So I've been reading all the new stories for Ranger's birthday and loving them! You all inspired me to write a little something. It's a bit different than a normal birthday story, but I hope you enjoy anyway. There is still a HEA.

Warnings: Babe, Language & Violence.

Disclaimer: As usual, all credit goes to JE for creating the characters and writing the books.

Happy Birthday Mañoso

RPOV

I lay in wait, silently, with very slow regulated breathing and my heart rate slowed beyond what was possible for a normal man.

I'd been waiting in my hide for nearly three days. Waiting for the convoy of men, and my target. My sniper rifle was loaded and aimed in the exact location my target would be.

It had been four months since I'd been dropped in this God forsaken jungle. Two months of gathering intel. A month of testing plausible scenarios. The last month, I'd been planning, focused on the only action plan that had an above average chance of success and the best chances of me making it out alive; an ambush attack on two open top jeeps traveling between the two guerrilla military compounds. The General would be sitting in the front passenger seat with a driver next to him, and two armed escorts in the jeep behind. The convoy traveled this way every two weeks like clockwork. It was likely today was the day they'd rumble past, considering the past two days had been a bust. One sniper against four men would be child's play.

I was one and a half week's overdue on my deadline. They wanted the target dead, so in reality they didn't care when it happened or if I even returned. My handler would be pissed, but they didn't pay me the big bucks to screw up.

My ears prickled long before I could identify the sound and my body went on alert. A plane. A God damn plane in a no fly zone. American by the sound of it – an MC one thirty if I wasn't mistaken. I knew better than to think it was an extraction team. What the hell were they playing at? Maybe they were sending in a second team to get the job done.

I shifted out of my spot slowly and carefully and glanced through a gap in the trees. I got a look at the tail numbers, memorized them and glared at the small American flag on the tail wing. I moved swiftly and silently, tracking the plane.

A small person, possibly female, was dropped from the plane within a half a mile of my location. The fuckers knew exactly where I was. I ran quietly through the jungle towards the drop zone, scanning my surroundings and assuming my cover had been blown.

I checked my watch as I ran. Usually the convoy didn't make a run until after lunch. I might be able to collect whoever they'd sent as backup, get back into position and complete my mission. Might being the operative word.

I crouched down low in the jungle, about thirty yards from my estimated location of the drop zone and waited. No shots were fired at the light colored parachute, so I hoped I hadn't been compromised but that was not something I could assume. Assumptions like that got you real dead, real fast. The person landed in the small clearing some time later, the parachute missing the canopy only by luck.

I darted forward and froze about five yards from the person who was struggling to break free and stand.

No.

Impossible.

I crouched down next to her; something tight and heavy in my chest as I gently removed the blindfold covering her eyes and cupped my hand against her face.

She froze and stopped in her struggling, her blue eyes blinking open as she stared at me in shock and relief. Tears gently trickled down her cheeks and her chin dropped down to her chest. She thought she was safe now; if only she knew.

I pressed a gentle, closed mouth kiss against her temple and set to work. Within minutes I had her parachute re-packed and the binding on her feet and hands cut free.

I frowned as I stared at the envelope attached to her shirt and ripped it off her and open quickly.

Mañoso, happy fucking birthday. Now you have some incentive to get the fucking job done. H.

H. My fucking handler. He was a dead man. I shoved the note into one of my pockets and gently removed the duct tape from her lips, keeping a finger to mine to indicate she needed to stay silent.

I got her on her feet and did a quick assessment. Someone had dressed her in green jungle fatigues and army regulation boots. Someone had also given her a black eye and two bruised wrists. I smiled grimly as I noticed her knuckles were busted – she must have put up one hell of a fight against her abductors.

I circled her twice. No other obvious signs of injury. She had two guns at her hips, a third strapped into an ankle holster on her left ankle and a large knife tucked into her right boot. She also had a backpack on that I assumed contained a basic survival kit, and an assault rifle attached to the pack.

At least she was prepared equipment wise; physically, emotionally, or mentally, I couldn't say.

I pressed my finger to her lips again and received a small nod. Then I took a step forward and motioned for her to step exactly where my foot had been. I got another small nod. She had a determined look on her face that made by heart clench. I was so proud of my Babe.

We moved a handful of yards out of the clearing and into dense jungle. I made the signal for stop and crouch low, and then showed her what it meant. She caught on quickly. I motioned for her to stay as I went back into the clearing and removed all evidence that we'd ever been there. Then we made our way into the jungle, circling back around to my original position. I still had time. Once I eliminated the target, we'd have to move quickly to get out of the country. At least traveling with a woman would reduce suspicions. We'd need new clothes a shower and… I blinked and focused back on the present. One thing at a time. I'd stick to my original escape plan and work Steph into it.

It took over half an hour, but I got Babe set up about ten yards down from me, hidden, rifle out and aimed at the dirt track that was fifty yards away. I'd drawn a rough plan in the dirt and she'd nodded that she understood to wait to fire until I had taken out the General. I'd given her a quick lesson on the rifle and made sure she could grab her side pieces quickly and smoothly rather than fiddling with a re-load.

Now all we had to do was wait. Something my Babe wasn't renowned for.

I slowed my breathing and heart rate once more, knowing now that I had to succeed because it was more than just my life at stake.

It was two hours before we heard the sound of vehicles. Two hours my Babe lay nearly perfectly still.

I tensed and forced myself to relax again as I identified not two, but five cars in the convoy. The plane must have spooked them. Fucking Handler. He really didn't know how dead he was.

We were positioned just on the end of where the road had a sharp bend, which would force the cars to slow down and make taking out the target easier.

I counted down in my mind as the vehicles got closer and closer. Four, three, two, one. I took my first shot, hitting the General dead center of his forehead. Babe opened fire as the first jeep swerved and rolled down the embankment on the far side of the track. There were twelve men remaining who jumped out of their cars and ducked for cover. Babe burned through her thirty rounds quickly, but managed to take out seven of the men. I quickly picked the rest off, one by one. When we were all clear, I gestured for Stephanie to stay put as I went to investigate the rolled jeep and take care of any survivors.

I was crouched on the edge of the road, looking down on the mangled wreck of what was once a jeep when a single shot rang out. I spun around and hit the deck but found Steph with her gun trained on a slowly falling soldier. She'd just saved my life.

I jogged back over to her, not prepared just yet to celebrate, but I couldn't resist giving her hand a gentle squeeze. We were packed up, re-loaded, and racing through the jungle within minutes. We needed to get as far away from the ambush site as possible and as far away from the two compounds that housed hundreds of the General's soldiers as we could. It would take a couple of hours for the second compound to realize the General was late. I'd tested this theory on the last trip they'd made by setting up a delay. Then they'd eventually contact the first compound. Once they found the ambush site, the entire jungle would be crawling with men. Steph and I needed to be miles from all three locations if we wanted to survive the night.

I set a grueling pace, but we made good distance, even though Steph was gasping for air, red faced and had a stitch by the time I allowed the first stop. I was proud that she hadn't yet complained once. We were still trying to keep quiet though, so maybe she was too scared to speak and break our cover. She collapsed on the ground when we stopped behind a large tree.

"I can't keep this up for much longer," she panted quietly, eyes closed, her hair plastering itself to her face.

"You're doing good, Babe," I whispered back, brushing back her hair and giving her a few sips of water. "Love you," I finished quietly.

She glanced up at me startled, but gave me a beautifully sweet smile. "Love you too. Love you even more once you get us out of this jungle," she replied.

I liked how she had absolute confidence that I would get us out. It gave me more strength to make it happen.

We couldn't rest long though. After ten minutes we were back on our feet, but not running this time. I set a brisk walking pace that Steph seemed more comfortable with.

We walked well into the night but by the time we'd stopped, we'd crossed into Brazil.

I took first watch for three hours, before waking Babe. After what she'd shown me today, I had no problem letting her watch my back while I slept… it was also making me reconsider other things. If we survived this and made it back to Trenton, she could survive anything life with me threw at her. With a bit more training and experience, she could travel with me more often. At least now I had some negotiating material to reduce the length of this contract, my last contract with the US government. It only had two years left, but I was thinking now maybe I wanted to retire sooner rather than later. I wanted a life with my Babe. I wanted a life with the woman I loved. She'd proven herself to me; now I needed to return the favor. It was a shame it had taken one fucked up birthday for me to realize I needed her with me and that I loved her enough to make it work.

It was five days before we met up with my contact in a small Brazilian town on the outskirts of a large city. We'd changed clothes, gotten fake passports, collected my stash of money, dumped most of our gear and started blending in.

It took three weeks for us to get out of South America and back onto US soil.

It only took three months after that before my Babe had moved in with me and agreed to be my wife.

That was the best birthday present I ever could have asked for.

Happy fucking birthday to me.

And they continued to kick ass together happily ever after.

The end.