I looked at the clock time for training with Tank. If you told me 2 years ago that just now I would be getting up at five in the morning to train I would laugh my head off at you. If you told me I would be running Rangeman and have a degree in criminal psychology and financing, I would have passed out from laughing so hard but here I am. I worked damn hard in the last two years. Ranger's death spurred me to better myself, I still have days I can't get out of bed for the thought he won't be there to keep me going. In the last two years I took an advanced course in Criminal Psychology and Financing so I could properly help out as the new boss at Rangeman. Tank I snow my right hand man and I take direction from him when I feel lost, he is also my personal trainer and has gotten me in such good shape it is scary, donuts are still part of my diet of course but I have discovered the benefits of healthy living. We have a homier feel to the building now, people are allowed to pin up pictures and on the back wall, in the most obvious place in the room is a picture of Ranger, if I ever feel lost I come down and look at him, watching over us all and smiling down at how we are such a close family now. Like when Vince got the flu and all the Rangemen made him move in on the fourth floor and waited on him hand and foot till he was better. A real family, with real love and real respect for one another, it made me proud to know I had accomplished that. I walked into the office with my coffee cup and started on my reports, there were a lot of new clients and our capture rate for Vinnie was 100. Nothing was going wrong with the company apart from the gaping hole where Ranger used to reside. The guys even gave me lessons on blue prints and mapping out plans and now I headed every operation with a team of advisers to make sure I got it right and had everything covered. After that was finished I suited up and headed out towards the car so I could pick up Granma Mazur for her hair appointment, I stopped in the control room and Binkie handed me a note, "Boss just arrived two minutes ago." I pulled open the envelope and found Rangers handwriting. Before I could read anymore I needed Tank so I headed into his office.

"What is it?"

"Ranger's handwriting, it was just delivered."

I slowly opened the note out fully, in it was a picture of Ranger the day he left here and one that looked like just before he was killed but they were both dated and the newest one said it had been taken the day before. He can't be alive, not after 2 years. I read the note.

Babe, I need your help, come to the park at the end of your parents street,

R x

Tank and I looked at each other and set about a team, we covered the park area and headed out. After a few minutes of canvassing the park we were lost what there was nobody but an old tramp asleep on a bench. Suddenly it clicked. I rushed over to the tramp and pulled him to a sitting position, pulling his hood back I gasped. I was looking right at the face of the man I had mourned for two years. He was thinner, paler but when I felt for it there was a pulse, I shouted to get an ambulance and pulled him into my arms, he was unconscious but alive. Oh god he was alive. Tears of happiness and worry fell from my eyes and I couldn't let go. When the paramedics came they confirmed he was drugged but that it would wear off soon and he needed checked out. I refused to let him out of my site and followed them into the ambulance. He was cold to the touch and I worried how long he had been out there, I worried what he had been through, worried what he had seen, worried why he was just handed back so easily, worried he would be scarred mentally. I needed him back but I didn't know if it was my Ranger I was getting back. The next two hours went by in a haze of Merry Men, Doctors, Nurses and his family turning up. The nurse finally came through and asked to see Ms Stephanie Plum.

"It's Manoso. Can I see him now?"

"Yes follow me this way you can bring one more person with you if you want?"

"Maria?"

"Dear you go through first, Tank join her for now but give them some time alone first."

I smiled and took Tanks hand; the nurse wove through ward after ward and stopped outside of a private room. I took a calming breath and went in; he was laid out on the bed, needles and tubes sticking out of his neck and arm. He looked so helpless and I couldn't help but let another tear fall, his hair was longer than usual but still in his ponytail. He looked terrible but it was the most wonderful sight in the world, and his eyes were open, he focus on me and I saw a single tear fall and roll down his hallowed cheek. I rushed forward and pressed a gentle kiss to his cracked lips. When I pulled back he smiled up at me.

"Hey Babe, I've missed you so much." The flood gates opened and I collapsed onto the chair next to him still holding his hand.

"Ranger I thought you were dead, the boys came home and said they heard you had been executed, we had a funeral."

"Shhhhh, I'm home, it's OK they didn't do anything to me, just kept me in case they needed me for bargaining, I became too much of a burden so they dropped me in town and a local business got me home. I missed you so much, I hoped you had moved on because when the guys didn't return I thought they had been killed."

"No they survived because of you, I love you so much."

"I love you too." He picked up my hand and gazed at the ring. "I knew it would be perfect for you Mrs Manoso."

"You are perfect for me Mr Manoso."

We sat in silence for the next moment until I remembered the other's were waiting.

"Oh god, everyone is here to see you, I have to get them, I'll come back when they are done I promise. I went to kiss him again but he stopped me.

"Babe stay, I will see everyone but stay here I don't want to lose you again. Please?"

"OK I'll just tell Tank."

I stuck my head out the door and motioned Tank in, as soon as he stepped in the room he smiled wide as I had ever seen him. He rushed over and gave Ranger a hug before he could even react. I was smiling so wide my cheeks ached and Tank and Ranger started to laugh and talk a million miles a minute to each other. Suddenly Tank stood tall again and started to leave, so I took my place at Rangers left holding his hand while we waited for his guests. His family all hugged, kissed him and even cursed him for taking such risks. Once they left Lester, Bobby and Manuel appeared, then the rest of the Rangeman team arrived and soon the nurse was in shooing out everyone. I told them to wait in the meeting room. I turned to Tank and told him to keep an eye on Ranger, Lester and Bobby stood guard outside the door while I excused myself promising to be back in a second. First call was to Manuel, he was sent off to get Ranger moved into a bigger room with a bigger bed for the rest of his stay and to find out everything about his stay and his condition. I addressed the rest of the crew and told them we were suspending business for the next week, the only people in were the ones on monitor duty but everyone must be ready to go on call if need be. That sorted I headed back to Ranger's room, moments later Manuel reappeared and Ranger was moved to a bigger room with a bigger bed and another camper next to it for Tank. Lester Bobby and Manuel sat guard outside the whole time; they decided it was making up for leaving him there. I crawled into bed next to him being careful not to touch any of the wires and fell into the first comfortable sleep I have had since he left. Everything was sorted he was right where he belonged with me.

He was given the all clear but had to take a ton of vitamins and was to refrain from too much exercise. We got him home and he was given a wheelchair for his first few days till Bobby could get him on his feet again. I showed him all around Rangeman, introduced him to the new employees and showed him my subtle changes. Thankfully he was impressed with most of it, he wasn't happy I had put flowers and a pink phone in his office even though it had been mine for the last two years. He was slightly more withdrawn in some areas and I could tell it was due to his confined stay, he was getting nightmares in his sleep and wouldn't leave the Rangeman building for the first few weeks he got back. There was nothing I could do to make him leave the building and it was killing me inside, he was so annoyed he couldn't get into the gym it took someone guarding it to stop him. It was on one such occasion he went mental and I rushed down to calm him down, he had started walking properly by his 4th day home due to his determination but because he was still weak he couldn't do any sort of physical exertion without getting tired but he would push and get hurt so he had to be monitored. It killed me to see him like this but I knew how he felt. I grabbed hold of his arm and turned his face towards me, his eyes melted immediately but he was still very angry.

"Carlos, calm down, come with me and I'll tell you something you need to hear."

He cautiously followed me to the elevator and we headed up to the seventh floor. I sat on the couch and pulled him down with me.

"Do you remember when I used to have stalkers practically every week and they got more and more crazier?"

He nodded and thought about smiling but kept his face stoney.

"Well, I was boiling up inside because you always confined me to Rangeman, I wasn't able to do anything. You remember?"

He nodded again and I could see some of the tension leave his body.

"Well remember how you felt when I got a stalker and you thought they would hurt me? Remember why you locked me up?"

He nodded and pulled me to him and I knew he understood, it was just as hard for me as it was for him. I hated doing this to him but it meant I could keep him safe, now he was home I was doing nothing to lose him again. We sat like that for a while till I felt him start to drift off, it killed me seeing him so weak and helpless. I slowly pulled myself out from his arms and set a blanket across him and snuck out he couldn't see me cry. I got the best doctor in the country and brought her by private jet to help Ranger get back to his one amazing physical state. She gave him some new system of pills and I could see the difference immediately, he had more energy and started to get his colour back. After a week he was allowed to the gym and got a programme.

A month later he has some of his old muscles back, he is looking as gorgeous as ever, he is dressed to kill in his all black with his mirrored shades, guns hidden all over. I was so proud that as soon as I saw him I started to cry.

"Shhh Babe, what's the matter?"

"I'm just so happy, you look all bad ass again."

"Well as long as you don't tell anyone you've seen me cry and throw a tantrum I can keep up my reputation as a bad ass batman." He smirked and pulled me in for a bone melting kiss. I moaned deep into his mouth and he pulled me tighter so I was flush against him. We hadn't had time or energy for the main act yet but everyday I could feel the heat pool in my stomach at his touch just like before. We pulled apart and he lead me to my truck and climbed in the drivers seat, first stop was the office to see Lula and Connie, as soon as we pulled up and Ranger put his first foot on the ground there was an almighty bang, I made to shield him until I noticed it was the door swinging open as Lula and Connie flew down the steps. Ranger was losing his bad ass image fast as they both dived and hugged him senseless, well they hadn't seen him yet as this was his first venture out. Lula was the same as always but had lost a little weight and Connie was the same but with a wrinkle or two. Once they had been given their hugs I pulled him back into the car and we headed off to the cop shop. Eddie was waiting on the steps and gave Ranger an enthusiastic hand shake a few more cops filed out to give him a welcome back. Morelli was the last out and he beamed at Ranger when he saw him, Morelli had gotten married a year back and was loving the burg life so he no longer felt threatened by Ranger and it was doing their relationship a world of good, they chatted for a while till I pulled him off for dinner with my family. Dinner went without a hitch as soon as I pulled out Rangers pills for him my mother saw how I had grown and for the first time in my life gave me praise. All in all a good day, I was in the mood for a Ranger orgasm when we got home but the circles around his eyes told how tired he was so we crawled into bed together and were both asleep in a moment. It was good that he was home and I wouldn't ask for anything else in case god took him away again.

I was woken early by my alarm and headed to get my gym and gun equipment. After my workout and gun practice with Tank I headed back upstairs at 8 to wake Ranger before I hoped in the shower. I trailed kisses from the corner of his mouth along his jaw and down his neck and felt him come awake almost immediately, I licked a slow trail from his collarbone to just below his ear and when I blew on it he quickly flipped us over and was poised above me. As soon as I felt his excitement pressed against my stomach and his mouth working its magic towards my chest I knew we were back to normal, and it couldn't have felt any better.

Well hope you guys enjoyed it. Was just some fluff I thought of and decided to put on here. Please R&R.

Nia