"When Julie said the baby tired her out, she wasn't kidding," Steph said, then added, "and you weren't kidding when you said that rush hour made the drive to her house twice as long."

Her peripheral vision picked up the motion of Ranger nodding to show that he'd heard her, though he kept his attention on the road. Reaching over, he took her hand, rubbing his thumb along the back of it. Steph looked at the time on the dash. Between the earlier than expected end to the evening, and the quick return trip, they'd be back in the apartment before 9:00 p.m.

Dinner with Julie and Alec had gone far better than she'd hoped. She really appreciated Julie's upfront attitude and decision to clear the air right away, and her acceptance of Stephanie's reappearance was a huge relief. The fact that Steph had had a great time getting to know this new, fully-grown version of Julie and her husband was a bonus. Those two were alike in many ways. Smart, funny, down to earth, and completely at ease with each other. Stephanie envied them in some ways. It seemed as if they'd done everything the right way from the very beginning. No drama. No fuss. Just two people in love, living their best lives together.

She wished that she and Ranger could have started that way. Thinking of the fifteen years they'd lost made her heart hurt. She had to keep reminding herself that the people they were back then – him, emotionally closed off; her, emotionally stunted, and neither of them effective communicators – would never have achieved the level of harmonious companionship that Julie and Alec had. The events of their years apart had led each to understanding and personal growth. As tempting as it was to dwell on the "if onlys" and "what ifs", she knew that their estrangement was the reason they had a future to look forward to.

Somewhere around 8:00 p.m. Julie had gone from cheerful and chatty to heavy lidded and tired, as if someone had thrown a switch. At the first stifled yawn, Ranger had begun clearing the table. Alec joined him in the kitchen and, with remarkable speed, they put away all leftovers, loaded the dishwasher, and cleaned up the pans. Watching them, Stephanie could see that Ranger was just as familiar with Julie's kitchen as he was with his own. That made her happy for him, because it showed a closeness with his daughter and son-in-law that she knew he'd wanted, even if he'd never voiced that desire.

She was pulled from her thoughts when Ranger released her hand, moving his own back to the steering wheel where he pressed a button with his thumb. The pleasant sound of classical music, a sprightly piece that she would forever associate with a cartoon rabbit, went from soft to barely audible. Since turning down the radio was a standard signal that conversation was about to begin, she waited for him to speak. She wondered if his thoughts were following the same path as hers.

"This evening, I couldn't help but think about how lucky I am to be so involved in my daughter's life," Ranger began. "Twenty years ago, I was basically a stranger to her. You know that after Scrog we started to keep in touch, but it wasn't until after I moved to Miami and we had the chance to see each other in person that I became a regular part of her life. I love that we've become close, even if I'll never be Dad to her. As much as I wish that you and I had spent those missing years together, I can't help but wonder if that would mean still being a distant figure to Julie."

Stephanie smiled at him, even though his eyes were always on the road. "I was having similar thoughts, then two things stopped me. One was knowing that we wouldn't be where we are right now if we'd spent those intervening years any differently. And the other is something you said when we were at breakfast on the way to the airport in Chicago. 'Thinking in 'might haves' will only drive you crazy.' Of course, you're right about that. So I'm trying to stick with the situation as it is, and not wonder about what it could have been. Too many variables."

"Sounds like I need to follow my own advice," Ranger said, sending a glancing smile in her direction. He was quiet for a moment. "I know that, technically, it's none of my business, and you don't have to answer if you don't want to, but you said that you stayed in touch with Edna. What about the rest of your family? Do they know where you are? That you're okay?"

Stephanie shuffled her feet around and shifted her purse in her lap, pulling it more firmly into her. "After I got settled in Cincinnati and the workers comp stuff, Grandma asked if she could tell the rest of the family where I was. She gave them my address and phone number. Val texted right away. Said she was relieved to hear that I was doing okay. I was in the middle of typing a reply when she called. I gave her the extra short version of my time away, and she got me caught up on what the girls and Albert had been up to."

Steph pushed the sleeves of her sweater up to her elbows, then pulled them back down. "My mother called a few hours later. She seemed half glad to know where I was, and half mad that I'd run away with no thought about how worried the family would be. Or all the gossip and rumors they'd have to endure. Apparently," rolling her eyes, she imitated her mother, "'no one else's daughter ever just up and disappeared.' How was she supposed to do her shopping with all the whispering everywhere she went?"

Stephanie sighed, clasping her hands together and rubbing the knuckle where her rings used to sit. Quite a few of her counseling sessions had focused on her mother. She'd rather think about her father's response. It was as passive as ever, but at least he didn't make it all about him.

"My dad took the phone from her for a minute. Just asked if I was okay and did I like what I was doing. When I said I did he said 'Be happy, pumpkin. That's all I've ever wanted for you. Whatever you need to do, wherever you need to do it, just be happy.' Then he handed the phone back to Mom."

She found herself tearing up, her throat clogging with a jumble of emotions as she repeated her father's words. It took a moment to settle them, but once she could speak again without that husky sound to her voice, she finished.

"Anyway, Val and I still text each other every so often." Steph's hands fidgeted with the hem of her cardigan where it lay across her lap. "Maybe a few times a year. Holidays and the like. We trade hellos and what's the latest news. But that's about the extent of it. Honestly, I don't really miss them. I never really fit in, and this way I don't have the constant judgment. I really am happier."

Ranger picked up her hand, kissing the back of it, then held it on his thigh. She swore she could feel his love and compassion infuse her skin. The gesture soothed her in ways that words could not. The rest of the drive was spent in that same comfortable silence, as was the walk from the parking garage into the building.

Some fresh-faced young man, probably in his mid-twenties, was at the reception desk. Just like in Trenton, even when the lobby was closed, there was always a person stationed there, adding an extra level of security beyond the cameras.

As Ranger escorted her past the desk, the young man greeted them politely, tossing a sir at Ranger and a ma'am at her. Before she could ask him to call her by her name, he continued. "Night shift has requested an extension of Protocol ACAT. What shall I tell them?"

Ranger never broke stride as he replied, "Permission granted, Cromwell, but remind them about the food limits. Last time he was in their care, they went through half a bag of treats."

"Oh, right, but that was his incentive to run the obstacle course," Cromwell explained.

Ranger halted so suddenly that Stephanie was three steps ahead of him before she realized she couldn't feel his hand on her. Turning to look, she couldn't see Ranger's face, just the back of his head as he directed his attention to Cromwell.

Whatever Ranger's face was doing, Cromwell's face responded to it with an Oh crap! expression. Both eyebrows were raised to his hairline, his mouth was rounded into an o, and the whites of his eyes were showing. Then he started talking so fast that he stuttered at first. "Oh! No, no one shirked their duties, sir. Evans and Gilroy came up from the residential floor to say hi to Mr. Pants. They set it up, all off the clock, and showed him how to run it with the treats as rewards. They even did time trials. He was racing through it like a champ by the end."

There was a moment of silence after he finished, then Ranger asked, "Is there video?"

Cromwell hemmed and hawed then nervously licked his lips before saying, "Yes?" The word came out as a question, rising an octave and ending in a squeak, as if it had been squeezed out of him by force.

Ranger nodded. "I expect copies of all pertinent footage before 0800. If there's a repeat of the activity, tell the masterminds to either go easy on the treats or find a different incentive."

With that, Ranger turned back to her, and she easily read the amusement in his face by the crinkles at the corners of his eyes and mouth. Over his shoulder, she saw Cromwell nodding vigorously, like a bobblehead doll, as he reached for the keyboard in front of him. As Ranger ushered her into the elevator, she decided that she'd never get tired of seeing the "ACAT is in Control" warning signs, especially since so much seemed to revolve around Rangeman's unofficial mascot.

As they entered the apartment, Ranger paused to drop his keys in the tray on the table by the door while Stephanie continued to the bedroom. Hauling her suitcase out of the closet, she set it on the bed along with the clothes she'd discarded earlier. Shrugging out of her cardigan, she added it to the pile then sat on the bed next to it and took off her boots.

"I had a nice time tonight," she called out. While she was glad of the extra time for packing, she was sorry they hadn't been able to stay longer. Now she wouldn't have to rush, which always made her tense because she knew she'd be more likely to forget something. But she would much rather have spent more time getting to know Alec and Julie. At least she had future visits to look forward to.

And, as selfish as it may have sounded, now there was time for something else she'd been looking forward to. First, she had to find Ranger. When he didn't respond, Steph left the bedroom, her stockinged feet soundless as they sank into the plush carpet. She found him in the kitchen, leaning back against the counter, ankles casually crossed. His thumbs moved rapidly over the phone in his hand. He smiled at her as he set the phone on the counter.

"Sorry," he said. "The guys wanted to know when we were leaving for the airport in the morning, so they could come say goodbye."

She smiled in return, pleased at another sign of rekindled friendship. The insecure part of her that lived deep down in the recesses of her psyche tried to suggest that it wasn't "the guys" who'd show up, but Julie's "tios", come to berate her about her lackadaisical treatment of a ten-year old kidnap victim. It was the same place that harbored her imposter syndrome, and general feelings of inadequacy.

Stephanie shoved those thoughts away and tried to wrap herself in confidence. She wanted to look alluring, not needy, for the next part of the evening, but could already feel the pulse in her throat starting to hammer with nerves. Okay, maybe she should back it down from Femme Fatale and aim for something more reasonable, like moderately tempting. Crap. That made her sound like someone sneaking a bag of chips before dinner. Was that the inadequacy talking again?

And why was she even nervous? It wasn't like she didn't know that Ranger was willing and more than able. He'd proved that on her last visit. While they'd started off partially clothed, they'd quickly progressed to fully disrobed as they engaged in the most intimate of acts. Several times. She'd very much like to do that again, but so far their evenings hadn't worked out as she'd hoped.

"Babe?"

Ranger was waving one hand in front of her face to get her attention. Great. She'd been thinking so hard she'd zoned out. Oops. At least she hadn't done that stupid muttering out loud thing.

"What did you want to do again?" he asked.

Scratch that last bit about not voicing her thoughts. Steph wanted to sigh, but he was already looking at her oddly. Intending to change the subject, she opened her mouth, but instead of brushing off his question, she heard herself say, "You."

Raising one eyebrow, Ranger pushed away from the counter, a gleam in his eye.

"That," he said, stepping towards her, "can be arranged."

0 o 0

Stephanie fumbled blindly on the nightstand next to the bed, nearly knocking her phone off before she got a good grip. Cracking one eye open, she checked the time as she slowly rolled her shoulders back to loosen them up. Four minutes until the alarm went off.

Normally, if she woke before the alarm, she'd spend that time planning out her day. This morning her mind was too full of scenes from last night to consider anything else. They'd come together several times, their passions running from wild and frantic with carnal need, to tender couplings overflowing with devotion and sweet love. As he moved over her so carefully, adoringly, his eyes shone with a purity of emotion that took her breath away. She could still feel the echo of his body inside hers, and it made her heart sing.

Her neck and jaw were a little sore but that would pass. And she'd known at the time that the back of the couch was going to leave a mark across the tops of her thighs. Worth it, though. When she did a full body stretch there were other twinges here and there. Her glutes had gotten a workout and what was up with her pinky toe? Her hip flexors must not have been as limber as she'd thought either, because they were also complaining. Guess there were some muscle sets left out of the exercise classes at the gym.

She held her phone up when there was less than a minute to go. The second the alarm flipped on, she swiped it off. Judging by the subtle noise and enticing aroma, Ranger was in the kitchen whipping up breakfast. She might as well get up and find out what he was feeding them.

Throwing off the covers, she headed to the bathroom, passing the closet along the way, intending to get an idea of how disorganized her luggage was. One peek and she halted in surprise. After their first bout of lovemaking last night, Stephanie had started packing, determined to be ready to go when morning came. Ranger had pitched in to help, but it quickly turned into a game with the two of them laughing joyously. It was wonderful to see him let go of his restraint enough to fully immerse himself in something fun and silly. Then the laughter had turned into soft gasps and passionate moans and the packing had been forgotten.

Now, the suitcase was closed up. The only items of hers still showing in the closet were her boots and winter jacket. She blinked a couple of times to be sure her brain was back online and awake, then continued to the bathroom. The outfit she'd planned to wear was in there, along with her toiletry and makeup bags.

'Wow,' she thought, 'he really is a keeper.'

She probably broke a personal speed record for showering, getting dressed, and squirreling away the last of her things in her suitcase. By the time she walked into the kitchen, Ranger was plating two omelets. She set her phone on the counter. The toast popped up right then, so she automatically headed over for buttering duty. She knew two slices were hers and she gave them a decent coating of butter. The trick with Ranger's one slice was to whisper the word butter over it, then wave the knife as if there was something on it. There was so little butter it almost didn't seem worth the effort, but it made him happy so she'd gladly do it that way. She cut the toast in triangles and set them on the plates. She could see the coffee and juice were already on the table.

"Thanks for getting my luggage together," Stephanie said. "I swear it was in more disarray after I tried to pack than before."

With a cheeky grin and a smoldering gaze, he replied, "Yes, well, a rousing game of Naked Keep-Away will do that," then kissed her soundly.

She chuckled at the double entendre, sorely tempted to start another round of something. But they had friends on the way and a plane to catch. Reluctantly stepping away, she grabbed her plate and sat at the table instead. It was a contemporary dining set, with a wooden table that seated six. Ranger sat at the head of the table as always, and Stephanie sat next to him, though she'd alternate which side. This morning, she was to his left.

Their plates were nearly empty and their drinks half full when there was a knock at the door. Ranger pulled out his phone and tapped on it. With a quiet click, the door unlocked. Lester, Bobby, and Tank came in, joining them at the table. Lester took the seat across from Stephanie, to Ranger's right. Bobby sat next to Lester, and Tank sat at the foot of the table, leaving him eye to eye with Ranger. There was a sense of comfort in the arrangement, because that's how they'd always sat back in Trenton. Some things hadn't changed. Each man had a cup of coffee and a wrapped sandwich from the break room downstairs. Tank pulled a second sandwich and a bottle of orange juice from the pockets on his cargo pants. That hadn't changed either.

There was more chewing than talking, but the guys were good company, relaxed and chill. Stephanie had always liked seeing their true selves come through. It didn't take long before the food was gone. Tank emptied the second bottle of juice to wash down the last bite of his sandwich. He set the bottle on the table and crumpled the sandwich wrappers into one lump. And just like that, the atmosphere in the room changed from camaraderie to pensive silence. It happened so quickly that Steph nearly got whiplash. The silence didn't just fall, it came bursting into the room, tripped, and landed with a splat. It had a weight and a tangible presence, as if some creature had popped in unannounced.

The guys were looking at each other, at Ranger and sometimes at her. She should have asked about the menu because it seemed like breakfast came with coffee, orange juice, and an agenda. This wasn't just the guys seeing off a friend. There was a topic of discussion that everyone was aware of but her. She hated being on the outside, not knowing. That, naturally, made it fairly clear that whatever the topic was, she was the subject. Apprehension slithered in her stomach before a single word had been spoken.

Trying to keep her voice steady, Stephanie asked, "Am I in trouble?"

"No," Ranger said. "The opposite, really. We want to set your mind at ease."

Steepling his hands, he pressed his fingertips to his mouth. It was a gesture she'd seen only a few times when he was gathering his thoughts. She watched him, mind racing as she tried to figure out what was going on. The guys were as motionless and attentive as she was. The whole room was waiting on Ranger.

Dropping his hands, Ranger took in a deep breath through his nose, then began. "While you were out yesterday afternoon, the guys and I were talking. I filled them in on what little information I had about The Incident that had sparked your interest in self defense training in Cincinnati."

'Oh shit,' she thought, 'this can't be good.' What she'd told him was so abridged that it made the Spark Notes version of Winnie the Pooh look like War and Peace, but she had given him leave to pass it along. Her stomach knotted and she tried to steel herself against whatever might come next.

He held her hand between his. "Bobby happened to remember something that had gone down in Pittsburgh a few months after you left."

A steady stream of curses was running through her head. Did they know? Yes, she'd told them, but she'd been very sparing with details. The counselor had called it controlling the narrative, and told her that she didn't owe any explanations to anyone. That it was up to her to decide what she was comfortable sharing. Knowing the details would make her failure real to them in a way her vaguely worded descriptions did not.

"Can you confirm that the criminals you encountered were John Nash and Arty Fairburn?" Ranger asked. "Street names were Slash and Burn."

Nodding, she was overcome by humiliation and embarrassment. If they knew the names, they knew everything, including exactly how badly she'd messed up. She tried to pull her hand away so she'd be poised to run, but Ranger wouldn't let go. She could feel her body reacting with a surge of emotions, triggering a crying fit which she hated but couldn't stop. Shame-faced she admitted, "There were only two bullets in my gun."

Tank said, "Little girl, I'm not gonna lie to you. For an average skip on an average day, how you show up affects your partner. You not being fully prepared to give it one-hundred percent commitment would have contributed to a negative outcome. Slick and Gene have the scars to prove that. But this time? With these felons? No. There was no scenario in which you and your partner would come away without damage."

"I know I screwed up, okay?" The clogged sinuses, and runny eyes and nose, made it hard for Steph to speak clearly. She had to over-enunciate to be understood. "I know it's my fault, but I'm owning up to it. I'm taking responsibility, okay? I tried to make amends, I really did. I didn't have much back then but whenever I could, I'd send Gerry what few dollars I could scrape up. Then one month, the envelope came back to me. The front was marked 'Return to Sender' and on the back, someone had written 'We don't want your blood money' in giant block letters for everyone to see." Her voice cracked on the last word, and she shook with suppressed sobs.

There were exclamations from the other side of the table. Looking over, she saw very angry faces and her heart sank. She knew that they'd be mad at her, but she didn't realize just how mad they'd be. Bobby was grim, Tank looked ready to beat the hell out of someone, and Lester was furious.

"What assholes," Bobby exclaimed. "That was a shitty thing to do. You're helping them out after something that wasn't even your fault and then they pull that crap."

That got her attention. Was it not her that they were mad at? It couldn't be Gerry, he was the one who had been hurt by her lack of preparation. Most of Steph's face was covered by the clean napkins that Ranger kept handing her, but she shifted them aside enough to reply. "But it was. It was my fault."

She heard several emphatic denials as the guys talked over each other, insisting it wasn't. Then Bobby took point.

"For these perps," Bobby said, "for guys this intense, on any given day the fault lies with the agency who only sent out two people, and not even from the top of the roster. But even if they had, even if they'd sent their two finest, it wouldn't have changed the outcome."

"Beautiful, let me outline how this capture would have gone down if Rangeman had been in charge." Lester dragged his chair around the end of the table and set it down next to Ranger. Then, he helped Steph turn her chair so she was side-on to the table, facing the two of them. "Minimum, team of six. And not just any six, either. No Chet, no Gene, no Silas, or any of those guys. Only the most experienced men would get anywhere near this pair. That team of six would be the four of us," he pointed around the room, "plus Hal and Cal. There were others with similar experience and skill, but for Slash and Burn we'd also need to match size as much as we could. And we'd have full intel first. No walking in blind hoping to find them. Backup team of at least four in case the shit hit the fan. And we'd give the local cops a heads up, so they'd be on standby."

As Lester spoke, Stephanie could feel the emotional flood start to ebb. Listening to him outline the steps that Rangeman would've taken, she could hear the truth in his words and began to wonder why she hadn't questioned the orders that they'd all been given that day. Maybe she had, but when she thought of that day, her mind zeroed in on the assault and its aftermath. She could barely recall what she'd done between the time she'd woken and arriving at the location with Gerry. The shocking violence she'd seen and experienced had been so traumatizing that there'd been no room left for anything else. The memory of any doubts she may have had beforehand had literally been beaten out of her.

Ranger said, "Anything less would be criminal negligence on Rangeman's part, just like it was criminal negligence on that agency's part. They cut corners and someone got hurt. They had every incentive to encourage a false narrative, shifting the blame from themselves and pinning it on you."

Tank left his seat to stand behind Ranger while Bobby came around to her side of the table. Bobby took the empty chair that had been next to her and set it by Lester, who scooted closer to Ranger to make room.

"Stephanie," Bobby said, "the one thing I really need you to hear is that not only are you not responsible for Gerry's injuries, you're the reason he's alive. The only reason. What you did, throwing yourself across him in time to take that swing of the bat? That's why he's still here. And frankly, you're damn lucky to be alive too." Smiling affectionately, Bobby put his hand on her forearm and squeezed. "We're damn lucky you're here."

When Bobby said that, she recalled Ranger's voice from yesterday, "I'm just glad you're here." He'd said that in conjunction with that strong hug full of an emotion she couldn't identify. The greeting had seemed a bit extreme for an absence of only a few hours. Now she knew what was behind it. The guys had put together the pieces, solving the puzzle and leaving Ranger with some emotions to work through.

"You really … It's not …" Stephanie was so overcome with relief that she couldn't think straight. She searched their faces and saw only sincerity. They really didn't blame her for Gerry's injuries. She felt fifty pounds lighter, so light that she might float right off the chair.

"We really think," Tank rumbled in that deep voice of his, "that it's not your fault."

Stephanie needed a few more napkins after that. Tank had to dip into the kitchen to replenish the supply, but soon enough she'd regained her equilibrium. Then she stood and started giving out hugs with the same generosity with which they'd supplied napkins.

She was sharing a nice cuddle with Tank when Ranger gave a five minute warning for their trip to the airport. Sighing, Stephanie let go of Tank. Bobby had started to say his goodbyes when there was a loud noise in the kitchen.

"Oh!," Stephanie said as she hurried to her phone, "That's the sound for Beena!"

Grabbing it from the counter she scanned the text as the guys followed her in. A few quick taps and the reply was sent.

She stood there, smiling down at the phone, until Ranger said, "Well?"

Grinning widely, she announced, "I've got the position. I'll even have my own office and it's available right now so there's no need to wait."

There was another round of hugs, this time congratulatory ones. Then Lester had her shoulder bag, Ranger her rolling bag, and Bobby was handing her her purse. The guys escorted them all the way to Ranger's car. Another round of hugs and kisses then she and Ranger were finally off to the airport.

As Stephanie watched the traffic around them on the highway, it hit her that everything was fully settled now. She'd already had a place to live, of course, but now she also had a job and, most importantly, she'd made amends with those who mattered most to her. Running into Ranger was the best Christmas present she'd ever had. Maybe Clarence the Angel from that old movie had had a hand in it, though she couldn't help but feel sorry for whatever angel had been tagged with keeping an eye on her.

END NOTE:

Well, folks. It's been a heck of a journey but we're nearly done. There's one more chapter to go.