Thanks for the reviews and encouragement to write a Ranger and Steph wedding for the original story. Ranger must have heard about it and wanted to add his perspective to the story. Everyone and everything familiar is still Janet's.

Chapter 2

Ranger's POV

It doesn't happen very often, but the shot of fear I felt was real and excruciating when I'd walked into our home to discover Stephanie staring at her left hand as if she couldn't believe it was attached to her. She appeared to want whatever I could give her, but old thinking habits die hard ... and I momentarily thought she was reconsidering her life and if she really wanted to waste hers on me.

I didn't let it show, but my mind went numb with relief when she assured me she was just pro and con-ing ways to marry me with as little stress and fanfare as we could manage. She never once questioned whether or not to go through with it. With one suggestion, I solved the problem of her mother, and with ten minutes of shower time and five minutes spent getting dressed, I'm ready to see us through to the completion of our wedding 'plans'.

My parents still have all their Christmas trees and lights up, so no decorations are needed. The only people we wanted at our wedding had already RSVP'd for the annual Manoso Happy New Year Night. The Stankovics are coming and I'd let it slip that Edna may need a place to ring in the new year as well, so she had also been invited to the party by my mother ... I'd bet within seconds of me hanging up. I questioned if I should have the Kloughns invited as well, but I knew Valerie wouldn't risk Helen's wrath by choosing to spend a holiday with my family over theirs. Having their grandmother attend is a surprise for Stephanie, our wedding will be a surprise for everyone else.

My soon-to-be wife is currently trying to perfect what can't be any more perfect in my eyes. I continued to believe that up until she stepped out of the bathroom. My dick and my heart ached equally as her eyes collided with mine. It was almost impossible to pull them away from her blue ones, but it wasn't fair to prevent them from roaming the length of her ... from her brown curls pulled casually back and held up at the base of her neck, to the black cross-strapped stilettos on her feet.

"What do you think? Do I look like I'm ready to get married?" She asked, glancing down at herself.

"No. You look like you're about to persuade the devil to give up hell for you."

Traditional anything isn't what she'd wanted. She'd gone with a take-no-prisoners appearance over a virginal one. The Merlot-red sequined dress hugged the body that will bear my name soon. The only skin showing other than her beautiful face are her hands, collarbones, and three-quarters of the legs that had been wrapped around various parts of me only a few hours ago.

"I'm only interested in you giving up being single for me," she said.

"That'll be happening tonight."

"You mean tomorrow ... if we do it at midnight."

"Funny, Babe."

She tipped her head and smiled innocently at me. The movement caused my Christmas gift to her to shift on her ears. When she'd presented me with the ring I hadn't expected and haven't taken off, she'd mistakenly cracked a joke about the earrings I used in the past to promote an image I needed at the time.

I felt a suitable revenge for the teasing would be to give her diamonds to wear on her own ears. While the square, emerald-cut stones are a good size, to keep with the 'overkill' description Steph uses whenever she mentions her engagement ring, the earrings each also have a small baguette diamond mounted over the large ones that are set on a white gold loop. She told me I shouldn't have ... and I disagreed. I even fought dirty to keep her from insisting they remain in the safe, suggesting our wedding would be the perfect time to wear them.

"I try," she said. "You know, if I wasn't already engaged to you, I'd put a ring on it right now. You're a pretty hot guy, especially when you're actually trying to be."

I'd changed into black pants and a Ella-starched white dress shirt. Steph wanted tonight to be a relaxed one, so I skipped the tie and left my collar undone with the hopes she'll feel the need to explore the area whenever my parents aren't watching.

"I'm glad you think so."

She walked over to me and her body shimmered as it caught and held the bedroom's light.

She put her arms around me but kept some distance so she could see my face. "After your family, my opinion of you really is the only one that matters, isn't it?"

"Yours comes even before them, Babe. Before anyone."

"You should've saved that for the vows," she teased, kissing me briefly before pulling back.

"I have those covered."

"You always have everything covered. Is Tank riding with us?" She asked.

"No. He, Brown, and Santos, are 'carpooling' once their shifts end."

"Do they know anything?"

"Tank does. Smartass and Smartmouth don't."

She grinned. "This is going to be fun."

"That's what you wanted your wedding day to be. I believe your exact words were casual and fun."

"Our wedding day/night, you mean."

"I do."

"Again, save that for the vows," she said over her shoulder, as she walked out of our bedroom.

As always, my place was right behind her. Which reminded of the threat she'd issued after giving me my Christmas present. If I didn't ask Tank to cover for me so I could have some time off and accompany her on an already-booked weekend in a top-rated hotel over in West Orange, she'd go alone. I didn't want to scare her by admitting that I'd shut Rangeman down for forty-eight hours before I'd pass up an opportunity to make love to her with no interruptions for two straight days.

Her intention was for us to have a somewhat immediate honeymoon until I could plan, and get enough time off for, the one I want to give her. She'd stated that as long as I picked a place that's warm, she's not going to be picky about where we end up.

"Bye, Rex," she said to her rat, stopping to give him a few grapes from the fridge. Even the rodent's been eating better since moving in here. "When you see me again, we'll all be Manosos."

"I didn't extend the use of my name to include the furball."

"But I know how generous a guy you are. Plus Rex is too cute to exclude."

She continued to the door and I held her coat for her before slipping on my own. The elevator down to the garage and the ride to Newark was comfortably quiet. I needed my hands to drive, but I noticed she kept one of hers curled into my thigh, tightening her fingers on me randomly until I pulled up to the house I was literally born in. My mother, being the direct source of my independent nature, decided not to inform my father, or anyone else, that she was in labor until I was minutes away from joining the family.

"I still can't believe my Man In Black was born and raised here," Steph said.

It still surprises me, too. The three-story monster of a house has never changed color. My parents are both methodically thinkers, my mother being the worst one out of the two. It takes time for her to come to a decision, but once she makes it ... it's a lasting one. The pale yellow siding, huge wrap-around porch painted white, and coral-colored front door, does not look like a structure that would have produced me ... something my mother still finds humor in. I'm as full of shadows as my family is filled with light.

"I was. And that window," I said, pointing to one on the second floor, two over from the front door, "is the one I broke when Celia was put in charge of me for about an hour and locked me out when I refused to listen her. I got back in and still refused to take orders from her."

"That explains your locking-picking skills. Now you can get into any place without leaving a broken window as evidence. Who got into trouble for that one?" Steph asked, making a move to get out of the car.

"We both did. Stay," I ordered her, and pocketed my keys as I slid out from behind the wheel of the Turbo.

I opened her door and offered her my hand. "I promise," she said, "I can get out of a car all on my own. I was doing it for over thirty years."

"Three decades is a long time to be doing anything, so you don't need to continue doing it alone," I pointed out.

"You're impossible."

"Which is exactly how you like me."

"Yup."

She pressed a quick kiss to my jaw on the way by. She'd made it all the way up the shoveled sidewalk and onto the porch before I'd even beeped the car locked. My grin was smug when I caught her eyes. She didn't have to open the door to the house, either. My father beat her to it.

"There's my soon-to-be daughter-in-law," he said, circling her shoulders with a cashmere-covered arm, bringing her into the warmth of the house.

She glanced over at me, her eyebrows raised. I shook my head. I didn't tell them anything.

"Thanks for inviting me," she said.

"Are you kidding!" My mother exclaimed, coming out of the kitchen. "You being here wasn't up for debate ... unless you had plans of whisking my son away for the holiday."

"The only whisking I'm doing is next weekend, or if you have some cream in the fridge in need of a kitchen tool and some elbow grease."

"You are our guest tonight. You're here to eat, talk, and laugh, not work."

Steph put up both hands in surrender-mode. "Well, if you're going to twist my arm ... fine, I won't do anything except enjoy myself."

Mama Manoso beamed. "I loved you before, but even more right now. That was exactly the right thing to say."

Steph's face took on a pink tinge from the love and praise, but her smile rivaled the brightness of the massive eight-foot tree in the living room. This year's tree theme I noticed was musical instruments. I offered to buy them a building just to store all the ornaments they've collected over the years. My parents laughed, thinking I was joking. I wasn't. Their basement and small attic contained floor-to-ceiling shelves filled with nothing except Christmas decorations.

The exterior of the house showcased my father's attention to detail, with small white lights strung precisely along every single straight edge and narrow peak. As usual, the front porch had been lit up enough for planes to consider landing in the front yard. The interior decorating is the result of my mother's handiwork. It's more subtle than what my father enjoys, but every bit as festive. There are pre-lit garlands around every door and window. And the flat surfaces not set aside for food were covered by Christmas villages, miniature trees, or large clear glass bowls filled with paper-thin, colored-glass ornaments.

Even with Christmas being over, 'Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas' was playing in the living room, and the way the house smelled, brought back memories of childhood holidays with the familiar scents of my Grandma Rosa's avocado egg rolls, homemade butter rolls that my mother uses to make small sandwiches, cinnamon, and freshly-brewed coffee.

"I'm never leaving here. It smells too good," Steph said to the room, as the rest of my family greeted her en masse.

"You're welcome to move in," my baby sister told her. "Mama is always complaining about coming home some days to an empty house."

"Your brother might have a problem with that arrangement."

"He would," I agreed.

"This is quite a place you got here," Grandma Mazur said from the staircase she and Celia were coming down.

"Grandma?!" Steph said. "You're here? You told me this morning that you had a hot date tonight?"

"She does," my brother informed her, materializing behind them and dropping a hand on one of Edna's bony shoulders. "I headed over to Trenton and rescued Edna from your parents' place. I was only there for a total of three minutes as I helped her get into her outdoor gear, and my brain was already short-circuiting from the noise the TV and your mother were generating."

"Sorry about that," Stephanie said to him. "She's not too happy with me right now. And she's never been thrilled with anyone having the last name Manoso."

"Don't apologize for her, Babe. She should be held responsible for her own actions and behavior."

"I didn't help matters by turning on the charm," my little brother continued. "Mrs. Mazur has been putty in my hands ever since."

I wanted to roll my eyes at that bit of ego-stroking, but I refrained. Stephanie didn't fight it, though.

My father disappeared briefly and came back with two glasses of ice-cold champagne for us. We exchanged our coats for the champagne and my fiancé was quickly separated from the herd and brought into the kitchen. If I don't remain vigilant, I know I won't get her back until midnight.

That fear was reinforced when Mary Lou and her husband arrived ten minutes later, followed by the men who have taken orders from me long before Rangeman was established. Both sets of grandparents took up residence on the sofas situated smack in the middle of the mayhem. They smiled at and engaged Steph in conversation whenever she brought them something or asked if they needed anything. She still occasionally questions their approval, but she shouldn't. The only people who have an issue with how impressive a woman she is, live in a narrow-minded, short-sighted section of Trenton.

As it got close to midnight, Tank left the hors d'oeuvre table that was being continuously restocked by a minimum of five people, and came back over to me.

"You still going through with this?" He asked.

"Do you think I'm stupid and would give her a chance to change her mind?"

"No. We wouldn't be alive right now if you played anything safe."

"What are you guys talking about?" Steph asked, attempting to divide her time equally between me and everyone else ... and failing, since I counted her being only with me for thirty minutes total out of almost five hours.

"We're discussing you marrying him," Tank said.

"Is there any possible reason why I wouldn't?"

"No," I said, to her this time.

"I've been wanting to ask, but I keep getting distracted by something ..."

"Or someone," I finished for her. "If my sisters aren't asking your opinion on shoes or movies, my mother is wanting you to taste something in the kitchen, or my grandfather is trying to convince you that baseball is a more enjoyable sport than hockey."

"It took awhile, but I think I've worn him down into seeing things my way. We're getting close to the Big 1...2, everyone I've talked to is part of your family or mine, where's the guy who's going to be marrying us? You told me you have someone lined up to do it."

"He's right here," Tank told her.

"Where?" She asked, making a big show of peeking around him where a smaller man could, in fact, be hiding.

"I did that online sign up shit. He," he said, moving his head in my direction, "has saved my ass more times than I want to remember. The least I can do is legally sign his over to you so you can save it."

"She already has," I admitted.

He and I locked eyes briefly, and years and battles passed between us. We've been through hell together, but we're starting to see the light at the end of what we were both afraid was going to be a literal dead end tunnel.

"I know," he told me. "Let's put another successful mission under our belts."

"Wait ... you're serious?" Steph asked. "You actually did that for us? On your own? You're going to be our priest-guy?"

"Yes," was his three-letter answer to her multiple questions.

"But you don't talk."

"Don't have to ... much. The vow-part is on you."

"No pressure," she said under her breath.

"Your chance to back out of this ceased to exist when you said you'd have dinner with me right after I'd asked you to take us seriously," I reminded her.

"One date ... and my fate was sealed?" She asked.

"Yes. It took just one introduction to you for my life to be completely altered, why should you have gotten off unscathed?"

She smiled. "Yup, I should definitely be sentenced to lifelong matrimony for using my Italian temper and genetic lack of patience to make you fall for me instantly. Can you do that silent hand raise to get the room quiet so we can tell everyone what's going on? And you have my ring with you, right?"

"Steph, breathe."

"I am. This is excitement, not nerves."

"Alright."

I showed her that I do have the ring I'd bought that matched the band of her engagement ring. What had me suddenly speechless was her pulling my future ring out from somewhere inside the snug-fitting top of her still sparkling red dress. While I'm not actually touching it, I know that small piece of metal is as warm as the gun had been when she'd pulled it out of her jeans a lifetime ago.

Ring-shopping with Stephanie was an adventure ... and not in a 'where do you think you're going motherfucker?' kind of way. Steph had preferred a hands-on approach and she was constantly grabbing mine to see which band fit me and my personality the best. After visiting three jewelry stores, she decided on a platinum, five millimeter matte band that had a polished indented groove running along the middle of it. It's not overly noticeable, but enough that anyone looking knows I'm 'taken' ... Steph's words, not mine.

"Did you write down your vows so you won't forget them?" I asked her.

"I wasn't kidding when I told you I was saying them in my sleep. I'm good."

I slid an arm around her waist and brought her to what I'd call the eye of the storm, the cross-section between the industrial-sized, walnut-cupboarded, stainless steel-applianced, kitchen and the subtle yellow-painted living room. Stephanie had guessed my mother's favorite color a second after she stepped through the door of my parents' house for the first time.

I lifted my hand and Steph smiled into hers as all conversation stopped.

"Uh ... everyone ... we have something to share with all of you ..." she started to say.

"I knew it!" Brown shouted, slapping Santos on the back hard enough to leave an exact print of his hand. "We're gonna have a baby!"

"No we're not," Steph was quick to say, glancing nervously towards my parents and grandparents.

"Yeah," Lester said, "it's their baby, we just get visitation rights."

"There's NO BABY. Cover your ears, Tank." He made no move to do as she requested, so she shrugged and finished her point. "I got my period three days after Ranger proposed, and since we're still technically in the same month ..."

Tank looked like he should've listened to her, and Lester, Bobby, and my brother, had their hands headed to their ears while they were in the process of shouting ... "Stop!"

"Clearly, the only babies here tonight are you guys," she told them.

"So no great-grandbaby?" Edna said. "Then what else do you got? I'm old, I could die before I hear whatever it is if you don't hurry this up."

"Are you keeping secrets from your best friend?" Mary Lou asked Steph.

"Yes ... I mean no."

I stepped in to take the heat of her. "Stephanie agreed to marry me ... and she also agreed with me about doing it here tonight."

"Hot damn," Grandma Mazur said.

"Tonight?"Everyone else asked.

"Yep. Apparently, Ranger thinks we should butt into every family event and completely take it over."

"No reason not to," I told her.

"My son and I are in total agreement on that," my mother said. "I'm now really looking forward to Easter to see what you two come up with. When were you thinking of doing this?"

"We're going the 'cheesy' route and shooting for midnight, but your son promised that if we finish early, he'd just keep kissing me until twelve."

"That's my boy," my father said.

"Boy? Not even close," my almost-wife said back.

"Focus, children," my mother told us, earning nods from the entire group of elders. "It's eleven forty-five. You have fifteen minutes. I'm assuming since I knew nothing about this ..." she shot me a look since she loves every aspect of family get-togethers and would have really enjoyed knowing about this one ahead of time, "someone will be knocking on the door momentarily?"

Now Steph smiled, causing a second round of heart/dick tightening for me. "He's already here. Tank's our officiate," she happily informed everyone.

"No shit!" Was Brown's reaction.

"No fu ..." was the beginning of Santos' comment until I stopped him.

"Unless you want your mouth washed out with soap by a little Cuban grandmother," I warned, "I'd stop there."

"This is exciting," Celia added. "Where should we stand or sit? More importantly ... where are you guys going to stand? We're fresh out of altars."

Steph cut her eyes to me. "Up to you, Babe," I told her.

"Okay. I think we should stand by the tree, with Tank near the fireplace so I can threaten to push him into it if he picks this moment to get back at me for some of the stuff I've put him through."

"He won't," I promised. "If he even considered it, dying by fire would be preferable to the punishment I'd come up with."

"Carlos, you know better than to threaten Pierre in that way," my grandmother admonished.

"Yeah, stop picking on poor Pierre," Bobby goaded.

One look of promised retribution from my second-in-command had him shutting his face before half of it got punched in.

Mary Lou, having been born and raised in the Burg, didn't feel comfortable with confrontations among family, so she spoke up. "I'm ready for a wedding ..."

"Us, too," three sisters chimed in.

"Bring it on," Celia couldn't help but add.

My brother shrugged. "There's still plenty of champagne and food, that should get me through it."

While my mother smacked the back of his head lightly, Steph whispered ... "This family is perfect for me."

"You're going to be part of it in a few minutes."

"That's all the incentive I need. Okay, Tank ... do your thing," she ordered.

We all moved into position and he got us from point A to point B. "Tonight isn't just the overrated start of a new year, I get to join two special forces ... something we were all concerned wouldn't happen. This isn't only an important moment for these two, it's a huge step for Rangeman ..."

"Hey, is this about you and the guys, or me and Ranger?" Steph asked, but she was squeezing his forearm in a teasing way.

"It's a happy night/day for us all, Steph," Bobby told her. "Let him talk already."

"Can you guys be quiet so I can get this done and handed over to you?" Tank asked. She nodded and put both of her hands back in mine as he spoke again. "We saw the sparks fly between them, got our asses burned if we pissed either of them off ..."

"Real romantic, Pierre," Lester said. "With a name like that, you'd think you'd have a romantic streak the size of your Sasquatch feet."

"I could be finished here if you'd shut the F up."

My family tried not to laugh and failed miserably, but afterwards they smiled and made 'go-ahead' gestures with their hands. It's safe to assume that not one of them has seen a wedding quite like this one.

Exerting extreme patience, Tank tried again. "We've all seen them get stronger ..."

"It's impossible for Ranger to be any stronger than he already is," Stephanie felt compelled to say.

"Fuck it. I give up," he said. "You want to talk so bad? Go for it."

"We will ... but seriously, Tank, thank you for doing this for us. Okay, I'm going first," she informed us, "in case 'Romantic Ranger' attended the party and ruins my makeup."

"You have on waterproof mascara," I said. "I saw the label on the bottle lying on the bathroom vanity."

"Maybe I was talking about ruining my lipstick by kissing you repeatedly, not my eye makeup due to crying."

"That's preferable."

"Okay, here goes ..." she said. "Every woman deserves to have her guy notice that she's having a bad day and immediately ask 'whose ass am I kicking today, Babe? I never thought about this before you, but I really don't want to be with someone who tells me I'm perfect. I need a man who loves me and promises to defend me ... flaws and all. Thank God, I found him. I like the woman I am now because you've helped me fight hard to become her." She paused, then started talking again. "I don't see being married to you as 'a choice' anymore. Being your wife has become 'a necessity' to me ... like breathing and eating."

"Interesting way to incorporate your love of junk food into your vows," Tank said, butting in.

"Payback?" She asked.

His eyes grinned even if his mouth didn't.

She turned back to me. "The gist of it is ... I love you for never giving up on me, loving me even when I did give up on myself, and I know I'm going to love being your wife because you are the one thing I've done really, really right in my life. I chose you months ago, I'm choosing to be yours tonight, and I'll continue to choose you over and over again ... without a doubt, with no hesitation, and pretty much forever. Your turn."

"Top that if you can," Santos challenged.

As usual, I ignored him and did what my mother advised earlier. I focused solely on Stephanie. For the next few minutes, there will be no one else in the room.

"Stephanie," I began, not thinking about the words, more watching her face to see if she fully understands the meaning behind them, "there are many things that you've given me ... restful nights when I was convinced I'd never have another one, is only the start of them. Just hearing your voice has gotten me through days when it was difficult just to breathe, let alone do my job. Knowing that you can love me through every kind of pain, has made it possible to go on and continue being who I am."

I heard a sniffle but it didn't come from Stephanie. Though her blue eyes are overly shiny, she's doing a good job of containing her emotions. My mother, however, is bordering on becoming a stereotypical sobbing Mama at her child's wedding. When I'd been deciding what I wanted to say specifically to My Babe, I hadn't taken the reactions of my parents into consideration. My father was whispering something to his own wife and she sent me an embarrassed smile as she dried her eyes, mouthing the words ... "I'm fine and I love you."

I started speaking again, but tried to get through it in one shot before someone else interrupted. "When we met, I knew we'd always be together, whether that meant only as friends or just partners in the professional sense, because in different ways we were both apprehensive about more. I didn't understand our connection then and I still don't fully understand it now, but I've never appreciated it or you more. You've helped me forgive myself for not being the man I believe you deserve ..."

"Ranger ..."

"Let me finish, Steph. I promise it has a happy ending."

"I hope so, because you're killing me right now. I swear, if the company lied about my mascara being waterproof, I'm going to kill them. Make it quick or it's possible that I'll be crying like my almost mom-in-law was a few minutes ago."

I did as she asked. "I love you and I can't lose you. Ever. If I did ... I'd lose the one person who makes me make sense, to the world and to myself ..."

"As the bride, I'm allowed to officially end the vow part," she said, "because I really need to kiss you right now and I think the rings are supposed to be exchanged before the making out happens."

"They are."

"Get busy, Tank."

He snapped to attention, and in minutes declared us Mr. and Mrs. Ricardo Carlos Ranger Manoso. At eleven-fifty-eight, I covered my wife's mouth with my own and kissed her for the remainder of the year.

A/N: Ranger and Stephanie's vows are a combination of a few different quotes I've seen and really like, along with my own words.