Thank you so much to everyone that has read this story. It's short, but I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into their past. Thank you thank you thank you to those who reviewed and said such wonderful things. It really means a lot, and the nice comments make me want to write even more. :)

Katherine

Epilogue

Stephanie's POV- Present time

I shook my head to rid myself of the memories of that night fourteen years ago. I tried to give myself a pep talk.

Things looked pretty bad that night and turned out okay. I mean, sure, my car ended up in a chop shop, but I was okay in the long run, right?

Rational Stephanie rolled her eyes. Yeah, and some random gang guy is just going to step up to the plate and help you out again this time. Riiiiight.

I gulped, watching as the men came closer and closer to my car. Oh God, oh God, oh God, I thought. Not again.

I could hear their voices as the men surrounded my vehicle, joking and talking trash to one another. I thought desperately of my brown bear cookie jar in my apartment, wishing I could summon my gun to me with that spell I saw on the Harry Potter movie on ABC Family last weekend.

Suddenly, I saw lights coming towards me. The back of my neck began to tingle, and I knew that my own personal Dark Knight was on the job.

Sagging in the seat in relief, I looked through the window at what appeared to be the head gang guy. I pointed to him, then to the huge black truck that was now directly in front of my car. All joking stopped as the men watched Ranger and Tank emerge from the cab.

With Ranger's lights on, it was difficult to see who was getting out of the truck. As Ranger and Tank stepped closer, I distinctly heard one man mutter, "oh, fuck."

My eyes met Ranger's through the windshield and a feeling of shock and recognition hit me so hard I gasped, reeling back in my seat from dizziness.

We had been in this situation before. My memory, that awful night in college, the gang member who stepped up and saved me- it was Ranger.

He'd always been the one to save me. He was there fourteen years ago, and he was here now.

I saw the brief flash of awareness in his eyes before he schooled his face back to its usual blank state. I could hear him say a few words to the men around my car, but I was in too much shock to pay attention.

I came back to as I saw them hustle away into the darkness. I immediately wrenched open my car door and fell into Ranger's arms.

"Omigod, Ranger. It was you. It was you. How did I not know?" I was babbling, lost in the shock of my realization.

"Shhh, Babe. It's fine. You're fine," he whispered, holding me close. One hand was tangled in my curls while the other was spread across my back protectively. We stood like this for a few minutes while I breathed in gulps of his unique Ranger smell and felt myself begin to calm.

"Did you know?" I asked, pulling back to look in his eyes. "Did you recognize me?"

"Yeah," he said quietly. "I knew. I recognized you that day in the diner."

"And Tank?" my head swung around, looking for the large black man. "Did he know? He was there, wasn't he?"

"Yeah, Bomber. I was there," he rumbled. "I didn't recognize you as quickly as Carlos did, though."

He paused. "I'll uhh…give you all some privacy," Tank said, heading back towards the truck.

"Why didn't you say something?" I whispered. I was so stunned by this realization that I didn't even know what to think.

"Babe, I didn't know what to say. I didn't know if you even remembered that night so long ago, or if you remembered me as some gang thug that took pity on you."

I watched Ranger's face as he answered my question. At that moment, he was so open and truthful. I could see the uncertainty there that was so unlike his usual demeanor.

I leaned my head back against his chest and gave him a squeeze. Suddenly, I smiled. "Well, this certainly goes a long way towards explaining why I trusted you so completely so soon after we met in that diner, huh?"

"Babe," he chuckled. "You never disappoint."

We stayed like that a few more moments before Ranger gave a small sigh.

"We should go before your friends decide to come back," he said.

He reached in his pocket and brought out his phone. "Zero, call Al and have a tow truck sent to Parkane St., almost to Newark. Tell him Stephanie's car is on the side of the road."

He flipped the phone closed and took my hand, slowly walking us to his truck.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course, Babe."

"Did you ever think of that night again afterwards? I mean, before you saw me again in the diner." I held my breath, waiting for his reply.

He stopped and looked me dead in the eyes. I was riveted by his gaze and the intensity of his emotions.

"Always, Babe. You changed my life that night. You made me want to be a better man, and the choices I made from that one night were…huge," He paused. "After that…incident, I realized how much more I wanted to be. I drove around New Brunswick for hours after I dropped you off, thinking about how I could change my life. It was that morning that I enlisted in the Army."

I couldn't breathe. So many pieces were clicking into place that my head was spinning.

He smiled softly and cradled my face in his hands. "So, you see, everything I have, the man I am today, it's all because of you. You might not realize it but you saved me, all those years ago."

I smiled impishly up at him. "I don't know, Ranger. I think we saved each other."

He gave me his 200-watt smile. "Babe."