Disclaimer: I don't own Plum characters. A nod of respect goes to Janet Evanovich and her imagination for creating these characters.

TBC Challenge- October 2011: Intense Reaction.

Unbeta-ed. So all mistakes are mine.

Rating: M (Rated 17+) Adult Situations, Adult Conversations and Adult Language. Gist of this- if you're not old enough to handle or comprehend adult life, don't read.

Spoilers: Nod to events in Explosive Eighteen. Secondary nod to events that took place in To The Nines.

AN: This takes place in no book order. However, happens in an AU capacity to another story I just finished (but have yet to post). There is a flip side story I'm working on to this story. One of those ones that you think- well what would happen if it happened this way. Almost done with it.

..::Positive Signs::..

A smiley face.

I stared, my mouth slack, lips dried, tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth. My body numb. My heart pounded to the point I thought it might give out any second.

I couldn't believe my eyes.

I couldn't believe my luck.

It was a joke. It had to be a joke. Like those birthday candles you try to blow out and they just flicker and burn brighter and hotter. You blow, and blow, and blow and they never go out.

This was the equivalent, right? Because who in their right mind wants to see a smiley face on something this important?

"Holy shit, Steph!" Mary Lou paced the small bathroom, eyes wide. She snatched the stick from my hand and waved it as if that would make the results go away. "Holy shit!"

In my mind I was echoing that sentiment- Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit! But my brain wasn't quite connected to my mouth anymore.

"Holy shit!" Mary Lou shoved the stick back into my hand and paced past me into her bedroom. Leaving me with the tiny stick of doom.

I stared at the read out with the little smiley face staring back at me. Smiley face if you're pregnant. Sad face if you're not.

No matter which way I turned it, this fucker was a smiley face.

Fuck.

I was fucked.

"Steph! Steph! Snap out of it!" Mary Lou was standing back in front of me. Her hands were on my shoulders, giving me a gentle shake. Her eyes stared into mine. "What are you gonna do?"

"Give me another one," I croaked.

"What's that gonna do?"

I dropped the positive one in the trash, next to the negative one Mary Lou had taken and trashed. "Prove that one wrong."

Mary Lou grabbed the white plastic convenience bag. She pulled out another box of doubles and forked it over to me. I tore into it unable to wait another agonizing minute thinking about- well you know- a miniature person belonging to me.

This couldn't be happening for crissakes! This is what the pill was for! The pill was really the only thing I was responsible about. I took the pill to prevent panic and chaos from erupting in my life. I had enough of that running after scumbags on a daily basis. I couldn't manage to take care of myself. I couldn't afford my rent.

Oh God, what the fuck was I going to do now?

"How many have you missed?"

"How many what?"

"Periods! How many have you missed?"

"I don't know," I groaned. I started trying to calculate back, desperately grasping onto any sliver of hope. "I don't know. I can't remember the last time I had one."

Mary Lou froze. Her eyes wide, her gaze found mine in disbelief. "Holy shit."

"Stop saying that," I snapped.

"What the fuck else should I say? I'm in shock."

"Me too." I yanked both sticks out and handed one over to Mary Lou. "I need moral support."

She rolled her eyes heavenward. "You want me to hold your hand too?"

I glared at her as I tossed the box into the trash. "C'mon. I'm about to have a mental fucking breakdown here! Cut me some slack."

"Steph." Mary Lou hugged me and rubbed my back soothingly. "Everything will be okay. No matter how it turns out."

"That's what you think." I muttered as Mary Lou closed the door behind her and I heard the master bedroom door close behind her.

My hand trembled as I did my business. I prayed. I would do better, be better, if God would just let me off the hook this one time. I'd even stop complaining about working for my worthless cousin, Vinnie.

Okay, maybe I was fibbing about that last part. But God understands white lies in dire circumstance, right?

There was a light knock on the other side of the door and Mary Lou peeked her head in.

"Good. You're done. I was worried you might have split while I was working on mine." Mary Lou slid her stick on the sink, opposite side of mine, and took a seat on the bathtub ledge. "You wanna tell me how you got into this mess in the first place?"

I thunked my head on the bathroom door. "I had a run in with Morelli's grandma, Bella."

Mary Lou crossed herself. "Lord help you, Steph."

"You haven't even heard the story yet."

"You'd be lucky if you weren't carry the devil's spawn after crossing that woman."

"This isn't funny, Lou."

Mary Lou rolled her eyes and threw her hands up in exasperation. "Spit it out would you already? By the time you get around to it your kid will be going off to college."

If Mary Lou wasn't my best friend, I'd kill her.

"She gave you the eye?"

I groaned, "I hate the eye."

"What did you do?"

Well, I suspected it had a lot to do with me having sex with Morelli and Ranger. Not at the same time. God, I don't think I could handle that.

"I dunno," I said with a shrug of my shoulder. "Had something to do with Morelli and it all went downhill from there."

"Oh God!" Mary Lou's eyes went comically wide. "Joseph Morelli is gonna be your baby's daddy?"

"Well…" Morelli always pulled out. It was just something we'd silently agreed on a long time ago no matter what the status of birth control. Morelli's were strong swimmers. Better safe than sorry, he always said.

I couldn't agree more.

"Oh Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Steph!" Mary Lou grabbed my hand and tugged me so that I was face to face with her. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

I gave her a nasty look. "That stick is wrong."

"I hate to tell you this, but there's no such thing as a false positive."

"What?" I felt every drop of my blood drain from my head. I was dizzy. My brain filling with nothing more than full on panic mode. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm your best friend. And best friends always 'fess up to one another." Mary Lou fixed me with a stern look. I was sure it worked on at least one of her kids, but I wasn't quite that easy. "Tell me who knocked you up."

"I'm not knocked up."

Mary Lou's gaze cut to the two white sticks on the bathroom counter. "Could've fooled me!"

"Your attitude stinks, Mary Lou." I crossed my arms over my chest and pouted.

"Don't think you're gonna get out of telling me." Mary Lou grinned. "I bet I know who it is."

I eyed her. "Don't you dare say his name."

"Why?" Mary Lou looked around. "I don't see him hanging around here. It's not like he's gonna know we're talking about him."

"I swear if anyone within a 200 mile radius even thinks about him, he knows it. And this is something I definitely don't want him calling me about and making a big deal of it."

"Will you tell him?"

I sighed hard. Hell no. I'd risk being sent to the deepest darkest part of Mexico and face drugged out cartel before I mentioned this to him. "Lou, for the umpteenth time, I'm not knocked up. There's nothing to tell him. This was some kind of mechanical error on the part of True Blue™ Pregnancy Test."

"Mechanical error? Oh no. When a test boasts it's nearly as accurate as the pill, I'd say that's all operator error."

"I really hate you right now."

"No you don't. That's just the hormones talking."

"Mary Lou," I grumbled in warning.

"I don't think I've noticed this before but you're funny under pressure."

"This isn't-" The timer went off and I froze. I broke out in a cold sweat almost immediately. My palms itched. My skin crawled with nerves.

"You have that wild look in your eye like you're not sure what you're about to do."

"I want to get this over with."

"You look like you're about to bolt."

I won't say the thought hadn't occurred to me.

There were butterflies in my stomach. I kept swallowing to keep from throwing up. My blood pumped through my veins like sludge. My heart skipped every other beat.

I prayed I was having a heart attack. Explaining a heart attack to my mother was preferable over having to look at the end of my life on a stick and then explaining I got knocked up to my mother. Out of wedlock. With Ranger.

Christ, I was going to have to change my name and move. This couldn't be happening.

"You gotta breathe. You're having a panic attack and we've not even seen the thing yet."

"You said there were no false positives!" I put my head between my legs trying to head off a possible meltdown.

"Well what do I know? I'm no doctor!"

"You have kids!"

"So that makes me a freakin' expert?"

Mary Lou stood and grabbed my hand to pull me to standing. Except my body signals got crossed and I ended up missing. My life flashed before my eyes. The stick came into view. Black dots swarmed my vision. Everything moved in slow motion, and the air in the bathroom suddenly became very uncomfortable, hot and humid. I fisted my hand into Mary Lou's shirt sleeve as my knees gave out and I slumped to the floor.

I opened my eyes to a kid staring at me. A very little person with a red Kool-Aid mustache, wide eyes covered in turquoise eye shadow and those little devil horns on a headband on the top of his head.

"Oh God!" I bolted awake. I sat up too fast and all the blood rushed to my brain. I put a hand to my forehead. I felt like I had one helluva hangover. "How long was I out?"

Mary Lou smacked a cold washcloth on the back of my neck. "A couple minutes, tops. You scared the hell out of Mickie."

Mickie was staring at me as if I was some monster straight out of his worst nightmare. His thumb was stuck in his mouth and he clutched a dirt stained stuffed lamb like it was his life line. I reached out and ruffled his dark hair and gave him what I hoped was a soft reassuring smile. "Hi, kiddo."

He popped his thumb out of his mouth; spit oozing down his chin as he gave me a toothy grin.

Mary Lou popped into view and she gave Mickie a mom look.

"Hey. Go find your brothers." She shooed the kid out of the room. "Hey, Joey! Come get your brother and take him downstairs. I'm trying to have a moment here!"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever," came a teenage reply.

Mary Lou shut the door behind Mickie and Joey. She went into the bathroom and came back out holding the stick of doom. Mary Lou slid to the floor in front of me and leaned back against the bed.

I yanked the washcloth around my neck and smacked it onto my forehead. "So what's the verdict?"

She held the stick up so I could see it. I blinked. Then I rubbed my eyes and blinked again. I leaned forward so I could get a better look at the results and snatched it away from Mary Lou. "No joke?"

"No joke."

"Fuck." I slumped with a sigh of mixture of relief and something else I couldn't quite name. "That was a close one."

"Yeah."

Mary Lou sat watching me as if she could read my mind. There was a part of me that was really disappointed. A bigger part of me than I wanted to admit. Obviously, the stress of the situation got to me. No way would I be disappointed? I was happy that I wasn't knocked up, right? That would be an awkward conversation with someone who wasn't exactly looking for that kind of relationship with someone.

No. I was happy. Right now wasn't the time to be worrying about it. "So I wonder what happened with the first one."

Mary Lou sighed heavy and leaned her head back against the bed.

"What?"

She pulled her knees up to her chest and groaned. "They got switched."

"Huh?"

Mary Lou held up another pregnancy test with a positive read out. "It was mine."

..::::..

It didn't take a genius to realize there was a part of me that was jealous of Mary Lou.

Mary Lou and I were best friends since before we knew what those words really meant. We've been through a lot together. She'd always been my biggest support system. More of a sister, than a friend. She could read me like a book too, which is why I had to get my ass out of there. I really couldn't understand how I felt. I didn't think there would ever come a time when I'd be jealous of a positive pregnancy test.

That threw me for a loop.

I drove down Hamilton, headed towards my dilapidated apartment building. I had all the requirements I needed in order to hibernate for a couple of days. I bought a pizza from Pino's, a twenty-four pack of water, four boxes of Tastykakes and some Poptarts for Rex.

And a double pack of pregnancy tests.

I don't know how it happened. One second I was grabbing Tastykakes, the next second I'm standing in front of the pregnancy tests and condoms, reaching for a box that wasn't built for my pleasure. The blue box with a smiley face mocked me. It was a sickness to be sure; something that when tomorrow dawned, maybe I'd be in a different frame of mind and pitch them out.

But for now, I was on a mission to pretend like none of this ever happened. I didn't think I was pregnant. My brain just couldn't let the what if go.

I drove on auto pilot. I operated on just the bare minimum mental function in an effort to not over think. I finally made my way into the apartment and put all my stuff down. Rex was sleeping in his soup can. The hum of electricity, the sound of cars driving along the road, and Mrs. Baxter's TV from down the hall kept me from completely going insane at the silence.

I didn't want to put anymore thought into this day.

I had two messages- both from Mary Lou about how I left and wanting me to call her back. And for the first time in a long time, I found myself unable to call her back. If I did, I'd have to face facts.

For just a few brief minutes, I'd allowed myself to think about having a relationship, having a family, being a family with Ranger. The man with two guns and a knife. The man of mystery. The man with no desire to have any emotional attachments.

The man I loved. Was in love with.

I leaned against the counter, listening to Mrs. Baxter's late night "stories" and ate a couple slices of pizza. Washed it down with a bottle of water. I ripped into the fresh box of Tastykakes and had three Butterscotch Krimpets and gave Rex some Poptart crumbs.

I didn't feel any better. I didn't even feel numb or happy. Just disappointed.

I toed my way out of my sneakers and shimmied off my jeans. I yanked my long sleeve t-shirt over my head and tossed it on the bedroom floor. I needed a hot shower then I'd go to bed.

..::::..

Moonlight spilled through the curtains as I slowly came to consciousness. I'd been dreaming of a dark eyed baby with dark hair and impossibly beautiful caramel colored skin. The baby clung to me, chubby fists wrapped into my t-shirt, head tucked under my chin, breathing softly as it slept peacefully.

I huffed a deep breath. My brain was just messing with me.

I laid there, staring out the window that faced another brick building, wondering why now of all times I couldn't let this go. I'd always pitied women who seemingly looked like they were on their last thread of sanity. Their kids' screamed and terrorized, berating and whining while the mother just zoned out, looking for the nearest escape route.

I wouldn't find a niche in that world. I wasn't cut out to play house with someone indefinitely. And I sure as hell wasn't cut out to be someone's mom.

I beat my pillow with my fist, wallowing in my misery. I scrubbed a hand over my face and shoved all my hair away from my eyes as I rolled over. I tucked my arm underneath the pillow and tried to shut down my wandering thoughts.

But something in the corner caught my eye. Black metal glinted in the silvery moonlight. Steel-toed boots. Black cargos. The rest hidden in obscurity.

Ranger.

I instantly froze. Had he used his super powers to read my mind?

"Ranger," I murmured. "How long you been there?"

He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the tops of his thighs. I could feel his gaze burning into me. I wore nothing but a worn-out black t-shirt I'd pilfered from his closet and a pair of Rangeman undies. I wasn't exactly what I'd call ready to entertain company.

Especially not when Ranger was involved.

"Been here a while, Babe." I heard him shuffle in the dark, and boots hit the floor. Next he yanked his t-shirt over his head and the heavy sound of a gun tapped the top of my nightstand. I barely managed to stifle a sharp intake as his weight dipped into the bed. He laid down beside me, on top of the covers, propped up on one elbow. "I called you."

I tried not to lean into him. Not even when I felt his back of his fingers brush over my cheek. Not even when I felt his lips press against my forehead.

I moderated my breathing, which was becoming increasingly hard to do since he didn't pull his hand away from me. Ranger wound a few of my curls around his fingers.

"As you can see I was a little busy."

"Sleeping?" He sounded amused. I glanced up at him and there was a slight smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He shifted the arm he was using to prop himself up underneath my pillow and pulled me closer to him as he laid his head down beside mine. "It's barely ten o'clock."

There was no reason why he needed to know about my early bedtime. None. At. All. "That's what people do at night."

It's not the only thing people do at night, but I figured that was best left unspoken.

"Babe."

There was a note of concern in his voice and I was suddenly glad I was still half asleep. I didn't think that bode well for me or any secrets I might want to keep; but I was blissfully too tired to over think. "Hmm?"

Ranger pulled me closer and he fell silent after that. A comfortable silence. I tried to wrap my brain around Ranger in my bed after being gone for months. It's not like he hadn't done it before, the disappearing and then reappearing during the night in my bedroom. But he'd been in the wind since the end of my last incident with the homicidal maniac my mother tried to set me up with- almost three months ago.

Why did you go?

Ranger shifted so he was more on his back, his fingers wrapped around my shoulder to keep me from moving away. My hand fell on his chest, over his heart. My head was on his shoulder and he nuzzled my temple. "Had to, Babe."

His body heat soaked into me and I found myself snuggling closer to him. He smelled faintly of Bvlgari and the leather of the Porsche. In a way, it was extremely intoxicating and instead of trying to pull away from him, I felt myself wanting to get closer than I was. I wanted to put my lips on him, feel his muscles ripple and roll under my hands as I touched him, the feeling of him settling between my hips, the sound of him groaning against my ear, the way his fingers bit into my thighs as he pulled me closer.

I wanted a lot of things. Mostly I wanted both of us naked and sweaty.

I tried to think of other things. Anything to distract me from the hot thoughts of Ranger. I needed him out of my bed and me fully dressed before I could deal with this. "Why are you here?"

He hummed noncommittal. His hand that had stilled earlier ran through my hair and tucked it all back behind my ear. His knuckles brushed the outer shell and I suppressed a shiver of desire that slowly slid down my spine. Ranger dropped a soft kiss against my cheek and settled deeper into the bed. "I need an excuse?"

"No."

"Then what's bugging you?"

"Nothing."

"Stephanie," he said my name so softly. I tipped my head back so we could see eye to eye. "Tell me."

I was mindful he didn't need to know everything going on inside my head. Some things were better left unsaid. I searched his eyes, looking for any sign he knew.

He studied me intently but he wasn't giving anything away. I fought against the urge to squirm under scrutiny. There were no hints on what was going on inside that complex mind of his, no hard glint to his eyes.

He didn't know. He couldn't. "When did you get home?"

The lines in his face softened but he didn't look fully convinced this was what was bothering me. "A few of hours ago. I dropped by Haywood first."

Silence resumed. My eyes drifted closed as I relaxed into him. His chest rose faintly, his breathing even. I wondered if Ranger ever felt safe enough to let go. Even though he had a secure building with top notch security at his beck and call, he still felt like he couldn't relax.

I dared to look up at him. Moonlight streamed over us, slated through the blinds. There was just enough light to see his face smoothed out. His eyes were closed, lips slightly parted. His worry lines gone as he relaxed.

I memorized every second of this moment. After the shit we'd been through together, Ranger and I were finally at a point where we could relax around one another. I trusted him. Felt secure with him. And even in my rat trap apartment, Ranger felt secure enough to fall asleep. He was sharing my personal space as if he belonged right beside me.

I swallowed hard past the lump of emotion I didn't want to put a name on. I'd only witnessed Ranger sleep a handful of times. Any time we were alone, the undercurrent of tension between us kept us from really sleeping; and nine times out of ten, one of us was up really early with a reason why we couldn't stick around.

I wanted to get past that.

This feeling hurt. I was afraid. Terrified. Ranger didn't want kids. Ranger didn't want a wife. And Ranger didn't want to change. But I did. I could show him. Make him understand.

And very easily lose what I had when he walked away and didn't look back.

Ranger huffed in his sleep and his hand tightened around my waist. My eyes softened. I slid my hand away from his chest and tentatively curved my hand around his jaw, prickly with a five o'clock shadow; my fingertips brushed his cheekbone. There were dark circles under his eyes. His cheeks were prominently hollowed.

He looked like he'd had a rough three months.

His hair was longer than usual. Not since the early days of our partnership had his hair been this long. The ends brushed his eyelashes and there was a faint wavy curl to the way it naturally fell against his brow. I shifted against him, trying really hard to not disturb him in any way so I could get a closer look.

In ways, Ranger had smoothed out with age. The thug attitude that came from the streets had mellowed out over the years, replaced with a no nonsense one. The hard nosed approach to life remained but I'd seen the edges soften.

Ranger would always be dangerous. The way he lived his life, the people he dealt with, the line of work he chose to do wouldn't give him the type of life my heart wanted.

But I wanted it. I wanted it with him.

My stomach twisted in knots. My throat burned. The more I allowed myself to dwell over this, it more obvious it became that I wasn't okay with living in denial of what I wanted. I didn't need to talk to Ranger to realize this wouldn't happen.

I tried to regulate my breathing to keep Ranger from waking. Breathing was painful. Each breath seemed tied to the ache in my heart. Disappointment settled deep within me.

I realized long ago there was no such thing as happily ever after in the real world.

I sighed and willed myself to go to sleep. To enjoy the moment for what it was and not put anymore thought into us.

But the longer I laid there, enjoying the feel of him next to me in bed, the gentle way his chest rose, the trust he put into me. The ache grew to a bottomless pit tearing me apart inside.

Fuck.

I threw the covers off me and with as much stealth as I've ever possessed, disentangled myself from Ranger. He shifted and grabbed a hold of my wrist before I could put my feet on the floor and clear the side of the bed.

"Where are you going?"

His voice rumbled through the silence. I held my breath, unable to pull myself away from him. Afraid to face him knowing that masking emotion was an impossible feat for me. I couldn't let him see me like this. I needed some distance between us. Fast.

"You should get under the covers if you're gonna stay."

I darted a glance over my shoulder, just enough to hide most my face, my hair shadowed over my eyes. His eyes were heavy lidded. Ranger half asleep allowed me to see the confusion that crossed his face as I made up a pathetic excuse and pulled my wrist from his grasp. I felt his eyes on me as I padded out of the bedroom.

My breath came out in a shudder. I braced a palm against the kitchen counter and took a few seconds to collect myself. I just needed to get my shit together. I hadn't realized how far off the deep end I'd gone. The feelings he managed to stir up pissed me off and scared me at the same time. I knew I was an emotional fuck-up. I lived in denial simply because I didn't know how to fix what was broken. I didn't want to fix it. Had no need to fix it.

That was before tonight. Before Ranger walked into my apartment in the middle of the night, laid down beside me in bed and reminded me of what I'd been missing. I didn't know how to handle whatever was between us anymore. I couldn't go back to how it used to be. I couldn't distance myself from him. I couldn't pretend. And I was to the point that living in denial was damned near an impossible feat.

I didn't need my spidey sense to feel the impending confrontation. My body tensed the instant his gaze found me in the dark. I straightened slowly with my back to him as I jerked open the fridge to grab a water bottle.

I grabbed another by the top and held it up. "You want one?"

"No."

I shrugged with more poise than I actual felt. "Suit yourself."

I cracked open the seal and took a long drink. Neither of us spoke. There was no reason to lie when we both knew I was stalling for time. Ranger could see right through me. He knew if he waited long enough, I'd start squirming and squeal under the pressure.

I didn't feel the pressure right now. I felt cornered. Alone. Lost.

I took a deep breath. I needed to get a hold of myself emotionally so I could deal with Ranger. Talking to him without a plan was suicide. Yelling at him would only get the reaction he was looking for and I'd lose my head and end up telling him way more than I intended. I needed to find a way to make him leave.

I cashed the water and tossed the bottle in the trash. I wiped my hands on my t-shirt as I set one hand on my hip and mustered up some attitude. "So what really brought you here in the middle of the night?"

He stood in the bedroom door frame, hands braced above his head as he watched me with those dark intense eyes. "You."

A nervous chuckle escaped. "Well, you've seen me. I guess you'll be going now."

"Stephanie." My gaze flicked up to his and he seemed to be weighing his words carefully. "I'm being patient and letting you come to me. But I'm not going to wait forever."

My throat went dry. I swallowed thickly.

"Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Not really. "I don't know what you want anymore."

"Honesty. Trust." I squirmed under his gaze as he paused and I caught the full brunt of his focus. "The truth."

The truth wasn't something I wanted out in the open. Since Ranger had told me he loved me, the confession had seemingly become the elephant in the room. I was too scared to admit that I had feelings for him, afraid of the outcome of finally coming clean.

I liked what I had with Ranger. It wasn't easy. It wasn't perfect. But it was mine. I didn't want to lose it because I couldn't control myself.

But I also knew when Ranger was in a dangerous mood. When he wasn't up for playing mind games and skirting the truth. "I'm tired of pretending, Ranger."

The door frame creaked under his weight as he shifted and the trim groaned in protest.

"Pretending what?"

No. If he wasn't going to help me figure out what he wanted to hear, I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of a complete breakdown. "What are you trying to get out of me? I can't read your mind. You say you want the truth but you never give it back to me."

"Take your own advice." The air shifted in the room. "I can't read your mind. Stop pretending I'm some fucking super hero and treat me like a man. If you want to say something, just say it."

"Don't make this about me," I snapped. "I won't spend every waking second analyzing everything you do. Every look. Every gesture. Every touch. That would drive me crazy."

"I only take what you're willing to give." Ranger shifted against the door trim, his grasp around the wood gave away his frustration level. "All of a sudden this isn't good enough?"

"I don't give, you take, Ranger! And I let you because some fucked up part of my mind thinks that one of these days you're going to change your mind about me."

"What do you mean change my mind? I take care of you. Make sure you're safe. All you have to do is call and I bend over backwards for you, Stephanie."

I snorted. "You give me what you're willing to give; not everything."

"We've talked about this."

"Yeah, we have. So what's this about?" I gestured between us. "If we've put boundaries on our relationship then this, right here, is just a giant mind fuck. You come here in the middle of the night to check on me, sleep with me, and make me feel like you genuinely want to be with me. But in the morning, you'll be gone, acting like this never happened."

"How is me leaving in the morning any different than you backing away from me?"

"Because you push me away when we get too familiar! You back off. You run and hide with an excuse of a job out of town. For months! With no goodbyes. No see-you-laters. Nothing! I get nothing from you. I had to find out from Lula!"

"You didn't seem fazed enough to track me down." Ranger's words were too tense as if his jaw was locked as he bit his words out. Anger must be simmering under the surface of his usual cool and collected exterior. "You don't try to stop me when I say I'm going in the wind."

"Is that why you tell me? You want me to stop you?" I huffed a shallow bark of laughter. "I can't stop you when you made your mind up before I even came into the picture."

"You haven't tried."

"Don't make me out to be the bad guy here, Ranger. You're so damned determined to keep living your life the same way. Why do you bother with me?"

Silence. His gaze bore into mine.

There it was, I thought. He didn't want me, but wouldn't let me go. I wanted to hear him say because you're mine but I knew hell would freeze over before that would happen.

"C'mon, Ranger. Let's be real with one another. You've said plenty of shit before to string me along." I wanted him to lose control. Just for once see him get angry, lose the exterior and be real with me. Instead, he seemed to collect his thoughts and pushed away from the bedroom. I held my ground. I wasn't going to back down in my own damned apartment. "I can't see why this time would be different."

"You want to be real?" Ranger stopped in front of me. So close but not touching. "I get what I want out of this relationship."

The kitchen counter wasn't much of a shield but I found myself trying to make use of every square inch. Distance. I needed distance.

"And you get what you want. When it doesn't work for you, you end up back with Morelli."

"You practically hand me back to Morelli on a silver platter when you're done." The churning sensation was back, stronger than before. Morelli was safe. Morelli was familiar. But Morelli and I were done. I burned that bridge months ago. Had Ranger bothered to talk to me before he disappeared he might have known that. "When I tried to talk to you, you told me to go back to Morelli!"

"That didn't take much convincing, Babe."

"You're an asshole," I breathed out harshly. "All that lead up for one fucking night. I bet you were fucking proud of yourself. You got what you wanted all along."

"I didn't hear you complaining."

"No, I didn't." That night was great and it was glorious; but when the morning came, the no price between us ended up being my heart stomped into the floor. "I wanted you. And I found out real fast the night meant nothing to you."

He was close enough now I saw a muscle tick in his jaw. His lips thinned to a fine line as he snatched my wrist and kept me from retreating. "You knew there wouldn't be anything permanent between us."

"You can't get involved with me because it's too dangerous. Your life doesn't lend itself towards relationships. There will never be a ring." I jerked my arm away from him and jabbed him with my finger. "It's all bullshit and you know it."

Ranger looked down at my finger in his chest and leveled me with a look. "Tell me what you want, Babe."

"You." I pulled my hand away, dropped it back down to my side as I struggled to keep my emotions in check. "I'm done with Morelli."

"You're never done." He chuckled but the sound was harsh, grating and gave me goosebumps. "I've seen the way you look at Morelli."

"Ranger." My heart seized. For one terribly painful moment, I couldn't breathe. How could he not tell? "It's nothing compared to how I look at you."

The slated light that came through the living room blinds gave me something to focus on. I made no attempt to rub my eyes to make them stop tearing up. I felt tears rolled down my cheeks. I hated this. I hated every second of how weak he made me feel.

"I can't go on like this. It's eating me up on the inside." I tried to wet my lips but my mouth was dry, my tongue felt too big for my mouth. I knew I was losing my nerve. My hands trembled and I clenched them to fists, caught between being too scared to continue and too terrified to stop. "We're more than acquaintances. We're more than co-workers. We're more than this."

"Babe?"

Silence filled the apartment. With no noise down the hall. No traffic outside the building. I took a deep breath and lifted my gaze. "I love you."

The words burned the back of my throat. I was ashamed and proud at the same time. I'd known for a long time. I'd known since I watched him, while I was helpless and tied to a chair, as he'd been willing to give the ultimate sacrifice for me, for Julie. I've known since that second our eyes met from across the room and he lifted his hands up in surrender.

He loved me. No price. No walls. No boundaries. Just me and him without the labels.

"You give me all that crap about there's no price between us. There is a price between us. It's unspoken rule. Never ask for anything more than what you're willing to give me." I swallowed hard thinking about when he'd teasingly told me there was no price. There was nothing he wouldn't do for me. No lengths he wouldn't go for me. You couldn't put a price on that. The implications were steep. Only to be told in the next breath he added me as a line item in his budget. A tax write-off. "But I don't want a ring. And I don't want your name. I just want you to be honest with me. To be with me."

My fingernails dug sharply into my palms. I tried to prepare for the rejection I knew was coming. For the new type of excuse Ranger would come up with to keep me at arm's length.

"Say something." His body heat wrapped around me. Once the anger melted away, and I realized I stood so close to him without touching, my fingers itched to touch him. Usually being near Ranger robbed me of any rational thought, but my mind zipped through memory after memory of us being together just like this. Close, but not touching. "Anything."

"Why now?"

"Why not?" I bowed my head and my forehead brushed against his chest. I heard his breathing hitch and he tensed for a second before his hands fell onto my shoulders and rubbed down my arms. His lips brushed the top of my head as he pulled me closer. "I don't have anything to lose."

I felt him tense against me.

"Don't." I didn't want to hear it. I didn't need an excuse and I was perfectly capable of lying to myself. I'd deal with the consequences in the morning. After he left, I'd fall apart. Right now, I just wanted him. "Don't let me down now. Just for one more night, Ranger, then you can walk away. Go back to pretending this between us doesn't exist. But not tonight. Not right now."

I tentatively brought my hands up to his chest. His heartbeat quickened under my fingertips and with a sigh I relaxed into him.

I missed him.

"Babe," Ranger's fingers tightened around my arms before sliding away and wrapping around my waist. He buried his face into my hair; his breath fanned over my neck and sent shivers down my spine. "I'm not going to walk away."

My heart hammered, nerves fluttered. "Ranger, I-"

"Come back to bed." His lips grazed my ear. His fingers rubbed low on my back. The t-shirt I wore rode up with each pass of his hands and I wanted nothing more than for Ranger to yank the t-shirt off and put his hands on my skin. The way I burned for his touch was nothing short of an obsession. My body longed to be held by him. The feel of his lips, the calloused touch of his hands, I ached for him.

I pressed my lips against his chest, moving slow, enjoying the feel of his skin against me. I ran my hands over his ribs, grazed his nipples with the blunt edge of my nails. His breathing shifted and his hands slid underneath the hem of my t-shirt. He pulled me closer as I flicked my tongue over his collarbone, pressed an open mouth kiss over his pulse point.

I shifted so that my breasts flattened against him as I rubbed against him. My lips grazed the underneath of his chin and I stood on my tip toes as he looked down at me. My gaze settled on his lips and I wrapped one hand around his neck, fingers gliding through his hair. "Kiss me."

He brushed his lips over mine, hovering just enough to tease. I tried tugging his head down to press his lips against mine, but he resisted with a soft smile tugging the corner of his lips. He nibbled my lower lip, sucking on it, running the tip of his tongue over it lightly. His hands drifted over my spine, as they slid down and cupped my ass. I gasped as he ground his hips into mine. He was hard, pressed into the thin layer of material covering my core.

I moaned against his lips and rolled my hips. I slanted my mouth over his and ran my tongue along his lower lip. His tongue glided over mine, sensually dominating as he pressed my back into the door frame. His hips pinned me and I wrapped my legs around his waist, allowing him to press fully into me. His hands brushed over my ribcage and both hands cupped my breasts. He ran the pads of his thumbs over my nipples, tweaking them lightly and my head fell back against the frame.

"Ranger," I gasped. His lips pressed along my jaw line, open mouth as his tongue found the sensitive point at the base of my ear. He rocked his hips into mine. Heat flooded my core and I wanted more. Needed more. He tasted my skin. His lips were everywhere.

He leaned away from the door long enough to jerk my t-shirt over my head and toss it onto the floor. His hands were on me instantly, cupping my breasts, running over my hips, hiking my legs further up his waist so that he could press into me at a different angle. I tugged his hair and brought his lips back to mine.

He deepened the kiss as he pulled me away from the door and made his way over to the bed. He didn't break away from me as he laid us down. His hand dipped between us, sliding over my hip bone and between my skin and the elastic of my undies.

Ranger pulled the underwear down my hips, and I shimmied my hips to make it easier. His eyes darkened, focused on my bare skin as his hands ran over my thighs, across my hips and encircled my waist. His head dipped and he pressed his mouth against my hipbone, tongue flicking out over a dip and I gasped.

Ranger looked up at me, eyes hooded as he focused his attention on my core. He shifted against me, his lips sealing over mine. His knuckle brushed against me first and I tore my lips away from him. I bucked my hips against his hand and he did it again. The motion was too light and I wrapped my hand around his wrist as I pushed my hips into his.

"Please." He resisted the pressure I put on his hand and moved my hand away. He pressed his hips back into mine and wrapped his tongue around my nipple. Every muscle inside me tensed and I made a move to fist my hands in his hair but found both hands restrained by one of his.

He smirked up at me as he bit down on my nipple.

"Ranger," I growled. His hand dipped between us again and with a feather light touch, he rubbed the pad of his thumb against my clit. I desperately tried to move his hand with a shift of my hips but he continued to tease, lazily manipulating me into a panting frenzy.

"Babe." The sound of his voice sent another wave of pleasure sliding deep. He dipped his thumb inside of me and applied the slightest pressure. I whimpered, straining against him. His thumb slid so slowly, each touch was torture. "You are so wet. Do you want this?"

"Yes!" He slid his thumb out and flicked over my clit.

"Fuck," I moaned. I bucked my hips against his hand, rolling closer for more contact. "God, Ranger."

His lips covered mine and he slid two fingers deep inside me. I moaned against his lips, his name on my lips as I felt like every nerve was about to explode. He pressed deep inside me, building the intensity up until I felt like I couldn't take it anymore.

"Ranger," I gasped, desperate for him. "Please."

I arched into him and my eyes slid closed as the barest touch grazed my clit. "Oh, god."

All my muscles clenched and I cried out against his lips. He continued, drawing out the intensity for longer than I thought I could handle. My breathing came out in shuddered gasps, his gaze burned into mine as he released my wrists.

My eyes went to his pants and I yanked at the button until it came undone. "Get them off."

The pants and boxers were gone in a flash. He came back onto the bed and ran the backs of his fingers over my inner thighs, over my stomach, circled over my nipples. I reached between us and wrapped my hand around him. He twitched in my hand and I ran my fingernails lightly over the length of him. He pushed his hips into my hand and groaned against my lips.

"Stop teasing me," I groaned.

Ranger wrapped his hand around mine and he gasped as I rubbed his head against my opening.

"Stephanie," he pulled my hand away from him and slid inside me. I threw my head back against the pillows. He groaned against my ear as he eased his hips back and slid deeper. I arched into him and he slid deeper, seating himself fully inside me.

Muscles clenched around him. I struggled to breathe, my nipples rock hard and brushed against his chest. Ranger braced himself on his forearm above me. Our gazes locked and his lips found mine. His lips tender, tongue gliding softly. I moved against him and he responded by grinding his hips against mine.

I threaded my hand into his hair and slanted my mouth against his as I rolled my hips. He moved, unhurried. With each thrust I clung to him, gasping, my lips tasting any part of him I could reach.

The fire in my blood built back up, slowly, creeping up on me until I no longer could stop from crying out his name over and over as I rolled my hips hard into his. His hips moved fast. His thrusts deeper, his hands gripped my hips and shifted the angle. I cried out again as he rubbed against me, over stimulated and still throbbing as he groaned my name, hips rolling against mine hard one last time.

Both of us were breathing hard. He settled the full weight into the bed, both forearms bracing him above me as he tenderly kissed me. It was lazy, full of something I couldn't easily identify coming from Ranger.

He stole my breath away.

I bent my knee; put my foot flat against the mattress. My toes curled into the blankets. I gazed up at him in wonder. His eyes were heavy lidded, his gaze flicked from my lips to my eyes and I turned my head to avoid making eye contact.

Too intimate, I thought, flushing with embarrassment. This felt way more intimate than any time before.

I brought a shaky hand up to my face to shove my curls out of my face. His fingers caught mine and pulled my hand to his lips. He tipped his head to the side, trying to catch my gaze. "Babe. Stop thinking so hard."

My gaze flicked up to his for a brief second before darting back to the spot on the blanket I'd been examining.

Ranger shifted against me and the loss of him fitted so tightly against me was disappointing. But it didn't last. He went to his knees and leaned over me. The first touch of his lips along the column of my neck sent a jolt to my system. Vaguely, I felt his fingers interlace my own and he slid our joined hands to above either side of my head. Ranger alternated between his lips nuzzling and his teeth nipping. I gasped and moaned, his tongue tasted and flicked along the hollow of my collarbone and shoulder. He moved slow, deliberate. I arched into his mouth, hips moving to find contact but he kept his distance. The slow burning desire deep inside me only wanted him. I wanted to touch him and taste him. Feel him under me, feel his lips against mine as I rolled my hips against his and rode him.

I turned my lips into his, desperately seeking deeper contact. He teased, shallowly tasting, nibbling on my lower lip.

Ranger open mouth kissed my jaw, working his way to the outer shell of my ear. "Talk to me first."

I growled deep in the back of my throat. "Fine. I want you to fuck me. Or let me fuck you. Either way is fine with me."

He chuckled, dipping down to my lips just long enough to tease. I rubbed against him, the hard nubs of my nipples rolled against solid muscle. His tongue flicked my ear lobe, then he bit it. I turned my head so I could look him eye to eye. "I can't talk to you when we're like this. I can't think straight."

"Exactly, Babe." I narrowed my gaze as he flashed me a killer smile. "I have you right where I want you."

He closed the distance between us and kissed me. Slow, deep. I completely found myself following every movement of his tongue with my own. He pulled away only to come back again, deeper, hungrier. His grip on my hands tightened and pressed deeper into the mattress.

I murmured his name, breathless, heart racing. He used our joined hands to sweep a curl away from the corner of my lips. "How long?"

Forever. "A while."

He open mouth kissed my jaw, under my chin, nibbled my lips. One of his hands let loose my hand. A rough callused hand palmed my breast, thumb rolled over my nipple. My breathing hitched. I bucked into him; my free hand reached for his hip and tried to pull him closer.

Ranger shifted his hip to block mine and he hovered over my lips, barely grazing. "Not good enough."

"When you were on the run," I breathed out. His lips moved down, taking his time, mouthing over my pulse point and hovered, lavishing attention on a hot spot. I panted, threading my fingers through his hair to hold him close. "Our first night. When you pulled the bomb off me. When you gave me a place to stay. When you gave me a job. When you trusted me. When you believed in me." My throat got tight. "When you told me you weren't emotionally distanced. When you locked eyes with me and put your hands up in surrender. I knew then. I know now."

He shifted and his face came into view. His gaze was intense and bore into mine. I couldn't look away. He deserved to know.

"Scrog shot you and the only thing I could think about was I would give anything to trade places. I'd give anything to take everything back and just tell you. Just admit it. To stop being afraid and tell you, Ranger." I choked back a sob and put a brave face on. His thumb brushed under my eye, and swiped back. "You crumpled to the floor but never took your eyes off me."

Ranger cupped my face, pressed his lips to my temple. His thumb tipped my chin back and he kissed me softly. "You're my only one, Babe."

I glanced up at him and gave him a watery smile. "So what was your interrogation about earlier?"

"I had to be sure."

I knocked him off me and glared down at him as I grabbed the blanket knocked on the floor. "You're a fucker."

He reached for my wrist but I jerked out of his reach. If looks could kill, he'd be dead several times over.

"I poured my heart and soul out to you and what do you do?" I wrapped the blanket around me in a hurry and stubbed my toe on the foot of the bed. "You give me the third degree so you could be sure. Sure of what?"

I fixed him with a look as I stopped at the bottom of the bed. "And before you answer that you might want to remember you're lying in my bed naked."

He moved so that his back was against the headboard. His arms were behind his head. I could see the whites of his teeth. Ranger was fucking laughing at me! "And?"

And I didn't know what I'd do, but I'd figure out something. "Keep pushing my buttons and you're going to find out."

There was a faint pause. "You want to play that game?"

"It's not a game." I clutched the blanket closer to me. I watched him warily, heart thumping anxiously. I knew he was going to make a move, I just didn't know where he was going to go first. The tension in the room amped up. All that intensity was focused on watching my every little move, calculating which way I might run, figuring his best bet to grab me. "I was honest with you."

"You know why I wanted to be sure, Stephanie?" The bed creaked under the shift in his weight and his legs went over the side. I wanted to bolt but I stood my ground as he reached out to take my free hand.

"The confession was-" Ranger paused and I could feel dread snaking it's fingers down my spine. "Unexpected. But not unwanted."

I ducked my head and he tugged me close. He let go of my hand in favor of wrapping it around my lower back. I sighed, and relaxed as I listened to his heart beat a little faster than usual. So rare for him to be out of control. "I don't want to play anymore games with you. No more excuses. No more running or hiding when times get tough."

I nodded.

"This is just me and you, Babe."

"Together," I murmured against his chest.

"You have to learn to trust me."

"You have to learn to compromise," I shot back.

He sat me back at arm's length and leaned down just enough so we were eye to eye. "I'm not going to compromise when it comes to your safety, Babe. You're just going to have to learn how to deal with that and not undermine everything I do."

"You have to admit you get ridiculous."

"Only because you push me."

"If I don't, who will?" I narrowed my eyes. "Didn't you tell me earlier you weren't a super hero? You're not invincible, Ranger. Try to remember that."

His lips quirked up.

I wasn't amused.

"I want to get things straight. I don't want any misunderstandings between us." I don't think I could take any more misunderstandings between us. My heart was too vested now. I'd seen bits and pieces of this side of Ranger before. I didn't want to give him up any time soon. "I'm willing to try. I'm willing to learn to trust and have faith and walk beside you. But I don't want excuses. We either do it, or we don't."

His lips quirked even more. "I like this side of you."

"Shut up," I grumbled, half-hearted. "You're making this more difficult than it needs be."

"You mentioned communicating."

"Ranger, you're pissing me off."

He grabbed my shoulders and kissed my forehead. "You have anything else to tell me?"

I arched an eyebrow. "Like what?"

His gaze flicked over my shoulder towards the bathroom and then back to mine. For one split second I was lost and then it hit me.

The pregnancy test.

I froze, deer caught in the headlights. I didn't know what to do first. I didn't know if I should try to play it off or I should run away or if I should lock myself in the bathroom until he forgot this whole ordeal.

My brain kicked into overdrive and I panicked. I clutched the blanket to my chest and my gaze flicked to the bathroom and back to Ranger, trying to gauge his honest reaction. A heated look passed between us and I flushed in embarrassment. "It's not what you think."

His eyebrow arched. "You're right. It's pretty self-explanatory, Babe."

"Yes," I sighed in relief and in the next instant realized what he meant. "I mean, no!"

I started to march past him but Ranger snagged my upper arm and pulled me close. "Did you plan on telling me?"

I chewed on my lower lip. Guilty because I hadn't planned on telling him anything.

"There's nothing to tell," I murmured. "I'm not pregnant."

I glanced up at his face, waiting to see any flicker of relief. Instead, his eyes crinkled around the edges and his grip softened. He pressed his lips to the top of my head. "I know."

"How?"

"I stopped by Haywood, Babe. Talked to Tank."

I groaned inwardly. Oh God! Of course, Mary Lou called Lula when she didn't hear out of me and Lula can't keep her damned mouth shut to save her soul. She would've spilled to Tank immediately. "How many people know?"

He rubbed his hands down my arms, soothingly. "Just us."

I sagged in relief. I didn't want to get shit from the guys about this.

"You should've found Tank. He would've gotten a hold of me."

"There was nothing to discuss, Ranger." I tried not to sound pissy, but this was a sore subject. I didn't want to keep bringing up in my mind. I didn't like this feeling. It was out of control in a way I'd never felt before. I'd never longed to have a baby. I didn't know how to deal with this. "I didn't realize anything was off until today it suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks."

"This was the complete opposite to the reaction I was expecting."

I flopped bonelessly on the bed, seated, dejected. I clutched the blanket, shoulders sagged, head bowed. "Tell me about it. Caught me completely off guard."

Ranger crouched down in front of me. He was eye level and put his hands on my thighs. He brushed some curls behind my ear, weighing the situation. I sighed heavy and wordlessly leaned into his hand.

"You want to talk about it?"

I shook my head. I did not want to talk about it. I wanted to forget it. But I wasn't finding it too easy.

"You once asked me if I'd knock you up."

I snorted. "And if you remember correctly you told me you were offering to take me to the shelter to pick up a stray."

"That would be preferable."

I glanced up at him and rolled my eyes. "Don't say that. Julie's amazing and she's got half your DNA."

"She's amazing because of Rachel." Our gazes locked and there was a secret smile on his lips. "Any kid of ours would be amazing because of you, Babe."

I tipped my head back and kissed him softly. I threaded my hand through his hair at the nape of his neck and rubbed my fingertips against his scalp. "Here's the thing. I wouldn't do it without you."

Ranger didn't seem nearly as stunned as I felt saying those words. But I felt oddly at peace with my decision. If he could believe in me, why couldn't I believe?

"You made your decision?"

"I'm in this for the long haul." I fixed him with a serious look. "I'm not saying it's going to be easy. It's not like you don't know things will be rough. We're going to fight and disagree. I'm going to get mad and want to do things my own way, but I'm always going to come back to you."

"For now?"

I didn't know how I wanted to start over. Our beginning started a long time ago. The first time I laid eyes on him, the first time he took me to the gun range and bought me the .38 Special. And it's been a slow build up ever since, kindling and growing steady over the years to this moment. I wanted to savor it.

"Slow."

"Slow," Ranger hummed. He leaned into me; chest brushed against mine and nuzzled my neck. "I'll be really thorough, Babe. Nice and slow."

I shoved his shoulders, playfully and I fell back on the bed. Ranger went to his feet, and leaned over me, one knee between mine for balance, pining me down by the blanket.

"You said someday." I brushed some of his hair out of his eyes and Ranger flipped us over so I was laying on top of him. Blue bore into chocolate. "Someday would turn into forever."

Ranger flashed me a devastating grin before tugging my lips to his. "We have a lifetime to start forever."

"I'd like to think we're starting someday now."

..::Epilogue::..

Something jarred me from sleep. As if I were in a haze, the sound of excitement and several voices echoed in my head before I could peel my eyelids away from my eyes. I glanced at the red numbers on the clock readout and groaned.

Oh God, it wasn't even dawn.

I slapped my arm onto Ranger's shoulder and shoved weakly. "Wake up."

Ranger grabbed my hand and tugged me close. He held me so that I was halfway underneath him on my back, arm pinned underneath his pillow. One hand curled around my breast, thumb resting over my nipple.

I smacked at the pillow, annoyed. Ranger huffed into my hair, his breath warm against my neck and shoulder. His hand tightened around my breast.

"Stop hitting me."

"Someone is up."

He nuzzled the soft spot under my ear. "Is the TV on?"

I grunted.

"Then go back to sleep."

I turned my face away from him and snuggled back into the bed. It was cold in the room but warm against Ranger's naked chest. His breathing evened out and with a couple deep breaths I was well on my way back to sleep.

Until the bedroom door slammed open and two sets of tiny feet shuffled against the hardwood in footed pajamas. Even in the dark, I could see two sets of dark heads. One curly, making her way to my side of the bed and the other cropped short and barely visible making his way to Ranger.

The foot stool slid out from under the bed and cold fingers smacked right into my eye. "Mama?"

I grunted and shifted away from Ranger as I swiped the hand away before tugging the rugrat into bed. She smelled of baby shampoo we used at bath time last night and peanut butter.

"Hana," I whispered. "Why do you smell like peanut butter?"

"Santa forgot to eat all his cookies."

"And?"

"Everything goes better with peanut butter."

Ranger shifted behind me and I darted a glance over my shoulder as Isaiah came sailing into bed. He jumped over Ranger and landed between my legs. Hana huffed at her younger brother and snuggled closer. Isaiah crawled so that he could push his way between Ranger and I.

"No way, dude." Ranger grabbed a giggling kid and tucked him on his other side. "Your mother is mine."

We all settled back down and I struggled to get comfortable with a wiggling four year old plastered to my front and a semi-nude husband plastered to my back. But I was content, anxious and giddy. When I was sure Hana's deep breathing wasn't fake and I heard the soft snores of a two year old on Ranger's other side I pressed my lips to Ranger's cheek.

"Thank you."

"Hm," he hummed and the sound reverberated through me. "Merry Christmas, Babe."

I was quiet for several heartbeats, unsure if he was still awake or not but there was no time like the present. "How do you feel about having three?"

Ranger froze against my back. Then I felt his chest move in silent laughter, his lips pressed against my ear. "You saying what I think you are?"

"I couldn't wait." I smiled at him from over my shoulder and his lips pressed against my forehead. "Merry Christmas, Ranger."

..:: The End ::..

Primary work date: October 01, 2011 (first part)

Secondary work date: May 31, 2012 – June 14, 2012 (secondary part)

Finished date: August 16, 2012 (epilogue)

Original Posting Date: August 17, 2012