Whoa! I updated, It's a miracle!

Alright, I redid Chapters 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7. It's pretty much all the same information just rearranged there is some new stuff in chapter 5 and 6. Hopefully this helps with timelines.

Disclaimer: JE's are JE's. Lucy and anyone you don't recognize are mine.

-Just wanted to clear something up (because I confused myself yet again.) Steph does know Ranger's alive, but doesn't know the gravity of the situation yet. The fact that she's not in the dark may come back to haunt Tank but, who knows maybe the world's a better place than that. -

Steph's POV – Week 4 (the day after the end of chapter 6)

The nights were the hardest. My heart ached to be near him and my body ached to feel him. These past weeks have been the hardest and most confusing of my life. Ranger went in the wind what seems like ages ago. He is presumed dead; I have to live like he is dead. No one can know we know he is alive. My body aches to be with him. I dream of him every night, dream of the pain he might be in, I keep praying for him, praying for him to come back to me, his friends, his family. I rolled over on my bed, staring at the ceiling.

Yesterday Tank, Lester and Bobby had gone to Rangers parents house. I had never seen my merry men in their uniforms and if this were any other time I would have been drooling over them. They make me proud. Maybe when this is all over they'll wear them for me again, during a happier time.

-Flashback-

I rolled out of bed at 7 a.m. like I have for the past couple of weeks, hoping that this joke was over and Ranger would be there making me coffee. Every morning I wake and reality hits me. I look out the window at the fire escape hoping to look down and see his Porsche sitting in the lot only to be greeted with an SUV. It's like this every morning, my dreams are filled with his face and his touch, making the day that much harder. I walked to the kitchen and stared into Rex's cage.

"This is crazy Rex," she said "First I'm waiting for him to come home then I find out he's dead; now he's not dead. How do people live like this!? Sometimes I wonder if it would be easier if I just picked up and left. Joe's been in DC for two months I haven't had a stalker, my car hasn't blown up, my mom keeps calling me wanting to set me up with every person in the burg, Grandma's her crazy old self. And here I am talking to you worrying about… everything. And he's not here."

Rex's whiskers wiggled and he ran back into his soup can. "Thatta boy Rex, can I join you?" I waited for him to come back out but it looks like I had been dismissed. "Thanks Rex." Sighing I headed to the barroom.

I jumped in the shower and dressed in jeans, a nice floral shirt, and my boots. I arrived at Rangeman at 8 a.m. sharp just in time for the morning meeting. This meeting went the same as the others; it all seemed useless. After I had staid in my seat when Bobby, Les, and Tank approached me.

"Hey Beautiful" Lester Said

"Hi guys, what's up?" I responded, pretending to be cheery but everyone could see past that. I've used denial land so much in the past week that I may as well buy a condo there.

"Well," They looked at each other. "We are going to the Manoso's today." Said Bobby. A surprising calm silence wrapped around us as they waited for me to reply. What did they want me to do? Jump for joy? Fall apart? Gah, I looked down at my hands.

"Do you have to?" I asked, I thought it was pointless, he wasn't dead yet. Why did we have to do it if he's not dead… I hadn't quite grasped this concept yet. I started wishing yet again that they had kept me in the dark.

"Little girl…" Tank grabbed my hand. "Do you want to go with us?"

I sat there, "Tank, we weren't, Ranger and I weren't… They didn't…"

"Beautiful, They know that Ranger loves you. You're basically family to them, to me, even if you don't see it."

I nodded my head. "I'll think about it guys." We all stood and moved out to the hallway.

"Little girl, have you talked to Lula lately?" Tank asked.

I sighed. "No, I haven't… I've been avoiding the office. They ask so many questions that I don't have the answers for and we all know I'm an open book." It was Tank's turn to nod his head while looking off into the distance.

"Maybe once the news is out you could have lunch with her?"

"Am I causing a riff in your love life big guy?" I smiled and bumped his arm with my shoulder. It felt nice to think about something other than Ranger; ah crap there I go again.

"No Little girl, she's just been acting strange. I don't know what to make of it."

"Maybe I'll call her."

"She would like that." He squeezed my shoulder and walked back to his office.

-End Flashback-

Tank had talked with me about how things were to be handled. They were going to tell his family and then after that there would be a funeral with full military honors. Ranger had promised me he would come home. And now what happens, what if he does come home but he's supposed to be dead?

'Ugh' these thoughts had been swirling around in my head for the past week. I barely went outside I was working from home on stuff for Rangeman. They all wanted me to stay there but how could I when everything reminded me of him. I glanced around my living room, it was 2 a.m. and I was sitting on my couch with my laptop in hand running searches for Rangeman. I hadn't been sleeping well and I needed something to do at night.

'This is ridiculous!' I shouted to no one in particular and closed my laptop and shoved it in my bag along with the charge and files I had been working on. I moved to my bedroom and started tossing clothes and shoes into another bag. I reached in my drawers and grabbed underwear, Ranger's shirts and boxers and threw them in the bag too. I moved through the bathroom and dumped my necessities in the bag. I shoved my feet in some shoes, dawned Ranger's seal cap and took my bags to the car, ran back up and got Rex. I didn't bother with any of his food, Ella surely had some left in the kitchen. With everything strapped in my POS car I set off for Rangeman. I would call Dillon in the morning and end my lease. I have no idea where this sudden decision had come from but I scarily liked it and was ok. If no when Ranger returned I would be waiting for him and our someday.