Disclaimer: I make no claim to the wonderful characters created by the Goddess, JE. I've just let them out for the day. I've also been cheeky and used George Lucas opening credits for ROTJ. Credit to both, I'm making no money from this. Just exorcising some demons from my mind.

Thanks to Christie for the edit. You did grand, as always. Kirsty, thanks for the beta.

A/N: I have to admit I have been inspired by one of my favorite movies, Run Lola Run (Lola Rennt). And the idea for this story comes from that…just one small incident, can change the course of our futures, indefinitely. The story starts the same, but plays out to two, very different endings…

A time not so long ago in a city far, far away…

…The time has come to

P u s h the B u t t o n

Joseph Morelli has returned to his home with blue Tiffany bag in an attempt to rescue the heart of his girlfriend Stephanie Plum from the clutches of the vile depths of doubt.

Little does he know that the ring has begun Stephanie to question whether her love for Ranger is even more powerful than for himself.

Proposal completed, this ultimate gesture will spell certain misfortune for one of the heroes struggling to restore faith to Stephanie's heart...

-x--x--x-

Looking down at the ring on my finger was like being sucked into black hole. Nerve-wracking, vomit inducing, life draining. The ring wasn't gaudy. How could three carats of Tiffany's finest cut diamonds be considered brassy? It's just the implication that comes with the ring, everything is so final. And it made me realize although the ring was beautiful, it's only white gold and diamonds; an inanimate object perched on the end of my finger until I sign my heart over. But my heart was my most cherished possession…

Because I didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea, I had the ring on an eighteen-carat white gold chain around my neck. My heart was fluttering back and forth trying to come up with an answer and my brain wasn't much help. The logical side of me was saying to accept Morelli's proposal. It was the obvious, dependable choice. The crazy side was convinced I was settling, instead of taking a risk; going after the lone wolf. Ranger.

There are men who mark you for life, who make your hormones run on overload whenever they cross your path. For me, that man was Ranger. I could sense whenever he was around me. Even if he hadn't made his presence known- the hair on the nape of my neck would stand on end, my spine would tingle and I would get an over-intense feeling that someone was watching me. That someone who would do everything in his power to protect me. Morelli was different, my first love, the first guy of many to break my heart and my first first- something which could never be taken away from us. Whatever was going on in my head and my heart, the slightest thought of either of them naked, caused me to break out in cold sweats.