Standard Disclaimer Applies, the ones you recognize aren't mine.

Chapter 7

After hitting every single red light on the way she finally made it to her apartment. She parked next to the dumpster, which was slowly becoming her unofficial spot. She looked up at her apartment window but the lights were off, maybe Ranger hadn't stayed. She sighed and walked in to her building. Saying hello to Mrs. Bestler who was once again announcing the floors in the elevator.

"Second floor, lost children, runaway dogs, and missing socks."

Steph shook her head, as she got off of the elevator, thankful that it had nothing to do with men and lingerie.

When Steph got to her door she tried the knob and found it locked, hoping Ranger was in there she knocked, which was kind of weird since it was her own door. Giving up on the easy way Steph dug around in her purse to find the ever elusive keys. As always they were at the bottom in a place she had already swept her hand. You'd think since they clanked and made a lot of noise they would be easy to find.

Steph swung her door open and then closed and locked it. Even though everyone can break into her apartment she would get a little warning this way.

She walked into the kitchen and plopped her shoulder bag on to the counter. She saw that her living room was empty and found herself disappointed that Ranger hadn't waited for her.

Steph looked over at her answering machine; maybe he had left a message. The light was blinking. She went over to it and saw that she had five new messages. She crossed her fingers and hit the play button.

First new message the mechanical voice told her. "Oh My God." Mary Lou's voice screamed into the room, "I heard you eloped with Ranger, I want details."

Second new message. "Stephanie this is your mother." Then there were the sounds of a tussle. "Give me the phone Ellen. Steph, I heard you eloped with the bounty hunter with the nice package. Mother," Her mom wrestled the phone back. "Steph I expect the both of you for dinner." That must have been from earlier this morning.

Third new message. "Hey cupcake, I heard you and Ranger finally tied the knot. Call me and let me know what really happened." Well at least he didn't sound pissed.

Fourth new message. At first she thought it was a hang up. Then she thought it was Ranger, but then the creepy voice that she associated with stalkers came on. "Stephanie, I saw you. Next time I see you, you won't just be falling asleep. You'll be seeing me soon."

Fifth new message. "Hey beautiful. We checked out your old skips, looks like none of them have been to New York recently. Though a couple of them are on Halcion, if you could stop by tomorrow and check out the list so we could narrow it down."

Hmm. No Ranger.

He could have had an account nearby that needed looking into. One of his guys could have been hurt and he had needed to get to the hospital. Maybe one of her stalkers had gotten in and…no he could have taken one of her stalkers down. He could have…. Steph was going through all of what may have happened that she wasn't aware of her surroundings at all.

"Babe?"

Stephanie screamed and clutched a hand to her beating heart. "Make some noise. Where the hell where you?"

"Babe you walked right past me in the parking lot. I thought you were coming up to grab your bag and come back down."

"I didn't even notice you."

Ranger raised an eyebrow at that.

Steph just went over and grabbed her purse off of the counter. Then she made her way to the door, but was blocked by Ranger.

"Um Ranger you have to move."

Ranger didn't say anything.

"Okay, look I'm sorry I wasn't aware of my surroundings. I saw that my light was off in my apartment when I pulled up so I thought you left to go save the world."

"Babe." Ranger slung his arm around her shoulders and led her out of the apartment, stooping to pick up her bag on the way out.

"Feels kind of light, Babe."

"Yeah, I figured if I needed more you'd let me come back."

Ranger shook his head and waited while she locked up her apartment door. Steph froze before she could lock up the door.

"I almost forgot the message."

"What message?"

"That the creepy guy left."

Ranger raised an eyebrow and opened Steph's apartment door. "Show me."

"No it's on the machine." Steph hit the play button.

"Oh My God." Mary Lou started off but Steph hit the skip button before Ranger could hear anymore of that message.

"Stephanie this is your mother." Steph skipped that one and then turned to Ranger.

"My mother wants you to come over for dinner."

Ranger's eyes widened slightly but said nothing she knew she'd probably have to explain later.

"Hey cupcake, I heard you and Ranger finally tied the knot..." Steph was too busy telling Ranger about dinner and didn't hit the button fast enough.

Ranger raised an eyebrow.

"I'll explain that to you later."

"Is that why I am going to dinner?"

"Yep."

Ranger nodded his head and listened to the fourth message play.

They waited through the silence, Stephanie watching Ranger's face for a reaction. "Stephanie, I saw you. Next time I see you, you won't just be falling asleep. I'll be seeing you soon."

"Hey beautiful." Steph stopped the messages there.

"That Lester?" Ranger asked her with a frown on his face.

"Yeah they have some old skips of mine that they want me to look through."

"Grab the tape and we'll bring it to Hector maybe he can get something from the voice print."

"You can do that?"

"I can do anything." Ranger told her, dragging her out of the door. He waited for her to lock up and then he led her towards the stairs.

"Ranger." She said with a whine. But it didn't help he still led her to the stairs where he made her use them to get downstairs. When she walked out into the parking lot she was not surprised that he had the front row spot. She was surprised that she hadn't seen him; she had to walk around his car to get to her apartment.

The drive to Haywood was filled with silence. Steph sat there hoping that Ella knew she was coming and Ranger sunk into his zone as soon as he turned the car on.

Ranger pulled up to the Haywood building and hit the button to raise the gate. The car slid smoothly underneath it and Ranger parked it in his spot near the stairs. Ranger grabbed Steph's bag from the back as he got out and met Steph around the back of the car.

Steph hit the elevator button and started to worry about which floor she was going to stay on. Would Ranger ask her to stay with him or would he automatically hit the fourth floor button? If he did that, she didn't know what she would do; she had thought when he asked that he was asking her stay with him on seven.

Ranger stood in the elevator waiting for Steph to get on, but she stood there mumbling to herself. "Babe, I smell smoke."

"Nothing." Steph stepped into the elevator beside him.

"Babe?"

Steph shook her head not looking at Ranger she knew that if she did his ESP would let him know what was wrong.

Ranger slid an arm around her and dragged her closer to him and placed a kiss to her temple and pressed the buttons for seven.

"Tell me about Morelli's message."

Steph kept her back to Ranger not wanting to see his reaction or more likely his blank face slam down when she told him.

"Well," Stephanie started stepping off of the elevator on to seven. "It seems that we eloped last night."

"Really?" Ranger asked opening the door for her.

"That's what I hear."

"Babe, I have a meeting right now, then a take down later. Some time in between there we'll have dinner and you can explain how that came to be."

"You're not mad?"

Ranger sent her a wolf grin on the way out the door. "Later, Mrs. Manoso."