AN: I don't own any of these charaters. They all belong to JE, but I really love them!!!
Chapter 1
"Steph, Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure Mary Lou"
"Are you ok? Lately you seem down. When that last stalker was captured you did not seem to bounce back like you usually do."
"Yes I am ok. I don't know. I just feel like something is missing and I can't put my finger on what."
"What do you mean Steph?"
"I really don't know maybe I just need to give into Joe and quit my job and settle down. I would make both him and my mom happy at the same time. I could be a wife and mother. I am sure I could learn to cook."
"Is that what you want? You have always said that you wanted to fly."
"Yeah well I have to grow up sometime don't I? I mean look at you. You're happy you have every thing you ever wanted. You got your prince charming."
"Yes I did and I am happy and Lenny is my prince charming but he is also a real man with flaws and bad habits that annoy the crap out of me. I would not trade him for anything. I might like to borrow one of the merry men."
"MARY LOU!!"
"Hey I was just kidding! A girl has to have her fantasies doesn't she? Besides if I was really going to borrow someone it would be Dean Cain!"
"You and that man I swear!"
"Hey, you have a thing for Batman and I have Superman! But seriously my life is not perfect but it makes me happy. I love you but I can not see what I do everyday making you happy. You need to decide what YOU want. Not Joe not your mom but you. How can you settle down with one man when you are in love with another?"
"I know but I can never have a real relationship with Ranger. He says his life does not lend itself to relationships. He told me his love comes with a condom and not a ring."
"Even if you never have a relationship with Ranger it is not fair to Joe to settle for him. Besides you don't have a real relationship the Joe either."
"I do to! What do you mean?"
"Please, you guys have great chemistry but you fight all the time. You never agree on anything and it is usually because he is telling you to change who you are and what you do. He will only be happy when you are carbon copy of every other burg wife and while that works great for me it is not you honey."
"Well what am I supposed to do be alone?"
"No honey you need to find out what will make you happy and go for it. The one thing you have done was become at bounty hunter. Now I now you had to do that because you have needed a job but I have never seen you more happy then right after you started. You have always tried to make other people happy and fit your life to what they want. Heck you even married Dickie to please your mom and look how that turned out for you. If you had listened to your heart you would not have made that mistake. You knew he was not the one for you and I think you know Joe isn't either. You are with him because he is familiar and he makes your mom happy. I know you love him but not the way you should love the man you want to marry. Marriage is hard enough. You need to go into it knowing you want to spend the rest of your life with him and you are not still in love with another man too. Not just hoping for the best."
"I guess your right Mare. I do love Joe but not the way you love Lenny and there will always be a place in my heart for Ranger."
"You can't compare it to me. Look at our friend Beth from school. She just split from her husband because she said there was just no romance left. He did not bring her flowers and try woo her still. I mean come on! She got hooked on these romance novels where the hero is always there to sweep her off her feet but the writers forget to write what happens in the happily ever after. You picking up his dirty socks and cooking dinner even after you have worked an eight hour day too. Not to mention the time you put in with the kids. I would not change that for a minute because Lenny is my other half and he is always there when I need him most. He knows me better than I know my self some days. He is my best friend and my greatest supporter, but even I have still have the Superman fantasy. You need to find that for you even if that means being alone until you find him or he comes to his senses."
"So now what?"
"Now you need to end it with Joe, if that is what you want. And then you need to come up with a plan for you. Do you want to continue bounty hunting?"
"I love bounty hunting I feel great after I have caught my guy or helped someone down on their luck, but I am not very good I still roll in garbage at least once a week and I always need back up."
"Then you need to keep doing that but get some training so you can handle yourself better and with more confidence, but you need to do it for you and stick with it. I always see the Ranger's men in pairs so they don't go out without back up either that should tell you something."
"Thanks Mare you have really helped."
"Good that's what I am here for but we need to change topics because I am starting to sound like Dr. Phil and that is just wrong!"
"What are you wearing to Lula's Halloween party on Friday?"
"Well I thought Lenny and I could go as Lois Lane and Superman! What are you going to wear?"
"You are too much! I have not decided what to wear yet. I'll have to think about it. Look I have to run Mooner missed his court date again and I have to catch him before the Scooby-Doo marathon starts or I will never get him out of the house. Bye Mare. Luv you."
"See ya later sweetie. Love you too."
Do you think I should continue?