****AN: Thank you to all the readers who have read and commented on this story. It has been a blast to read and I thank all of you who have stuck with the story. As usual, I don't own these characters and am not making any money off of them. I'm just enjoying playing with them.

Previously, in chapter 8.

She waved him away because her Spidey enses had stopped tingling. "No, Hal. I trust that you've cleared the truck. I was just feeling a little uneasy, that's all." Still, she couldn't help but hold her breath as they made their way towards RangeMan

"After the Darkness"

Chapter Nine

"Spidey Sense?"

After getting over her anxiety of getting in the truck, Stephanie couldn't wait to get home. She was dancing in her seat as Hal drove her back to RangeMan. She knew Ranger was being very cautious with her since she wasn't released from the doctor yet. He was unsure about the sex issue between them. He probably wasn't sure if it was okay to request sex from his wife when he didn't remember her. However, she'd heard him mumbling her name in his sleep and knew that he was on the verge of remembering.

For her, she didn't give a damn if he ever remembered everything, as long as they remained together. She was determined to keep her man and she was going to pull out every trick in the book, even if that included gyrating to salsa music while stripping.

Lester was the one who'd actually given her the idea of making him fall in love with her again. They'd been chatting in the gym while Ranger had a meeting one morning and she'd been lamenting about Ranger still not remembering anything. In a panic, she'd asked, "What if he doesn't ever remember that he loves me?"

Lester had replied evenly, "Make him fall in love with you all over again. Listen, Beautiful, there are several things I know. One is that Ranger won't leave a responsibility lightly. The second is that he fell for you immediately when you met three years ago and it was a hard fall. And the last is that, whether he knows it or not, he's already half in love with you now. I've seen the signs once – they're unmistakable again. He watches you all the time and has to be near you. He's constantly reaching out to touch you in some way and he's jealous as hell. Trust me on this one. One of the first things he wanted to know from me was whether or not I had a thing for you."

The talk with Lester had left her feeling optimistic and she'd started right away with her plan. Basically, she'd just done what she'd done before. Acted naturally. It was always the little things that Ranger had liked before. He'd always been one to enjoy physical contact, so every opportunity she got, she'd run her hands down his arms or when she walked by she'd caress his shoulders and kiss him behind his ear. She could feel the vibrations on his skin from her touch, and knew he enjoyed the simple act of affection. Then late at night, she'd lay facing him in the bed and talk about everything she could that was special to them. She could see it in his eyes, the change from desire to love. All she had to do now was be patient, and of course, seduce her husband.

As she started to jump out of the truck and run for the elevator, she heard Hal say lightheartedly, "Go get 'em, Tiger"

She waved at him and turned to enter the elevator when she ran smack into the arms of her husband. Impulsively, and without thought, she reached up and kissed him full on the mouth. Ranger was quick in spinning her around, pressing her into the wall of the elevator and scrambling the feed of the security camera in one smooth motion.

With his body pressed into her, he asked, "Good news?"

Her eyes sparkled, "Yep. I've been released from the doctor. Fit as a fiddle." She was trying not to be too obvious about what that news entailed, or show her excitement of finally getting laid by her husband. "Where are you off to?"

"To inspect a client's security cameras and then the bonds office. Connie just called and said she had several skips for me. Want to go out to dinner tonight, instead of eating on 7?" He wasn't sure why he'd asked her that, but a date sounded like the right thing to do before what he had planned for tonight.

His suggestion played right into what she had planned for the evening. He was going to have the sexual experience of his life and would soon be in love with her again. They'd been working on the closeness they shared before and now she was going to get their intimate relationship a jump start. Then, her life would be back on track, she just knew it in her heart. Slow down girl…..one step at a time. Seduce him first!

"Sounds good, have you told Ella or do you want me to?"

"You can. I'm on my way out."

The elevator opened to the apartment and Ranger ushered her over the threshold and stood in the way of the door. Then looking into her eyes with an equal amount of lust and warmth, he brought her in for a slow seductive kiss. He'd only meant to give her a light brush of his lips. A simple warm kiss, like they'd shared a hundred times over the past two weeks. Those kisses had been about experimenting with each other's comfort level. But, it seemed his lips had a mind of their own. Her lips had parted in invitation and he'd dove for the opportunity.

When she pulled back, regained her breathe, she asked, "Do you think you could pick me up at our house? The dress I want to wear is there and I thought I would go home and use our whirlpool tub then get ready there." She knew she was rambling, but she didn't know how to stop the words from flowing out of her mouth. She was excited. Ranger wanted to go out on a date, with her!

Before, they hadn't really gone out on any real dates. They'd just started going out. He'd wait until the last RangeMan had faded away and then say, 'Want to grab a bite to eat?" At the time, she hadn't thought much about it. But then, when he started calling her just to talk, that's when she realized that he was pursuing her, 'in his own way'. She remembered the day it'd dawned on her that he wasn't merely spending time with her for companionship.

It was the day he'd left for Boston. Joe had gone on assignment and just as she was listening to a voicemail from him, Ranger came in. She could tell that he thought, from the voicemail, that Joe and she were still an item. She also saw the flicker of irritation and regret. Ranger didn't distance himself from her, but instead continued to call her regularly while he was gone to Boston. She felt sure that when he returned, he was going to start pursuing her for real. Of course, the whole Sullivan thing happened, and one thing led to another, and then, they were married.

Ranger wasn't sure where she'd just gone in her mind, but was sure it had something to do with him. She had that look of tenderness she got when she remembered something about them and their life together. He gave her a nod and then let the elevator door shut. They both watched each other until it slid into place.

When Ranger got to the garage, Hal was still standing by the truck, waiting for him. "What's up?'

Hal stood at attention, he couldn't help himself. Ranger had been his CO and he'd never been able to brush off the military training. "Sir, while we were out, Stephanie got one of her feelings, twice. You know, what she calls her 'spidey sense'. Anyway, the first was at the doctor's office, and then again, before we got in the truck. I checked both times and found nothing out of the ordinary. However, I think that maybe she was right and somebody was following us. I didn't see anybody; it's more a feeling than anything concrete."

Ranger nodded. He wasn't sure what the 'spidey sense' thing was all about, he'd have to ask Tank. However, from what he'd seen from his reports, Stephanie had an uncanny ability to notice things that others didn't. "Have Lester come down and dust the truck for prints. Maybe, whoever was watching slipped up and touched the truck. Also, let Woody know that we'll be going out tonight and need an escort. I want two and two again. I'm taking Stephanie out to dinner and I don't want any complications." He saw Tank coming his way. He started to dismiss Hal, but then remembered something Stephanie had said earlier.

"Steph said you had something bothering you about the bomb. Did your trip out of the office trigger what that is?"

"No. I don't know what it is that's bothering me, exactly. The only thing I know for sure is that I've seen this type of device before. If we didn't know for sure that Sullivan was behind bars, I'd say that it was his." Hal hated feeling unsure, but knew that this was exactly the type of bomb Sullivan would build.

Rangers studied the man for a minute, "Then let's follow the only thing we have. Pack a bag and tell Bobby to do the same. You guys are going to Fort Carson, Colorado to pay Sullivan a visit. I want the two of you personally laying eyes on him. If he's truly there, then maybe he had more than one accomplice when he was tracking Stephanie and me before."

Hal gave the affirmative nod and then asked, "Will this change your plans for tonight? I know Steph was sure looking forward to tonight." Hal blushed; he hadn't meant to ask and certainly hadn't meant it to sound like he knew more than he did.

Ranger gave him a steady look, wondering what Stephanie had said to him. The look on Hal's face told him that his man hadn't meant to be intrusive. "No. I'm still taking my wife out to dinner and then we're going to our home. I'm going to want to increase the security though and nobody is to know where we're going but the men I choose. Understood?"

Hal left and Ranger nodded for Tank to follow. Once they were in the truck, Tank gave him a look that said, "Spill."

"What the hell is a spidey sense?" Ranger couldn't believe he was actually asking such a ridiculous thing.

Tank grinned, "Ranger, man, it's something to truly behold. She gets these tingles down her spine, call it intuition, spidey sense or whatever, but it's never wrong. This one time, she knew there was something going down at this ice cream parlor. Sure enough, the dead bodies were too many to count. Anyway, before she gave up bounty hunting, we'd all worked with her some to hone her skills, but some things you just can't train. We've all learned to trust her instincts."

Something about his statement bothered Ranger. "Why'd she quit bounty hunting?"

Tank gave him a weird look. "Well, I'm assuming, because you guys were trying to have a baby."

Oh, yeah, right. Baby plans. At first, the whole baby thing was bizarre to him. Now, though, the more he discovered about her, the more he could see him planning that very thing. He'd come to realize that if he was honest with himself, the idea didn't entirely freak him out any more. In fact, his groin tightened at the thought of her belly round with his child. The more he learned, the more he could understand, how he'd fallen for her in the first place.

Who was he kidding? He was head over heels in love with her now. Tonight, he planned on telling her. He couldn't ever remember saying the words and meaning them but that had all changed. With three years missing from his life, it felt as if the change had occurred in a blink of an eye. Somehow, though, what he'd thought at first had taken him two years to realize had happened in just two short weeks. He had to wonder if it had been the same before and why he'd waited two years to act on those feelings. Oh, yeah, right. Morelli. How had the bastard gotten there before him? The answer to that question was obvious. He'd been too chicken shit. Hah, the 'great Manoso' was scared of a woman.

She wasn't just any woman, though. She was, and is, his everything. Tonight, he planned on, not only showing her, but telling her. A shadow passed over his thoughts and disgust filled his senses. What if he'd never shown her all of his personality? What if the dreams he was having about her were all just fantasy and she didn't know about his more carnal nature? Hell, what if he didn't make love to her in the same way? It would just be his luck if she went screaming for the hills when she caught sight of the beast that lurked inside him.

Hot blinding light sliced through his skull and his brain flooded with a vivid image. Stephanie was dressed in his robe and he had the collar bunched up in his hands as he pressed her against the wall. The words of their conversation echoed in his brain.

"And let's take a look at your life. You have a deep dark secret."

"Let it go,"

"Are you sick?"

"No, I'm not sick. Not physically, anyway. I'm not so sure sometimes about the mental, emotional, and sexual."

As the truck rolled to a stop, Ranger got out and stood a little too quickly. He staggered back until his butt rested against the truck. Beads of sweat popped up on his forehead. When he finally got himself under control, he realized that he'd had his first real memory of them together.

He frowned at the strange circumstances. She was in his apartment wearing his robe. Had they just had sex? No, that didn't feel right. What he did know is that he saw fear in her eyes at his revelation. How had they overcome such an obstacle? One thing was for certain; she seemed to know about his mental, err sexual tendencies, and had married him anyway. He smiled genuinely for the first time since he'd come out of the darkness. She knew….and loved him anyway.