to face her and was now leaning against the counter, his arms crossed loosely and a half-smile on his face as he waited for Stephanie to find his eyes.

When they finally did, the two stood in silence for several seconds. There was an almost magnetic pull between the two of them as they stepped toward each other, neither consciously aware of moving.

Meeting halfway, Ranger tipped his head downward as Stephanie tipped hers upward. Their lips met in a gentle kiss as Stephanie's eyes fluttered closed.

The delicious feel of Ranger's lips on hers, however, wasn't enough to completely block the image that flashed before her – the image from her nightmare. Gasping in horror and fear, she quickly stepped back, only to be stopped by Ranger's arms around her.

His own eyes flying open at the sudden loss of his lips' mates, Ranger looked down into Stephanie's haunted eyes. Drawing her closer, he commanded, “Tell me about your dream.”

Stephanie took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “Why don't you pour coffee?” she asked. “I need to grab something from the mud room.”

“Alright,” Ranger agreed, reluctant to let go.

As she headed to the mudroom, she tried to calm her nerves. The face she was about to show Ranger, the names she was about to reveal had haunted her for four years. The thought that she might be responsible for the death of a loved one had tormented her, taunted her every day. Sometimes she could deny it for a while, but the nightmare, the memory, the threat was always there.

Grabbing the manila folder filled with pictures, she turned and headed back into the kitchen.

Ranger had poured two cups of coffee and set them at the kitchen table.

Stephanie took a seat and was oddly comforted when Ranger sat in the chair next to her and took her hand in his own. She looked up and met his eyes. Normally she struggled to read him, but right then, she could see his love and support in them. She could also see his exhaustion, his pain and his need to know this.

Taking a deep breath, she offered as much of a reassuring smile as she could and withdrew her hand.

It was only after she had taken a drink of coffee that she fingered the edge of the folder and began talking.

“I told you about that last day in Trenton. What I didn't tell you was the names of the people,” Stephanie said. “In the story I called the one 'Mr. Smith' wasn't Mr. Smith.” Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, hoping for the courage to share the name, trying to overcome the years-ingrained fear that speaking the names, acknowledging the people, would lead to the death of a loved one.

Stephanie's eyes flicked open when she felt Ranger's hand cover hers.

Locking eyes, she drew strength from him.

She twined the fingers of one hand with his and then opened the manila folder she had retrieved.

With a deep breath, she drew out the top picture.

“Mr. Smith was someone I went to elementary school with,” she explained, looking up and locking eyes with Ranger. “I hadn't seen him in years, but I remembered him.” Drawing the picture to them, she looked down at it. “James Campbell,” she said softly, her eyes flicking back to Ranger's face to take in his reaction.

She saw his face freeze and his eyes go dark. As his jaw clenched and tension became etched in ever line of his body.

“Not a nice guy, Babe,” he said, his voice flat.

“No, he's not,” she agreed. “Murderer. Terrorist. And I found out a lot more once I started working here. But there were two of them there that day, and he wasn't the scary one. It wasn't until much later that I discovered his identity and that I was right to be scared of him.”

If possible, Ranger tensed further.

Reaching into the folder, she drew out the second picture, her hand was shaking slightly.

With a deep breath, she moved the picture over the top of the one showing Campbell.

The curse that escaped Ranger was violent, vicious and summed up the powerful emotions the man in the picture evoked succinctly.

“Babe, that's Johann DiMarco,” Ranger informed through gritted teeth.

“I know,” she said, her voice soft and small as she met his eyes.

Ranger tugged her hand and she allowed him to pull her into his lap.

She rested her head against his chest, closed her eyes and listened to his heartbeat as he held her tightly to his chest. This was where she wanted to be. This is what she had needed all those years ago. This was what she never wanted to give up.

After a few minutes of drawing comfort from each other, Stephanie pulled back and placed a kiss on his jaw before moving back to her own chair.

Settling in, she picked up both pictures and set them back in the folder.

“I understand, now,” Ranger assured. “I didn't fully understand before, but I do now.”

“Thank you,” Stephanie replied. Distracting herself by taking a sip of her coffee.

Silence rested heavily in the kitchen as they absorbed the enormity of what had happened in the past, the forces that had separated them, and the huge complications this new knowledge prevented.

The moment shattered with the sound of small footsteps on the stairs.

Rising from his seat, Ranger leaned over and placed a kiss on Stephanie's temple before grabbing the file folder. “I'll take these with me today,” he said, setting them out of the way on the counter.

“I better start breakfast,” Stephanie said, rising from her chair. She didn't realize how close Ranger was still standing to her chair. When she turned she found herself standing chest to chest with him.

His arms wrapped around her waist and he drew her close. “I won't let you go,” he assured. Then, tipping her head up, he kissed her.

Giving herself over to the kiss, Stephanie leaned more fully against Ranger.

The kiss was short and broke soon after beginning when Charlie offered his opinion. “Eww!”

Chapter 30 – Closer

Ranger smiled as he headed over to Bob's with the file of information and pictures. Stephanie had given him earlier.

They hadn't gotten into her nightmare too deeply, especially not after Charlie joined them, but she had opened up to him, given him the names she had been withholding. It had gotten them one step closer to the openness they had shared before, one step closer to a life together.

And it had gotten them one step closer to understanding what was going on so they could take down the group before the terrorists caused any damage.

Of course, now that he knew Campbell and DiMarco were involved, he had realized that the stakes had gotten significantly higher. He and Bob wouldn't be enough anymore.

Even if Stephanie helped out, they wouldn't be able to pull this off.

With those two involved, whatever was going on had to be a lot more than they first thought. This small band here in Montana would be only a small part of whatever was being planned.

Ranger wasn't too proud to admit when he was outclassed. Whatever the terrorists' plan was, it was bigger than he'd ever dealt with before.

Calling in help was something he wouldn't be able to decide on his own, however. This was Bob's op and Ranger had just come along for the ride.

A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he contemplated the first twist on that ride – finding Stephanie.

At first, he had been so thankful, so grateful for finding her again, he had just accepted it.

After the initial surprise, though, he began to see the changes in her, the little things and the big ones.

There was a wariness about her now. It wasn't terribly pronounced, but it was there. It was the sort of thing he'd seen in people who were on the run, who were targeted and who had to watch their own backs. It was something that Stephanie would have learned from her time running from Trenton.

At the same time, though, it was as if a new dimension had been added.

That came from Charlie.

It wasn't that Steph had changed who she was, just changed her focus a little. From her current job and willingness to help Bob, it seemed evident that she was still trying to fly, but now she was taking a few precautions before she jumped.

That was one change Ranger couldn't help but approve.

What he wasn't sure about, though, was taking on the role of father.

It wasn't that he didn't like Charlie. Seeing the boy with Stephanie, it was easy to tell they belonged together. They were too much a part of each other to be separated.

There were a few things that worried him, though, including the danger he would bring to their lives, the fact his only experience with children was his having been one, the fact that Charlie was every bit as protective of Stephanie as he was, and he wasn't sure he could ever be a father figure. Action figure? Maybe. But father figure could be well beyond his reach.

Letting out a sigh, he ran his hand through his hair.

There were other issues and concerns as well.

Stephanie was legally dead. Yes, they could bring her back, but would that be best for her? Would it be best for Charlie?

And what then? Would they move to Trenton? Or Boston? Or Miami? Would she want to go back after being free from the Burg?

Unless she threw him out – and maybe not even then – Ranger was going to be staying with her for the rest of their lives. That meant ties to her old life whether she wanted them or not. He wouldn't – couldn't – stop Tank and the others from getting in touch or visiting. One visit and they would know.

Also, he wasn't ready to completely give up Rangeman. It was true that he hadn't been there full time, but it was still his company. When he was ready to sell, that would be one thing, but that time wasn't now.

Spotting Bob's house up ahead, he knew that all of those questions and the hundreds of others running around in his head would have to wait.

With a skill earned the hard way, he shut off that portion of his mind and focused completely on the issue at hand – the terrorists.

Though it might be too early to hope for any news or developments, it was also possible Bob had discovered something via the bugs they had planted.

Parking the car, he grabbed the folder and got out. There was a lot to do.

Part 31 - Paint

Stephanie looked in the back seat at her son. She was unable to keep the smile from her face as she watched him review the “battle plans” he, Ranger and Bob had worked out several days before.

Her smile faded slightly as she realized it had only been two days before that the four of them had sat down to dinner together. Things were moving so fast, almost too fast and she couldn’t shake the feeling they were missing something with regard to the research. She was also concerned about how the three of them – since there was no way she was going to let Ranger and Bob face this on their own – were going to take everyone down or prevent whatever was being planned.

Maybe they wouldn’t need to stop anything here, just report it and let the proper people stop it in Denver.

She shook her head, trying to dislodge those thoughts. Unfortunately, they hung on tenaciously. She knew it would be easier to stop them before they were organized, before they were ready to roll.

Allowing her mind to wander a bit, she tried to figure out how to do that and could only come up with the thought that more people would need to be brought into the situation.

That left her with a new set of worries. She was certain Ranger had contacts who had never met her, but she was also certain that he would want to work with on this situation should he and Bob decide to handle it themselves. Most likely one of those people would be Tank or someone else from the Trenton office – someone who knew her. That meant that they would know she was alive.

The mix of feelings that realization engendered within her was to turbulent to sort out entirely.

She could identify relief that her secret would be out and her running done. She felt anxiety at the thought of her reception. She felt fear at the thought of facing her friends and family after so long. She felt curiosity at how they would respond. She felt worry about how this would affect Charlie.

She felt so much more as questions swirled in her mind. Did she want to be found? Did she want to go back to her life in Trenton? Could she leave her life here behind? How would her friends here react to her situation? Even if she wanted to stay, would she be able to? Would she be welcome to? How would Charlie react to the whole situation? How would Ranger be as a father? How would Ranger react if she decided to stay in Montana? She wanted to be with Ranger, but that desire just opened a whole new slew of questions.

“Why can’t this be easy?” she whispered to herself. As if dealing with the group at the camp wasn’t hard enough.

“What, Mom?” Charlie asked.

“Nothing, kiddo,” she denied. “Just thinking too much and talking to myself.”

“No good ever comes of that,” Charlie said, trying to keep his voice serious, though the light teasing tone came through loud and clear.

Stephanie chuckled. “Watch it, Mister,” she cautioned, “Or you’ll be doing dishes for a week!”

“Mo-om,” Charlie whined.

Stephanie could almost hear him rolling his eyes.

“I’m already doing dishes all week,” Charlie reminded.

“And you could do them all next week, too,” she teased.

Charlie sighed and shook his head and returned his attention to his battle plans.

As she turned onto the road leading to her friend's house, she announced, “We're almost there, Charlie. Do you have plans today?”

“Just going to finish our battles. We kind of got distracted yesterday when his grandmother brought by a new video game.”

Stephanie shifted in her seat and glanced back at her son. She wasn't really a fan of video games and thought Charlie would do better to stay outside and enjoy the warm weather while it lasted. Not to mention the fact that she wasn't sure she entirely trusted popular games. “What was it?” she asked, worried it might be a first person shooter or something similar.

“It's an old game, she got it on sale, but it's lots of fun. It's called 'Tetris',” Charlie informed excitedly.

A smile spread across Stephanie's face. That was a game she knew well, having played it when bored at work. “That is a good one,” she agreed. Shifting the car into park, she added, “We're here.”

Charlie looked out the window and quickly undid his seatbelt and jumped out of the SUV.

Stephanie watched as he took off running toward the house. He hadn't gotten more than halfway there when the front door crashed open and Foxx came running out to meet him before the two ran toward the back of the house to play. She was unable to stop the smile and laughter with which her son's exuberance filled her.

Seeing Mandy come to the front door of the house and wave, Stephanie smiled and waved back. They had been doing this for a few years now. Mandy always objected to the thought of getting paid, but Stephanie had found other ways to take care of her friend, not just by taking Foxx into her home when Mandy had to work late or had a date, but she had worked out a deal with several store owners in town where she would give them a certain amount of money toward Mandy's expenses. Stephanie knew that there were some months when Mandy didn't pay a single cent for groceries.

The two women never discussed it, but, knowing how hard it could be to be a single mother, especially one whose job didn't pay nearly as well as that of deputy, both women felt comfortable with the silent arrangement.

Pulling out of the drive, Stephanie headed toward the sheriff's office to start her shift.

It wasn't long before she was parked and entered the building.

Glancing at the clock, she could see she was a little early, but knew there would be more than enough for her to do. Today was also one of the days she would need to stop by the gun range for practice, but that would have to wait until her shift here was completed.

Taking in the small room, she saw that Jed was in his office. It looked like old Mr. Slater was in there with him. From the looks of things, he wasn't happy about something.

It only took Jed a moment to notice her in the outer room. He excused himself from the conversation and left his office to meet her.

“What's up with Mr. Slater?” she asked.

“Loosey boys pained the side of his barn again,” the sheriff answered, running a hand through his hair.

Stephanie chuckled softly. “What did they paint this time?” she asked.

Jed grinned and laughed softly. “A train tunnel and tracks,” he answered.

Nearly choking on the laughter she was holding back, Stephanie asked, “Like from a cartoon.”

“Yep. And Mr. Slater is pretty upset over it too. He's demanding justice,” Jed answered, his eyes twinkling.

A small groan escaped Stephanie as she noticed the twinkle in the sheriff's eyes. “And I have to go out and fetch them back,” she guessed.

“Yep,” Jed answered. “Unless, of course, you'd rather try to calm Mr. Slater down.”

Stephanie's eyes widened in horror at the thought. “No, no. That's quite all right. I'll bring them right back. Just let me get keys to one of the cruisers,” she babbled, already walking away, ignoring Jed's laughter.

Grabbing the keys, she hurried out the door before Jed could change his mind.

Slipping behind the wheel of the car, she quickly turned it on and pulled out, heading toward the Loosey farm.

This wasn't the first time Brad and Chad Loosey had painted Mr. Slater's barn. It was, in fact, a fairly common occurrence. It seemed to happen most often when they were bored.

While any act of vandalism is not to be tolerated, the pictures they chose to paint were frequently humorous and sometimes breathtaking. Both boys had amazing artistic talent.

Of course, their punishment for painting Mr. Slater's or any other person's property was usually to have them paint the entire building – something the boys seemed to enjoy.

Mr and Mrs. Loosey, Ed and Louise, had long ago accepted their son's peculiarity. They were respectable people and had raised their boys well. Both Brad and Chad were aware that what they were doing was wrong and was breaking the law, but, after a few months, it just didn't seem to matter to them. When that happened, another complaint would be filed.

Of course, there had been a few people who enjoyed what they had painted and for those people, the boys had gone back of their own accord about a month later and painted over their works of art.

To Stephanie, it was just one more thing that made this small town home.

Pulling up in front of the house, Stephanie barely had time to shift the car into park before Louise Loosey was backing out the front door carrying a tray of lemonade and cookies.

“Morning, Mrs. Loosey,” Stephanie greeted.

“Morning, Deputy,” she returned.

The two women got along very well and called each other by first name when they met in town or at social events, but, when it was official reasons that brought them together, they fell back into a more formal mode of address.

Approaching the house, Stephanie settled into the familiar chair opposite Mrs. Loosey and thanked her as the other woman handed her a glass of lemonade.

“Who was it this time?” Louise asked, sounding more tired than upset.

“Mr. Slater,” Stephanie informed taking one of the cookies from the plate. “Side of his barn.”

A sigh escaped Mrs. Loosey as she contemplated that information. “I told those boys to stop so many times even I'm tired of hearing it. Of course, they should know better than to bother old Mr. Slater. Man has absolutely no sense of humor.” She selected a cookie of her own, taking time to bite, chew and swallow before asking her question. “He decided on the punishment?”

Stephanie blew out a breath and looked out at the countryside. “The sheriff was talking to Mr. Slater when I left.” Turning to look at her friend, she added, “I'm here to bring the boys back in with me. Will you have time to follow along so they can get back home?”

“Sure enough,” Louise assured. “The boys are out with their father working, they should be back shortly. I called them when I saw you coming up the drive.”

With a smile of appreciation, Stephanie nodded her head in acceptance. “So, anything new with you?” she asked, honestly curious. Both Ed and Louise came from large families and hearing about the myriad of siblings, in-laws, nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts and uncles always brought a smile to her face.

“Well,” Louise began, knowing how much her friend enjoyed such tales. “My cousin Minnie followed this man she met only a week before halfway across the country declaring him to be the love of her life. Of course, that lasted until the day they arrived at their destination. As soon as she stepped out of his car to go into his house, the man's neighbor came out and that was love. Needless to say, poor Minnie is still a mite confused about love and lust.”

Stephanie was laughing. This wasn't the first time Minnie had done something like this. The poor woman just seemed so clueless at times. Finally getting her giggles under control, she asked, “Did your brother Ray ever find a job?”

Louise nodded as she chewed on a bite of cookie. Once she'd swallowed she replied, “Just got a job at the US Mint. He said they had been going through a hiring cycle for the past eight months, so there are a lot of new people there.”

Whatever Mrs. Loosey said next was lost to Stephanie as that information registered. Ray lived in Denver and there was a US Mint in Denver. That wasn't surprising or startling, but hearing that there were a great deal of new people there was enough for her to begin to put pieces together. The picture she came up with seemed absurd to her, though. There was no way, even with many people inside, that the terrorists would be able to take over or rob or blow up or whatever their plans were. The US Mint, regardless of city, was on such tight security it would be impossible. And even if they did manage to take the building over, how would they ever remove the money?

No, it just didn't make sense that they would try to rob the Denver Mint. Still, all the recent hiring... Then again, the inside person on the job to steal the depleted uranium had worked that job for many years, so maybe she was making more out of the information than she should. Either way, Bob and Ranger would need to know.

The sound of a car on the road drew Stephanie's thoughts back to the present.

“There they are now,” Louise was just saying, standing and waving at her husband and sons.

Stephanie also stood and brushed her hands against her pants. She had some very important information to pass along to Ranger and Bob. She wouldn't be able to do that, though, until she got the Loosey boys and their situation handled.

Stepping off the porch, she waved a greeting at the new arrivals.

Part 32 – Whistle

Stephanie tried the phone one last time. It didn't matter that she would reach Bob's house within five minutes, she needed him to answer.

After bringing in the Loosey boys and sorting out the mess with Mr. Slater, Stephanie had two other call-outs including one to chase a raccoon from under a front porch. Normally, Dr. Mueller, the local Veterinarian would act as animal control, but he was out of town for three weeks visiting his sister. So, the task of animal control fell to the sheriff's office.

Two hours later, she'd returned with the captured raccoon only to ride out with Jed to handle a domestic disturbance.

Fortunately, it had only been the Swanns. The couple had been married sixty-two years and only the last five had been acrimonious.

The couple currently had two live-in health care workers who helped them whenever needed. When the couple got out of hand, they called the sheriff. That seemed to always, instantly settle any dispute.

Today, the couple were not just arguing, though. They were assaulting each other with jello and butterscotch pudding.

With her usual luck, Stephanie somehow managed to get into the line of fire.

The good news was that the jello just seemed to bounce off of her. The bad news was that the butterscotch pudding did not.

Fortunately, a quick shower removed the pudding from her hair and skin. Of course, now she would need to wash yet another uniform. At least this one wasn't destroyed.

As she was changing after her shower, she called Ranger's cell. He'd told her to call back in an hour, they were reviewing tapes.

Startled by the abrupt dismissal, Stephanie stared at her phone before Jed called her out to the main office.

An hour after the first call to Ranger, she had tried again. This time, there was no answer. She tried Bob's cell and his home number with similar results.

Thinking she hadn't given them enough time, she waited for another hour.

When there was still no answer at any of the numbers, she started to worry. Unfortunately, she would be unable to check on anything until after her shift.

A quick call to Mandy assured her that Charlie would be fine at the house until Stephanie could pick him up.

When she spoke to Carlie, he asked if it was OK for him to sleep over at Foxx's. Stephanie hesitated only a moment before agreeing. She wasn't sure what was going on, but just in case, she wanted to make sure Charlie was safe.

Asking to speak to Mandy again, Stephanie confirmed that her friend was fine with having Charlie sleep over and then listed off Bob's numbers as additional contact information before hanging up.

As soon as her shift was over, Stephanie headed toward Bob's house, continuing to try and reach the men.

Pulling up in front of the house, she scanned the area and was immediately on edge.

The front door to the house was standing open. The lower screen was torn. Bob's car was still parked in place and Ranger's truck was pulled off to the side.

A quick check assured her that there were no strangers around, but, not knowing what she would be getting into, she made sure to keep her gun with her.

Allowing her training to kick in, she slowly approached the house, doing her best to stay out of the line of sight of any windows or doors, her gun aimed downward and in both hands.

When she achieved the porch, she scanned the small area, spotting a metal figurine resting near one of the posts. From where it was lying, she could only assume it was the object that had torn the screen.

A few steps brought her to the side of the door.

Glancing in, she heard nothing, but noted a faint smell of hot metal.

Taking several deep breaths to calm herself, she opened the door and stepped inside.

Careful to keep her back to the wall, she scanned the room and felt her stomach churn with worry as she noted the complete chaos before her.

Papers and objects had been swept off of their normal resting places, or thrown about the room. One chair and two tables had been knocked over. The only items left on the tables were computers and a reel-to-reel tape recorder which was still running, though the tape had long since run out.

The only items remaining untouched where the pictures on the mantle.

Assured there was no threat in that room, Stephanie moved on to check the rest of the house.

Nothing in any of the other rooms appeared out of place.

Finally she reached the kitchen where she found two mugs, with teabags in them, sitting on the counter.

The faint smell of hot metal was much stronger here. It took her only a moment to spy the tea kettle on the back burner of the stove. The burner was still on, but it had obviously been a long time since the water had all boiled away. The bottom of the kettle was glowing a slight red, so Stephanie wasted no time in turning off the burner.

Satisfied that there was no one on the main floor, she tried to decide if she should check out the upstairs or downstairs first.

Glancing at the basement door, she thought of going down to the unknown darkness and decided upstairs was a much better option.

It took only a few minutes for her to secure the upstairs, leaving her only the basement to check.

Pausing before the basement door, she took several deep breaths. She'd never been down to Bob's basement and didn't know what to expect.

Finally, feeling herself ready, she opened the door to the basement and looked down into the darkness.

She spotted the light switch on the side wall and flicked it on.

Making sure her gun was in hand and ready to fire, Stephanie slowly made her way down the stairs, vaguely wishing she'd stopped to put on her vest.

The stairway was walled floor to ceiling all the way down, so she wouldn't be able to see the actual cellar until she reached the bottom stair and peered around the wall.

She also managed a silent “thank you” to Bob for finishing the stair risers and treads. Maybe she'd just seen too many horror movies where the helpless victim hid under the cellar stairs, watching between the treads as the killer came down...

It was a comfort to have one less scary thing to worry about.

Finally reaching the bottom stair, she peered around the corner of the wall.

What she found, stunned her.

There was no where for an attacker to hide down here, at least not that she could see from her vantage point, so she dropped her gun arm.

Taking a step into the room, she let out a low whistle as she took in her surroundings.

The wall you faced as you came down the stairs was lined with shelves of dry goods and preserves. Not an unusual thing to find in the basement.

That was the only thing that was normal, however.

If Stephanie had ever dreamed that Ranger had a batcave, this would have been it.

The wall opposite the stairs was lined with maps of different sorts. She could identify road and topographical maps as well as aerial surveys. None of the maps currently displayed were of Montana.

There was a series of low file cabinets in front of the maps on the wall. Somehow, Stephanie knew that inside the drawers, she would only find more maps.

In front of the file cabinets, there was a large table with several maps on it, laid out and ready for review. She suspected that those were maps of the local area as well as Denver.

On the wall across from the preserves, several flat screens were mounted. On the shelf beneath the monitors, sat more computer equipment than the sheriff's office could ever dream of having or using.

Glancing at the final wall, the one where the stairs were located, she noticed that the wall beside the stairs ran the full height of the room. She also noticed that the door in the middle of the wall was half open and a light burned within the room under the stairs.

Somehow, she knew what she would find there and tried to decide if she really wanted to look or not.

Letting out a disgusted snort, she wondered why she bothered with the hesitation. There was no way her curiosity would allow her to not look.

In a few short strides, she reached the door and threw it open.

A whistle of appreciation escaped her this time as she took in the shelves of electronics as well as the impressive collection of armaments.

Taking a moment to more closely scan the contents of the room, she got the uneasy feeling that several weapons were missing.

There was no way she could be sure, but there were some suspicious gaps in amongst the automatic weapons.

The harsh curse that slipped out at that realization was only a faint echo of the anger and frustration she felt, not to mention her worry.

Closing her eyes, she prayed aloud, “God, I know we don't talk much, but please, don't let them do anything stupid. Amen.”

Knowing there was nothing else she could do now that she had cleared the house, she closed the door to the supply room and headed back upstairs, making sure to turn off the lights and close the door to the basement behind her.

Putting her gun away, she turned her attention to the main room and the disaster therein.

Not knowing if, or when, Bob and Ranger would return, she set about picking up the various items on the floor and setting the room aright.

As she got to the table that held the tape recorder and other items, she straightened the papers already there and then picked up the ones that had been tossed to the floor.

The last paper she picked up was a map of Denver. What she saw drawn on it made her blood run cold and her stomach rebel.

Swallowing the bile that rose in her throat, she dropped into the nearby chair, her legs no longer strong enough to support her.

Her eyes continued to stay locked on the horror before her even as her hands began to shake so badly, she couldn't read the map any longer.

Clear sight no longer mattered.

What she had seen was now indelibly seared into her soul, never to be forgotten.

Part 33 – Coming Home

Stephanie closed her eyes and began taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself and focus on what she needed to do.

After seeing the map, she could easily understand the chaos she had walked into as well as the missing weapons. Had she had the same training as Bob and Ranger, she too would have gone down and grabbed a few weapons. There was nothing that could justify this.

Standing up, she began pacing back and forth across the room as her initial shock burned away in the fire of her growing anger.

These people had to be stopped. There was no way that they should be allowed to survive.

Any thought of continuing to hide her current life from her past one had to be put aside.

They needed the Rangemen here.

They needed the whole freaking Army here and maybe the Marines too.

There weren’t words vile enough to describe the people who were plotting this… this…

Her rational mind poked through her anger as she realized she had no clue what “this” was.

Originally, she had thought it was just a terrorist act. Then, with the information about the Mint, she had thought that they were going to try to rob that, although, she had to admit, that seemed extremely unlikely.

With this new information about their targets, she was back to the original thought of terrorism, but it felt like they were missing something, like they were missing something important.

Walking to the door, she stepped onto the porch and scanned the horizon, wondering when the men would be coming home. She needed the information they had, the perspective. There was too much about this type of operation she didn’t know.

Once again praying that they wouldn’t do anything stupid, she closed her eyes and pushed away the fear and dark thoughts that taunted her with images of Bob and Ranger injured, lying in the open. She couldn’t afford to lose either one of them. Her heart just couldn’t take it.

Not seeing any sign of the men, she re-entered the house and moved to the kitchen, hoping that activity would replace worry and that she would be able to think of something to do.

Poking around, she tried to find some coffee. Not finding any, she took the now-cool kettle and filled it with water, placing it on the burner.

With water for her tea heating, she turned her attention to the refrigerator and explored the contents of that and the freezer until she located the items she would need to make dinner.

She knew it would have to be something that could sit for a while and still taste good, since she figured Ranger and Bob weren’t quite as prepared as normal when they left.

Twenty minutes later, her casserole was in the oven, the salad was in the refrigerator and she was back in the main room sipping her tea.

Never one to sit still for too long, she set her mug of tea aside and began sorting through the papers on the table in front of her. They had been scattered on the table and floor, but she knew there must be some sort of order to them.

As she skimmed over the words on the paper to try and figure out what page went where, she found it quite intriguing.

The papers were actually transcripts of conversations from the microphones that Ranger and Bob had planted. There was a mix of typed and hand-written pages.

Assuming the typed ones were older and the hand-written ones were from the tape currently in the machine, she split them out into two piles.

Deciding to sort the typed sheets first, she began reading them. Each paragraph had a number off to the left of it. She wondered what it was until she remembered that her old tape deck at home had had a counter on it. Checking the reel-to-reel machine, she noted that there was a counter on that machine too.

As she skimmed the pages, she felt discomfited by what she was reading. The conversations listed were incredibly normal. There were comments about the recent ballgames, what they wanted for lunch or dinner, discussions of the heat. If she didn’t know better, she would just think this was a group of normal people having a normal day.

A little further on there was a brief conversation as the guards switched shifts. That was a little out of the ordinary for the picture that had been previously painted.

The pages continued on in more or less the same vein until she ran out of typed pages to read.

Satisfied that that portion was all set, she started sorting through the hand-written pages. She easily identified Bob’s scrawl and started ordering the pages by the numbers in the left hand column.

These pages had a lot more detail in them. These were the conversations that confirmed in her mind that they had indeed found the terrorists. There were discussions of chemical mixes, lethal versus non-lethal options, discussions of explosive force and other such information.

The third page she looked at was only half full of writing.

The top portion revealed a discussion of targets. She saw that each target had been marked on the map she had found near the table.

She could feel her face flush with anger as she reached the last line, the one that listed the target that had set her off earlier. She also noticed that the final sentence was incomplete. Bob had stopped writing mid-sentence.

She stared at that half finished sentence and wondered what other horrors the people could have revealed.

She read the last sentence aloud, “In addition to the Federal Building, Convention Center, State Capital and Public Library, we need enough explosives to bring down the Children’s Museum of Denver and…”

Her eyes flicked to the tape recorder. Setting the paper down, she ignored the sick feeling in her stomach and tried to remember how to rewind the tape.

It took a few minutes, but eventually she figured it out. As the tape rewound, she closed her eyes and took several deep breaths, wondering what she would hear.

Part 34 – Speakers

Stephanie shuffled the papers into the correct order while she waited for the tape to rewind, making sure to keep the final page of notes aside. Once the tape finished rewinding she would need to be able to find the place where this conversation started.

Eventually, the tape did finish rewinding and Stephanie, setting the papers to one side, drew the machine closer to her.

As she settled onto the chair in order to listen, she took a deep breath before turning the machine on and fast forwarding the tape to the last noted numbers. It took a while to reach them, but when she got close, Stephanie stopped forwarding the tape and let it play.

It went on for several minutes before it reached the part she wanted, the part where they were discussing the locations for their explosives.

It had only taken her a few seconds to identify the voices on the tape. They had been in her nightmares often enough in the past few years that she could identify them in her sleep. The speakers were none other than James Campell and Johann DiMarco.

As soon as she recognized the voices, her lip had curled into a sneer of disgust. She wanted those two out of her life. Not that she was truly ready to face the reality of Trenton, but she longed to be free of the shadow those two had cast over her life.

Her attention snapped back to the tape when she heard the place the notes left off.

“... The Children's Museum of Denver and the Denver Museum of Nature And Science,” DiMarco finished.

“Never was one for museums,” Campbell threw out. “What about the other bombs?”

“The single chemical and biological should be easy enough to slip into the fire and police stations. A nice incendiary or four at the Qwest building probably wouldn't go awry and should draw some nice attention there.”

“Why the Qwest building?” James inquired.

“Their service people were rude to me once a few years ago,” was DiMarco's reply.

Campbell simply grunted in acknowledgment. “And the fake nukes?”

A low, cold, primeval laugh, painted an infinite black by the bottomless depths of the ageless source of evil from which it originated cascaded from the hollow well that used to be DiMarco's soul. “You're going to love this,” he assured. “Denver is home to some wonderful hospitals and medical centers – the University Of Colorado Hospital attached to the Rose Medical Center and Exempla St. Joseph's hospital to name two. We're going to plant the duds here, here, here, here and here.”

Campbell made a sound of agreement. “And the last one with both biological and chemical booby traps on it?” he inquired.

“Children's Hospital, of course,” DiMarco responded.

Soul freezing, evil laughter once more echoed out of the tape machine's speakers.

It was too much for Stephanie. The sheer, unimaginable horror of what they were suggesting overwhelmed her. She felt all her blood rush away from her head quickly, followed by the taste of copper and bile in her mouth.

Not stopping to turn off the tape, she raced to the bathroom and made it to the toilet just in time.

When her stomach was empty and the dry heaves had stopped, she collapsed on the floor and let the tears that already coated her cheeks be the trigger for the sobs of anguish and anger that demanded release.

At some point, as she wept and her soul raged, a strong, familiar pair of arms wrapped around her, lifting her from the floor.

When the emotional storm had passed, she found herself in a comforting embrace, her head resting on a broad chest.

Wiping tears from her cheeks, she let out a sigh. “Ranger,” she acknowledged, her voice little more than a rough whisper.

“Babe,” was the healing response.

Part 35 – Tissues

When her tears had finally subsided, a hand appeared in front of her holding a box of tissues.

Without a word, she took several and dried her tears, being sure to wipe under her eyes in case her mascara had run. Fortunately it hadn't.

Tossing the used tissues in the wastebasket, she grabbed a few more and blew her nose before discarding those as well.

Looking up, she offered a wan smile to Bob. “Thanks,” she said softly, resting her head on Ranger's shoulder. “Sorry about this. I guess hearing ... It just hit a little close to home with Charlie.”

“It's OK, Steph,” Bob assured. “I”m sue you can tell I didn't react so well either,” he continued, a rueful smile on his face.

“None of us reacted well, and with good reason,” Ranger inserted.

A moment of silence fell before Bob stood and said, “Well, I'm ready for some dinner. The rest of this can wait.”

“I just need a toothbrush,” Stephanie said, making a face at the sour taste in her mouth.

Bob pulled open a drawer and handed her a new toothbrush emblazoned with the name of the local dentist before leaving.

Resting her head on Ranger for just a moment longer, Stephanie rose from his lap and moved to the sink.

A faint movement behind her caught her attention. Ranger had arisen from the floor and now stood behind her, resting his hands on her hips. She watched as he leaned down and placed a kiss just below her ear.

Her body shivered delightfully from the contact. Obviously pleased by her response, Ranger repeated the kiss with the same result.

It took Stephanie a moment to recall her current task and finish with her teeth.

Once done, she took Ranger by the hand and informed, “I think you'll like the casserole. There's even vegetables in it.”

Ranger responded with a chuckle and an amuse, “Babe”.

When they arrived in the kitchen, Bob had everything already set out for dinner.

They settled in and by unwritten agreement kept discussion light while they ate, laughing over Stephanie's day.

Once they were finished and the dishes were done, they headed back to the front room. Bob settled in a chair and Ranger led Stephanie to a settee where they sat side by side, his arm around her shoulders.

“So, why did you come out?” Bob asked once they were settled.

Stephanie took a moment to gather her thoughts and remember what had started all this for her. “I was talking to Mrs. Loosey and she mentioned that her brother had just gotten a job at the Denver Mint, I thought, if there had been hiring there, it might be something to look at.”

“That's good thinking, Babe,” Ranger encouraged. “But they have really tight security there and their background checks wouldn't allow for anything to pass. There is no way someone working there could be tied to an organization that DiMarco and Campbell are with and not be found out.”

“Oh,” Stephanie replied, deflating. “I didn't know that. But then, the guy who stole the depleted uranium had worked there for twenty years.”

“Different organizations, different checks and regulations,” Bob stated.

Stephanie just nodded. Oddly thankful that Mrs. Loosey's brother would have nothing to worry about from the terrorists. Unless, of course, they still planned on robbing the Mint. Setting aside those thoughts, she asked, “So, what happened that both of you were gone when I got here?”

The men exchanged a look. When Stephanie narrowed her eyes at them and presented her stubborn face, they relented and told her the story.

“I was listening and transcribing the tape you heard. It was the last one I had to transcribe and it was going along well. As I heard them begin to list their targets so casually, I began to lose my temper,” Bob explained. “Ranger had gotten up to make tea for us before I got to that part.”

Ranger interrupted at this point. “I had also gone to check that we were still recording information. With the relay set out like it is, there's always the possibility of it being discovered or of it being damaged.”

“When I reached the part about them listing off their targets,” Bob continued, “I lost my temper. The though of those animals hurting children and families that way was just too much. All I could picture was that day you, Charlie and I went to the museum. How many kids like Charlie, how many families would die if they carried through with that threat?”

Stephanie shuddered. It was precisely those thoughts that had run through her head as well. The thought of losing Charlie was unthinkable. Her eyes drifted to Ranger and she caught him shooting Bob a questioning look. She saw it change to a look of understanding and acceptance.

Puzzled by the fact Ranger didn't have his blank mask in place, she was about to ask him something when Bob continued his narrative.

“I had to find some way to release the rage that the revelation inspired, so I grabbed whatever was nearby and let it fly,” Bob admitted. “I started screaming and cursing. It was all so loud that I couldn't hear the tape anymore.”

“I came running out of the back just in time to dodge a book,” Ranger inserted. “After the papers went flying, I demanded Bob tell me what he'd heard, what had set him off.”

“So I told him,” Bob informed.

“And then I told Bob the bad news – the relay station we'd set up was no longer sending signal. I hadn't had a chance to check how long ago it had gone down, but it had to be a while,” Ranger explained.

“Not knowing what we would face, but knowing we had to check on it, we geared up and headed out, doing our imitation of poachers. I figured if we looked like we were hunters, no one would question our presence too closely,” said Bob. “Since hunters would be unlikely to go out on horse, we set out on foot to reach it. It's a bit of a hike, especially when you're trying to look like you don't have a particular destination in mind.”

That last turn of phrase caught Stephanie's attention and she lost track of what was being said around her. Snuggling a little more into Ranger's embrace and let her eyes become unfocused. She knew if she thought about it too much, whatever her mind was trying to work out would slip away from her.

After a few minutes of letting her mind drift, she gasped and sat up straight. It seemed clear to her now.

“What is it babe?” Ranger asked, knowing she'd thought of something, had some sort of breakthrough.

“I'm not entirely sure of the answer, but with what Bob said about the destination kind of got me thinking and, well, I think we're looking at this wrong,” she babbled.

“What did I say about destinations, Steph?” Bob asked, leaning forward.

“You were telling me about how you and Ranger were walking out trying to look like you had no particular destination in mind,” she informed.

“Babe, that was almost an hour ago,” Ranger told her.

Stephanie glared at him. “So it took me a while to figure out, I never said I was smart,” she pouted.

“Babe,” Ranger soothed, leaning forward and placing a soft kiss on her pouting lips.

Even after all the years they were apart, Stephanie found that she could still interpret his various 'Babe's. This one was an apology with just a hint of amusement and an assurance that he hadn't meant for her to take offense. Since meeting Ranger, she'd always wanted to be able to communication so much with so few words. The best she'd been able to do was her “mom tone” with Charlie.

“So, what did you figure out,” Bob demanded.

Stephanie shook her head and focused on what she'd come to realize. “You said 'no particular destination',” she began. “And then I began to think about just how many 'destinations' they had for their bombs. It really seemed like overkill. And then the way they talked about the fake bombs just sort of made me wonder about what they were doing.”

“They're terrorists, Babe. They're out to create chaos to make their point, to inflict terror on the populous” Ranger replied.

“But that's just it!” Stephanie exclaimed. “They're out to create terror,but they're creating too much chaos.”

“I don't understand,” Bob said.

Stephanie stood and began pacing, trying to focus her thoughts on what she wanted, no, needed to communicate. Blowing out a breath, she tried again. “OK. Let's look at what they've targeted,” she stated. “Museums, hospitals, businesses and a library as well as police and fire stations.”

“All high-profile targets,” Bob stated.

“All targets that would stir the masses,” Ranger added.

“All target they would try to get to in order to disarm the bomb before it went off,”Stephanie pointed out, looking at both men.

“That would tie up everyone and then some,” Bob observed, leaning back in his chair and staring at the ceiling as he tried to work out what was the plan was. It no longer seemed like it was just a simple terrorists act.

“They'd call in all the experts and every available, cop, fireman and government official,” Ranger murmured.

“But why those places?” Bob asked.

“They're looking like they have no particular destination,” Stephanie informed. “I think they're trying too hard to make it look like a terrorist strike, trying too hard to cause chaos. I don't think any of those places are their real target. I think the bombs are just a cover.”

Bob and Ranger stared at her for a few seconds as they absorbed her words before turning to look at each other.

“That makes a whole lot of sense,” Bob murmured.

Ranger nodded his head. “But what's the real target?” he asked.

Stephanie re-took her seat next to Ranger. “That's what we need to figure out.”

“Right,” Bob agreed.

Ranger stood, went to the table and retrieved the map, laying it on the coffee table so they could all see it. “What do we know about what they're targeting?”

“They're all fairly public places that would be crowded,” Bob offered.

“Most if not all are open to the public,” Ranger added.

“But not all of them are in use every day,” Stephanie said, her eyes straying from the Qwest building to the museums. “Some of them are only open or busy on week days, so that would limit when they would actually move.”

“Good catch,” Bob praised.

Ranger smiled, wrapped his arm around Stephanie's shoulders and gave her a quick hug. “That would also limit time of day. Some of these places are only open during business hours.”

“So,” Stephanie summarized, “they're looking to do something on a weekday during business hours, but not at any of these places. I guess that means, our next question is, 'what haven't they targeted'?”

Part 36 – Turning Point

Stephanie walked into the house and dropped her bag on the kitchen counter.

She wasn't surprised when, a few moments later, she heard the door to the house open and close.

After her idea about the group looking to distract everyone from their real target, the three of them had spent no little time reviewing everything they knew about Denver and what potential targets there were.

She knew in her gut that her realization about the targets was correct and that they had reached a turning point in their investigation. The problem was, they needed just a little more information, or, perhaps a little more inspiration before they could figure out what the real target was.

When she felt strong arms wrap around her, Stephanie leaned back against Ranger's firm chest and closed her eyes, allowing the stress of the day to leak away. Who needed Calgon bubble baths to take them away when they had Ranger available?

“Calgon, Babe?” Ranger asked, his smile evident in his voice.

Stephanie could feel her face heating and was certain it was beet red. “Yeah,” she admitted grudgingly. “Don't you remember those old commercials where the harried woman would say, 'Calgon take me away' and she would be immediately transported to some perfectly serene bubble bath worlds away from her life.”

Ranger leaned down and placed a kiss just behind her ear. “I'd be more than happy to take you away anywhere you were willing to go, anytime you want to leave,” he assured, his voice perfectly serious and filled with love.

Stephanie felt her eyes begin to tear at the emotion. How many times over the years had she wanted precisely that? How many time had she just longed for his arms around her to hold her and let her feel safe? How many times had she dreamed of sharing her burdens with him and having him share with her? She couldn't recall a day that went by where those desires hadn't been part of her. “Soon,” she whispered, taking one of his hands in hers and bringing it up to her mouth to place a kiss on it.

Ranger gently turned her in his arms so he could see her face. Gently cupping her face in his hands, he leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips. “We'll figure it out, Babe,” he assured. Then, taking her hand, he led her to one of the chairs and settled her in his lap.

Leaning back to rest her head on his shoulder, Stephanie let a sigh of contentment escape. She could really get used to having Ranger around all the time, coming home to him at the end of the day or having him come home to her. But even as she let the fantasy form in her mind, she couldn't help but miss Charlie's presence, even if it was only for one night.

“Missing Charlie?” Ranger asked.

Stephanie couldn't help but smile. “Yeah,” she admitted. “I always do.”

Silence descended on them and Stephanie felt herself drifting off. Before she could fall asleep, though, she felt Ranger shift beneath her. “What?” she asked, sleepily.

There was another moment of silence before Ranger spoke. “Stephanie,” he began.

At that point, Stephanie stiffened and sat up, moving so she could look at his face. If Ranger was using her full name, it had to be serious. Meeting his eyes, she saw that he was worried and, perhaps, nervous about what he was going to say.

“You know that once we figure out what is going on, or at least have a good idea, we're going to have to act,” Ranger explained.

Stephanie felt herself go cold at that thought. “You and Bob aren't enough,” she stated, saying the first thing that came to mind. She had meant it as a denial of the assertion she felt sure was coming that Ranger and Bob would go after the group themselves.

Ranger nodded at her words. “Technically, we are enough to take care of the situation,” he informed, “but we're not going to be doing this alone.”

Stephanie let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. “So there will be a team,” she stated.

Keeping his eyes locked on hers, Ranger nodded, but remained silent.

Wondering why he remained silent, it only took Stephanie a few minutes to put the pieces together. “People who know me,” she whispered.

“Some,” Ranger replied, running one of his hands up and down her back in a soothing motion. “There will be other people from other agencies involved, but everyone's going to know you're Stephanie Plum when it's over and people back home will know where you are and that you're alive.”

Stephanie just stared at Ranger in shock and disbelief. The last four years of her life had been all about hiding. She knew there was always a chance she could be discovered, but it had begun to seem so remote, so far away. She couldn't stay here, but she couldn't uproot Charlie either.

“Breathe, Babe,” Ranger said, trying to lighten the mood.

It was several minutes before he was satisfied that Stephanie was calm enough for him to continue.

“You're going to be facing another turning point in your life, Babe,” he informed softly. “Everything you've built here will be here, but will be changed. Everything you've lived the past four years will be altered and never be the same.”

Stephanie met his eyes, knowing hers were wide with understanding. She had vaguely suspected from the beginning of this investigation that her life would never be the same, but to be faced with it was almost terrifying. “But what about Charlie? What about the threat?”

Ranger sighed and drew her into his arms, hugging her tightly to him, her head resting on his shoulder once more. “I don't want to leave you again, Babe,” he whispered. “Not ever.” After holding her another moment, he pushed her away slightly so he could once more look into her eyes. “I know this is going to be a change in your life and it can be huge or it can be small.” He paused to take a breath before continuing, “But, whatever changes happen, I want to be there by your side, helping you and Charlie through them.”

Her mouth fell open slightly, she knew it did. It had to. In the middle of the night, in her kitchen, after four years apart, Ranger had just committed his life to hers, had asked her to allow it. Tears welled up in her eyes as emotion overwhelmed her. “Yes,” she whispered in an emotion-filled voice. “Yes,” she repeated, barely more than a breath. She leaned forward and kissed him firmly, letting any remaining stress and worry be swept away by love, joy, peace, happiness and contentment.

After the kiss ended, she looked at him and saw that the tears in her eyes were reflected in his as well. So much had happened in their lives, so much that worked to keep them apart. But they finally – finally! - had a chance at someday.

“We'll figure it out, Babe,” he whispered to her, leaning forward to brush his lips against hers. “We'll figure it out together, all three of us.”

The smile that bloomed on Stephanie's face at hearing these words rivaled Ranger's at its most brilliant. One word settled firmly in her mind and heart – family.

Part 37 – Cuddle

Stephanie woke up before her alarm, wondering at how warm she was. Her tired, muddled brain soon connected the warmth to the weight on her waist and the wall at her back. As her mind continued it's long journey to wakefulness, she felt the wall at her back moving ever so slightly and a slight breath of air brush over her neck.

Breath. That word triggered her coffee-deprived synapses into action and she realized the wall was Ranger, the warmth and weight on her waist was her arm, and that they were still cuddled together on her bed.

Scrambling to gather her wits about her, she tried to remember what had happened last night.

There had been the tape at Bob's house, dinner, the discussion, the idea and then she and Ranger had headed back here. They has spent some time in the kitchen with her cuddled in Ranger's lap, talking.

A smile flashed across her lips. Who knew Ranger liked to cuddle? Although, she had known he liked to touch her and be touched by her, they hadn't quite reached this level of touch in their relationship before...

She forcibly stopped those thoughts from progressing. She would not ruin this morning by thinking of those things in the past that caused her pain.

They had sat in the kitchen while he comforted her and helped her deal with the stress of the day. She had done what she could to return the favor, but mostly just enjoyed being with him.

A part of her had known what he mentioned – that both her life and Charlie's were in for a big change. She sighed as she thought of it and felt Ranger's arm tighten reflexively. That brought another smile to her face.

Ranger had promised that he would be there every step of the way through the change, that the three of them would go through it together and find a path, a way, that worked for all of them.

After she had her emotions in some sort of order, she had asked a few questions about that, but hadn't really wanted to spoil the moment with worries about the future.

In those few moments, though, Ranger had assured her that he was at a stage where he could do most of the work for Rangeman remotely if need be, so if she wanted to stay here in Montana, he could work with that. He also let her know that he would be happy to bring her and Charlie back to Trenton with him, especially since there were so many people who would be overjoyed at her return. He also mentioned the other Rangeman locations as options for living and, as if that wasn't enough, let her know that she would never have to work again unless that was what she wanted.

She smiled as she thought of that conversation.

“Trying to turn me into a housewife?” she accused, smiling slightly since she knew Ranger would never try to do any such thing.

“Maybe,” he teased back, a grin flitting at the corners of his mouth.

Unable to stop a giggle, Stephanie teased back, “Maybe we should turn you into a househusband.”

Ranger had rewarded her with a grin and a kiss before responding, “Frilly aprons just aren't my style, Babe.”

Pretending to be affronted, Stephanie railed, “And they are mine?” Her breath caught in her throat as she watched his eyes turn dark and smoldering.

“That could be fun,” he informed, his voice low and husky. “A cute little maid's uniform with a frilly white apron, or, better yet, an apron with nothing else on...”

Even now, Stephanie could feel her internal temperature rise at the heat in his voice. But, just as last night, it was too much too fast. Sensing that, Ranger had backed off. There would, hopefully, be a day in the not too distant future, where they allowed that aspect of their relationship to develop, but now was not the time for it.

“You're thinking too loud,” Ranger grumbled from behind her, his voice heavy with sleep.

Stephanie smiled and turned in his arms to look at him. Impulsively, she leaned forward and kissed him, amused that he didn't wake up completely alert. He'd done so in the past. “Morning sleepyhead,” she greeted in a sing-song voice.

Ranger let out a growl and drew her down on top of him, suddenly looking far more alert. “Sleepyhead?” he asked.

Letting out a giggle, she leaned down and kissed him again. “Something like that,” she assured him. “Now let me up so I can get ready for the day.”

As if a bucket of cold water had been poured over them, the playfulness seemed to drain from the room. The elephant in the room that they had successfully ignored for a few minutes suddenly made itself known again.

Lifting his head, Ranger gently kissed Stephanie's lips before releasing her and helping her stand.

She felt his eyes scan her body, despite the fact she wore her normal nightclothes. For some reason, she couldn't stop the faint blush at his attention, even as she lowered her eyes and mentally berated herself for the weakness. It had just been so long since she had seen herself as an object of desire, that she couldn't help reacting like a schoolgirl.

“You're beautiful, Babe,” Ranger assured. “We'll go at whatever pace you need to, but I'm not going to stop admiring you.”

“Thank you,” Stephanie managed to whisper before heading off to the bathroom. Stopping at the door, she turned around and looked at him. “I'll meet you downstairs for breakfast in a bit,” she assured.

“I'm looking forward to it,” Ranger said, offering a full smile.

Stephanie ducked into the bathroom and shut the door behind her, releasing a breath. She really needed to talk to Charlie about things and check into birth control options. Since she hadn't dated the entire time she'd been in Montana, there really hadn't been any reason for her to look into it, but with Ranger back in her life...

Before any of that, however, they needed to remove DiMarco and Campbell. Last night Ranger had assured her that the men wouldn't be a problem for them in the future. Somehow, Stephanie couldn't feel sorry for the eventual demise. She felt the firm conviction that the world would be a better place without Campbell and DiMarco.

After that situation was handled, then, and only then, could they start their life.

Part 38 – Stare

Ranger made his way to the kitchen.

After Stephanie had exited to her bathroom, he had gotten up and gone to the front of the house and used the shower in his room.

As he entered the kitchen, a sigh escaped him. There would be no way for them to sleep together as they had last night until they spoke with Charlie about the changes that would happen once Stephanie and Ranger were finished with this mission.

Before worrying about that, though, they would need to prepare him for the changes that would happen when the guys arrived. He couldn't help wondering how much of Stephanie's past life had been shared with Charlie. Probably not much from the way things seemed.

He and Bob would also need to talk to the sheriff. Both Stephanie and Bob agreed that he was good people and would be willing to work with the team Bob and Ranger were assembling. The first question he had, though, was how the sheriff would respond to the revelation about Stephanie, though, he had a niggling feeling the man already knew.

Second, they would probably have to involve several other government agencies as well. That was never an easy task. The egos involved were frequently a nightmare. But with years of experience in dealing with such things under his belt, Ranger felt confident things would run smoothly.

Stepping to the coffee maker, he started the brewing process and then headed toward the refrigerator, wanting to make something special for breakfast.

As he looked through the contents of the icebox, he thought it strange how free he felt. A part of him had always thought when he committed to someone in a relationship, he would feel trapped and limited, as he had in his marriage to Rachel. That wasn't how he felt with Stephanie, though. With her, now that he had let her know he wouldn't be leaving her side, it felt like something had clicked into place, completed a part of him he hadn't known was missing. He felt stronger because of it.

A smile broke on his face as he felt Stephanie stare at him from across the room.

Extracting the ingredients he wanted for this morning's breakfast, he turned and sent her a wolf-grin. “Babe,” he said, laughter in his voice, letting her know she'd been caught.

Stephanie blushed slightly and grinned back. “I can't help it,” she defended. “Have you seen yourself? Who wouldn't stare?”

Ranger couldn't help but laugh. Many women had appreciated his appearance over the years. Usually it bothered him. With Stephanie, though, it didn't bother him in the least. Perhaps it was because she became so flustered whenever she was caught, or maybe it was because he loved her. Whatever the reason, being ogled by Stephanie felt good and boosted his pride. “Babe,” he said again, knowing it would bother her while communicating his amusement.

Sure enough she crossed her arms in front of her chest and huffed out a frustrated breath. “Is the coffee ready?” she asked.

Grinning at the very obvious subject change, Ranger replied, “Just started it a few minutes ago. It should be almost done. I'll get started on breakfast.”

“No, Ranger,” Stephanie protested, moving toward the counter where the ingredients rested. “I'll take care of breakfast. You go sit down.”

Setting the last item he held on the counter, he reached out and placed his forefinger against her lips. “Be quiet and let me cook for you,” he said. “I want to. Besides, you can check the news and see what the weather is supposed to be for the next few days.”

Stephanie sighed in resignation. Though she did feel it was her duty to cook for Ranger since he was he guest, she appreciated the thoughtfulness of his wanting to cook and accepted it for the act of affection it was. Kissing the finger that was still resting against her lips, she grinned and took a step back. “Fine,” she agreed. “Let me get my coffee and I'll see what we can find out.”

Before she could step out of his reach, Ranger grabbed her hips and pulled her close. Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed her firmly on the mouth. The words that came out next he couldn't have stopped if his life depended on it. “Love you,” he told her, gazing deeply into her eyes.

He watched as something softened and shifted in her eyes before she leaned forward and kissed him on the lips. As she pulled back slightly, she replied, “Love you, too.”

A huge smile broke out across his face, but before he could respond, Stephanie was out of his arms and headed toward the television to check on the news.

Turning his attention to the making of breakfast, he started humming under his breath. Suddenly it didn't seem so important that they were going to be facing a nightmare of a mission as well as a legal mess that would make the most dedicated lawyer want to run away (both publicly with the taking down of this group and privately with reinstating Stephanie among the land of the living). It was just one of the storms of life and, like all storms, it would end sooner or later. When it did end, they would be left with fair weather and sunshine.

When the omelets he was preparing were finished, he plated them and turned toward Stephanie to call her to the table.

She was sitting near the television and it was playing in the background, but she didn't seem to be aware of it.

The last time he had seen her stare off into space like that was last night before she announced that we were being distracted by the number of potential bomb-sites and needed to look at what wasn't targeted to find their true motive.

Not knowing if he should disturb her or not, Ranger turned the oven to warm, covered the plates and set them inside. He would just wait until she came back to him.

Pouring himself a cup of coffee, he headed over toward the couch where she was sitting. Setting his cup on the side table, he settled on the couch and carefully took the cup of coffee from Stephanie's hand, setting it beside his own.

When that move didn't seem to disturb her, he gently lifted her up and settled Stephanie in his lap.

His eyes drifted between the news playing on the television and the woman in his lap for several minutes. He did manage to catch the weather forecast. It was supposed to be sunny and dry for the rest of the week. That could be good or bad depending on how dry the grass proved to be. Having a firefight or having explosives go off in dry conditions could start fires.

Before his thoughts on that topic progressed too much further, Stephanie stirred in his lap.

“Back with me, Babe?” he asked.

Stephanie looked startled to be in his lap, but immediately relaxed against him. “How did you get over here?” she asked, looking up at him.

Ranger chuckled softly. “The normal way. I walked.” His statement was received with an eyeroll.

“That's not what I meant,” she informed.

“You were staring off into space, Babe. I thought it best to let you return on your own.”

Stephanie rewarded him with a quick kiss. “Thank you.”

When she didn't say anything else, he asked, “Are you going to tell me what you figured out?”

“I might have an idea about the target,” she informed with a bright smile.”

“And?”

“They targeted the police, but they didn't target the court houses,” she pointed out.

Ranger leaned back slightly and thought about this information. She made a good point. They had targeted police and fire stations as well as hospitals and businesses, but hadn't targeted any court houses. Could they be after a person? It wouldn't be easy for them to take someone from a courthouse, but with every available person drawn away to deal with the chaos the threats would create, the personnel at the courthouse would be reduced.

Focusing back on Stephanie, he grinned, leaned forward and kissed her soundly. “Good work, Babe,” he praised. “Bob and I will check into that today while you're at work.”

“Will you be home for dinner tonight?” she asked, climbing out of his lap as her stomach growled.

Ranger smiled at the reference to this place at home. It looked like he would be spending time working in Montana in the future. “Don't know. If we can get confirmation of this, proof that this is the target, we'll make the calls we need. So, it's possible we'll have people flying in today. Most likely tomorrow or the next day though.”

As he rose from the couch, he handed Stephanie her coffee and picked up his own. Placing a hand at the small of her back, he led her to the kitchen table and held her chair for her as she was seated.

Grabbing some oven mitts, he turned off the oven and retrieved their omelets.

He set them on the table and settled in his seat. Before continuing with his thoughts, he waited for Stephanie to try her breakfast and smiled happily as she moaned in contentment at the flavor.

Ranger caught her eye when she looked up and grinned. It was so easy sometimes to get her to blush and she looked so beautiful when she did.

“We'll need to talk to the sheriff about this,” Ranger informed.

Stephanie sighed. “Would it be OK if I did that? I owe Jed the truth and I'd rather he hear it from me.”

Ranger nodded his agreement. “What about Charlie?” he inquired. At Stephanie's puzzled look, he explained, “Most likely, some of the guys will be coming out to help with this. You already know that your secret is going to come out and be revealed. I think he'll need to be prepared.” Seeing Stephanie nod her agreement, he reached out and took her hand in his own. He was nervous about this next part, though he wasn't sure why. “I'd like it if you also spoke to him about us.” He could see her eyes warm and a soft smile appear on her face.

“Absolutely,” she agreed.

Letting go of a breath he didn't know he was holding, Ranger squeezed Stephanie's hand before returning to his breakfast.

The rest of the meal passed in a comfortable silence and, as the last dish was put away, with a shared kiss, Stephanie headed off to work. Ranger watched her leave before pulling out his cellphone and calling Bob to share this newest information with him.

Part 39 – Speak

Stephanie pulled into the parking lot at the sheriff's office. On her way in, she'd called Mandy's house and checked in with Charlie.

He sounded mostly asleep, which made Stephanie smile. He woke up about as easily as she did. Whether she gave birth to him or not, he was definitely her son.

She was glad to hear that he had enjoyed his sleepover, but was looking forward to seeing her.

Stephanie assured him that she wanted to see him too. After they finished, she spoke to Mandy again and discovered the boys had been up late telling ghost stories.

After confirming when she would be by to pick up her son, Stephanie hung up.

Turning her car off, she unbuckled her seatbelt and got out.

She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders.

Stephanie had spotted Jed's car in the lot and tried to prepare herself for the upcoming confrontation. This would be just the first of many conversations she would have today.

Earlier, as she had thought of what to tell Jed and Charlie, she realized that she would also need to speak with Mandy and tell her the truth.

She was sure her friend would understand and, with the upcoming mission, Stephanie would need Mandy's help with watching Charlie.

But first, there was Jed.

Stepping inside, she moved toward her desk, placed her purse in her drawer and picked up the coffee mug she was using. Walking over to the coffee pot, she looked around the office and spotted the sheriff in his office doing paperwork.

With her coffee in hand, she headed over to his office and knocked. Jed looked up instantly and smiled at her.

“Come in,” he greeted, leaning back in his chair and indicating she should sit in the chair across from him.

Stephanie could feel his eyes on her as she settled in the chair and began fidgeting.

After a few moments of silence, Jed broke it by stating, “Whatever it is, just tell me that you didn't destroy another car.”

Stephanie felt her jaw drop at the statement. “Hey!” she protested, but stopped when she realized it was a legitimate concern. Slumping back in her chair and glaring at her friend and boss, she crossed her arms across her chest and glared at him.

Jed managed to hold her eye for several seconds before a quiet chuckle escaped him. “All right. It's not a car. But it's obviously something. You had your determined face on when you came in here.”

“My determined face?” Stephanie asked.

“Yeah. Whenever you have to do something you don't want to, you get this particular set to your jaw and a look in your eyes daring anyone to stop you. I call it your determined look.”

“Huh,” Stephanie replied, thinking over his words.

“So,” Jed interrupted her thoughts, “what are you so determined about.”

Stephanie settled back in her chair and sighed. “I need to speak with you on a couple of things,” she admitted.

“Such as?”

“Such as the fact my name is actually Stephanie Plum and I'm a former Bounty Hunter from Trenton, New Jersey.”

Jed leaned back in his chair, folding his hands on the desk in front of him. “I know,” he replied simply, holding her gaze.

“You know?” Stephanie asked, her voice squeaking a bit on the last word.

Releasing a sigh, Jed leaned forward until his forearms rested on the desk. “I know. Did you really think that I wouldn't run your prints as part of your background check?”

“But I never gave them to you,” Stephanie protested. She stopped and thought as she saw the look Jed was giving her. After a moment's thought, she slumped in her chair and groaned. “The coffee cup.”

Jed smiled at her and nodded. “When the results came back, I was curious as to why you'd lie. So, I did a little research. I found out about the funeral home, the cars, the stalkers and the crash. I found out about the final crash and realized you must have had a reason for disappearing.”

“And you didn't say anything? You still let me work here?” Stephanie asked, surprised.

“I still have a lot of friends in law enforcement,” the sheriff reminded. “I called a friend in Chicago who called a friend of his in Trenton who gave him an earful and then some about you and all of it was good. Given the amount of time you'd been gone, I figured it unlikely you would bring trouble here with you and even if you did, having you as a deputy would keep you close by in case it hit.”

Stephanie let out a bark of laughter, shaking her head. “All this time...”

Jed smiled slightly and let her digest the information. Eventually he asked, “So, what's going on?”

“What makes you think something's going on?” Stephanie asked, delaying as she tried to organize her thoughts.

The sheriff rolled his eyes at this question, smirking at he deputy's stunned expression. “Yeah, I know. I learned the eye roll from you. I just don't usually use it.” With that explanation, he watched Stephanie close her mouth and stare at him, waiting for an explanation. Sighing, Jed explained, “You and Bob being thick as thieves. Anther ex-special forces person showing up. The research you've been doing on-line and the fact you came in here to tell me the truth about your name – a secret you've kept hidden for three or so years.”

“Good points,” Stephanie said, not surprised by Jed's having observed so much. The man did used to be a Detective for the Chicago Police Department, after all. “When you were with CPD, how much time did you spend working with government agencies?”

Jed let out a long sigh. “That bad, eh?” Shaking his head, he informed, “It wasn't something I did all that often, but I've done it enough. With any luck, they'll bring in people from our local offices rather than Washington. Most agents around here are pretty reasonable to work with.”

“You've worked with Washington?” Stephanie asked, her curiosity distracting her for the moment. Her question met with a pained look.

“Twice,” he admitted, his voice grim. “The first time they got my partner shot. The second time, the suspect got off on a technicality because the agent was too busy hot-dogging.”

Stephanie nodded. She hadn't worked with government agents before, but had heard some stories.

“So, what's big enough to involve the government?” Jed asked, his eyes boring into Stephanie's.

Shifting uncomfortably on her seat, she told him. “James Campbell and Johann DiMarco,” she informed. From the violent cursing that erupted from Jed as he stood and began pacing, Stephanie knew he understood the seriousness of the situation.

Stopping his pacing behind his desk, Jed leaned forward, rested both hands on the desk and addressed Stephanie directly. “I retired here because I needed to get away from the stress of it, from the big cases and the nightmares that went with them. This was supposed to be a nice, quiet place to retire. Then I got bored and thought I'd dabble in law enforcement. A few speeding tickets, the occasional oddball, nothing too serious. Nothing too dangerous.” Pushing away from the desk, he stood straight, his voice, which had been even and at a normal volume suddenly rose to a near-shout as anger became the driving emotion behind it. “And then two of the worst terrorists in the world land on my doorstep! How? How does this happen?” he demanded. Turning away, he started pacing again. He stopped at the far side of the room and looked at Stephanie. “You're sure about this?” he demanded.

Stephanie nodded her head, having never seen her boss and friend this agitated. “Their faces have been burned in my memory for four years,” she informed, her voice low, even and cold. “I'm done running from them.” She watched as Jed quickly put the pieces together, his eyes growing wider in shock.

“They drove you from Trenton?” he asked, moving closer to stand behind his desk once more. When Stephanie nodded, the anger and impatience left Jed instantly, replaced by a collected professionalism honed over his long career. “Bring in whoever you need to,” he commanded. “It's time this ended.”

Rising from her seat, Stephanie offered a small smile before nodding her appreciation and leaving the office.

Part 40 - Nosebleed

Stephanie stopped the car outside of Mandy’s house and sighed.

The discussion with Jed had gone much better than she had initially thought it would. The easy with which he took over coordinating things, contacting Bob and finding out what was needed spoke of far more experience than Stephanie would have believed.

With the situation now in Jed’s hands, he had chased Stephanie off to fulfill her duties for the day.

Fortunately, today had been busy enough to pass quickly.

Now, though, that she was here, she couldn’t help but dread the conversations she would be having and the potential reaction she would face. A part of her wished the day had been quieter so she could have thought out what to say.

Taking a deep breath, she exited her car and walked to the front door, knocking softly, only a little surprised no one had been there to meet her. Normally, Charlie would burst out the door and come running. That he didn’t, worried her a little.

“Hello!” she called in.

“Steph?” she heard Mandy call, her voice slightly muffled. A moment later she appeared from the kitchen at the back of the house. “Hey,” she greeted, moving to the door.

Stephanie was a little surprised when Mandy stepped outside and guided her a few steps away from the house.

“I just wanted to give you a heads up,” she said, her relaxed manner easing Stephanie’s worry. “Charlie and Foxx came back a few minutes ago. Charlie’s nose was bleeding. I have him in the den right now, resting and waiting for it to stop. When I asked what happened, the boys exchanged a look and all Charlie would say was that he had a nosebleed.”

The concern that had abated slightly came back combined with curiosity. “Foxx didn’t tell you what happened?” she asked. She knew Charlie wouldn’t always share things with others.

Mandy shook her head. “Foxx started to say something when Charlie cut him off. He hasn’t met my eyes since. I can probably get him to tell me, though.”

“No, that’s all right,” Stephanie assured. “Charlie will tell me when he’s ready. Or when I go in and ask him,” she amended. “Oh. I need to talk to you about something before Charlie and I go. Do you mind if I talk to Charlie alone first and then I’ll talk to you.”

Mandy’s eyebrows rose, betraying her curiosity. “Nothing bad, I hope?”

“No. At least I hope it’s not bad,” Stephanie replied. “But it is important.”

“Sure,” Mandy agreed. “I’ll have Foxx help me with dinner. Do you and Charlie want to stay?”

Stephanie smiled. The smile faded to embarrassment when her stomach growled. “I’d love to, but I still have guests,” she admitted.

A wicked smile appeared on Mandy’s face. “I heard about your guest,” she said. “And if what I heard is true, and I was single, I’d be racing home to eat there, too.”

A quiet laugh escaped Stephanie. “Oh, you don’t know the half of it,” Stephanie assured, silently adding, yet.

Having reached the den, Mandy called her son and then closed the door as they left.

“Hi, Mom,” Charlie greeted, his voice flat.

Stephanie looked at her son. He looked completely dejected. Moving across the room, she sat down next to him and put her arm around him. “So, you just randomly got a nosebleed, huh?” she asked.

Charlie shifted uncomfortably.

“Would you feel better if you told me?”

A sigh escaped the boy.

Pulling the towel away from her son’s face, she checked to see if the bleeding had stopped. Satisfied that it had, she carefully wiped away the last remnants of blood before folding the bloodstains to the inside and dropping the towel to the floor.

Silence reigned for a few minutes before Charlie finally broke it. “Foxx and I were playing and might have wandered a little too far,” he admitted, shooting a look at his mom.

“Might have?” Stephanie asked, fighting a smile, as she knew full well the boys knew where they were.

A loud sigh escaped Charlie. “OK. We knew we were out of bounds,” he admitted. “But nothing happened. We were just playing and then we got to a stream and, well, crossing back I sort of slipped and fell and hurt my nose,” he finished, his voice almost a whisper.

Stephanie tried hard not to laugh. She wouldn’t admit it to Charlie, but she was thrilled to see he was getting into normal little boy trouble. With everything else going on, this one bit of reality was a welcome relief. “You know you weren’t supposed to go there without adult supervision, right?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he agreed, sounding completely dejected.

Hugging Charlie to her for a moment, she said, “We’ll discuss your punishment later.” Ignoring the groan of protest from her son, she leaned back on the couch and snuggled him to her side. “In the mean time, I need to tell you a few things.”

“Is this about Mr. Ranger?” Charlie asked.

Stephanie chuckled, loving how perceptive her son was. “Among other things,” she agreed.

Charlie shifted until he was looking directly at his mother. “OK.”

Stephanie took a deep breath, getting her thoughts in order. “First, my real name is Stephanie Plum. Mazur is my mother’s maiden name – her last name before she married my dad. You know I used to live in New Jersey, right?” When Charlie nodded, she continued, “I lived in Trenton and was a Bounty Hunter.”

“Like Dog or the girls in Miami?” he asked.

Stephanie’s eyebrows shot to her hairline. “Excuse me?” she demanded. “How do you know about those shows?”

Charlie winced as his eyes slid away from hers, knowing he’d just trapped himself.

“I asked you a question,” Stephanie persisted.

“Foxx and I were up late once and saw an episode on television after his parents were asleep.” Dragging his eyes up to meet his mother’s, he continued, “We don’t watch it all the time…”

Stephanie sent a disapproving look at her son. Just because it was a life she lived didn’t mean she wanted him to know about it. “We’ll talk about that later. But you just added onto your punishment, mister,” she advised, satisfied when Charlie nodded his understanding. “Good. As I was saying, I was a Bounty Hunter and sometimes I ran into problems. Ranger was always there to help me out and get me out of trouble. We had started dating,” she paused and rolled her eyes at the disgusted face Charlie made. “Just you wait a few years and you’ll be dating too,” she warned.

“No way!” Charlie protested, revolted by the thought.

Stephanie smiled knowingly, but continued. “Anyway, the last day I was in Trenton, I saw some very bad men do something they shouldn’t have. I was very scared and they told me I would live as long as I left Trenton and never told anybody what I saw. If I didn’t leave, they would kill my grandma, my niece, my friend or Ranger.”

Charlie gasped, horror evident on his face before it changed to curiosity. “I have a great-grandma and cousins?” he asked.

Stephanie smiled and stroked his head. “You have, to the best of my knowledge, a grandma, a grandpa, a great-grandma, an aunt, an uncle and three cousins – all girls.” She laughed at the face he made at the revelation of his cousins being female. “Anyway, I didn’t think I had a choice, so I ran away without telling anyone where I was going or why.”

“They must have been really worried about you,” Charlie observed his face serious.

Tears pricked the back of Stephanie’s eyes as she thought of all of the loved ones she had left behind. “Yeah,” she admitted, before shaking off that emotion and clinging to her determination. “But there was no way I was going to let them get hurt because of me. So I ran away and ended up here.”

Charlie reached forward and hugged her. “I’m glad you did,” he admitted quietly.

Stephanie hugged him back. When she released him, she continued her story. “Your Uncle Bob found some people squatting on his land and called Ranger in to help him figure out what was gong on. It was a big surprise to see him again,” she admitted before shaking her head and ignoring that situation. “He and Bob did some research and discovered that the people who were squatting were very bad men. In fact, two of them are the bad men who chased me out of Trenton.”

Charlie gasped. “You have to stop them!” he cried.

Stephanie smiled. “We’re going to try and do just that,” she admitted. “Or at least Bob, Ranger, Jed and some others are going to. As much as I want to help them, it’s more important I take care of you.”

The blinding smile that split across Charlie’s face at those words warmed Stephanie through and through. She returned the smile with equal love and hugged Charlie to her once more.

When the hug ended, Charlie asked, “Are you going to marry Mr. Ranger when it’s all over?”

Stephanie blinked at her son a few times. “Well,” she began. “We both wanted to talk to you about that after everything was over. I would like him to be in our lives, but that would mean some big changes and maybe even living part of the year away from here.”

Charlie sat quietly for some minutes, his face serious as he thought about the situation. Finally, he let out a sigh. “I like Mr. Ranger,” he admitted. “And I know he makes you happy. You look at him like Foxx’s mom looks at his dad.” Taking a deep breath, he continued, “I think we should try it,” he admitted.

It was Stepahnie’s turn to offer a blinding smile. Leaning forward, she placed a kiss on his forehead. “Thanks, kiddo,” she said softly. “When this is over, the three of us will sit down and talk about all the options and change before deciding what to do.”

“OK,” Charlie agreed. “But, Mom?” He waited for Stephanie to look at him. “Why are you telling me all this now?”

Stephanie smiled slightly at her son’s perception. “Ranger and Bob are calling in a bunch of people to help them take care of the bad guys. Some of the people that will be coming knew me when I lived in Trenton. When they see me, they’re going to recognize me. I don’t know how they’re all going to react, but, however it is, I won’t be able to keep the fact I’m Stephanie Plum a secret anymore. I didn’t want you to be surprised by it when it happened.”

Charlie nodded. “So, does that mean I’m really Charlie Plum?” he asked. Then a sly smile spread across his face, “Or will I be Charlie Manoso?”

Stephanie laughed at his impish comment. “I don’t know if you’ll ever be Charlie Manoso, but, a part of me hopes so. If you want to be Charlie Plum, we can do that, too. After this is over.”

“OK,” he agreed, relaxing back into the couch. He suddenly sat straight again. “Are you going to tell Foxx’s mom?” he asked.

Stephanie nodded in the affirmative. “Let’s go see what Foxx is up to and you can play with him while I talk with Mandy. Everybody will know about this soon enough, but, for right now, don’t tell anyone, not even Foxx.”

“OK,” Charlie agreed standing and heading for the door.

Stephanie picked up the bloody towel and followed after him, hoping the conversation with Mandy would go as well.

Part 41 – Fragrant

Stephanie watched as Charlie and Foxx took off running the moment they saw each other. She tried to call after them to make sure they didn’t slam the door, but she was too late. Glancing at her friend, Stephanie saw that Mandy was laughing as she prepared dinner. As she settled on a stool near the center island where Mandy was working, she sighed and said, “Boys.”

Mandy laughed out loud. “That they are, through and through,” she admitted, smiling broadly.

“And I wouldn’t change a thing,” Stephanie admitted, returning the smile. Inhaling the smells of cooking, Stephanie’s stomach growled. The fragrant scent had her mouth watering. “What are you making?” she asked.

Mandy narrowed her eyes at her friend, a smile twitching at the corner of her lips. “Old family secret,” she replied.

Stephanie opened her eyes wide, trying for puppy eyes. “But I’m a friend of the family, surely you can tell me,” she cajoled.

Mandy grinned. “I’m sure I could, but that’s not what you wanted to talk to me about, is it?”

With a sigh, Stephanie rested her elbows on the island and sighed. “No, it’s not,” she admitted. “But I’m not sure you’ll like what I have to say.”

Mandy stopped what she was doing and put down her knife. Reaching out, she rested her hand on Stephanie’s arm. “Steph, you’re my friend and I’ll be here for you just like you’ve been there for me. If this has to do with whatever you’ve been hiding from, with the shadows that haunt you, I’ll listen to however much you feel like telling me.”

Stephanie couldn’t help the soft smile that spread across her face at the encouragement. Her friends were so great. “Thanks,” she said softly. Taking a deep breath, she began her tale once more. She explained about her name, her job, Ranger, what had chased her away from Trenton, the traveling she had done and finally a little of what was going on now.

“Are you OK with all this?” Mandy asked, looking at her friend intently. “It’s a lot to take in. What does Charlie think?”

A soft laugh escaped Stephanie and she wondered why she had been worried. “Yeah, I’m OK with it. I want this taken care of and the two men who chased me away from Trenton behind bars.” In truth, she knew they would never make it that far, but she wasn’t about to let Mandy know that. “Charlie agrees that it’s time this ended. He seemed excited about having family in Trenton.”

“And Ranger,” Mandy inquired, getting to the heart of the matter.

Stephanie let a breath out slowly and ran her hand through her hair. “That’s a big question mark,” she admitted.

“You don’t want to be with him?” she asked, surprised.

“I do,” Stephanie assured. “I never feel as complete without him as I do with him, but I have Charlie to think about, not to mention that both he and I are different people now than we were then.”

Mandy stared at her friend for a few minutes, thinking about what she’d been told. “Has he indicated that he wants a relationship with you now?” When Stephanie nodded, she sighed and looked away, not knowing how Stephanie would receive her opinion. “The man looked for you constantly for four years. You’ve been his world that long and I’d bet even longer. If you’re complete with him, don’t you think the same is true for him? That he’s not complete without you? As for Charlie, if you already have his blessing, the only thing holding you back is fear. I’ve never known you to be a coward, to give in to your fear. Love and relationships are not easy, but they’ll work if you both want it to.”

Stephanie sat in her seat a little stunned by her friend’s comments. Her anger flared at the comment about being a coward, but, she stopped her initial retort and thought about what Mandy had actually said. Look at her friend with an impartial eye; Stephanie saw the truth of her statements in the warm glow that lit Mandy from within as well as the strength it gave her reflected in her eyes. Love was beyond scary. It was downright terrifying, but, obviously, Mandy had made it work. This was something she, Ranger and Charlie all wanted to try, so she couldn’t see a reason to object. The only thing she had was her fear that she and Ranger had changed too much for it to work now. “But is four-year-old love enough to make it work? What if we’ve changed too much?” she murmured, not realizing she said that out loud.

“Love changes and grows over time, just like people do,” Mandy agreed, picking up her knife and beginning her prep work again. “You may not know all the ins and outs of who your man is now,” she advised, “but it’s really unlikely the essentials of who he was have changed. That will at least provide a starting point.”

Stephanie sighed and nodded. “You’re right,” she agreed, letting go of the last of her anxiety. Standing, she informed, “I need to get back. Heaven only knows how many people will be staying with me over the next few days.”

“You and Charlie are welcome to stay here until that mess is over,” Mandy offered.

Pausing to think over the comment, Stephanie deferred the decision. “I think we need to be there tonight. I need to let Ranger know that Charlie and I talked. Besides, I have a feeling that a few people I knew from Trenton are going to be there. I’d rather meet them on my home turf than have them invade your house.”

Mandy laughed. “I think we can do without an invasion,” she agreed. “But if you need anything, just let me know.”

“Thank you,” Stephanie said, stepping around the island to pull her friend into a hug. It was an unusual move for her, but it just seemed right.

“Anytime,” Mandy assured. “Now, go get your boy and go see your man.”

Stephanie offered a brilliant smile to her friend at the mention of “her man”. A feeling of joy at the thought of Ranger being hers swept through her, adding a bounce to her step. “Yes, ma’am,” she replied, offering a mock salute before leaving to find Charlie.

Maybe things would work out in the end after all.

Part 42 – Desolate

Tank drove along the road, wondering what exactly they would be facing when they arrived. Ranger had called earlier that morning directing him to gather four others and head out to Montana. Bob needed them.

That in and of itself was enough to set off warning bells in Tank’s head. After all, there wasn’t that much that Ranger and Bob couldn’t handle together. The fact that he had specifically requested Cal and Manny had him more than a little uncomfortable. Both men had experience with chemical weapons. Whatever Bob had stumbled across, Tank hoped they would all walk away from it.

Of course, the fact that this was happening on American soil meant there would probably be an entire host of alphabet soup agencies involved. That was never a pretty thing, especially when the locals got involved. With any luck, they would be able to do what needed to be done before the target found out they were there. That was a best-case scenario, though.

Shying away from further thoughts of the nightmare that was working with multiple government agencies, he felt a different sort of worry for his friend.

He and Ranger had known each other for years. When Stephanie disappeared, he had changed. The fire and determination that had always defined Ranger were still there, but the spark and life that Stephanie had brought to him seemed to dim. Over the years as Stephanie stayed missing and Ranger began to lose hope, a desolate look seemed to take over, seemed to dwell inside the shell that was his friend.

Ranger didn’t show it often, but every now and then Tank would see it and feel a shiver of dread race down his spine. He prayed that he would never feel that way, never know what it was like to lose so much of yourself, never know what it was to be that desolate.

He had been lucky that, despite his fumblings and fears, Lula had stuck with him. They finally got around to getting married last year. Ranger had stood up for him and Lula had Connie stand for her. They had all silently agreed not to mention the fact that Stephanie should have been there.

It was a beautiful ceremony and the reception had been fabulous. Ranger had seemed happy for his friends. It was only as Tank went to search him out before leaving that he saw what the day had cost Ranger. He almost didn’t recognize the man who stood staring out the window at the night, his shoulders slumped and his eyes empty.

Chiding himself for his maudlin thoughts, Tank turned his attention back to the road in front of him. They were meeting at Bob’s, but would be staying at the same bed and breakfast where Ranger was. They would have to share rooms, but it was doubtful that more than one of them would be sleeping at any given time. Of course, they would find out more once they actually arrived.

What had triggered his thoughts about Ranger, though, was the sound of his voice.

For the first time in recent memory, Ranger sounded alive again, as he had when Stephanie was around. Whatever the man had found in Montana had certain done wonders for restoring his spirit.

That was definitely a good sign, especially if the upcoming mission. It was always better to go into something with a positive frame of mind rather than a negative one.

As Bob’s house came into view, Tank noted the sheriff’s car parked outside next to a truck that was obviously Ranger’s and one he recognized as Bob’s.

“Looks like the locals are already here,” Manny grumbled in the back, his voice betraying his lack of enthusiasm for such a turn of events.

Tank made no response, but pulled up into the yard.

As he shifted the Expedition into park, he saw Ranger step outside. The change he had heard in his friend’s voice was evident in Ranger’s presence as well.

Ranger had always been commanding and even intimidating, but there was a life to him now that had been missing for far too long.

Once they were done with this mission, Tank promised himself that he would get down to the bottom of the changes he as seeing.

Part 43 – Tongue Tied

Ranger was smiling on the way back to Stephanie’s. He knew he was and that the others had been puzzled by the uncharacteristic emotional display but he didn’t care.

The initial meeting with Jed and the guys had gone well. The guys were more or less up to speed. They would meet over in Bob’s situation room early tomorrow to continue getting into the details and assigning tasks and roles. Jed had turned out to be quite an asset. It wasn’t often Ranger was impressed by law enforcement officers, but Jed had impressed him.

The sheriff had taken the time to sit with Bob and Ranger and explain how he had always been aware of whom Stephanie was, just not why she ran. He verified everything he had been told and then explained which local officials would be the easiest to work with and which they should keep out until the last minute. They had also discussed the fact they might have national involvement if things got out and it was agreed that no one except for the local ATF agent, Jim Cleveland, who was an old friend of Jed’s, would be alerted until the day the team was ready to strike. The short notice would prevent interference, while Jim and Jed would ensure everything was done by the book including getting warrants and appropriate approval for the raid.

When he went to greet his men, Ranger knew that Tank, at least, had noticed the difference in him right away. The questioning look his old friend gave him, caused a brilliant smile to appear on Ranger’s face, but only for a second.

Stephanie’s presence hadn’t come up in the meeting and Ranger had seen no reason to alert them to the fact she was around. His well hidden, little used mischievous side wanted to see their expressions when they saw her for the first time in four years.

He had managed to call and get a hold of her, letting her know that there would be six of them staying. Stephanie had assured him she and Charlie would have food ready and that, if the guys didn’t mind sharing, they had enough beds for everyone.

When Ranger asked about that, knowing there were only two guest rooms, Stephanie assured him that two of the guys could take her room and she would bunk with Charlie.

The protest that she should share a bed with him died on his lips as she mentioned Charlie. He had to agree it was the most reasonable decision, given Charlie’s protective nature. He decided that he and Manny would take Stephanie’s room, Tank and Zero would take one of the guest rooms and Cal and Lester would take the other. He would just need to move his stuff out of the room he had been using.

Once things got underway – hopefully tomorrow - they would only need the two rooms at the front. But that was something they could discuss later.

Pulling into the driveway, Ranger followed the curve around and stopped. He didn’t say a word to any of his men as they got out. He led the way inside.

“We’re back,” he called, smiling when Charlie’s head appeared in the doorway to the dining room.

“We’re just about ready,” the boy informed, his eyes wide at the sight of six large men standing in the foyer, only one known to him.

Ranger figured that it was only his presence that kept Charlie from being too scared. “Charlie,” he encouraged, motioning the boy out to join them. “Let me introduce you to some people who work with me. This is Tank, Cal, Lester, Manny and Zero. Guys, this is Charlie.” He watched as the men nodded or said ‘hi’ to the boy and then looked at Charlie. “They all know your mom,” he confided.

Charlie’s eyes grew wide and a smile broke out on his face. “Do they have stories too?” he demanded of Ranger.

Ranger returned the grin. “Yes,” he assured.

If possible, Charlie’s smile got wider as he turned and called over his shoulder, “Mom! Come out here. Mr. Ranger brought some friends.”

Ranger moved both he and Charlie so they could watch the reunion about to take place.

“I know, Charlie,” Stephanie called, her voice coming closer as she entered the dining room. “He called to let me know,” she finished as she appeared in the dining room doorway.

At the first sound of her voice, the five new arrivals had frozen. Tank’s eyes had grown huge as he looked first at his friend and then turned in the direction of the voice. Several mouths had dropped open as they recognized the owner of that voice.

Stephanie stood, looking at the five men in the hallway, emotions flashing across her face faster than anyone could read them. Finally, she settled on a shy smile and offered a finger wave. “Hi, guys!” she greeted.

The five men stood staring at her.

“I think they’re tongue-tied, Babe,” Ranger observed, chuckling slightly.

Looking up at the man standing behind him, Charlie asked, “Is that what a stunned mullet looks like?”

This caused both Stephanie and Ranger to laugh. It also seemed to snap the Merry Men out of whatever trance they’d been in and into action.

Tank crossed the distance to Stephanie in one stride. Wrapping his arms around her in an uncharacteristic display of emotion, he crushed her to his chest in a hug. “Bombshell,” he managed to choke out, four years of worry and fear being expressed in that one act and word. He had missed her, but more than that, he'd had to handle the pain that both his best friend and his woman had been going through after her disappearance.

“Hey, Tank,” Stephanie returned, hugging him just as closely.

After a few minutes of whispered greetings, she was passed to the next Merry Man until all had greeted her.

When she returned to her spot by Ranger and Charlie, she had tears in her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she let it out, trying to get control over herself. “I’ve got food just about ready to go on. Why don’t you all have a seat so we can eat? Then, afterward, I’ll show you all to your rooms.”

The men simply nodded and piled their duffel bags and equipment in a pile in the hallway before following Ranger, Stephanie and Charlie into the dining room.

Taking seats around the table, they waited as Stephanie and Charlie disappeared through a door into what must obviously be the kitchen.

Once the food was on the table, none of the men moved. They just stared at Stephanie while she, Ranger and Charlie began serving themselves.

Nervous under the intense stares directed at her, Stephanie shifted uncomfortably and demanded, “What?”

Lester just shook his head, his eyes never leaving her face. “You're alive,” he replied, his voice hushed.

Stephanie put her fork and knife down on her plate and really looked at the five new arrivals. She hadn't been super-close to any of them, but they had all gotten along and she had considered them friends. When her eyes finally got to Tank, she could see the worry and fear in them, the strain that her disappearance had caused. It was then that she realized the position he had been in. Not only did he have to miss her, he had to comfort both Lula and Ranger.

Reaching out, she placed her hand on his arm and offered a compassionate smile before looking at the others. “I am alive. I am well. And I promise to share what happened with you, but, first, we need to eat dinner.”

Charlie looked from his mother to the faces around the table. “You're going to tell them about the bad guys, huh?” he asked.

Stephanie turned and smiled at her son. “Yeah, but not until you're in bed.”

Ranger saw Charlie getting upset. He didn't think it had to do with Stephanie speaking to the guys without him present. In truth, he suspected that Charlie didn't like it for the same reason he, Ranger, didn't like it. Telling the story upset Stephanie and neither of them wanted to see Stephanie upset.

Placing a hand on Charlie's shoulder, Ranger offered, “Why don't you and I do the dishes while your mom tells these guys about what happened?”

Charlie's eyes moved from his mom to Ranger and back. After receiving a small nod from his mother, Charlie sighed and agreed. “Fine. We'll do dishes.” Despite his agreement, however, it was apparent to everyone at the table that he wasn't happy with this turn of events.

“Well, then,” Stephanie encouraged, offering a slightly strained smile, “let's eat.”

Part 44: Butterflies

Ranger set the plates he was carrying on the counter, watching Charlie already move around the kitchen.

“You should put this on,” Charlie advised, handing him an apron.

Taking a look at it, Ranger observed, “It has butterflies.”

With a roll of his eyes, Charlie tied his own apron on it. “It won't hurt you,” he said, turning to the counter and beginning to store the leftovers away.

A sigh escaped Ranger as he tied the apron. A small portion of his mind registered the irony of having butterflies on the apron since he was beginning to feel them in his stomach.

Over the years he had been nervous, anxious, worried and any number of other emotions that resulted in the “butterflies in the stomach” feeling.

The fact that he was having them now, facing time alone with Charlie, was telling. He needed to talk to the boy, but his lack of experience with kids or with being a father figure was niggling at him. Maybe he should stick with action figure...

“You can start rinsing and putting the dishes in the dish washer,” Charlie advised as he sealed another container and moved to put it away in the refrigerator.

“Yes, sir,” Ranger teased, moving to the sink and starting to rinse the dishes. Normally, he would enjoy working in quiet, but having Charlie with him, he thought he should have some sort of conversation. Before he could come up with a kid-friendly topic, however, Charlie broke the silence.

“Do you still love my mom?” he asked.

Ranger's eyebrow rose at the direct question. He wasn't incredibly surprised since he knew Charlie was very protective of Stephanie. He could recall that they had touched upon this same issue just a few days before. Still, he had made himself clear to Stephanie, so there was no reason for him to hide thing from Charlie. “Yes,” Ranger replied.

Charlie crossed his arms in front of his chest and waited for Ranger to look at him.

Sensing the boy staring at him, Ranger turned of the water, put down the dish he was holding, wiped his hands and turned to look at Charlie. If he wasn't so experienced reading body language, Ranger would assume the boy was angry; the serious look and crossed arms were classic signs. It was Charlie's slight shifting of his weight from foot to foot coupled with the troubled look in his eyes that signaled to Ranger that there was insecurity and maybe a little fear assaulting Charlie.

“I'm listening,” he advised, leaning back against the counter and leaving his arms by his sides, trying to look relaxed and open. He'd seen a few of his friends do this same trick and it always appeared to put people at ease.

“Are... are you going to m-marry my mom?” Charlie choked out.

Even asleep Ranger could have noted the fear in Charlie's voice. He quickly came to the conclusion that Charlie might fear the loss of Stephanie. It was a fear he had lived with for four years. “I don't know if your mom and I will get married,” Ranger replied honestly. “But I am hoping to be a part of both of your lives for a long time to come.”

Thinking that his words would ease some of Charlie's fears, Ranger was surprised when he saw some level of distress in the child's posture. His smile fading slightly, Ranger asked, “What's wrong?”

Charlie's eyes darted around the room before locking on the toes of his shoes. “I had a dad. I didn't like him,” he mumbled.

Ranger's eyebrows rose at the confession. He made a mental note to talk with Stephanie about Charlie's past. Trying to think of what to say, he finally admitted, “I don't know what your dad was like, but I would never hurt Stephanie. I would do anything I could to protect her and keep her safe. The same goes for you.”

Charlie's eyes rose to meet Ranger's. He tried to gage the man's sincerity as he spoke and remember what his mom and Uncle Bob had told him about reading people as well as reminding himself that not all dad's were like his. Foxx's dad was the exact opposite of the man who fathered Charlie. Finally, letting out a breath, he nodded. “OK.”

Ranger nodded back. “We still have to finish catching the bad guys,” he informed, turning back to the dishes.

Charlie moved over toward the counter and started helping. “You will,” he assured. “Mom and Uncle Bob always get their man.”

A smile twitched at the corners of Ranger's mouth. He couldn't deny the truth of the statement, but it was amusing to hear his own name left out. “That's true,” he agreed.

The two finished the dishes in companionable silence.

As they were wiping down the counter, Charlie asked, “Are we going to have to move to New Jersey?” He had asked his mother earlier, but he wanted to hear it from Ranger as well

Looking at the boy, Ranger replied, “We'll have to talk about where we'll live when all of this is over. Most likely we'll make trips back to Trenton, not only because of my business there, but also because you and your mom have family there.” He couldn't suppress his smile at the look of wonderment that appeared on Charlie's face.

“I know,” he replied. “I have grandparents, an aunt, an uncle and cousins!”

Ranger chuckled at the enthusiasm he heard in the boy's voice. He wondered if Charlie would be as enthusiastic once he met the chaos that was the Plum family. “Depending on how things work out, you might have some uncles too.” Seeing Charlie's puzzled look, Ranger explained, “The men I work with, like the ones here now, all love your mother. They think of her as a good friend, almost as family. So, they may consider you their nephew.”

“Really?” Charlie asked, surprised.

“Really,” Ranger confirmed, hanging his apron on a chair. “Of course, you'll have to ask your mom about your Aunt Lula.”

“Aunt Lula is her sister?” Charlie asked, he could have sworn that was Aunt Valerie.

Ranger rested a hand on Charlie's shoulders and turned out the light as he led the boy out to the front room. “Not exactly,” Ranger said.

Part 45 – Mercy

While Ranger and Charlie had been doing dishes, Stephanie and the Merry Men had been talking in the front room. She had caught them up on her life in Montana, being a deputy, her continuing disasters, and Charlie. She touched briefly on the months before she settled, but refused to say anything about why she left until Charlie was asleep.

Respecting her wishes, the guys caught her up on life in Trenton, Lula's misadventures in Bounty Hunting and on all her friends left behind.

She felt no resentment at all when they told her Morelli had married Robin Russel and had a little girl who Robin named Stephanie Rose. The girl went by Rose most of the time. Joe had been touched, but Robin insisted saying it was Stephanie who encouraged her to try for Joe, so it was the least they could do in her memory.

The tears Stephanie felt stinging her eyes were just another evidence of the huge hole in her heart that formed when she left Trenton. She knew it wouldn't be filled until she went back.

For all their discussion covered, it didn't touch on how the Rangemen felt or what they went through. The faint shadow she saw in their eyes told her how difficult it had been on all of them.

Guilt began to eat at her as she was once more faced with the price everyone else had paid for her decision to run. She quickly reminded herself, though, that the price if she had stayed would have been far worse.

Eventually, Ranger and Charlie joined them. Ranger selected a seat underneath Stephanie and Charlie sat close by her side.

The discussion covered quite a bit of ground as the Rangemen appeared very happy to share Stephanie's misadventures with Charlie. They were even fairly good about keeping things no worse than a PG level.

The time came for Charlie to retire.

After her son was asleep, Stephanie returned to the front room. She was about to sit on an available chair when Ranger grabbed her hand and pulled her down onto his lap. Snuggling in with a sigh, Stephanie looked at the expectant faces. It was time.

“Ranger already heard this, but it's not an easy story for me to tell. So, bear with me,” Stephanie stated. Receiving nods of agreement from all the men, she related the events that led to her fleeing Trenton. When she was done, she leaned a little further back into Ranger. She knew the guys were on her side, but when they wore the look currently on their faces, Stephanie couldn't help but feel intimidated.

A few moments of silence later, Tank declared, “No mercy.”

His tone of voice was so serious, so dire, that a shudder raced through Stephanie. That feeling only increased as the others nodded their agreement.

As if sensing her discomfort, Ranger wrapped his arms more tightly around her, pulling her flush against him.

This move offered her enough security to protest. “Guys, they all need to be brought in. They might know of more than just the Denver plot.”

“Bombshell,” Lester said, his voice laced with danger. “Men like DiMarco and Campbell don't know the meaning of Mercy and they never show it.”

“They let me and mine live,” Stephanie pointed out, not wanting any of them to have blood on their hands for her.

“Babe, they let you and us live because you weren't really a threat. They're just playing with you,” Ranger advised, softly.

Putting it more bluntly, Manny told her, “You weren't worth the price of a bullet to them.”

Stephanie gasped slightly at that, but saw the truth of Manny's and Ranger's words in the eyes of each man around her.”

“Steph,” Tank said, his voice soft. “If they were to find out you were here, or that you were helping us, they wouldn't hesitate to kill you, Charlie and anyone else associated with you. For whatever reason, they just wanted you out of the way in Trenton, probably because you were so well known, which would make it more difficult to hide the evidence of your murder.”

“Now, here, you're relatively unknown,” Cal interjected. “If they found out you knew about them, there's not much to keep them from silencing you.”

Stephanie felt her stomach drop and her heart miss a beat. She knew DiMarco and Campbell were dangerous to her, but she hadn't ever had it laid out for her quite like that. “But, if you bring them to trial...,” she trailed off, knowing it wouldn't happen.

“We won't show them mercy, Babe, because they will show none to us,” Ranger softly explained.

Closing her eyes, she accepted the reality of the situation. “No mercy for DiMarco and Campbell,” she agreed, resigned. Opening her eyes, she continued, “But the others can be of use in answering questions and giving us information.”

The men exchanged a look before Ranger nodded. “We'll do our best to bring the others in.”

Stephanie let out a breath. “Good,” she agreed. “Good.”

Part 46 – Home Alone

Stephanie sank into her bug and let out a sigh of relief. For the first time since Ranger arrived, she was home alone and she was bound and determined to enjoy it.

With the arrival of the Merry Men, things began to pick up on the case. The encampment was under twenty-four hour surveillance, at least two of the Rangemen were watching the camp, two were at Bob's doing research and two were sleeping in the front rooms.

Today, however, no one was at home when she arrived and Charlie was at Mandy's for the night.

Though she wanted to help take down the terrorists, after the discussion the first night, when the others arrived, she knew it was best for her to stay away. Besides, with Jed involved with the take down, someone needed to be around the station during the day.

The routine of her life, though it continued, couldn't completely relieve the nervous tension and anxiety she was feeling over this situation. A part of her couldn't wait for it to be over and, given the absence of all the Rangemen, she knew it would happen soon. Another part of her, though, didn't want it to end since the end of the mission meant that she would be facing some changed in her life.

It was true that she, Ranger and Charlie were waiting in order to figure out what exactly they would be doing in their lives, but some things were already settled in her mind.

The first was that the three of them would be staying together, at least until they were sure it would work.

The second was that, when things settled down out here, she and Charlie were going to Trenton for a few weeks with Ranger. They would be back before school started, however.

That led to the third thing that was mostly decided. For at least the next year, Stephanie and Charlie would stay in Montana, while Ranger would be based in Montana and fly out when needed.

A wide smile appeared on Stephanie's face as she remembered Charlie's excited reaction to “finally” getting a computer and internet access at home.

Ranger, amused at the boy's excitement, also told him they would be getting more than one computer.

Charlie petitioned for a Wii and a bigger television, but, before Ranger could agree to it, Stephanie had stepped in and said no. She also hadn't missed the wink Ranger sent Charlie's way. She'd need to keep a close eye on her men.

Her smiled widened. “My men,” she said aloud. “My men,” she repeated, unable to stop a laugh of joy.

Her mind returned to the obstacle standing between her and making that statement a reality.

Blowing out a breath, she sank lower under the bubbles.

Though concerned about the upcoming operation, she had every confidence in the abilities of Bob, Ranger, the guys and Jed to see it to a successful conclusion. The only thing that really had her worried was that Campbell and DiMarco needed to be dealt with to make things happen for her. Though she hadn't meant to cause trouble, she knew it was the only way she would ever be able to move on with her life.

As with Abruzzi, she understood the need to remove the threat permanently. Intellectually, she knew the two men would hunt her until she was dead or kill those closest to her if she ever showed her face in Trenton or they found out she'd had contact with Ranger and the guys.

There was no doubt in her mind that they had to go, but it didn't make it any easier to accept.

Blowing out a breath, she pulled the plug from the drain and let the tepid water disappear as she rose and dried herself.

Wrapping the towel around herself, she stepped out of the bathroom to choose some clothes.

A sultry smile appeared on her face as she thought that now would be a wonderful time for Ranger to arrive.

A frisson of desire ran down her spine at the thought as other parts of her warmed to the idea. Just because she wasn't sure that she was emotionally ready for that step of the relationship didn't mean her desire for him was in the same place. After all, it had been years since she'd been with him or with anyone. Sleeping with someone other than Ranger had seemed too much like cheating.

The question of whether or not Ranger had remained faithful to her idly crossed her mind before she quickly dismissed it. In truth, she didn't want to know and as long as she wasn't in a relationship with anyone, she didn't care. They were together now, or would be as soon as this take down happened.

Finished with dressing, she quickly did her hair and makeup. Checking the clock, she noted that she had an hour and a half before she needed to pick up Charlie. It was enough time to make some muffins and thaw some pastries to set out for the guys.

Though she still cooked a hot breakfast, given the guys' odd schedules, she now tried to keep food in the dining room at all times. That way, they would have at least a little something available to them when they woke up or came back.

With thoughts of the tasks she needed to do running through her mind, she bounced down the stairs only to let out a small shriek as she ran into someone at the bottom.

Bouncing off that someone, she started to fall before being caught in two very strong arms and drawn flush against a hard, well-muscled body.

“Need to be more aware of your surroundings, Babe,” Ranger whispered in her ear.

His voice sent a shiver of desire through her, significantly more powerful than the though of him had earlier.

“I thought I was home alone,” she whispered back, looking up at him, though her eyes never got past his lips.

Ranger reached up and cupped her face, gently guiding her eyes higher.

Stephanie gasped at the fire and passion she saw there.

“All alone?” Ranger asked, leaning forward until his lips brushed hers.

“Yes,” she murmured back, her response little more than a soundless movement of her lips.

Ranger drew her closer once more and replied, “Good”, before kissing her.

If she had been expecting the passion she had seen in his eyes to take over, Stephanie would have been disappointed. Though the emotions and desire were clearly communicated, the fire remained banked, little more than a promise of things to come.

When the kiss finally broke off, both Ranger and Stephanie were breathing hard. Stephanie hid her face in Ranger's shoulder while she attempted to regain some small shred of control.

“Did you tell her,” Tank asked, seemingly coming from nowhere.

Stephanie started and Ranger momentarily tensed.

“No,” Ranger replied.

Daring to look at Tank, Stephanie felt a small smile form on her face when she caught him doing an eye roll. Obviously, Lula had rubbed off on him. “Tell me what?” she asked, not moving from Ranger's arms.

“We're contacting the rest of the agencies today and taking the hostiles down tomorrow morning,” Ranger informed.

Stephanie took a deep breath and slowly released it, trying to reassure herself that all would be well. After all, she reasoned, Ranger had done this hundreds of times. He and his men possessed highly-trained skills in this specific area, not to mention the fact that they would have the element of surprise.

“We'll be fine, Babe,” Ranger assured, giving her a quick hug.

Stephanie looked up at him, trying to communicate her faith in him and the guys to see it through. Offering a nod of agreement, she commanded, “So, fill me in.”

Part 47 – Endangered

It was early evening as the men sat around the table in Bob's basement. The calls had been made and all necessary approvals were being gathered in preparation for the coming dawn.

As the sun ushered in the new day, Ranger and his team would be taking care of rounding up the people at the camp and permanently removing the threat to Stephanie and her loved ones.

With Jed and Jim on the other side of the room and everyone else occupied, Bob took the opportunity to speak to Ranger. “Are you serious about erasing Campbell and DiMarco?”

Ranger just looked at him, face perfectly calm, eyes absolutely serious.

Letting out a curse, Bob took a deep breath and let it out. “I haven't done anything like that... I understand the reason, but ...”

Ranger rested a hand on Bob's shoulder. “Don't worry about it,” he soothed. “We know what we're doing.”

Bob searched Ranger's eyes for any hesitancy, but found only resolve.

Nodding, his agreement, Bob allowed a smile to tug his lips upward. “Think they know they're an endangered species?” he asked of Campbell and DiMarco.

The grin that appeared on Ranger's face was anything but pleasant or comforting. It was the grin of a predator, of a big cat in a tree as its unsuspecting prey roamed below.

Stephanie ran her hand over her hair once more in frustration. If it weren't for the fact it was pulled back into a ponytail, she probably would have pulled it all out by now. She had spent more time dealing with bureaucracy and idiocy today than she had on any other day since taking her job.

If Jed weren't tied up, she wouldn't be quite so frazzled, but with everything set to go down tomorrow, there was no way he could work on the normal, daily chaos of their jobs. Essentially, she was on her own today and would be tomorrow too. Though she wasn't happy with the arrangement, she knew it was for the best.

Finally coming out of her own thoughts and focusing on the conversation in front of her, Stephanie tried to figure out the best time to interrupt.

“And I'm saying you endangered my life!” Stanley stated in his imperturbable drawl.

“Endangered you life?” Bea shouted. “I brought you soup because you were sick!”

“And you put carrots in it,” Stanley repeated.

“OK. Stop!” commanded Stephanie. When both people were looking at her, she restated the case. “Stanley, you called me because you think Bea was trying to kill you by putting carrots in the soup.”

“Yes,” Stanley agreed.

Before he could continue with his explanation, Stephanie cut him off with another question. “Are you allergic to carrots?” she asked.

Stanley stared at her, his mouth opening and closing several times before he finally answered, “No.”

“All right, then,” Stephanie continued. “If you're not allergic to carrots, then they can't actually kill you no matter how much you don't like them. That means that Bea bringing you soup isn't attempted murder, but her being neighborly. The appropriate response is to say thank you. Then, if you don't want to eat it, throw it out when she leaves!”

Finally, she was met with silence.

When the silence continued for more than ten seconds, she couldn't help but hope it was over.

“Fine,” Stanley reluctantly agreed. “I withdraw my request you arrest her for attempted murder.”

Stephanie let out a sigh of relief and nodded. “Good. Now, Stanley, if you don't want the soup, tell Bea and she'll take it away with her.” Before she could continue, her radio chirped. Stepping away from the others, she called into the station to see what was happening now.

“There's a guy here saying he's from Homeland Security,” she was told.

Letting out a groan as her head slumped forward in defeat, she closed her eyes. It was almost past dinner time and there was no end in sight for her day. She was thankful that Mandy agreed to keep Charlie with her for a few days and was even more grateful for the offer of her friend's pull-out. Sleeping alone in the house, or even alone with Charlie in the house, just didn't sit well with her. Once it was over and everyone was caught, she would finally be able to relax.

In the mean time, her spidey sense, as she was wont to call it, was niggling at her. Though she did her best to deny it, she had the feeling something would go wrong.

“I'll be there in twenty,” she relayed back before returning her attention to the no-longer-squabbling pair before her. “Are you both all right? I need to get back to the station.”

“We'll be fine,” Bea told her.

“Go on,” Stanley encouraged.

Heading back to her car, she couldn't help but look forward to the time this was all over and, specifically, the moments when DiMarco and Campbell were neutralized and the Federal government's people would be leaving town.

Part 48 – Endless Night

Ranger remained stationary in his position knowing Tank was only a few feet to his right and the others were nearby in their own positions.

Many years of participating in and commanding similar operations had taught him no matter how much it seemed to be an endless night, dawn would always come sooner than expected and the action would come with it.

Unlike so many of those other nights, however, there was a faint thread of anticipation that crept near his conscious mind every now and then, disturbing his focused stillness. It was just one more sign he had been right to step down from active participation in operations a few years ago.

The thread of anticipation had less to do with successfully completing the job than it did taking revenge upon those who messed with him and his.

Not only had they chased Stephanie from his life, but they also had found a way to penetrate his security. With any luck he would be able to get one or both of them away from the rest of the group and one of them would live just long enough to give him the answers he required.

Such thoughts had no place in this or any other operation.

Even two years ago, despite the personal nature of the mission, he would have had a more secure emotional lock-down on such thoughts. It was not a positive sign that this thread of thought was reaching high enough in his conscious mind to disturb his mental state, no matter how small a ripple it caused.

A small portion of his mind shunted these thoughts to a portion of his sub-conscious to be dealt with when there was time.

Right now, this increased anticipation made no difference in Ranger's ability to execute. It made no real difference in his focus. It made no difference in his determination or readiness. But it did make the night seem endless.

Stephanie shut off her car and leaned forward, resting her head on the steering wheel and allowing her eyes to close.

Her endless day of handling the regular calls in addition to the Federal government had almost been too much. Granted, the majority of her contact with the various alphabet-soup representatives had been telling them to speak with Jed, Jim or Bob before giving them the appropriate phone number, but some of those agents just didn't know how to take a hint. Sometimes it wasn't even a hint they refused to take. Sometimes it was a flat-out statement that she wouldn't be able to answer their questions and to call Jed.

Eventually, her endless day merged into what started to look like an endless night of complaints.

Fortunately, she was able to free herself fifteen minutes ago at about two-ten a. m.

Her night was finally done and she could finally rest.

With any luck, she wouldn't get paged and would be able to sleep until at least nine.

Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to sit up and leave the car.

As she stood, she felt the tension in her muscles and stretched in the hopes of easing it.

Another deep breath at the end of the stretch provided enough energy to head toward the house.

She could see the dim glow of the light over the stove shining in the kitchen just as Mandy had promised. A smile curved her lips as she thought of her friend.

Glancing upward, Stephanie took in the clear night sky, knowing Ranger and her friends were out there, under those same stars, waiting for the dawn.

Anxiety caused her stomach to clench for a moment before she was able to force those thoughts away.

Thinking about it, allowing her thoughts to drift in that direction, was a dangerous temptation. The promise of a future that just a few weeks ago seemed impossible was almost hers. The danger that stood between her and that future was deadly. The knowledge that her dreams could be destroyed forever as easily as they could be accomplished made it necessary to keep herself from daydreaming. Getting her hopes up only to lose everything would be beyond devastating.

Staring up at the stars, she closed her eyes for a moment and prayed, “Keep them safe.”

She then entered the house as quietly as possible.

She smiled as she read the note Charlie had left her on the table. He practically ordered her to eat the food on the table.

Unfortunately, Stephanie knew she didn't have enough energy to make it through the entire meal.

Picking a few bits off the plate, she ate those and placed the rest in the refrigerator before heading to the den where the pull-out was located.

It wasn't until she began unbuckling her gun belt that she realized she had forgotten her overnight bag in the car.

A moment was all the time it took her to decide to leave the bag until morning.

Removing her gun and its holster from her belt, she slipped it under her pillow. It certainly wasn't the most comfortable place for it, but, without a gun safe, it was the safest place she could think of for it. After all, it was highly unlikely that anyone would be reaching under her pillow.

Stripping down to her shirt and panties, Stephanie managed to stay awake just long enough to set her watch alarm before drifting off to sleep.

Part 49 – Speed

The night sky was fading. The stars were disappearing one by one.

Slowly, the blanket of night rolled back to reveal the gray of pre-dawn.

The time was approaching for the action to proceed.

The keys to successful execution of the attack were speed and coordination.

As planned, the various government agencies didn't have time to mess up the plan, only to lend bodies to the one already in place.

The fact that Jed and Jim had proven more than able to handle and deflect the suggestions and demands that came pouring in had been an unexpected bonus.

Everything was in place.

The team had confidence in each other an their abilities.

That, of course, didn't mean that things couldn't go wrong, but it did increase the chance of success.

The gray faded to a mixture of pale blue and baby pink highlights.

Ever so slowly, the colors deepened and changed.

Heart and breathing rates increased in the waiting men as adrenaline began flowing through their veins.

For the briefest of moments, everything seemed to stop. The gentle breeze ceased, the noisome chatter of the birds halted and even the river was silent.

In that nothingth of a second, vision cleared, intent became purpose and success the only option.

Then the first edge of the sun's burning orb crested the horizon.

The command was given.

Time began again.

Though each second always has the same value, the perception of time is elusive at best. A second can take an eternity and an hour disappear in the twinkling of an eye.

In their combat-ready state, the men working with Ranger lived each fleeting second as though it was minutes.

Every action was crisp.

Every movement was necessary.

Every sight and sound was clear and crisp to an extreme the men knew only came in intense situations.

Each man knew the goal.

Each man had their orders.

Each man hoped they would be the one to find Campbell and DiMarco in order to be the one to teach the men the error of messing with one of theirs.

Each man would be disappointed.

“Dorm one secure.”

“Dorm two secure.”

“Dorm three secure.”

“Labs all clear.”

“Outbuildings clear.”

The reports came in one on top of the other.

A single shot sounded from the armory.

“Armory secure,” Tank informed. “One fatality.”

“Repeat!” came the command.

“Confirm,” Ranger responded. “One fatality.”

The men were all too well trained to ask the question, but they didn't need to since a moment later Tank broke protocol and informed them, “DiMarco is missing.”

With a speed that only parents and soldiers possess, Stephanie shifted from sound asleep to fully alert in a heartbeat.

Her eyes flew open as she first took in her surroundings.

Realizing she was at the Pierson's house, she then tried to determine what had caused her to awaken.

A few seconds later, the sound of a muffled cry reached her. It was a sound she knew because it was a sound she had made in the passed when kidnapped and gagged.

Slipping her hand under her pillow, she drew out her weapon.

As she sat up, she tuned her hearing to noises outside her room. There wasn't much to hear.

Slowly, she stood and slipped on her boots. Bare feet would be quieter, but not always a wise move.

With caution learned through life experience and Jed's monthly drilling, Stephanie made her way to the door and cracked it open.

There was nothing in her immediate sight.

Deciding it was safe to leave the den, she opened the door wider and slipped out of the room, keeping her back to the wall.

Months and years of training came to her instinctively.

She swept each room as she moved through the house.

In the kitchen, she found Mandy, her husband and Fox bound and gagged to chairs at the table.

Charlie was missing.

A whispered assurance that she would be back was the only encouragement she offered as she made her way to the front of the house.

One look out the front door was all it took to make her blood freeze and her training flee.

Out the front door, she saw a living nightmare.

DiMarco stood next to a nondescript SUV, holding Charlie to him, a gun pressed to the side of her son's head.

“How nice of you to join me,” DiMarco greeted, a soulless smile on his face, his normally empty eyes flaring with evil. “As I'm sure you are aware, your friends are currently destroying months of work. Of course, I was paid in advance, but it is still disheartening to put so much of oneself into an endeavor only to see it come to ruin before it could bear fruit.”

Stephanie said nothing.

It had only taken a few words from DiMarco to snap her out of her panic.

Somehow, she had moved outside and was standing only a few feet in front of the house.

Her training kicked in once more and she quickly sorted through her options.

There weren't many.

Looking down at Charlie, she easily read the fear and horror in his face. While he had witnessed his own parents' death and his father abusing his mother, none of that violence had been directed at him.

She had ensured he knew some self-defense and understood that the only chance they had was for her to get Charlie to act.

It was a very dangerous gambit and she was putting her son's life on the line, but DiMarco was a man without morals and would kill Charlie anyway, just for fun.

“What do you want?” she asked, surprised by the calm strength she heard in her own voice.

“Nothing much,” DiMarco informed. “You see, several years ago, you and I made a deal. And, while you haven't broken the letter of the deal, I would consider this morning's raid by Mr. Manoso breaking the spirit of it.”

Stephanie tried, but was unable to hide her surprise.

“Oh, yes,” DiMarco gloated. “I was aware of the planned attack this morning at dawn. Unfortunately, I was unable to warn my associated, Mr. Campbell. But, that is of little importance. I just came by to tell you that it is time for you to pay for your disobedience. Say goodbye to your son.”

This, apparently, was what Charlie had been waiting for. With all the power his child's body could muster, he stomped down on his captor's foot while simultaneously ducking and twisting away.

As if linked on some other level, the instant Charlie acted, Stephanie did as well, lifting her gun and firing with an accuracy she had only experienced once before in her life, back when she was first bounty hunting and Jimmy Alpha was about to kill her.

For Stephanie, though, this shot was more important than any other she had ever made.

This shot was for the life of her child.

Part 50 – Under Pressure

When placed under enough pressure, eventually things will collapse or change.

When placed under pressure, humans don't always react in expected ways.

Though enough pressure in the right places can wear down or destroy any person, that same pressure, applied in a different way or to a different place can yield surprising results.

After four years of living on the run, of bearing the weight of her loved ones' safety, when presented with her worst nightmare, created by the tangible applicator of that pressure, Stephanie did not crumble. She did not waver. She did not fail.

As she lifted her gun and fired, she knew in every atom of her being that her shot had been true.

Seconds later, that knowledge was confirmed by the blossoming of a red hole centered at the top of DiMarco's nose, situated just between his eyes.

Before that confirmation had time to appear, however, a second shot had been fired from her gun.

This one also proved true.

Mere seconds after the red dot on DiMarco's forehead appeared and before his body could begin to slump, the second bullet entered his chest and pierced his heart.

Another kill shot.

As soon as she registered the hits, Stephanie broke into a run.

In her adrenaline-filled world, the distance took an eternity to cover.

In reality, it took only as long as it took DiMarco's corpse to collapse onto the ground.

“Charlie!” she shouted, wrapping him in her arms and holding him tightly to her chest.

“Mama!” the boy replied, reverting to a name he hadn't used since his first year with Stephanie.

Words of assurance continued to pass between mother and son uninterrupted, even as another SUV pulled into the yard, fishtailing as it came to a stop.

The door burst open and Ranger exited the vehicle.

Relief such as he had known only once before when he had opened a cupboard and Stephanie had fallen out, swept through him, leaving him to fight the urge to fall to his knees.

Resisting that call, that urge, he moved forward, offering only the briefest of glances to the fallen body before embracing the mother and son.

He quickly released them and ushered them inside.

Tank, fighting an emotional release of his own at the sight, moved to ensure DiMarco was really dead.

Though this day was far from finished, the action was done. There were only legalities left.

The threat to Stephanie was gone forever.

Pulling out his phone, Tank made a quick call to Trenton. “Lula. Baby. I've got news...”

Part 51 – Winners And Losers

That night, Stephanie slipped out onto the porch, taking in the night air and trying to come to grips with the day's events. She knew she couldn't stay out long. Charlie would be needing her after yet another nightmare. Of course, she was almost thankful for the interruption since her own nightmares didn't bear thinking about.

The gentle swish of the screen door opening and closing alerted her to another presence. She wasn't worried, though, knowing it was Ranger.

After the events at Mandy's house, the other Rangemen had insisted that beside Stephanie was where Ranger belonged. That didn't keep him by her side all day, but it did free him to be with Stephanie and Charlie for most of the day.

As the winners and losers for the day were being sorted and credit was being divvied out among all the agencies who had almost nothing to do with the events, Stephanie had shared Charlie's past with Ranger.

Ranger had insisted that Merry and Aaron Mitchell be brought up immediately and even offered to drive and get them himself.

The Mitchells were able to come and arrived by lunch. While Merry spoke with Charlie, Aaron took both Ranger and Stephanie aside to discuss the situation, what to expect and what could be done. Ranger had stayed back for a few minutes with Aaron discussing the changed that would be coming to all of their lives.

The three of them now had a series of meetings scheduled with the couple. First, though, they needed to sit down and decide how they wanted to proceed with their lives, if they could stay together.

“Couldn't sleep?” Ranger asked as he wrapped his arms around Stephanie and drew her closer to him, ending with her back pressed to his front.

“Charlie will be having nightmares,” she replied.

Ranger leaned forward and rested his chin on her shoulder. “Is he the only one?” he asked.

Stephanie turned in his arms and hid her face in his chest. “No,” she admitted before turning her head so her ear was over his heart.

The two stood like that for several minutes, Stephanie listening to his heartbeat and Ranger slowly running his hands up and down her back in a soothing motion.

“What are we going to do about tomorrow?” she asked quietly, finding it easier to ask in the darkness.

“We're going to take it one day at a time and face it together,” Ranger assured.

“I still love you,” she admitted, “but I don't know if I'm ready for marriage.”

Ranger was quiet for a moment. “I love you, Babe,” he assured. “I'm never going to let you go. If that means we never marry, then we never marry. Given the disaster my first marriage was, I'm not eager for a repeat. If it means I sleep in the front room for the rest of our lives, I'll probably go insane from not touching you, but that's what we'll do.”

His last statement was met with laughter as he intended. Allowing Stephanie to draw back slightly, he cupped her face and met her eyes. “I meant what I said. We, the three of us, will figure out what works for us and that is what we'll do. We've got all the time in the world now. But I really hope we'll be sharing a bed soon.”

Stephanie beamed at Ranger. “Sounds good,” she agreed.

Epilogue – Shirt

Two Years Later

“Babe? Have you seen my gray Henley?” Ranger called as he came down the stairs of the old inn. He was met with an abashed Stephanie, standing in the middle of the kitchen, a spoon in her mouth, a carton of yogurt in her hand, wearing nothing but panties and his missing Henley.

“This Henley?” she asked once she'd gotten over her embarrassment at being caught, as well as Ranger's naked chest.

“Babe,” Ranger smiled, crossing the kitchen and pulling her close for a kiss. One hand caressed the slight swell of her stomach. Two months ago she had announced that they were expecting a baby. It was hard to tell who was happiest and most proud – Ranger or Charlie.

The past two years hadn't been easy, but they had come through it together, stronger and more tightly knit as a family than they had ever thought possible.

Charlie had been the one to eventually convince Stephanie and Ranger to marry. The ceremony had also included Ranger legally adopting Charlie, allowing them to be a family in the eyes of the law.

Trying to juggle running Rangeman with living in Montana had been challenging and resulted in a high level of frustration among the trio, but agreed on monthly trips to the various offices seemed to ease that. It also allowed Stephanie and Charlie the security of knowing Ranger's schedule – when he would be leaving and arriving – in advance.

It was for one of those trips that Ranger was now trying to pack.

“Why do you need a long-sleeved shirt in Miami?” Stephanie asked, unwilling to forgo her prize.

“I told you last night, Babe, there's been a change. I'm off to Boston.”

“Oh? When did you tell me?” she asked, honestly not remembering. Her cheeks flushed and her body tingled in anticipation when he whispered exactly what he had been doing to her when he mentioned it. “I”m sure if you were to jog my memory...” she hinted, her voice husky with desire.

She was offered a wolf grin in response as Ranger stripped his shirt off of her, leaving her clad only in her panties and bra.

“Charlie...” Stephanie protested.

“Won't be home for fifty-five more minutes,” Ranger informed, reacquainting himself with his wife's body, relishing the reaction he received.

“OK,” Stephanie gasped out, soon forgetting why she had protested.

Fifty minutes later, Ranger sat up and searched fro the shirt Stephanie had been wearing earlier. Finding it, he gently kissed her awake and slipped the shirt over her head.

“Charlie will be coming soon,” he informed as he stood and slipped into his pants. “You have about five minutes to clean up.”

“Five minutes!” Stephanie gasped, holding out her hand so Ranger could help her up. Racing to the stairs, she ran up them and into the bathroom. “Why didn't you get me moving earlier?”she demanded.

“You were moving earlier,” Ranger replied with a wolf grin. It only earned him a glare, though, he could tell by the flush on her cheeks and her body's response that she wasn't really upset with him. “I'll greet Charlie,” he assured, stepping into the room and kissing her. “You take your time.”

“OK,” Stephanie agreed, enjoying the closeness. “But you should put a shirt on. I don't think Mandy's recovered yet from the last time she saw you shirtless.”

“Will do, Babe,” Ranger assured, giving her one last kiss before exiting the bathroom.

As he jogged down the stairs, Ranger caught sight of one of the pictures on the wall and thought back to the highly-charged time when Stephanie had first show up in Trenton after being gone and declared legally dead. Helen plum had been tranquilized. Frank Plum was happy to finally have a grandson. Grandma Mazur had actually been speechless, but welcomed Stephanie and Charlie with open arms. Valerie had been pulled in multiple directions, but managed to convey her joy at Stephanie's return.

Lula and Connie had nearly deafened the entire block with their greeting. Vinnie had informed her she couldn't have her job back.

Morelli had been quiet. Tears were seen in his eyes and pride in his face as he introduced Stephanie to his family.

The police station and the Rangeman office had been equally emotional.

As with most of the rest of their life, things in Trenton had changed and settled. They still visited several times a year and received visits in return, but their lives were in Montana now.

Reaching the front door, Ranger watched Mandy pull into the drive.

This certainly wasn't the life he had envisioned for himself, but four years apart from Stephanie had changed him. Fate had been cruel to them in separating them, but Destiny had triumphed in the end.

Greeting Charlie and waving his thanks to Mandy, Ranger relished the feeling of home and family that filled him.

He idly wondered what Stephanie would think of him trying for the job of sheriff when Jed retired next fall. The two men had discussed it several times and with a baby on the way, Ranger found he preferred being close to home.

Besides, he thought with a wry smile, it could be interesting to try being legally white for a while.

The End

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