A/N: I don't own these characters. I only wish I did. :)

Thanks to everyone who has commented on this. I really appreciate all your input and support! I hope you enjoy this chapter. I had a hard time getting going on it. Ranger and I weren't seeing eye to eye for a while, but I think we got it figured out. :)

Chapter Two

Something is going on and I'm getting frustrated by the lack of intel I've been able to get. In the last two days Rangeman has been notified of four more attacks on my privacy. All of these attacks are localized so whoever is interested in my background is close by. Originally I suspected that it was Morelli, but it doesn't play for me. I may not like him, may have no problem with taking Steph from him, but I respect him as a cop. He respects the system too much to go through a backdoor to find out information on me. He would tie his hands by going through all the proper and legal channels. Just one more difference between him and I.

I've been putting out feelers, trying to figure out who is searching me out but every lead I get is a dead end. The word is that there is no word. There isn't even a peep on the street about what's going on or who is interested in me.

My phone buzzes and without looking I know it's her. I feel the punch in the gut that I get every time she calls, every time she's near me. I've been keeping my distance from Steph since we caught her skip. There is just too much going on, and I don't like putting her in a situation that I don't feel like I can handle. This situation is making me tense. I consider ignoring it, letting it go to voicemail, but I don't. I need to hear her voice.

"Yo."

"So, I think you need to come over." a sigh escapes, "Now." Her voice is steady, but I can hear the strain in it and I am out the door heading to the garage before I even realize it.

"Babe. Right there." I hang up my phone and remote the Turbo open taking to the road in a smooth burst of speed. I hit all the lights right and pull into her lot. It has been five minutes.

When I get to her door I pause contemplating whether I should knock or just let myself in. My heart is knocking in my chest and I take a deep meditative breath, slowly releasing it, finding my center. I let myself in.

She's curled up on the couch, hair a riot of curls around her face. Her eyes are shadowed and watching me as I walk toward her. "Babe?" I ask running my knuckles over her cheek breathing in her scent as she leans into my hand. "Problem?"

"It's been one of those weeks."

I raise my eyebrow waiting for her to continue. When she doesn't continue I ask, "Want to share?"

I can feel frustration rolling off her in waves. She smacks her forehead with the palm of her hand, sits up and sighs. "Why me?" She says before smacking her forehead again. "Unh. Do you realize I sound like my mother? I love my mother, I don't want to be my mother. I don't want pot roast on Sundays and stuffed cabbage on Mondays; but I don't want this either.

" I'm tired of getting shot at, I'm tired of being stalked by psychos," her voice is steadily rising as she is talking, "I'm tired of rolling around in garbage and losing handcuffs, I'm tired of everyone breaking into my apartment. I'm tired of feeling like I have to look over my shoulder all the time and feeling like I need to check for video cameras in a place that is supposed to be my safe haven. And I'm so GOD DAMN TIRED OF PEOPLE I CARE ABOUT BEING THREATENED!!" She shouts. "Fuck!" Tears are threatening to fall down her cheeks and I feel my heart contract. God, don't cry. I feel useless when she cries.

So instead I focus on the details, that is the only way you can get through a mission. Focus on the details, ignore the emotions. "How long?"

"What?" She's looking dazed.

"How long have you been looking over your shoulder?"

She bites her lip, "Since before we picked up Phoenix Rising."

"Babe." Why didn't she tell me? Never mind. "How long before?"

Now she looks guilty when she says, "About a week before."

Shit. It's been almost two weeks and I haven't had a clue. The guys have been monitoring her as usual but I have given them orders to stay back and to not assist unless necessary. She and I came to an agreement a while back, she pretends like they aren't there and I can concentrate on work because I don't have to worry about her safety. She is the Queen of Denial Land. It works for me. "Why are you telling me now?" I ask her trying to keep my voice even. I'm finding it hard to control my emotions. I want to drag my hands through my hair but I remain still.

"Turn on the TV, Ranger. There's a DVD in, you need to see it." she says in a dead voice.

Shit.

When the DVD begins all I hear is breathing. Suddenly the picture comes up and there is Steph walking into the bonds office. She's wearing a tight white tee shirt and tight blue jeans. She's smiling. Another scene plays, Steph rolling around on the ground with Thomas Shutto. Cuffing him and pulling him to Big Blue. There are more scenes, they've been spliced together to make a mini movie.

Scenes of her and I in the alley next to the bond office, her climbing into the Turbo, a close up of her and I-- my hand tucks a curl behind her ear and I kiss her. Scenes with her and Morelli. Arguing at the scene of one of her car catastrophes.

The DVD goes black again and I hear breathing. When the picture comes back up it shows her bedroom. Shows her removing her clothes and climbing into the shower. I hear her talking to herself in the shower. She's talking about me. She's saying, "Damn, Batman. You've turned me into a shower gel slut." Normally this would make me smile but I am too far gone for that. I have reached a place inside that I have kept tightly hidden. Locked away. It's a dark place inside me. The last time it came out was the night I killed Abruzzi. That was not a good night.

In the next scene she's asleep in her bed, covers falling down around her hips leaving her belly bare, one hand tucked under her cheek. Her hair is a riot of curls. I am leaning against the door watching her, a smile playing across my face.

I remember this night. I stood there for an hour just watching her sleep. Wanting to climb into bed with her and pull her close to me. I wanted to bury my face in her hair and listen to her heart as it beat against my chest. I didn't though. I kept myself in check.

I let my gaze slide to Steph, her emotions are running across her face again. I see anger, frustration, embarrassment, and fear. The emotions are so stark that they fill the room like a living, breathing entity.

The DVD has gone black again, the unidentifiable breathing the only sound in the apartment. Rex isn't even making noise in his aquarium. I feel Steph tensing up more. Another scene begins.

Fuck! No wonder Steph got tense. It isn't a scene that is playing now, but a slide show of images. Images of me. Each image pops up, stays for a moment and then is covered by the cross hairs of a long range sniper rifle. Shit. Fifteen images in all. All of me. The threat is obvious. The DVD goes black again but instead of unidentifiable breathing there is a voice. "Manoso. I'm coming for you, but first I'm going to kill the only person important enough to you to make a difference. How does it make you feel to know that I have been close enough to touch her. To smell her scent. Does she smell like peaches and fresh rain to you?

I want to watch you squirm, to break, to hurt, I want you to experience all the pain you've handed out to others throughout your life. No longer will you walk around impervious to your past. Your past is back. Your past will no longer be a dark secret you keep locked away. Your past will be made public for the whole world to know.

How do you think your Babe will feel when she knows who you really are? Will she run from you? Will she look at you and see the devil? Will she see you for the evil that you are? I look forward to finding out.

Remember Manoso, the past always comes back to bite you and this time it's taking your Woman with it."

The DVD ends. The screen turns blue and there is once again silence in the apartment.

Tears are sliding down Steph's cheeks, terror is clear on her face. I pull her to me and wrap my arms around her. "Babe." My hands are running over her back, up and down, up and down. Her tears are soaking my shirt and her hands grab hold of my shirt. "Babe, it's going to be okay. I'm going to protect you, I'll keep you safe. Nothing will happen to you. I promise."

Suddenly she pulls away. "Wwwhat?" She stammers. I try to pull her close again and she yanks away from me. "What do you mean you'll protect me? You'll keep me safe? Are you fucking insane? I know you're crazy, everyone knows you have to be crazy, but I didn't know you were so fucking stupid!" She gets up and paces. "You think for one minute I'm actually worried about what is going to happen to me? Ranger, did you not watch the same video that I did? He's out to get you. He is going to kill you! I'm not worried about me. I've always got someone who is planning to kill me. He's planning on killing you! You! Do you understand that? YOU!

"Fuck fuck fuckfuckfuckfuuuuck! Ranger, you might be Batman but even Batman can be killed." I stand here looking at her pacing the living room, yelling at me as tears stream down her face. She's not worried about herself, no she's decided to be worried about me. I've been in war zones, third world countries, and jungles filled with people who wanted nothing more than to torture and kill me, and nothing has ever scared me as much as watching this Jersey girl pace her living room and worry about me.

I see in her eyes a mix of emotions, anger, panic, worry, determination, and an emotion that I'm too scared to admit to understanding. If I acknowledge what I see in her eyes I might be lost. Now is not the time for me to get caught in emotions. I need to keep focused. I need to keep her safe.

"Babe."

"No, Ranger. Don't Babe, me. I know you. I know what you're going to say. You're going to say that you'll be fine. That nothing will happen to you. Then you're going to try and stuff me into some safe house while you're out there on the street taunting this fucking psycho. So no. NO. NO. NO! You are not going to stuff me away so that you can go out and play superhero. I'm going where ever you go, because I am damned if you're going to lose your life. I might not have all the talents or skills that you and your Merry Men have, but I am loyal. I will protect you in any way that I can. I would rather take a bullet than watch you get killed. And I HATE getting shot.

I can't let you take a chance and die, Ranger. I can't imagine life without you in it. I don't want a life that you're not part of. Please, if you want me to go into a safe house come with me. Please."

A million emotions are running through me and I am fighting to keep my face blank. She would take a bullet for me? I can't let that happen. I will never forgive myself if something happens to her because of me. I know her well enough to know that she means everything she is saying. I won't be able to stuff her away somewhere safe. I won't be able to go out and search for the mother fucker who is tormenting her. Hell, I don't even know who the fucker is. Shit.

"Okay, Babe."

She stops pacing and looks at me, "Okay? Okay, what? Okay, you'll keep me with you, or okay, you'll come into a safe house with me and stay away from the psycho?"

"Okay, I'll go with you to a safe house. We'll use the seventh floor. The building will be on lock down, no one can get to us there. It's the closest place and it's safe." I watch the tension drain from her and pull her into my arms when she comes towards me. "Let me call Tank. Go pack your bag. I'll have someone come and get Rex tomorrow. He'll be safe here tonight. Is that okay?"

I feel her nod her head against my chest and sniffle. "Yeah, that will be alright." I let her go and watch her walk into her room to pack her bag. I pull out my cell and hit speed dial. She turns around and looks at me, "Thanks, Ranger."

"Babe."

The phone rings once before Tank picks up. "Yo."

"We've got a situation. I think the guy who's been checking into me has decided to try a different angle." I keep my voice level as I continue, "Steph received a DVD tonight. Turns out she's been followed for the last two weeks and her privacy has been violated." I feel the anger and darkness welling up inside again. My knuckles are white where I am gripping the phone. When I find the fucker who has been tormenting her, following her, invading her life I am going to kill him. I will tear him apart and there will be nothing left to identify. "She didn't tell us because she figured it was nothing. Until she got the DVD. He's been video taping her. He was in her apartment video taping her."

"Damn, Boss. How is Bombshell handling it?"

"Fine until the end of it. At the end there were fifteen pictures of me. Each one with cross hairs. The bastard is taunting me. The DVD was sent to her, but meant for me. I'm bringing it in. Steph is staying on seven with me. We're going offline and on lock down. Find this bastard Tank.

"Bring in all the guys. This is top priority until he is neutralized. Pull Bobby, Hal, Cal, and Lester in from the field. Work on this round the clock."

"Got it, Boss. We'll get him. Take care of Bombshell and get back here."

I close my cell just as Steph walks out of her room, bag in hand. "Ready?" I ask.

She smiles at me, but the smile doesn't reach her eyes. "Yeah. At least as ready as I ever am when there is a crazy stalker following me around and threatening the people I love."

My heart skips a beat when what she says finally registers. People I love. Shit. Focus Manoso. Focus. I want to tell her I love her but I can't. I've told her before that I love her, but I always qualify it. I can't tell her that without her my life will be empty and dark. I can't tell her that I want nothing more than to have a life with her. My life doesn't lend itself to relationships-- people use the people I care about against me. They try to hurt me through them.

If I were to open up and tell her, make her a permanent part of my life she would be in permanent danger. What kind of life is that for someone? I can't offer her a home, children, a white picket fence. Our lives would always be in jeopardy. I can't do that to her. I won't.

I place my hand at the small of her back as we walk toward the elevator. The feel of her skin beneath my hand calms me even as it excites me. I remember the feel and taste of her skin, the perfect little dip where her back meets her hips. The next days are going to be both a pleasure and a torture. Pleasure because I'll have her to myself, alone in my apartment. My bed. Torture because I know I can't offer her what she deserves. I won't force myself on her, and I don't think she is ready to make the move to me.

She's been on again off again with Morelli for so long that he is ingrained in her head. She needs to be sure of herself before she will come to me. I want her to come to me on her own, with out the ghost of Morelli haunting her. I want her to want me. Even when I shouldn't. I want all of her. Even when I can't have her.

She leans into me as we step off the elevator and I tighten my arm around her. The remote is already in my hand as we exit the building. The lights on the Turbo flash as the alarm deactivates and the locks disengage. I lead her around to the passenger side and suddenly there is a roaring in my ears, and I lose hold of Steph as I'm thrown back from the car. Then there is nothing but black.