A/N - Here is an extra long chapter for you. Thank you as always to my Beta, Svendances. She has beta'd most of this but there is a part in the middle I added. She is wonderfully occupied with a lovely family visit, but I really wanted to share this, so I'm bravely moving forward without her review. If there is anything major that needs to be fixed, I might re-edit this chapter.

Thank you all so much for your reviews and encouragement. I appreciate it and please keep them coming! It encourages me to keep going!

As always, not mine but I'm enjoying playing with them in a new situation!

Chapter 3

After dropping the body receipts off and collecting his check from Connie, Ranger returned to the new Rangeman office building on Haywood.

The building itself was seven stories, and located in the warehouse district. From the outside, it was a plain concrete building with few windows, but soon it would be transformed into the perfect headquarters for Rangeman Trenton. Once completed, this building would hold a full gun range, a state of the art gym, and a control room that rivaled NASA; not that you would guess that from its outward appearance. There would be living spaces for the men and Ranger would have his own apartment on the seventh floor.

Rangeman's second in command, and Ranger's best friend, Pierre "Tank" Sherman, would be arriving soon to review the plans for the renovation. But, instead of reviewing the plans again before their meeting like he normally would have, Ranger decided to do a little reconnaissance. Bringing up Google, he gave in to an urge he'd been fighting for the last 10 years and entered her name in the search engine.

He could have simply called Silvio in Miami, of course. The man was a whiz with the search programs they employed and could have had a Stephanie's full history emailed to Ranger's laptop within minutes. But he felt like that was going a bit too far and would invade her privacy.

After clicking the link to a local newspaper, he discovered that Stephanie had realized her dream of becoming a journalist and was now working at the Times of Trenton. The articles she had written were all investigative pieces that mostly centered on crimes that had been left unsolved. He could tell her instincts were sound and her outside the box thinking helped her find the answers that others hadn't seen.

"Proud of you, Babe," he thought to himself.

Returning to the search results, Ranger clicked on a link to an article about Stephanie herself. It was one of those lifestyle "where are they now?" pieces that was written during the last Olympics. The picture of Stephanie made his breath catch. She was just as beautiful as he remembered. Her curly brown locks framing her face, the smile that lights up a room and those big beautiful blue eyes. As he studied further, he could see that there was something different in her eyes, a sadness maybe, that cut him to the core.

Next to the article was a link to a video but he couldn't bring himself to click on it. Ranger knew if he clicked that link then he'd hear her voice, and he was sure he wasn't ready for that. His emotions were already brimming to the surface just seeing her face, and if he clicked that link, Ranger knew he would be lost, and that nothing in the world would stop him from going to her and damn the consequences.

"Ranger, are you OK man? You look like you just saw a ghost!" Tank exclaimed.

His eyes were drawn up... and up and up... to the imposing figure of his best friend. His nickname was an apt description. Tank's looming presence isn't just because of his height at 6'6", but also the fact that his musculature rivaled that of Arnold Schwarzenegger during his Mr. Universe days. His whole demeanor was intimidating and he had a look about him that made a person believe he could stop a tank just because he willed it. At his core, Tank was a kind hearted man and only a few knew that side of him.

The expression on Ranger's face must have belied the tumultuous emotions playing out beneath the surface, because Tank – usually silent as death – felt the need to speak once more, this time sounding more concerned. "Carlos, talk to me. I haven't seen that look on your face in ten years." He paused, apparently considering the time frame, before adding, "Not since the letter was sent to Stephanie."

The letter, that damn letter….

Ranger took a deep breath to regain his calm control, "I saw her today," he breathed, barely daring to say it out loud. "She's in Trenton."

"What? Stephanie? Are you sure? Did you talk to her?"

"Of course I'm sure. I'd know her anywhere," he sighed. "I saw her outside Vinnie's office, and she was getting into her car."

"Did you talk to her, Ranger?" Tank asked with more urgency.

"No, I didn't. I was across the street in my car when I saw her. She didn't see me."

"But you're GOING to talk to her, right?"

"I'm not going to do anything. There isn't any point. The only thing that has changed is I'm not wearing the uniform every day, but I can still be called up at any time. The government still owns my ass. It is one of the reasons we're here."

"Ranger, c'mon man. You.."

"No more, Tank," Ranger barked with his commander's voice. "Now report. Status on completing the renovation of the building," Ranger ordered and they got down to business.

###########################################

10 years ago, Ft. Dix

Sitting at the small desk in the barracks, Ranger looked down at the sealed and posted envelope that contained the letter he'd been trying to write since Hicks' funeral. Sending her a "Dear Stephanie" letter was taking the coward's way out, but it was his only option. Ranger knew that if he went to her and tried to say what was now written on the paper that he wouldn't be able to. One look in her blue eyes, and he'd be lost.

Contemplating the envelope in front of him, Ranger's thoughts were flooded with his memories of the past few weeks. He had been drawn to her like metal to a magnet the second he first saw her on the beach. Without thinking he found an excuse to go over and meet her, feeling a tingle in the back of his neck that grew stronger the closer he got to Stephanie. When he shook her hand in greeting, that tingle turned into an electric current that he felt in every nerve ending in his body.

As they spent time together, the soldier part of him that was rigorously controlled warred with the emotional man deep inside. The soldier told him that anything more than friendship with Stephanie was a bad idea. He would be deployed soon. A romantic entanglement would interfere with the concentration needed to get the job done. The man told him to give in, share things with her, hold her in his arms, and fall in love with her. Her love would provide the determination needed to return home from any dangerous situation he might find himself in.

The soldier lost the war, and the man roared with his victory.

Remembering their last weekend together, Ranger hung his head in his hands and closed his eyes. He could still see her smile, feel the touch of her skin, and hear her passionately moaning his name, Carlos…..

Now, fate had given him a cruel reminder through Hicks' funeral and the General's words that the soldier should have won the war. Ranger shouldn't have given in to what the emotional man wanted.

His tormented thoughts were interrupted by the concerned voice of his best friend.

"Ranger, are you seriously still trying to do this? It's been two days and the wastebasket is full of paper. Doesn't that tell you this is wrong?"

"I have to do this. I can't do that to her, Tank. I looked at Hicks' widow and I saw how broken she was. I can't do that to Stephanie. I shouldn't have gotten involved with her to begin with. We're about to be deployed, my life doesn't lend itself to relationships. It is better for her if we stop this now," as he turned back to grab the envelope on the desk.

A large hand grabbed his wrist and turned him around and looked him in the eye, "You need to think about this. We have the training exercise this weekend, so she isn't expecting you. Just take the time and think about it first because if you don't, you'll regret it. That girl is special, man, one in a million."

Ranger nodded and put the letter in the desk drawer.

###########################################

Stephanie closed the browser session and absentmindedly reached back to rub at the base of her neck. As realization dawned on her she froze. In all of the rush of emotions, she hadn't recognized that she'd felt that familiar tingle as she got in her Jeep outside of Vinnie's office. He'd been close, she was sure of it.

Did he realize they had been in such close proximity? Does he have the same sense of her presence that she does of his? What will happen when their paths crossed again? Could she handle seeing him considering what they'd shared the last night they were together? The questions rumbled through her mind like thunder on a stormy night, refusing to be ignored and accompanied by flashes of insight like lightening.

Eventually, Stephanie shook her head. She didn't have time for the distraction of thinking about Carlos. There was a story out there and she needed to get to the bottom of it.

While at the Bonds office, Steph had obtained a list of the Slayers that Vinnie had bonded out repeatedly from Connie. Opening her special search engine, she started entering the names. As each search completed, she printed them out and went through the information highlighting the pertinent information.

One name kept coming up time and time again, Pablo Barrentes.

##############################################

Frank was sitting at his desk reviewing paperwork when the alert went off on his computer. He read it and with a sigh rested his head in his hands. Damn it; leave it to his Pumpkin to find this name before he was ready. The pride he felt that she found the name this quick dueled with his sense of duty and what it meant for the mission he was "not" conducting.

The Barrentes Op started out as something that fell within Frank's jurisdiction out of country. Now that Barrentes was "in country" it was technically out of his realm and Frank had to work with one of the "alphabets." However, Frank had a team that was fully briefed and now they were working off book, so to speak.

Picking up the phone, he dialed Stephanie to see what kind of information he could glean from her. He hated this, but Pumpkin finding Barrentes' name could put her in a lot of danger. In order to properly assess this situation, he had to find out what she knew.

"Hi Daddy, how's Washington?" she answered.

"Good Pumpkin, what are you up to?" Frank asked his daughter.

"Not much, just working on a story."

"What have you got, honey? Something good?"

"I think maybe, this could be pretty big. I don't want to talk about it too much right now though." Stephanie paused with a sigh that Frank could hear loud and clear through the phone that indicated something was bothering her. "Daddy, can I ask you about something?"

"Of course, Pumpkin," Frank held his breath wondering if she was going to ask about Barrentes.

"What do you know about Rangeman Security?"

That certainly wasn't the direction he thought she was going to take.

"I know the owner, he is a former Ranger and he and his team did some specialized training with me at Ft. Dix The summer you and Mary Lou spent at Point Pleasant. Why?" Frank asked as he tapped the fountain pen Stephanie had given to him on his desk.

"No reason really, just the name came up today when I was talking to Connie when I went by Vinnie's," Stephanie sighed into the phone with a hint of sadness, and that is when Frank put two and two together and came up with four.

Frank knew his daughter had fallen in love with someone that summer and her heart had been broken when he ended their relationship. That heartbreak had changed his baby girl. She was still fiercely independent and stubborn, but she had lost some of the trusting nature she had before. He had seen her close herself off to possible relationships after the heartbreak she had suffered that summer.

Now, he had a name for that heartbreak.

"I have to go, Daddy. I need to follow up on this lead I have. I'll see you this weekend, right?" she inquired.

"Yes, I'll be home on Friday. I have some business to take care of while I'm there." Business that just got a lot more interesting, Frank mused as he said goodbye to Stephanie and disconnected the call.

Frank considered Manoso an honorable man and someone who could be a good match for Stephanie if they ever met. The knowledge they had obviously fallen hard for each other, and the impact Ranger had made on his daughter's heart when it was broken made Frank wonder about the cause of their breakup.

Maybe, just maybe, he could do something about it…

Turning to the safe hidden in the credenza behind his desk, Frank entered the code and removed the secure sat phone.

"Timetable has moved up. The chess piece is in play. There are complications to discuss."

A/N - I want to put this out there. This is A/U, so the characters are not exactly how JE writes them. Ranger to me is a complicated fellow. He may be able to exude the cool calm blank exterior but I believe deep down his emotions are raging and his brain is always a really busy place! I believe him when he says he's an opportunist, but there is also a really scared dude in there too where his emotions are concerned...so hence my version of soldier vs. man. He is Latin and a passionate person. I firmly believe that if Carlos came out to play in JE's books instead of just the soldier being in control Steph and Ranger would be together with or without babies forever! That's my opinion and the way I am trying to write him in this story. My first story he was a bit more free with his feelings but the reason was he was done with his contract and Ranger didn't need to be in control anymore.

Anyway, please let me know what you think. Oh and a big thank you to margaret aka whymelucylu for being a sounding board today and giving me encouragement that the part that wasn't beta'd didn't suck!