Disclaimer: I love the Stephanie Plum series, but I don't own them and I don't make anything off of them. I'm just having some fun with them.

This one is for Margaret. I hope everything is going well and thanks for all of your support. Enjoy! Partially inspired by the songs 'Let's Give Them Something To Talk About' and 'Independence Day'.

WARNING: Tissues will be needed for this entry!

Three years later…

There have been times in my life when I thought all was lost, but I have had the luck to have friends and family to be there when I was down to help lift me back up. At one point I was the happiest that I thought I could ever be and then it was all ripped away from me. I had a loving husband who was the love of my life, three children that were the apple of both our eyes and a family that would do anything for us. It wasn't until shortly after the birth of our third child, Elizabeth Ella Ramos, 'Beth' for short, named for Manny's mother and Ella because of her constant support, that my world was ripped apart. The boys were almost three and Beth had just turned three months.

We had just found out that Morelli had been released a year early for good behavior, we were loading our kids in the car to go to the beach for the day when the man himself confronted us in our driveway. Honestly it was a good thing that both of us carried no matter where we were anymore, but this completely caught us off guard. Morelli approached Manny first without saying anything, as I finished loading the kids in the car and shot him in the chest, one bullet and that was all it took. The kids were screaming at the noise not knowing what was happening and I pulled my gun and closed the door. Without hesitation, as soon as Morelli rounded the car I fired one shot, and that was it. However that would never bring back my husband. Rangeman was there within five minutes and Ranger was at my side as I held Manny in my arms. The bullet had hit dead center and his death was instant. The kids were still screaming in the car, but their uncles were taking care of them, of that I had no doubt.

It took quite sometime to get over the loss of my husband, but Ranger had stood by his promise to my husband and never left me alone. He was there no matter what, thru the funeral, thru all the rage that I had inside me that I had no idea how to get out, at night when I needed to be held and when I needed to explain to the kids where their daddy was. It angers me to this day that I have to explain to them why there daddy isn't around. I swore to myself that I would never let our kids not know who their dad was. It took some counseling, and a lot of screaming to get out how unfair I thought life was. I raged over why Morelli had to do what he had done, that I had to be the one that took his life in return, why my kids would grow up without their dad, and then the fact that I was spending so much time with another man already

It wasn't until Jane sat me down and told me that Manny would want me to go on and be happy again. She knew that Ranger loved me, and she knew that Manny knew it, as well as their agreement. She wasn't pushing me into a relationship with Ranger, as much as telling me it was okay to feel the way that I was feeling. I had been so confused since Manny had died that I was feeling guilty for having feelings for another man. I didn't want to betray the man I loved, and was afraid that I would forget him myself. She was the one that explained that I would never forget and that it was okay to move on.

Jane and Bobby had been married shortly before Manny had died, and had put everything on hold after his death. I was Jane's Matron of Honor (even at eight months pregnant), while Manny was the Best Man, and my father walked her down the aisle. They were talking about starting a family right away, but waiting for things to settle down for me. They were there for my kids when I couldn't be. Now two years later, the roles have been reversed a bit, Jane is my Matron of Honor (eight months pregnant) as I walk down the aisle, once again on my fathers arm to marry the man who had been there for me through everything, regardless of his happiness or not.

As I looked down the aisle to the podium I remembered the day in Atlantic City when I had agreed to become Mrs. Manny Ramos, it was one of the happiest of my life, aside from the birth of our children. Now I am walking down the aisle towards Ricardo Carlos Manoso, planning a new future, but never leaving behind that of the one that was cut short. I was lucky to have been given the gift of love twice in my life, and I would be damned if I was going to let it pass me by.

Alright, that's it for this story. I hope you enjoyed this one. This last entry was hard to write, but it got stuck in my head thanks to Margaret. I had to get it out. Let me know which ending you like better. Babe's I'm sure you prefer a happy Ranger ending but let me know what you think anyway. Happy New Year Everyone.