Disclaimer: so far I own nothing, very very sad, all Janets.

Note: my first fic hope you like it and please tell me what you think. After 12 Sharp. Possible spoilers

Chapter1 Packages

I spent last night with Ranger after aknowledging to myself my true feelings for him. But I knew I had to leave. My life was a mess and I knew it. Spending last night with Ranger having mind blowing only made it that much harder. But i had to go. I had boxed and packaged all my belongings with help from some friends, and now my apartment was done and I was ready to go. I heard a knock on my door and opened it.

"Hey Dillon", I said. Dillon was my apartments super and I guess you could say friend. Especially being everyone else in the building was over sixty.

"What's up Steph", he called through my door as I walked back away from him to gather my things. I picked up Rex's aquarium a couple packages and my bag.

I gave a desperate smile "Was wondering if you could do me a favour".

"Sure thing", he said as I came to a halt in front of him once again.

I set my hamster Rex in his aquarium down on the ground beside where we stood outside my apartment and handed him two brown packages. Across one was written Ranger, the other Joe.

"Could you please deliver these for me? With this one", I pointed at the package labelled Ranger "can you please give him Rex as well? I'm not sure I could handle seeing them before I leave.

"Anything. It's gonna be a real shame you leaving Stephanie", Dillon said as a turned to lock my door for the last time and handed him the key.

I gave him a bear hug "I'm gonna miss you, the only other people in this building are old. They aint gonna blow stuff up without having a heart attack", Dillon muffled into my shoulder. Everyone knew I commonly had bombs go off. Especially in my cars.

I laughed and we untangled ourselves from the embrace. "I'm going to miss you to. Thank you so much for doing this for me". I smiled with watery eyes. "Well I better get going. My Dad's in the cab downstairs don't want to keep him waiting".

We took the elevator to the ground floor where my Dad had already packed what little luggage I had chosen to take with me. We got into the car and I waved good-bye to Dillon. My Father silently drove me to the air port in his taxi cab.

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(Rangers POV)

"Yo Ric, you got some mail", Tanks voice echoed into my RangeMan office.

"Thanks, I'll be done soon. Can you send it to the seventh floor", came my reply.

"'kay. It's five thirty I'm gonna go home afterwards 'kay boss", Tank smirked.

I closed my eyes at this and smiled while sighing. Tank grinned and left closing the door behind him.

Not long after I closed my laptop at my desk and walked out to the control room towards the elevator, to tired to drive to 'the batcave' as Steph and Lula called. While waiting I felt the gaze of people staring at me. When the elevator arrived I wordlessly stepped in leaving the commotion of the control. Obviously there was some new gossip around the office, probably curtesy of Lester. These men were as bad women when came to knew gossip around the office I thought to myself.

The elevator dinged opened its doors signalling it was at my stop. The doors closed behind me as a stepped from the lift entering my apartment.

Remembering Tank said I had mail I paced into the living area and found more than what I was expecting in terms of mail. Sitting on the coffee table before the plasma and sofa sat Rex. Rex in his cage next to my mail.

I walked over and picked up the brown package now assuming that it must have been from Stephanie. And sure enough in Steph's hand writing Ranger was scrawled across the front.

I took on the couch and emptied the parcel's contents onto the coffee table next to Rex, who was now out of his soup can and running on his exercise wheel. This made me grin knowing that in no way would Steph voluntarily exercise.

A clear DVD case with BABE xx written on it with vivid and a note slid out of the brown packaging. The note read

Watch the dvd,

It'll explain everything,

Gonna miss you

Babe xx

Gonna miss you? I thought perplexed. Where was my babe going?

I grabbed the dvd and slid off the sofa over to the plasma proceeded to set up the dvd player.

Once that was done I took my seat back on the sofa and watched as Stephanie, Steph, my Babe appeared on the screen. She was sitting on her bed in her apartment, legs crossed fidgeting with her hand.

Steph suddenly looked up from her hands and I could tell she had been crying. Around her beautiful blue I eyes I could see traces of red and eyelashes sparkled with hidden tears.

She took deep breaths and started speaking. "Hi Ranger", she gave a saddened smile and continued. "I know tis is sudden especially after last night…"

Last night Steph came over with cake after the whole Scrog fiasco. Where somehow our eating cake turned into having sex for the first time in a long time.

I was snapped out my thoughts by the voice of my Babe again

". . . but I'm leaving. . .", she's doing what! My eyes grew wide as I listened intently to Stephanie speaking.

". . . I love you Ranger and I'm not going to clarify that by saying in my own way or anything because I do Ranger. I love you and I am in love with you.", a few stray tears made their way down her cheeks as she continued speaking.

"It's really hard for me to say all this because I know you said to me your life doesn't lend itself into relationships and that if we did it wouldn't include a ring but condoms would come in handy. But I can't do just sex. . ."

She continued to weep gasping for air when necessary.

". . . I'm not leaving because of you Ranger. I know that if I want to be good at my job then I need to get good. I know a couple of people who said they would help me and train me if I ever needed it also a couple of my Dad's friends are gonna help me out. I don't know when I'll be coming back but I will be. I would appreciate it if you would look after Rex for me please."

Stephanie looked straight towards the camera and it felt like she was staring straight at me.

"I know you have the power to find me wherever I go but please don't look for me. I will come back when I'm ready. I need to sort my life out and going away is the only way I see that happening. Try to take care of yourself while I'm gone. I'll really miss you Ranger"

She was still staring right at me and it made me feel proud for her wanting to take charge of her life. But also disappointed in myself for not seeing how she felt about me, or that I was unable to tell her my real feelings.

"I love you Ric"

And with that she kissed two fingers and placed them on the screen that went blank.

I couldn't believe what happened I loved her as well! How could this be happening she's leaving, she's leaving, she's leaving kept echoing though my head.

I sat like that for an hour before I stared down at Rex who was eyeing his food dish hungrily.

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(Joe Morelli's POV)

A knocking on my door startled me awake. Who the hell is knocking on my door at seven am! I rolled over in bed hoping I was beginning to here things in the hope that whoever it was would go away. But they didn't. I got out of bed and tripped over Bob dog.

I reluctantly made my way downstairs in a pair of sweats, Bob following every step of the way. I pulled the door open to stare eye to eye with a FedEx man and a brown package under his arm. I really hoped he wasn't sweating.

"Sign here" FedEx man said to me pushing a clipboard and pen towards me. FedEx men are so nice.

I blinked at him and signed away. He handed me the parcel and left. I stared at the brown package and noticed Stephanie's writing on it.

I walked into the kitchen and started some coffee and opened the envelope. Inside the envelope I found a DVD in a clear case where CUPCAKE xx etched across it in marker felt. Curious I made my coffee and took everything into the lounge and started the DVD.

I sat on the sofa Bob next to me. He barked when we saw Steph appear on screen in her apartment. She was fidgeting which wasn't a good sign, it usually meant Steph was nervous or upset so I leant forward in effort to focus my still half asleep brain.

"Hey Joe", she had only said two words and already a tear slipped out of her eye. I couldn't help but wonder what on earth was happening.

"I know were currently off – again. . . and I think we should stay that way", she let out sob.

I nodded my head as if she was here and could see my movements. I wasn't all that surprised by this but I wondered why did she was putting it onto a dvd?

"You're a really good friend and hope well stay that way. I'm leaving Joe. . .", Steph ended quietly

"Huh?" was all my brain could function now. I took a large gulp of coffee and focused my attention once again on the screen.

"I'm probably already gone by the time you get this but I just needed you to know. I'm not leaving because of you or because of anybody else. I've decided I need to be good at my job to stay in it, to stay alive. After being kidnapped and held at gun point countless times I've come to realise this", her face was pink but she gave a small smile.

"I don't know when I'll be back. I don't even know exactly where I'm going to. I know some people who said they could train me if I need. There's also some of my Dad's buddies who are gonna help", she looked up and I swear she was looking straight at me.

"Joe, I love you but I love you in a one of my closest friends way and I hope you know that's what you are to me. We've known each other pretty much our whole lives. I'm gonna miss you and Bob. . . " Bob gave a loud bark at hearing his name while I had another gulp of coffee ". . . I hope you'll look after everything while I'm gone", she gave another smile ther that stayed there until the screen went blank.

I picked up the dvd remote, rewound the dvd and proceeded to watch it again until I thought the information had definitely sunk in enough.