I'm so sorry this didn't come out earlier. I've been in Germany for a week showing some of my horses so I really haven't had much time to write. But I've been dying to get this out! Well, here it is……

Warning: As always, you can't escape my potty mouth, but this chapter I find incredibly angsty.

Ranger and Stephanie lay peacefully in their bed, both naked as the day they were born and fully satisfied. He was on his back with Stephanie on her side, her leg and half of her bare torso draped over him with his arm wrapped around her, a soft smile spread across her pouty lips as she drew circles across his broad chest with the tip of her finger.

"Babe." His raspy whisper broke the silence and grabbed Steph's attention. She tilted her head up slightly to look into his molten gaze and kissed the bottom of his chin softly.

"Mm?"

"I have to leave again." He felt the gorgeous form beneath his arm stiffen uncomfortably and watched as her startling blue eyes glazed over. He tried to reassure her with soothing touches but her muscles remained just as tense as the stress lines in his forehead and the breathtaking smile of hers had gone. Steph stopped drawing circles on his chest and splayed her fingers wide across his caramel colored pec, still looking up at him.

"Again? You just got back two weeks ago." She choked out coherent thoughts between the tears that had started to fall down her cheeks. Ranger had just returned from a mission only two weeks before and had been away for three weeks and two days. It wasn't the first time Ranger had left on assignment in the two years they were together, but just like the last time she counted the milliseconds until he returned. Ranger didn't have to answer her. Instead he tucked an unruly curl behind her ear and kissed her softly. Their relationship was an adventure in itself because of the commitment issues they had in the past. But add in the fact that Ranger could be called away at a moment's notice, well…there was an unspoken tension that loomed over them, casting a heavy shadow. They knew it going in and it was out of their control. He lifted his eyes from Stephanie and stared up at the ceiling, not trusting himself to stay composed with Stephanie crying in his arms. Instead of convincing him to stay, she avoided the inevitably fruitless pleading and just asked for details that he could give her.

"How long?"

"I don't know."

"When did you get the call?"

"An hour ago."

"When do you leave?"

"Three hours."

"Are you going to be alone?"

"No, Babe." He felt her muscles relax slightly at that. Knowing he had a support crew behind him was like being given the tiniest bit of slack in a taught noose around your neck-it doesn't help much, but you'll take it.

"Is it an 'in the wind' sort of thing? Can you come home in between at all?" Ranger didn't answer right away. He stared up at the ceiling and stroked her back as he calculated a response that wouldn't rock her world, though the news couldn't be taken lightly. After thirty seconds of agonizing silence, Stephanie reached up and kissed the side of Ranger's mouth. "Carlos?" When she said his name like that, the way it rolled off her tongue so easily and with such love and care, his heart sped up momentarily. He finally took his gaze off of the ceiling and into her eyes.



"No. This isn't an 'in the wind' sort of thing. This is a 'please respect my living will and remember where I bought the plot of land next to my grandparents' sort of thing." Stephanie audibly inhaled at his words and another wave of tears spilled over her lashes, the exact reaction Ranger knew he would somehow have to face when the government called in its final favor. He had warned her many times that this would happen, and explained how serious and foreseeable it was. Of course she had understood, but could she really prepare herself for the facts? She knew this would happen but until the words escaped Ranger's lips, the thoughts hadn't sunk in. Ranger brought his callused hand to her face and cradled her cheek, wiping away her tears with a rough thumb. Her eyes pleaded the words she couldn't speak, begging him to go into hiding or just ignore it. She couldn't help but hope that maybe, just maybe, there was a way he could get out of it. Ranger sat up and pulled her with him so that she was still wrapped in his arms but leaning against the headboard, her head resting on his shoulder. He sighed heavily and shook his head. He wasn't given any details about the mission, just instructions on departure and plans. His caller had only said three sentences and in those three sentences, Ranger had lost his pulse.

"Soldier 24739087, you are to report to Base Anderson at 1600 hours. All clothing and personals will be provided for you. Tie up all lose ends at home and leave nothing unattended, Soldier."

Stephanie sat up in bed, still naked and wrapped in a sheet as she watched Ranger dress. He put on his usual SWAT attire and began to tie his hair back. Halfway through the process, she watched his shoulders tense up and he brought his hands down. They would be buzzing his head and for him to bother with the complicated leather tie would just be unnecessary. Once he was finished adjusting the laces on his boots, he sat on the edge of the bed and turned to look at his Babe.

"Your job is always here and this apartment is just as much yours as it is mine. Don't forg-

"Don't forget to take my gun out of the cookie jar and call anyone the second I need help. Tank is always available and of course Ella. I love you too, and I'll be careful." He felt his heart flip flop as Stephanie recited his speech, the same speech he had given her every time he had to leave before. The fact that she memorized it was sickening. He placed a soft kiss to her forehead, wrapping his hand around the back of her neck. He pulled away and sighed softly while staring into her eyes.

"Babe. I know you're strong and you are fiercely independent, but you have to make a few promises to me."

"Anything."

"If for some reason…if…I…" He cleared his throat and kissed her forehead again, hiding the emotions that begged to betray his voice, pushing the lump back down his throat. His arms wrapped around her and he rested his cheek against her temple, feeling her hands grasp at him as she inhaled his scent. "If I don't come home, you need to keep going. You have to move on and keep going and make a life for yourself. Don't think you owe me anything. Take care of yourself and keep going." By the end of his sentence, Stephanie was shaking in his arms from her tears. He felt them drip down his neck and pool in the crevice where his trap protruded from his shoulder. He only held her tighter. "That's if, Babe." She sniffed and shook her head, looking up to stare at him while willing herself to be strong, for Ranger.

"Then if if happens, I'll still see you. After." He knew that she meant in heaven and the sentiment stung at his heart. Comparing his afterlife to hers was like trying to say that Stalin and Mother Theresa would see each other after death. Her heart was so pure and untainted. She was the only person he knew that had the capacity to love him without condition, despite every flaw he had allowed her to see. He brought his lips to hers and whispered against them.

"Babe, I'm going to be heading deep south and I have a feeling you're going up north." Her arms moved to around his neck and she kissed him feverishly, holding on for dear life in their final moments together.

"Don't say that. I love you."

"I love you too, Babe. It'll be ok."



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"Alright. Now where the fuck is he?" Hector glared at Wolf, still standing in front of a lifeless Bobby, the hot gun in his grasp. His broken English was said with such a thick accent that Wolf had to pause and pick apart each word and decipher the question. After a few moments, Wolf grinned again, the blood framing his teeth, and nodded towards Bobby on the floor.

"Are you sure he's dead? Maybe shoot 'im one more time, for good measa'." Every one of the Rangemen tensed at his words and felt their blood boil at the crude innuendo towards their fallen friend, but Ranger was the only one to act. His hand went to the waistband of his cargos and he fingered the semi-automatic pressed against back. He jumped when he felt a strong hand clamp around his wrist and pry his fingers from the gun. Ranger craned his neck around to see Tank behind him.

"That's enough, Boss." Tank moved his hand from Ranger's wrist to the back of his neck. Although he had amazing balance, Ranger had no defense as Tank pulled him back so that there was a wall of Rangemen between him and Wolf. The expressions on the faces of his men told Ranger exactly what Tank had meant. They would no longer take orders from him. His muscles clenched and his jaw tightened. The thought of his men overthrowing their commander in such a sensitive situation enraged him. How could they choose now, when his son's life was on the line, to fuck around with him? In actuality, his men were more fit for the position given the circumstances. Hector, as always, had a look in his eye that made most men shit in their pants, but still had a blank face just as the rest of the Rangemen. Lester, however, was not quite so composed but betrayed. The hurt on his face was undeniable. He couldn't believe that Ricardo Carlos Manoso would ever get his men into a position, or let events escalade to the point that one of his men needed to be sacrificed. Especially Bobby. Every one of the Rangemen staring back at him had lost all faith in the man that had built an unstoppable empire. Apparently all it took to bring down the Great Manoso was a little emotion mixed in with memory loss. Ranger, in their eyes, was at complete fault for the death of Bobby and his inability to perform at his highest capabilities deemed him useless and ultimately cost him the respect of his men.

Ranger studied the faces of his men silently and saw no evidence that they would stand under his name anymore for this mission. Tank had finally decided to call it quits once the men realized that Ranger was turning into a threat against Mateo. Each time he allowed his emotions to fog his brain, Mateo would be one step farther away. Hector was the first to turn away and reached into his pocket while approaching Wolf, leaning back against the wall. With a final glare, the men turned and followed Hector's steps. His hand reappeared from his pocket and inside was a glinting piece of metal. Not until he turned it over in his hand a few times did Ranger see that it was a cigar cutter. He would never allow his men to use such vile tactics but he was clearly no longer in control.

Hector stood three feet from Stephen Wolf and took one of his hands in his. With a quick snap, the blade of the cigar cutter crunched through the bone in Wolf's right thumb. It fell to the ground with a thump and Wolf let out a howl, blood sputtering through his teeth and running down his arm.

"Where is the boy?" He spoke again through his heavy accent, this time speaking slowly so every word was annunciated properly.

"Jesus fucking Christ. You cut off my fucking thumb! Mother of God." He cleared his throat and controlled his breathing, a weak attempt, but managed to avoid another finger being claimed by Hector's blade. "Motel 6. Off the Parkway. Room 118." With a silent exchange between the Rangemen, the men moved out and Wolf slumped to the ground with a single shot to the forehead.

The men paired off just as before except now only Tank and Ranger were in the F450, Hector taking a seat in the Denali. The cavalry pulled off of Stephen Wolf's property and headed down the parkway. Each of the black vehicles drove in a straight line going 90 mph, weaving in and out of traffic. Tank drove while Ranger sat in the passenger seat, silent and blank faced. Even though it was unnoticed, Ranger caught a glance at the man next to him and he was actually shocked at Tank's expression. Tank was clearly battling something inside of him and occasionally he 

would open his mouth to speak but then shake his head and keep his eyes peeled on the road. Finally Ranger got fed up with his insubordinate employee and shook his head, spitting resentful words at his partner.

"Something on your mind, Tank?" That opened the flood gate.

"What the fuck is wrong with you? What the fuck were you thinking? You let Brown sacrifice himself without first knowing the exact location of Mateo? Are you fucking nuts? You lost it. You completely lost it in there and now Brown is dead because you couldn't handle the situation properly. You are something else, man. What the fuck is wrong with you? You've handled missions that jeopardize the safety of entire countries and you can't keep your goddamn head straight with some low life who would have given up his information after a few more punches?" Tank just shook his head and gripped the steering wheel tighter, pressing down harder on the gas pedal beneath his size 14 CAT boot. He sighed heavily and looked over at Ranger for a second, who was staring straight ahead and completely blank faced but thoroughly shocked. He had never been told off before by one of his employees, even Tank. Tank cleared his throat and stared back at the road.

"I know you've been having problems. We all know about the memory loss, and we know about the stress and depression. You need to see someone. We all have. If this doesn't prove it for you then I don't know what will. Look, the guys will forgive you, I forgive you. Santos will take a little longer but he'll forgive you. You just can't let this go on, man." Ranger nodded once before bringing his hands to his face, rubbing his eyes in soft circles to try and ease some of the strain. He had never felt more guilty in his entire life and it was physically demanding. He had single handedly gotten his son taken and one of his friends killed, all in a matter of 12 hours. Tank cleared his throat once more and spoke, quieter this time.

"You're not in charge anymore for this one. For Mateo. You're not on this one. You should probably call Steph and let her know we're on our way to get him." Ranger shook his head and sighed, crossing his arms over his chest and looking out the window to his right.

"No. I can't call her until we have him. She'll worry even more." Tank just nodded as his boss clearly ended the conversation.

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"Manoso, man, you gotta help me. Please. Just shoot me." Ranger heard sputtered sobs break out from a shadow at his feet, each word said between gasps of breath and blood filled gargles. He stared down at a mangled soldier under his command. His olive drab was dyed red, drenched in a blanket of blood that started at the base of his neck and covered him completely to the tip of his combat boot. It pooled around him, creating a lopsided puddle around his entire body, deepest at the base of his severed limbs where the soldier was slowly bleeding to death. He had lost both forearms and one leg, the steady work of a grenade, and barely had enough skin left on his face to cover his cheeks. Ranger battled with himself for no more than thirty seconds before raising his M240 and skillfully firing a fatal shot into the soldier at his feet.

He pressed on through the thick jungle, leaping over fallen trees and dead bodies. Each step was planned and intentional, land mines and undetonated bombs lay only inches from where his feet fell. The crunch of the underbrush beneath his CATs rang silent in comparison to the thundering blasts of shots fired and bombs ignited. In a trance, Ranger moved farther into the dense forest concentrating on the sound of his own ragged breathing. He stayed low beneath the clouds of debris, only able to see two feet ahead of him. The sound of his breath filled his ears until a piercing cry broke through the thick atmosphere. It was from a woman, he could tell that. It wasn't so much of a cry but more of a shriek. A blood curdling, spine tingling, ear splitting shriek that swam through the air and took his full attention. It sounded like someone was being brutally murdered and it called out to him. The screams filled the air, coming from every direction and only by some invisible force was Ranger able to choose a direction to run in. After running for what seemed like days, Ranger found where the screams came from.

Stephanie lay on the ground, discarded body parts littering the dirt around her while she rested in a pool of blood. Her skin was dripping with her blood, only her face was without it. Even though she was literally sweating blood 

from every pore, the breathtaking silk wedding gown she wore was perfectly clean, its shade of eggshell completely untouched. It was just a plain silk dress, sweetheart neckline and thin spaghetti straps that made her impossibly elegant shoulders even more perfect. It hugged every one of her curves and only stopped to flare slightly around her ankles. Ranger couldn't understand how the dress, clearly a wedding dress, didn't absorb any blood when Stephanie was completely covered in it. He took his eyes off of the dress to look at her face. Her mouth was still open as if she was screaming yet no sound came from her lips. Even her curls were drenched in blood, plastered down on her head as if she had just gotten out of the shower. Her piercing blue eyes were more intense than any of her screams as they shot through him like a sword. He knelt down beside her and moved to take off his gloves. After removing them, he slowly went to touch her skin before the screams erupted again. He sat back on his heels and stared back at her, confused. She spoke finally, but the screams still sounded and her mouth remained in the open-mouthed gape.

"Don't touch me! I saw what you did to him. I watched you kill all those people. Don't touch me!"

Ranger's face crumpled in pain. Every word that came out of her mouth seemed to be punching him in the chest, throwing off his heartbeat and making him feel short of breath.

"Babe, I'm sorry. I couldn't help it."

She wouldn't stop screaming and soon her screams turned into sobs as she thrashed in pain on the blood soaked dirt beneath her.

"Help me, Carlos! Please!"

He moved to touch her again, to try and find where her wounds were but just as he was about to make contact with her blood drenched skin, she screamed again.

"Don't touch me! I saw what you did to him. I watched you kill all those people. Don't touch me!"

Ranger looked stunned and shook his head, his shoulders sagging.

"Babe, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, Babe. I love you. Please let me help you. I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry."

"Don't touch me! You're a killer!" Just as before, every word that she spoke was a new knife wound in his lungs and before he knew it he felt as if he was suffocating, like a fish out of water. He held his throat in both hands and gasped for breath. The pain only got worse and he began to feel lightheaded. Through his gasps he heard screams again, though they weren't from Steph. He turned to look behind him and saw Mateo laying in a pool of blood, his skin covered just as his mother's. He was wearing his Batman sleeper and it too, was completely clean and untouched. Only his skin was covered in blood. His hair was matted on his forehead, the same blood covering his hair and slowly dripping down from his hair and onto his face.

"Daddy! Ayudarme, por favor papá." (Help me, please Daddy.)

Ranger pivoted himself on his knees and knelt beside Mateo, looking over his body as he thrashed in pain over the ground, the dirt and dust absorbing his blood like a sponge. Ranger reached out to touch Mateo's shaky hand.

"No, Daddy! Please don't hurt me!"

"Nunca te lastimaré, Mateo." (I will never hurt you)

"Daddy, you kill so many people! Please don't hurt me! Don't touch me, Daddy." Ranger's face twisted in horror at his little boy's words. They thought he was going to hurt them? Ranger stared down at his own clothes and realized that they were covered in blood, handprints left as if someone had wiped their hands clean on the front of his uniform. He looked down at his trembling hands and saw what looked like stains from blood. Ranger shook his head slowly.



"No, Mateo. I won't hurt you."

"Si, Daddy. You kill so many people."

"Don't hurt him, Carlos. Please, don't hurt my baby."

Ranger turned back again to see Steph, still writhing in pain in a pool of her own blood. Her dress was still clean and her face was slowly covered in blood, dripping down her hairline and onto her face like Mateo. After seconds she was completely immersed in the red liquid, all except her dress, and she lay lifeless on the jungle floor. Ranger snapped his head back to look at Mateo, and he too was in the same state as his mother. Completely covered in blood and dead. They both lay dead but suddenly, the screams started again. Then black.

Ranger shot up in bed next to Steph, so quickly that he felt lightheaded from the dramatic change in his blood pressure. His heart was racing and his bare, muscled chest heaved with each labored breath. His hair was plastered to his forehead, dripping sweat down onto his face and his brow. His entire bare torso glistened with a layer of sweat. Ranger felt the bed move and looked next to him to see Steph sitting up, concern written all over her face as she placed a hand on his shoulder, the other going to caress the side of his face and study his eyes.

"Are you ok?" She whispered softly into the air, running her fingers through his hair from his hairline back so that the drenched locks were off of his face. He just nodded, still inhaling as if he had been holding his breath for days on end.

"Is it the same dream as before?" She was still trying to read his eyes as she gently wiped the beads of sweat from his eyelashes. Again, he just nodded and tried to return his breathing to normal. No matter how hard he tried, the pain in his chest was still just as intense.

"Carlos, you really need to talk to someone about this. I know you don't want to but you've woken up this way every night since you've been home. It's been a month. Every single night I've watched you do this and it isn't healthy. You need to talk to someone. It'll help with everything." That 'everything' was loaded. The memory loss, the throbbing pain he would get in his legs even though he wasn't injured severely, the headaches, the dreams, the depressions. Ranger shook his head and finally got his breathing under control.

"No, Babe. I'm fine. It'll all go away." She sighed softly and nodded then kissed his soft lips. He eased the tension in his muscles and lay back, opening his arms for Steph. She willingly complied and nuzzled into his embrace, resting her cheek on his bicep as she watched his eyes flutter shut, though she knew he wouldn't sleep for the rest of the night in fear of the dream claiming his consciousness.

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As the Rangeman fleet came up on the Motel 6, just where Wolf said it would be, the men saw that they were not the first to arrive on the scene. Dozens of squad cars littered the premises as well as CSI's and investigators. Over the radio device that was hooked up to each of the Rangeman vehicles, Tank and Ranger heard Cal, the first driver to pull in.

"What the-. Looks like we aren't the first ones here." No one responded as they parked and jumped out. The men in black were all greeted by a female officer who seemed to have recognized the men. Tank stepped forward, the designated new leader, and addressed her.

"What's going on?"

"Are you Rangeman?"

"Yes."

"I was told to wait for you. Is there a Carlos Manoso?" Ranger stepped forward.



"Yes."

"Your son was found here by a maid after a man named Stephen Wolf called the front desk. He told them that there was a Mateo in room 118 who was kidnapped. The maid called the police right away."

"What time was this?"

"The call came in about two hours ago." Ranger looked down at his watch. Two hours ago the men were on their way to Wolf's property. Wolf had given Mateo back before they even got to his home. Ranger suddenly felt nauseous and had to look at the ground to keep his composure. He was sick at the thought that someone had pulled a complete mind game on him and ultimately won. The officer dismissed herself and left the men to be. Each one of the Rangemen began pacing back and forth as they took in the information, a few of them cursing under their breath in various languages. Tank was the first to speak.

"How did this happen?" Ranger shook his head and pulled out his cell phone to call Stephanie. He flipped it open with a flick of his wrist and saw the flashing light to signal a voicemail. He called into his mailbox and waited to hear the message.

"Carlos, they found Mateo. He's on his way here."

Ranger's entire body went numb at the sound of her voice, and he felt his stomach muscles clench as the vomit crept up his throat.

A few people I've had edit this for me were angry with me for this chapter lol. They said that it was very anticlimactic. I never really intended for this to be the greatest murder mystery. For me, this story was more about the struggles of Ranger and his coping and internal battles. I think I've focused more on that than anything else and I'm sorry if I've disappointed any of you because of it. That's just the way I wanted the story in the first place and it's going to stay that way. Thank you so much for reading my crapolla piece of work and please remember to review!