Forgotten
SapphireJ
Chapter 3

Previously:

"Steph, what happened with you and Ranger?"

Stephanie sighed. This was not something she was ready to discuss yet. Hell, she didn't know how to explain what had happened. "He isn't 'in the wind', is he Manny?"

Manny shook his head and pulled Stephanie to him. "No wifey, he isn't."

Ranger sat in his Miami office staring at the pile of paperwork he'd been putting off. He'd been in Miami for three and a half months now. He knew he needed to get the paperwork done, but he just couldn't concentrate on it. He was thinking back to his last night with Stephanie when a knock at the door brought him back to the present time.

"Enter."

Silvio walked in and shut the door. "Here are the last two searches you wanted for today." Silvio put the papers on Ranger's desk and sat down.

"So, you ready to talk about why you are still here and the Bombshell is still in Trenton?"

"No."

Silvio leaned forward and started at Ranger. "Shit, man. Did you fuck it up again?"

Ranger glared at him. "When the hell did it become okay for my men to discuss my personal life?"

"Hell man, it became okay when you introduced us all to Stephanie. You shouldn't have brought her down here if you weren't serious about her. The only female to have ever stepped foot in this building, other than Louisa, is Julie. Louisa doesn't really count since she cooks and cleans for all of us."

Ranger took a deep breath. He knew he'd never get Silvio off his back if he didn't talk. Silvio was almost as bad as the guys back in Trenton.

"Look. I didn't fuck things up this time. She asked for something and I gave it to her."

Silvio sat back and stretched his legs out in front of him. "What did she ask for?"

Ranger put his feet up on his desk and leaned back in his chair. He took a deep breath and started telling Silvio what happened that last night, three and half months ago.

He broke into her apartment in the middle of the night, like he had many times before. He sat in the chair in her room and just watched her sleeping. It always calmed him down to just sit there listening to her breathe.

He saw her stir and he knew it was time for him to leave before she woke up. Just as he reached the door, he heard her.

"Ranger?"

"Shh, babe. Go back to sleep. I just wanted to check on you."

"Ranger, please, come sit down. I need to talk to you."

Ranger walked back over to the bed and sat down next to her. He brushed the hair out of her face and waited.

"Ranger." Steph took a deep breath and tried to steady her racing heart. "I need to let you know that Joe and I had a long talk the other night."

"Joe and I have agreed to give it one more honest try. He has promised me he won't be working with Terri anymore. He said he will make sure that if there is a case that she is needed on, he will turn the case over to someone else. He promised me he will stop sleeping with her; that he is done with that part of his life. He says he's ready to settle down."

"He has realized that my job is very important to me. He isn't trying to make me quit. He has asked that I get training to help me. So, if you and the guys don't mind, I'd like to take you up on the training you offered me a long time ago."

Ranger sat there and listened to what she was saying. He kept his blank face in place; he didn't want her to see his heart was slowly breaking. He knew she was safer with Morelli, but he didn't like it. He knew Morelli was a cheating, heartless bastard. "Do you really believe he will stop sleeping with Terri?"

"I hope that if they aren't around each other, the temptation won't be there." Stephanie sighed and looked at Ranger. "Ranger, you can't keep doing this."

"What, Babe?"

"This, breaking in my place. One of these nights, Joe might be here and that wouldn't go over very well. And the kisses, those have to stop as well."

Stephanie fought the tears, she didn't want to let him see her crying.

"Babe, do you want me to stop?"

"No, I don't want you to stop, but I need you to stop. I can't think straight when you are kissing me and if Joe ever saw you kissing me, he'd go ballistic. I want a relationship, Ranger. I deserve a relationship." What she didn't say was that she wanted one with him.

"I'll back off, babe. Good luck with Morelli. Get some sleep." He leaned over and kissed her forehead and left. He stood outside her door wanting to go back in there and tell her she was making a mistake. But, he couldn't offer what she wanted, needed and deserved. He had to let her go.

"So, she asked you to stop kissing her and you ran to Miami?"

"I can't be around her and not touch her. You know that. She asked for me to back off, so I did."

"No. You fucking ran to get away from her. You threw her to the cop! You know he will cheat on her and break her heart. If he hasn't already."

"I can't be her second choice, Silvio."

"You aren't. You are her first choice, but too damn set in your ways to allow her to have her first choice. When are you going to get your head out of your ass? When she finally finds someone who does treat her right and is willing to give her the relationship she wants, needs and deserves?"

Ranger growled at Silvio. "Who do you think is going to do that?"

"Obviously not you. But I'm willing to bet that when she finds someone like that, you will be right there to fuck it up for her. You are my boss and my friend, but right now you are an ass. You don't want her, but you don't want anyone else that would mean competition to have her. You are fine with her being with the cop because you know he will fuck up and she'll leave him."

"My life is too dangerous for her. I have enemies that…"

"SAVE IT! Damn it Ric, don't you see that she attracts her own enemies? How many times have you had to rescue her due to one of your enemies? How many times was it due to one of her enemies? I'm willing to bet that most of them were her enemies. Am I right?"

Ranger nodded his head and sighed.

"Then stop being a pussy and fucking let her in, man. She knows what you have done, what you now do and she still loves you. Don't throw it away. You're going to lose her for good if you don't do something soon."

Silvio stood up and walked towards the door. "If I were you, I'd be on the next plane to Trenton and be there for her. You know he is going to fuck up soon and she's going to need her best friend." With that, he walked out the door and left Ranger to his thoughts.

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