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Realigning Destiny
By TT

Sometimes chance intervenes in our lives and causes destiny to jump the tracks. When this happens, fate steps in and realigns destiny’s course to bring us to where we need to be. But, as with the course of true love, the road of realignment doesn’t always run smooth.

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.

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