Chapter 3

~Back to the present~

I watched as the sleek black car pulled into the lot and parked by my car. I knew who it was even before he got out of the car. When he did finally get out he came to stand with his hands on his hips looking up at me. I knew he was pissed but with me being pregnant and with my condition he wouldn't jump me about what I had done. I watched as he disappeared and knew soon he would be with me.

"Babe" I heard his low tight voice behind me. I turned and looked over my shoulder to see him standing in my old apt bedroom with his hands gripping his hips

"How did you find me?" I asked turning my head back around

"I know you, I've seen you out sere once or twice before. You aren't to go too far and this place hasn't ever been rented yet" he said coming out onto the fire escape and sitting down by me

"No one wants it because they know me and all the stuff that went on here and I guess after all the years that's gone by and our history you do know me"

"So you want to tell me why all my men almost had a heart attack trying to find you today?" he calmly asked me

"I needed to think" I told him laying my back against the building placing my hands over my stomach

"Steph I don't need to tell you that its important to know where you're at, at all times"

"Yea, yea spare me the lecture I've heard it before" I tell him

"Well then you know then why did you take the tracker off and turn the GPS unit off in your car and not tell command you were leaving?" he asked me

"I needed to be alone" I said as the tears started to leak down my face

"Babe" he said bringing me to him so my head laid on his strong chest

I knew he was still pissed. I could feel it radiating off him. He was pissed because I scared him. You'd never get him to admit it but I know once he got the call from one of the men alerting him that I was no longer online, fear and adrenaline spiked and he was on the move and being pregnant and ready to pop and the stress disorder he was containing his anger towards me. I knew too that one of his men would be the unlucky one and receive Rangers wrath tomorrow morning in the gym.

I felt him move my hair from my face and I recoiled and buried my head into his shirt. Ranger sighed and then I heard the rumble of his voice in his chest as he spoke.

"Babe why did you run, why did you need to be alone and think?" he asked me

"Because I'm a failure" I said and he pushed me up to look at me

Ranger placed my face into his hands and looked at me. He was trying to decide if this was a pregnant hormone thing or was I being for real.

"Your a failure?" he asked

"yep a big ole fat failure" I told him as tears squeezed out again and leaked down over his fingers

"Explain"

"I can't knit, cross stitch, crochet, or even write, and I'll probably drive poor Ella so batty she won't ever step foot around me again" I blubbered hiccupping as Ranger looked at me strangely

Ranger placed a hand on the side of my protruding belly and one on my cheek. He leaned forward and laid his lips on mine and kissed me. Soon I calmed and kissed him back. Ranger's kisses always could do and get the results he wanted from me.

"Now Babe since your calmer now tell me about this crocheting and writing thing" he said

" When Dr. Shawer said I could no longer work and you "fired" me I tried a few things to pass the time till the baby came. Ella would come in and try to show me how to knit and crochet and I just couldn't get it, she then tried to teach me cross stitch and I couldn't do that either. Ella bought this bear with blocks and hers came out all pretty and well mine not so much. We stopped there because that's when you had to come up from work and calm me down. Well I watched you then day after day leave and come back and I was so tired of it. I took my computer and started going into the conference room to just be able to be around people and sometimes they'd stop and chat"

"Yes, I've seen you lost in your computer a few time" he said

"Well I was tucked away and could watch all the going ons in the office and all the men milling around and they were all so different, so I began to type up stories with them in it. People liked them and so I got a little bolder and wrote of me and you, now I know what you're thinking and I changed the names so don't worry. Well they hated it, said some things about it and I just deleted it and cried. I can't even do that right, I'm just a failure at everything" I said starting to cry some more

"your not a failure" he said as I stood up over looking my old parking lot

"Yes I am. Think about it. I lost my lingerie job, rolled around in garbage all the time, hate guns, blow up almost every car I own, almost get killed, get kidnapped, always need you to bail me out, didn't become a "Burg" wife, oh and I'm divorced" I said feeling him standing behind me

"Stephanie you're not a failure. You just can't do those certain things you tried but you're by no means a failure. You have accomplished stuff no one else has" he said turning me around to face him

"Yea? Like what?" I asked "if I fail at all those things, how will I not fail as a mother?"

"You captured me Babe. No woman has taken my heart like you have. You married Batman. As for the other stuff you never gave up and when you needed it you asked for help and Babe ill always protect you till my dying breath and even after that my men will step in because they love you as much as I do because you don't treat them like the rest of society treats them. As for you not being a "Burg" wife I don't want you to be. I want you to be you Babe. I want you to do and be what you want to do or be and you are already a great mother" he said

"How the baby's not even here yet?" I asked

"Babe you carried our child safely inside you going on nine months now. You went to every appointment you had to make sure out baby was growing right and was fine. You stopped hunting and when the doctor said no more work you did that too all for the baby"

"Because I love it" I told him

"Right, and Babe you're going to bring our child into this world. Only you can do that Steph, I cant, RangeMan cant only you. I know too that when they lay the baby into your arms you're going to fall madly in love and promise to be the best mommy and you will be Babe because you already are" he said

When Ranger was done I again was crying. Not because I was depressed thinking about all I had failed at thru my life but because I felt so loved. I stepped into his arms and wrapped mine tightly around him. I told him I was sorry for what I put him and the men thru today. He raised my chin so that my face met his, he slowly and deeply kissed me slipping his tongue into my mouth.

"Don't do this again Babe" he darkly said and I knew he meant business. I shook my head in agreement

What Ranger didn't say was you scared me and I thought I had lost you and I couldn't live with that. Ranger helped me back thru my old bedroom window. He placed me into his car and we made our way home to RangeMan. As we pulled into the underground garage I saw all the men standing around watching us park. Ranger parked in his spot and jogged around and opened my door. When he did I heard a collective breath from all the men let out. I got out and stood behind Ranger and peeked around him, everyone looked scared and frazzled. Tank walked up to us and Ranger stood tall to show his protection of me. Tank locked eyes with him and he stepped aside.

"I'm sorry" I said as Tank stood bigger than life in front of me

Tank pulled me into a bone crushing hug. He told me to never do this again that I had scared all of them. I was then surrounded by a sea of men in black all passing me around hugging me. Ranger finally rescued me and made the men stand down, telling them no more stress. He placed a hand on my back and led me to the elevator.

"BROWN, SANTOS GO TO STEPHS OLD APARTMENT BUILDING AND BRING HER CAR HOME" he barked and they moved "THEY REST BACK TO WORK"

While we were riding the elevator to seven, Ranger turned to me and asked if he could read the stories I came up with. Blushing I told him sure. As I booted up my computer when we got into the apartment I clicked my story folder open and motioned for him to sit.

"Remember they are all made up, they are not real, none of this has ever or will ever happen" I warned him

Ranger looked at me oddly and sat down and began reading. While he read I went around doing things in the apartment. I went into our room to change when I heard Ranger talking to someone, opening the door and slipping my night down over me I saw him sitting still at the computer with his phone in his hand.

"SANTOS GYM 0500 HOURS" he demanded

"Opps" I said as I realized the story he was on

"Babe"

"Ranger it's just a story" I reminded him

"Don't worry, I won't kill him to bad" he said shutting down my computer

Ranger came to me, his eyes dark. He picked me up and carried me to our bedroom where he proved over and over to me how accomplished and loved I really was.

The END